Secondary school place offers
How will I find out which school my child has been allocated?
All parents who applied for their child's secondary school place by the deadline of 31 October 2023 will receive an offer of a school place for their child in one of two ways:
- If the application was submitted online, the child’s allocated school place will have been sent via email on 1 March 2024 to the email address used to apply
- If the application was submitted using a paper form, the child's allocated school place will have been sent via a letter posted on 1 March 2024
What happens after I receive the offer of a secondary school place for my child?
If parents are accepting the place offered and:
- the school is within Northamptonshire - we will assume that the offer is being accepted unless parents inform us that it is no longer required
- the school is situated outside of Northamptonshire – parents should contact the school directly to check whether they need to formally accept the place for their child
Parents who have made alternative arrangements for their child's schooling must let us know as soon as possible that the allocated place is no longer required by emailing [email protected], letting us know the name of the school at which a place has been secured for their child.
What are my options if I am not happy with the school place offered?
For a small number of families, we regret that it has not been possible to offer a school place at a preferred school. The following information explains how places were allocated at each secondary school (if the local authority is in possession of this information).
Allocations for Secondary Schools in West Northamptonshire – September 2024 (as at 1 March 2024)
These figures reflect the allocations made on 1 March 2024.
Please refer to the oversubscription criteria for each school, found in the prospectus “Applying for a Secondary School Place in West Northamptonshire for September 2024”.
| School | Number of places | How places were allocated | Places remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeyfield School | 240 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place | No |
| Campion School | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place | No |
| Caroline Chisholm School | 279 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information. Admission number of 279 includes the pupils already in Year 6 at Caroline Chisholm School | No |
| Chenderit School | 180 | Less than 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 108 pupils living in the linked area, 36 pupils with an older brother or sister continuing at the school, 14 pupils attending contributory primary schools, 11 pupils selected for their aptitude in the visual arts; and 8 out of 78 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 2.370 miles from the school. | No |
| Danetre and Southbrook Learning Village | 180 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place Admission number of 180 includes the pupils already in Year 6 at Danetre and Southbrook Learning Village. | No |
| Duston School, The | 278 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information | No |
| Elizabeth Woodville (North Campus) | 120 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place | Yes |
| Elizabeth Woodville (South Campus) | 120 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Guilsborough Academy | 238 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Kingsthorpe College | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Magdalen College School | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Malcolm Arnold Academy | 240 | Less than 5 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, 36 pupils attending Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School, 5 pupils based on aptitude for learning music, 40 pupils with an older brother or sister continuing at the school, 16 pupils attending a named feeder school and 140 out of 159 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.387 miles from the school. | No |
| Moulton School & Science College | 240 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Northampton Academy | 300 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information | No |
| Northampton International Academy | 240 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Northampton School | 210 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information | No |
| Northampton School for Boys | 215 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information | No |
| Northampton School for Girls | 270 | The allocations below refer to pupils who sat the common ability test and fell within criteria 1-3 of the schools oversubscription criteria, or fell within criteria 4 and were placed into ability bands. No places were allocated to children who did not sit the common ability test at the school. 14 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked after/Previously looked after children, 59 pupils with an older sibling at the school, 2 children of a member of staff. All other pupils who sat the common ability test were placed into 5 equal ability bands based on the results of that test and places were allocated within each band using random allocation - Band 1 – 39 pupils Band 2 – 39 pupils Band 3 – 39 pupils Band 4 – 39 pupils Band 5 – 39 pupils One additional pupil was allocated a place over the schools Published Admission Number based on the schools policy on multiple birth groups. | No |
| Parker E-Act Academy, The | 240 | 9 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan or Looked After Children, less than 5 pupils with a compelling social/medical circumstance, 61 pupils with an older brother or sister continuing at the school, less than 5 pupils eligible for Pupil Premium, less than 5 pupils who are children of staff and 166 out of 185 other pupils using the distance tiebreaker. The last pupil allocated a place lives 1.455 miles from the school. | No |
| Sponne School | 232 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is an Academy school, please contact the school for further information | No |
| Thomas Becket Catholic School | 180 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | Yes |
| Weston Favell Academy | 270 | All pupils expressing a preference for this school were allocated a place. | No |
| Wootton Park School | 180 | This school was oversubscribed. As it is a Free School, please contact the school for further information Admission number of 180 includes the pupils already in Year 6 at Wootton Park School. | No |
There are three options available to parents:
Parents can add their child's name to a waiting list for any school at which they have been refused a place. The must have been listed as a preference on their original application.
Parents can either:
- email [email protected]
- write to: School Admissions, West Northamptonshire Council, The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE
Parents should not call us – they will be asked to put their request in writing.
The child's name and date of birth must be included on all correspondence. Failure to do so will cause a delay in the request being processed.
If a school holds their own waiting list, requests will be forwarded to the school.
What happens if a place becomes available at my preferred school?
Any places that become available after National Offer Day (1 March 2024), or places still remaining on National Offer Day, will be reallocated on a monthly basis within the additional rounds of reallocation taking place between April and July 2024.
All those on the waiting list, those who have submitted late applications and those who have submitted an appeal will be considered for available places against the oversubscription criteria for the school.
Parents of children who are successful in gaining a place during these rounds of reallocation will be notified in writing at the end of each round. Parents do not need to contact us.
How long will my child's name stay on the waiting list?
Waiting lists will be held until 31 December 2024. If parents want their child to remain on a waiting list after this date, they will need to renew their interest during the Christmas and Easter breaks. The LA holds waiting lists for some schools but not all of them. Parents should check with the school directly for their waiting list policy.
To find out which schools have places available see Breakdown of School Places above.
How do I apply?
Parents of children who wish to be considered for a place at a school which still has places available or be added to the waiting list for a school for which they have not yet applied, will need to make a new application.
Making changes to an application
Parents who have already received a school offer and choose to submit an additional application, will not be contacted before the application is processed. Any new school place will automatically be allocated and any original school place offer will be reallocated to another child.
Parents wishing to withdraw an unprocessed application prior to a reallocation round should email [email protected] to advise of this, providing their child's full name, date of birth and details of the application they wish to withdraw.
How will places be allocated?
Any available places will be reallocated on a monthly basis within the additional rounds of reallocation taking place between April and July 2024.
Places are not allocated on a first come, first served basis.
If there are more requests than there are places available, places will be allocated using the school’s oversubscription admission criteria. There is no guarantee that a place will be allocated just because there were places available on National Offer Day (1 March). Parents should not decline their existing offer of a place on the basis that they have submitted a new application.
When will I hear?
Each round of reallocation can take several weeks depending on how many applications are received.
Parents do not need to contact us after completing a new application. We will contact parents at the end of the reallocation round in which their application was considered.
Parents have the right to appeal against the decision not to offer their child a place at any of the schools where they have been refused a place. Parents choosing to appeal will need to complete an online appeal form or request a paper appeal form in writing from the Admission Authority of the relevant school (see below). Appeals may be submitted for more than one school but parents must have applied for and been refused a place for their child at the school in the first instance.
Academies, Foundation and Free schools where WNC co-ordinates the appeals
WNC co-ordinates appeals for the following schools:
- Abbeyfield School
- Campion School
- Chenderit School
- Duston School, The
- Elizabeth Woodville School
- Guilsborough Academy
- Kingsthorpe College
- Magdalen College School
- Malcolm Arnold Academy
- Moulton School and Science College
- Northampton Academy
- Northampton School for Girls
- Parker E-ACT Academy
- Sponne School
- Thomas Becket Catholic School
- Wootton Park School
Parents should visit the appeals website for more information and either complete the online appeal form or request a paper appeal form by either emailing [email protected] or writing to School Admissions, West Northamptonshire Council, 1 Angel Square, Angel Street, Northampton, NN1 1ED. Parents should ensure they include their child’s name, date of birth, address and the name of the school for which they want to appeal. An appeal form will be sent within seven working days of receipt of the request
Please note: completed appeals forms, both online and paper forms, must be submitted to the Appeals Team by 5pm on 15 April 2024.
Academies, Free and Foundation schools where WNC does not co-ordinate appeals
The following schools co-ordinate their own appeals:
- Caroline Chisholm School
- Danetre and Southbrook Learning Village
- Northampton International Academy
- Northampton School
- Northampton School for Boys
- Weston Favell Academy
Parents should write directly to the school to request an appeal form. Write to The Clerk to the Governors, c/o the school for which they would like to make their appeal. School addresses can be found on the online Schools Directory.
Parents can also visit the schools’ own websites for more information.
Schools outside West Northamptonshire
If parents wish to appeal against the decision not to offer their child a place at a school which is in another local authority (LA), they should contact the LA concerned to find out how they can appeal and/or request an appeal form.
I have submitted a late application - when will I find out which school my child has been allocated?
Late applications are applications received after 31 October 2023 and are dealt with in reallocation rounds. The date on which parents submit their late application will determine which round it will be processed in. Each round can take a number of weeks depending on how many applications are received.
Emails will be sent at the end of each round to all late applicants who apply online by the deadline for the round, letting them know which school has been allocated. Parents of children on a waiting list will only be informed if it has been possible to offer a place. Otherwise, their child's name will remain on the waiting list for the next round.
Parents do not need to contact us after completing a late application form, or on the allocation round’s processing start date – parents will be contacted once the round of reallocations is complete.
| Allocation round | Applications received by | Process start date (can take up to 4 weeks to process and send offers to parents) |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 31 March 2024 | 15 April 2024 |
| Round 2 | 17 May 2024 | 3 June 2024 |
| Round 3 | 28 June 2024 | 8 July 2024 |
Applications received after 28 June 2024 will be processed as and when received throughout July and August 2024. From the end of August applications will be processed according to our in-year co-ordination scheme.
Last updated 18 March 2024