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ADMISSIONS TO THE JOHN WARNER SCHOOL

In Year Admissions are managed by Hertfordshire County Council.

If you have recently moved to the area or your child will be moving schools outside of the usual Year 7 intake you will need to apply for an in-year admission.

We recognise the enormous potential of our students and we are justifiably proud of their academic achievements.

The John Warner School welcomes applications for Secondary Transfer and In-Year transfer.

Hertfordshire County Council will maintain a continuing interest (waiting) list. A child’s position on a CI list will be determined by the admission criteria outlined below and a child’s place on the list can change as other children join or leave it. Hertfordshire County Council will contact parents/carers if a vacancy becomes available and it can be offered to a child. Continuing interest lists will be maintained for every year group until the end of the summer term. To retain a CI application after this time, parents must make an In Year application.

Secondary Transfer - Year 6 into Year 7 2024

YEAR 7 ADMISSIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2024

This section is for students who wish to apply for a place at our school in September of the following academic year.

As we are our own admitting authority, you will need to complete a supplementary information form (SIF) alongside your application to your local authority (for Hertfordshire the website is www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/admissions).  Please use the link below to complete our SIF form.

Key Dates
Open Evening - Wednesday 20th September 2023 - Headteacher speech at 18:00 (doors open at 17:30 and will close at 20:00)
Technology Aptitude Test - Tuesday 10th October 2023 (deadline for applications 2nd October)

Supplementary Information Form 2024/2025 (SIF)

Admissions Policy for 2023/2024Admissions Policy for 2024/2025

OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA

Where applications for admission exceed the number of places available, the following rules will be used to decide which pupils to admit. 90% of allocations will be made using rules 1 to 4 in the order set out below and the remaining 10% of allocations will be made using rule 5.

Rule 1: Children looked after and children who were previously looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement order or a special guardianship order).

Rule 2: Children of staff.

Rule 3: Children who have a sibling at the same address who is a pupil at the school at the time of application. For  the  purpose of  this  clause  siblings  would  include  sister,  brother,  half,  step, adoptive and looked after children, provided they also live at the same address. 

Rule 4: Home to school distance. After places have been [allocated using rule 1, 2 and 3, home to school distance is used to allocate any remaining places within the 90% of places allocated to rule 1, 2, 3 and 4. 

Rule 5: The remaining places will be allocated to children who show an aptitude for Technology on the basis of an assessment of aptitude carried out by the school. 

* Please see our admissions main page for further information on the technology aptitude test. Siblings do not ordinarily need to sit this test.


LINKS

Find your nearest school

Journey planner

School Prospectus

Primary Transition Information

Secondary Transfer - Year 6 into Year 7 2025

YEAR 7 ADMISSIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2025

This section is for students who wish to apply for a place at our school in September 2025.

As we are our own admitting authority, you will need to complete a supplementary information form (SIF) alongside your application to your local authority (for Hertfordshire the website is www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/admissions).  Please use the link below to complete our SIF form.

Key Dates
Open Evening - Wednesday 18 September 2024 - Headteacher speech at 18:00 (doors open at 17:30 and will close at 20:00)
Technology Aptitude Test - Tuesday 8 October 2024 (deadline for applications 1 October)

Technology Aptitude Test

Technology Aptitude Test Application Form

Please note that siblings do not ordinarily need to sit this test as the sibling rule has a higher placement.

The tests form part of our oversubscription criteria for secondary transfer and involve the children sitting two papers: a non-verbal reasoning paper (40 minutes) and a spatial awareness test (45 minutes), both papers look for the ability to recognise similarities, analogies and patterns in unfamiliar designs.  A sample question will be read out and then a period of time will be given for the children to complete each section of the multiple choice questions. The scores are then converted to an age-standardised score which takes into account the fact that some children are very young in the year groups. There is no pass mark for these tests, places are strictly offered in descending order of each applicant’s standardised test score.

You should advise the school before the test and on the day of the test if your child has any special requirements that you feel may disadvantage them when sitting the test.  If your child is sick on the day of the test, please telephone the school in the morning.

This is not an intelligence test. The test is looking for students that show an aptitude for technology; a good example of this would be problem-solving based around pictures, diagrams and shapes. Below are examples of the type of questions that may be asked:

  • Spotting the odd shape out
  • Working out what a shape would like like when folded
  • Identifying mirror images
  • Working out the next diagram in a sequence 

HOW PLACES ARE ALLOCATED

Each year we move through the list in ranked order with the highest score being at the top and continue allocating until all 10% of places available have been given. Please be aware that in compliance with the School Admission Code 1.32(c) the school will not at any stage give out the individual rankings but will provide you with the outcome by informing you of the overall score that your child has achieved.  

These tests are only open to students that join us in the normal secondary transfer round for Year 7 places. All applications must be made prior to the published deadline.

In Year Admissions (mid-year transfers)

The school is part of the county council‘s coordinated In Year admissions scheme. You can make an In Year application online via www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/inyear or request a paper copy from the Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043. Parents/carers should return the application form direct to the County Council (address on the form).

LINKS

Student transfer information form - to be completed by current schoolNew student registration form - to be completed by parent/carer once place has been offeredCheck school vacancies in your areaSchool directoryFind your nearest schoolStudent and Parental Agreements for New Starters

Admissions for each year group are allocated in accordance with the relevant over subscription criteria. If there are no vacancies, children will be placed on the continuing interest list for the appropriate year group. Any vacancies are filled from the list in accordance with the relevant over subscription criteria and not according to the date the application was received.

A continuing interest list will be maintained until the end of the current academic year. If you wish to remain on the list then you will need to complete a new application form at the start of each academic year. 

For information on which schools in the area have places available, you should use the links above or contact the local authority, Hertfordshire County Council on 0300 123 4043.

The school will notify the Local Authority of your application. They will then write to you with necessary log in details and passwords to enable you to lodge an appeal if desired. Appeals resulting from in-year admission applications will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged. For further information, please visit:

Visit hertsdirect.org

 

Joining our Sixth Form

THE JOHN WARNER SIXTH FORM IS AN EXCITING AND UNIQUE PLACE TO STUDY. WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON THE INNOVATIVE AND VIBRANT ENVIRONMENT THAT IS AT THE CENTRE OF OUR POST 16 PROVISION AT THE JOHN WARNER SCHOOL.

If you would like to book a tour of the school's Sixth Form facilities, then please contact Mrs Anna Contato, Sixth Form Administrator on 01992 462889 or email:

The words 'Sixth Form' are an important distinction for us. They mean that we take seriously our commitment to promoting a culture of learning and growth and expect the highest standards from our students in terms of commitment and enthusiasm. Our Sixth Formers are the pinnacle of the school. Students who study here have access to a structured programme of support and care as well as excellent teaching from highly qualified staff.

Our students feel that they are part of a focused learning community, where they are both challenged and encouraged.

We offer a broad curriculum of A Level and BTEC subjects which means that we are able to provide an educational pathway that is tailored to every student's individual needs. With a well established UCAS programme we are highly skilled at helping students secure places at outstanding institutions. Equally our apprenticeship and careers advice ensures that students receive first class guidance.

We feel immensely privileged to work with such wonderful students. If you would like to be part of our learning community we look forward to welcoming you to The John Warner Sixth Form.

Admissions FAQs

If I live outside Hertfordshire, do I need to submit my application to Hertfordshire County Council?

No, you should apply to your own Local Authority who will pass on your information to the Hertfordshire County Council. You should still complete our Supplementary Information Form.

Am I in your catchment area?

A school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school. Our oversubscription criteria does not contain any rule that specifies areas and we therefore do not have a catchment area as such. You can view our statistical information to ascertain the last person that was allocated a place through the distance criteria in the past few years.

Do you need proof of address?

To prevent any fraudulent applications, we may ask you for two forms of proof of address; (a) your most recent council tax statement and (b) an original utility bill not older than 3 months. Documentation should include the name(s) of all adults living at the applicants address; if this is not supplied then the school may ask you to provide further proof. Due to COVID-19, all our applications are online this year and we may therefore ask you for documentation at a later date; this will be on a random basis.

How can I work out my home to school distance?

Most local authorities will have an option on their admissions pages for you to work out the distances to your nearest schools. You can work your distances out if you are with Hertfordshire County Council by following this link.

Whose address should I put on my application form?

Give your child's permanent address at the time you apply.

If you move after applying, you must edit your application both with the Local Authority and the school.

The Local Authority can't use your new address for allocation purposes if they receive your change later than 4 December.

Will I know if my child has got a place before allocation day if they sit the test?

No, it is illegal  for any school to give out allocation information before the national allocation day (1st March). Instead we will let you know your child’s tests score along with statistical information of the lowest test score that was allocated a place in previous years – this should help you in ranking your preference schools.

Does my child have to sit the test?

No, the test is optional. We save 10% of our available places to allocate to those that scored the highest results in the test. The test results are looked at once all other places have been allocated, for example, your child may have sat the test but already been allocated a place on distance, therefore we would not consider their test score meaning that we can move further down the list. We will offer 22 places on the test criteria this year.

I already have a sibling at the school, does my child need to sit the test?

No, siblings do not ordinarily need to sit the test, this is because the sibling rule sits higher than the test rule and will take priority.

Are there any previous test papers that we can see?

No, we are not allowed to release old test papers. Please read through the information on the test on our website.

Where are the application forms?

Application forms for Secondary Transfer (Year 6 into Year 7) can be found on our admissions pages under that heading.

Applications for those children who wish to join a current year group can be found on the admissions pages under In Year Admissions (mid-year transfers).

If my child is offered a place in a current year group, how long will the process take?

The process for an in-year transfer may take up to two weeks. We may need to bring your child in for CATs testing if they have not sat them at their current school or if they are coming from overseas. Once we have these results we can create a timetable and then move forward with a start date for you.

Do you contact their current school?

Yes, we will always contact a prospective student’s current school. We will ask for academic information so that we can place them in the correct teaching groups. We will also ask for behavioural information and whether or not they are at risk of permanent exclusion – this is because they may fall under a different admissions criteria known as “the fair access protocol”.

Appeals

You have the right to appeal against the school's decision to not offer a place. Parents are required to lodge all school admission appeals online with the Hertfordshire County Council. 

Hertfordshire parents can access the online system via their admission account. Parents who live out of county or who applied on paper should now use the online appeals system and will need to contact Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043 in order to obtain registration details to gain access if they have not already written to you. We will inform the Local Authority if we have been unable to offer you a place.

Appeals for secondary transfer are normally heard in June at a local venue. The date will be published on our website as soon as the Local Authority have given the school a date. 

For In Year appeals, parents will also use the Local Authorities appeals online system.   

The Admissions and Transport team will then send a letter to you with registration details to access the appeals online system.  

Parent guidance for appeals is found solely on the local authority web pages

Hertfordshire County Council Appeal Information