Admissions
Students joining in September 2024
Valley Park School has a published admission number (PAN) of 240 students, to be admitted into Year 7 each year. Applications for places will be made in accordance with Kent local authority’s coordinated admission arrangements and will be made on the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF), provided and administered by the Kent Local Authority. Please note that a Supplementary Application Form is only required if you are applying for a scholarship.
Admissions Process Timeline
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Registration for testing opens |
Thursday 1 June 2023 |
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Closing date for registration |
Monday 3 July 2023 |
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Application for Secondary Transfer opens |
Friday 1 September 2023 |
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Test date for pupils in Kent Primary schools |
Thursday 7 September 2023 |
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Test date for pupils not in Kent Primary schools from |
Saturday 9 September 2023 |
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Assessment decision sent to parents |
Wednesday 18 October 2023 |
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National closing date for application forms |
Tuesday 31 October 2023 |
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Final date for acceptance of on time changes to application details |
Friday 8 December 2023 |
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Summary of applicant numbers sent to Secondary schools (plus info for those needing to arrange additional testing) |
Wednesday 13 December 2023 |
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Full applicant details sent to all Kent Secondary schools for ranking against their over- subscription criteria |
Thursday 4 January 2024 |
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Ranked lists returned to Kent County Council by all schools. Deadline for school to inform Kent County Council of wish to offer in excess of PAN |
Monday 15 January 2024 |
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Secondary schools sent list of allocated pupils - Primary schools informed of destination of pupils |
Friday 23 February 2024 |
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National Offer Day: e-mails sent after 4pm |
Friday 1 March 2024 |
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Schools send out welcome letters no earlier than |
Tuesday 5 March 2024 |
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Deadline for late applications and waiting list requests to be included in the Kent County Council reallocation stage. Also the date by which places should be accepted or declined to schools. |
Friday 15 March 2024 |
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Date Kent County Council will send schools reallocation waiting lists for ranking against their over-subscription criteria |
Friday 22 March 2024 |
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Schools to send their ranked reallocation waiting list and acceptance and refusals to KCC |
Thursday 28 March 2024 |
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Deadline for lodging appeals |
Thursday 28 March 2024 |
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Kent County Council to reallocate places that have become available from the schools’ waiting lists. After this point, schools will take back ownership of their waiting lists. |
Thursday 25 April 2024 |
In Year Admissions
If you are looking for a place at Valley Park School 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.
Please contact the Admissions Team to request an In-Year Admissions Form or download a copy from our website. This form must be completed and returned to the Admissions Team.
The school will notify applicants of the outcome of their application in writing within 15 school days detailing any reason for refusal and information about the right to appeal.
Appeal Dates & Information
PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY.
If you have not been offered a place at Valley Park School, the law entitles you to appeal against that decision to an Independent Appeal Panel.
This panel is completely independent of the school and the Local Authority. All appeals will be heard online which has the advantage that your appeal can be heard from your home or place of work.
If you wish to appeal, please use this link to complete your appeal online. Please do NOT use ANY other appeal form or send your form to your local authority. It is suggested that you download the explanatory booklet about appeals which you should read before you complete the appeal form. Booklet Link
You should include any evidence or supporting material with your appeal form and you MUST give the grounds for your appeal at the time you lodge your appeal form. Your appeal form will not be accepted unless you state the grounds for your appeal. You may appeal for more than one school, but on different forms.
Any letters or reports that you wish the panel to see should be uploaded at this time. You are asked to bear in mind that if you later send additional information, the closing date is 5 working days before the STAGE 1 hearing. All appointed panels have agreed NOT to take any late letters or reports after the 5 working day deadline. This will be strictly enforced. For secondary/primary transfer appeals, the hearing will take place at least TWO months after the refusal letter. This gives you plenty of time to get your evidence together if you act early and take account of school holidays.
Please note that the online form will ask you to download two utility bills dated in the last THREE months. If you do not have access to a scanner, please take two photographs with a mobile phone and upload the photographic files.
Full details about the hearing will be sent to you with your invitation to the hearing.
If you wish to contact the clerk – email : clerk@educationappeals.com
The timetable for appeals is as follows:
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Last day for lodging appeal forms for a place in year 7 to start in September 2024 |
4pm on Tuesday 2 April 2024 to guarantee that your appeal will be heard in the first tranche of appeals. Appeals lodged later may not be heard until the second tranche which could be in September 2024. You MUSTstate the reasons for your appeal and supply any documentary evidence at this stage. |
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The stage 1 part of the hearing (with other parents present) will take place on |
Wednesday 12th June 6pm |
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Part 2, the individual private hearings will take place on |
13 June -14 June 2024 (depending on the number of appeals) |
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Invitation letter giving details about your hearing will be sent by the Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel |
At least 10 school days before the stage 1 hearing. |
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Any additional supporting evidence |
Closing date is 5 June 2024. You are advised that additional paperwork received on the day of the appeal hearing will not be taken into account. Please provide the Clerk with FIVE copies of any new additional evidence BY POST ONLY. All such evidence to be submitted in A4 format and NOT bound, but may be stapled on the top left hand corner. Paperwork submitted with your appeal form does not need to include 5 copies. These must be sent to EdAp, Sopers House, Sopers Road, Cuffley, Herts, EN6 4RY. |
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Letter from the Clerk informing you of the decision of the independent appeal panel |
Due to the high number of appeals held at this time, this may not be sent until up to 10 working days after the last hearing for the school. |
Timetable for appeals for mid-term applications is as follows:
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Last day for lodging appeal forms following a refusal for a place ‘in year’ or ‘mid-term’, excluding 6th Form. |
You must lodge the appeal form within 20 school days upon receipt of your letter of refusal. You MUST state the reasons for your appeal and supply documentary evidence at this stage. Appeals are held within 30 school days of receipt of the appeal form |
Timetable for appeals for the Sixth Form is as follows:
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Last day for Lodging appeals |
4pm on Thursday 29 August 2024 to guarantee that your appeal will be heard within the first weeks of September. You MUST state the reasons for your appeal on the online form and supply any documentary evidence at this stage e.g. a copy of your result sheet. Please note the timetable is very short to enable those appellants who win appeals to start as early into the school year as possible. Click here for the 6th form appeal form |
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Appeal date |
Heaings will be heard in late August 2024. |