Admission of children outside their normal age group
Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group , for example , if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health .
Admission authorities must make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned . This will include taking account of the parent ’ s views ; information about the child ’ s academic , social and emotional development ; where relevant , their medical history and the views of a medical professional ; whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group ; and whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely . They must also take into account the views of the head teacher of the school concerned .
When informing a parent of the decision on the year group the child should be admitted to , the admission authority must set out clearly the reasons for their decision .
Where an admission authority agrees to a parent ’ s request for their child to be admitted out of their normal age group and , as a consequence of that decision , the child will be applying during the main round admissions process the local authority and admission authority must process the application as part of the main admissions round , unless the parental request is made too late for this to be possible .
Offers are made on the basis of the schools determined admission arrangements only , using the oversubscription criteria . The application will not be given lower or higher priority on the basis that the child is being admitted out of their normal age group .
If you wish to make an application for admission outside of your child ’ s normal age group you must make this request in writing to the admission authority of the school concerned .
This should be made at the time of application or in the case of primary to high school transfer before the closing date 31 October .
You will need to provide all of the reasons why you feel it is in your child ’ s best interests to be placed outside of their normal age group . You should also provide supporting evidence with your request i . e . school reports , medical reports , professional recommendations or any other documents that you wish to be taken into consideration .
For Elthorne Park High school you should address your request to ‘ The Head of Admissions ’ and send this with your supporting documents to High School Admissions , Ealing Council , Perceval House , 14-16 Uxbridge Road , W5 2HL .
For all other Ealing high schools you should address your request to ‘ The Chair of the Governing Body ’ and send this with your supporting documents directly to the school ( s ) you have applied for . You will need to send your request to each school on your application form .
If you are applying to schools in other boroughs please contact the relevant local authority for information on how to make a request for admission outside of your child ’ s normal age for schools in their borough . The telephone numbers of neighbouring authorities can be found on page 58 .
Parents have a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied . This right does not apply if they are offered a place at the school but it is not in their preferred age group .
12 Starting High School 2022