Academy Admissions

Welcome to the Harris Academy Admissions information page. Please look at our news page for details of our open evenings for prospective Parents, Carers and Students. Our full policy, with details of our admissions criteria, can be downloaded from further down the page.  A brief summary of the application procedure follows, for Sixth Form, Year 7 and in-year admissions.

Academy Admissions Contact Details:

Year 7 Applications for September 2019 start

The Academy has an admission number of 180 in Year 7 for September 2019

For admissions into the next year’s Year 7, parents and carers are required to complete an application form (known as the “Common Application Form” - CAF) which will be sent to them by their local authority.  No applications direct to the Academy can be accepted.

Parents are strongly advised to read carefully the full Academy Admissions Policy 2019 (see at the bottom of the page) and information and advice from the local authority. The main points to remember are:

• You must submit an application form to your Local Education Authority if applying online by 31st October 2018. A place at any secondary school can only be offered if an application has been received.

• Think carefully about the order in which you place your chosen schools on the form.  You should enter your most preferred school first on the list. Please remember to enter the full name of Harris Academy Greenwich - there are several different Harris Academies and an entry of simply “Harris Academy” will be ignored.

• Be sure to include at least 3 different schools on your preference form.

• In March 2019, the local authority will notify you of the school where your child has been offered a place for September 2019.  If you are happy with the offer, you MUST ACCEPT this place by returning the acceptance form to your Local Authority.

If you are unhappy that you did not receive an offer of a school place at Harris Academy Greenwich, you have the right to lodge an independent appeal with us.

Year 7 Applications for September 2020 start

In order to ensure that the Academy continues to be truly comprehensive, the Governors amended the admissions procedures to include banding arrangements.  The aim is to admit the same proportions of students by ability as the national distribution curve.  In this way we can ensure that our Academy will continue to serve students of all abilities.

All parents who name Harris Academy Greenwich on the Common Application Form (CAF) will be invited to sit our admissions test to determine which ability band their child falls into. The test is a non-verbal reasoning test: there is no pass or fail and students do not have anything to revise.  There are two opportunities to sit the test, one before the deadline for completing the CAF and one after.  This allows parents to see which ability band their child is in before choosing the school – they can then look at the distances for final places offered within each band from the previous year and therefore be able to make an educated choice.

In the first year there may be very little point in sitting the test early as there is nothing to compare the results against.  However, we will still have an early testing day should parents wish, which will be on Wednesday 4^th September 2019.  Parents who wish their child to take the test early must contact our admissions officer Mrs Jan Henderson J.Henderson@harrisgreenwich.org.uk by the deadline of 1^st July 2019. 

For all other students, the main testing date is Friday 13^th December 2019.  We will write to all parents/carers with the exact time of the test approximately one week before the testing day. If you have named more than one Harris Academy on the Common Application Form you will only need to sit the test ONCE and will be notified as to which academy will be contacting you with details of your child's/ward's appointment.  

For more information please read the admissions policy in full or contact Mrs Henderson at the Academy.

If you require a concession in the admission test (for example for SEN or medical needs), you must complete the supplementary information form which can be downloaded from the bottom of the page and return it directly to the academy along with medical or professional evidence and proof of residence by the agreed date (to be confirmed).  Please note that the completion of a supplementary information form for Harris Greenwich does not constitute an application to the academy. You must complete the Local Authority Common Application Form as well.

View Digital Prospectus Online		Download a PDF

 

Post 16 Applications

Before applying, you should read our Sixth Form Prospectus.

For subject specific criteria please download admissions and entrance criteria document below.

View Digital Prospectus Online		Download a PDF

 

In-Year Applications

If you are looking for a place in Harris Academy Greenwich because you have recently moved into the area, or your child is at another secondary school and you feel that a change of school would benefit their education and/or general well-being, you are entitled to apply for a school place. 

Since September 2013, the law allows you to apply directly to Harris Academy Greenwich.  Please contact Admissions at the Academy, (contact details above) to request an in-year admission form, or download from (see below) Please note that there is no guarantee that a place will be available, but you have the right of appeal if you are refused a place.

For Parents/Carers who Wish to Appeal

Parent(s) wishing to appeal against the Academy’s decision on admissions, for any year group, should complete an Appeal Form (see below) stating the reason for the appeal, based on the published Admissions Criteria.

If you wish to appeal you must contact Admissions at the Academy who will send you an appeals form to complete.

Completed forms should be sent to the Clerk to the Appeal Panel at:

Harris Academy Greenwich, Middle Park Avenue, Eltham, London SE9 5EQ

The appeals will be heard, in private, by an Independent appeal Panel. The Clerk to the Appeal Panel will make an appointment within a reasonable time, Appeals may be made in English or the Parents’/Carers’ first language.

• Only one appeal per application is allowed.
• Appeals are conducted in person, and you may bring a friend.

The Appeal Hearing

The Academy will arrange for an Independent Appeals Panel to consider the Academy's reasons for refusal and your reasons for wanting to attend the Academy.  

The Panel will consist of 3 people (2 will have education experience and one will be an independent person with no education experience).

The Panel will consider the case put forward by you and the Academy. They must consider the admission arrangements for the Academy and the reasons why you want to attend that particular school.  The Panel must exercise its discretion by balancing the weight of your argument (for wanting to attend) against the Academy’s reasons for refusal i.e. the prejudice that one more student would cause to the education of the students already offered and the Health and Safety of all the students already attending the Academy, also taking into account the Academy's published admission arrangements.  

The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on the admissions authority and the Parents.

We serve our local community and aim to create a unique and outstanding place of learning for all, regardless of ability and background. We don't play admissions games: there are no tricks, no tests, no catches. We serve our local community and expect our students to make outstanding progress regardless of ability or background.