Year 7 Admission Arrangements 2024 entry

Girls are eligible for admission to Year 7 in September following their 11th birthday (for admission in September 2024 that is, girls born between 1st September 2012 and 31st August 2013 (inclusive). The school will accept applications from girls who are no more than one year younger (that is, they were born no later than 31st August 2014) provided that they are already in Year 6 at a primary school and the school confirms that they are working successfully in that group. Girls who are born in the summer 01 April and 31 August 2012 (inclusive), where parents delayed entry to reception, and the child has remained out of cohort for their entire primary attendance, are also eligible for admission.

In the first allocation of places, the school will only consider applicants “deemed selective” by the London borough of Bexley – using arrangements published by them. At this stage, girls with a statement of special educational needs will be considered only if they reach that standard.

If there are fewer than 224 such applicants, all will be admitted. Where there are more applicants than places available, after the admission of pupils with Statements of special Educational Need which name the school, priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below.

Over-subscription Criteria

  • Looked after children - Children in Public Care (Looked after children) or children who have previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order.  (Looked after children are children who are in the care of the local authority as defined by section 22 of the Children Act 1989.  A child is considered to be a looked-after child for school admissions purposes only if the local authority confirms he or she will be in public care at the time of admission to the school.)
  • Pupil Premium - Children attracting Pupil Premium who achieve the qualifying score
  • Guaranteed Grammar School Place - Girls identified by the London Borough of Bexley as achieving one of the highest scores (top 180) in the selection tests and who apply for a place at Townley Grammar School
  • Sibling – Girls who will have a sibling attending a school within the ‘Odyssey Trust for Education’ at the time of application.  For this priority, sibling includes a full brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, or step/half brother or sister living at the same address living at the same address
  • Staff Children – Children of members of Odyssey Trust staff in either or both of the following circumstances: Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
  • Distance – Distance from school with priority given to pupils living nearest to the school based on the distance from home to school in a straight line.  The distance will be measured by the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system from the home address to the student entrance approved by the Governors as the official entrance to the school.  Home will be taken as the child’s home address at the time of allocation (National Offers Day) that is the address at which the child lives with the parent or legal guardian who is also the main carer defined as the parent. Distancefrom home to school will not be revised if parents/carers re‐locate after National Offers Day.

Further Allocations

Suppose places remain available at Townley Grammar School after all girls “deemed selective” by the London Borough of Bexley have been offered places. In that case, the Governors will adopt the principles and process of the London Borough of Bexley’s reserve list, and will participate in that process where the admissions Authority manages it.

Under that process, places will be offered to girls in descending order of the aggregate score achieved inthe Bexley selection tests. Within each aggregate score priority will be given to girls with a statement ofspecial educational need achieving that score and then according to oversubscription criteria 1 (LAC), 2 (Pupil Premium) 4 (sibling) 5 (staff children), 6 (distance) in that order, using the tie break described abovewhere necessary.

Waiting List

A waiting list will be kept in the same order as the over-subscription criteria set out above.

Appeals

Parents who are not offered a place at Townley Grammar School will be informed of their statutory right of appeal to an independent School Appeal Panel.

Admissions Policies

Please view of admisions policies from our Policies and Reports page.