If there are more applications than there are places available at a school, the admission authority for the school will use its admission criteria to decide which applicants should be offered a place.

Different bodies are responsible for decisions about offers of places in different secondary schools.

You can find out what type of school a school is by looking at its entry in the secondary school admissions booklet.

Secondary schools and their admission authorities

Type of school	Decision body
Community	Royal Borough of Greenwich
Academy or voluntary aided	Academy trust or school governing body

Academies and voluntary aided schools’ admission arrangements

The admissions policies of different academy and voluntary aided schools are varied, so we recommend that you read the admission arrangements for these schools before you apply.

These schools have separate supplementary information forms you'll need to fill in if you are applying as a faith entrant.

Some of the schools use a banding system based on the results of a general ability test, and they also have separate forms you'll need to complete to register for the test.

• Separate form required for faith entrants
  • St Mary Magdalene CE School
  • St Paul's Academy
  • St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School
  • St Ursula's Convent School
• Separate form required for general ability test
  • Harris Academy Greenwich
  • Leigh Halley Academy
  • Leigh Academy Blackheath
  • Leigh Stationer's Academy

You can find the admissions arrangements information and download supplementry information forms for secondary voluntary aided schools on the specific school's website.

Community schools

Full details of the council's admission policies are in the Royal Greenwich secondary admission arrangements document.

Admissions priority

First priority will go to children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan naming the school.

Remaining places will be given in the following order:

1. Looked after children and previously looked after children who have been adopted or become subject to a child arrangements or a special guardianship order, immediately after having been looked after.

A looked after child is a child who is in the care of an English or Welsh local authority, including foster care.

A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.

2. Children or their immediate family member with a chronic medical or social care need for a particular school.

Applicants need to set out the reasons why the school can best meet needs and the implications for the child or immediate family member if a place was not obtained at the school. Evidence of the condition or need must be submitted with the application, such as a letter from a registered health professional or practitioner, i.e., a doctor or a social worker.

3. Children who have a sibling (brother or sister) living at the same address - who will be attending the school at the time of the child's admission.

Sibling means a full, half, step brother or sister, or a child living at the same household at the date of their entry to school. This does not include siblings who attend a school's nursery provision.

4. Children of staff.

This is for children of a member of teaching staff employed directly by the school and not an agency. Staff must be employed for two or more years when they apply to a school place or be recruited to fill a vacant post with demonstrable skill shortage.

Staff members applying under this category must provide:

• evidence of their relationship with the child
• a letter from the headteacher confirming they have been employed for a minimum of two years at the time of the application or be recruited to fill a vacant post with demonstrable skill shortage

The child must be:

• the staff member's natural or adopted child who lives with them
• the staff member's stepchild or child of a cohabiting partner who lives at the same address
• a child living at the same address as the staff member at the date of their application for entry
• a refugee child living with the staff member

To avoid doubt, a stepchild or child of a cohabiting partner who lives at another address will not be eligible for a school place under this category.

5. Other children based on home to school distance.

Distance from home to school is measured as a straight line from the centre of the home address to the centre of the school site. In the event that two or more applicants have equal right to a place under any of the above criteria, priority will be given to those who live nearest to the school. Should two or more applicants live an equal distance from the school, including instances where more than one applicant lives in a multi-occupancy building, the offer of a place will be decided by random allocation.

Attendance at a school's nursery, children of staff, work commitments and childcare arrangements are not part of the decision making process.

View the secondary school offers map