Admissions (Year 7 + In-Year)

Admissions to Year 7

Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School is an all ability co-educational school for girls and boys aged 11-19. The Governing Body is responsible for the admission of pupils and will admit 208 pupils to Year 7 from September 2025. This admission limit has been agreed by the Governing Body.

If you are applying to our school we would encourage you to visit us for one of our Open Mornings or our Open Evening. On these occasions, the whole school is open for tours and a welcome from our headteacher. For full details and to book a place, please click HERE. Appointments can normally be booked from July onwards. .

How to Apply

Information on how to apply for a secondary school place at Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School can be found in the “Ready for Secondary School in Tower Hamlets” booklet. This is available from Tower Hamlets primary schools, by contacting the Local Authority’s Pupil Admission Team on 020 7364 5006 or can be downloaded here – Secondary-School-prospectus.

From 1st September-31st October 2024 you will be able to apply online at www.eadmissions.org.uk for Year 7 places starting in September 2025. In addition to completing the Tower Hamlets Application Form via eAdmissions, you must also complete the Stepney All Saints Supplementary Form.

For In-Year Admissions please see relevant section below.

A video about how to apply to Stepney All Saints is below:

Oversubscription Criteria

Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School has adopted the Local Authority’s policy of banding to ensure that it takes an even balance of children in different ability ranges. The available 208 places are divided equally across the four bands of ability. Therefore 52 children from each band will be admitted according to the criteria set out below. Full information on banding can be found on the Tower Hamlets website HERE.

Pupil Ability Banding

Banding is a method for a school to achieve an admission intake that reflects the full range of abilities of all children in the local authority. It is used at secondary transfer to help to ensure that secondary schools maintain a balanced admission intake. Banding helps to reduce segregation and enables schools to achieve comprehensive intakes with a broader ability range and a wider social mix than would otherwise be the case. Banding is used only when a school is oversubscribed.

Pupil assessment from each Primary school in the summer term of year 5 is used to place every pupil in one of four quartiles. For administrative purposes, the quartiles are Band A, B, C or D. In the case of oversubscription, secondary schools will take equal amount of pupils from each quartile. This will ensure children from all abilities have equality of access.

For pupils who apply from primary schools outside of Tower Hamlets, teacher assessment will also be used to determine which in quartile they will be placed.

Banding Assignment

All children in Tower Hamlets primary schools are tested on their numeracy and literacy in the Summer term of Year 5. The test scores are then submitted to the Local Authority. The Local Authority uses this information to determine the range of ability for children in the local area. The children whose test scores place them in the top quartile (25%) are assigned to Band D and the children whose test score places them in the lowest quartile (25%) are assigned to Band A. The second quartile of children is assigned to Band C and the third quartile assigned to Band B. Here is an example of the Banding model:

• 25% of children score between 85%-100% (Band D)
• 25% of children score between 63%-84% (Band C)
• 25% of children score between 45%-62% (Band B)
• 25% of children score between 0%-44% (Band A)

Banding is intended for the purpose of ensuring that a school achieves a balanced intake when it is oversubscribed. It is designed to be fair to all children, whatever their ability.

Parents are notified of the band their child has been assigned at the beginning of the school year when their child reaches Year 6 and well before they are required to submit their application for secondary school transfer.

Our school admits 208 pupils to Year 7 each September i.e. 52 per band. If there are fewer than 52 applications to our school in a particular band then all the pupils applying within that band will be admitted. The unfilled places in the band would then be allocated to an adjacent band to ensure that all 208 places are filled.

Please refer to the local authority FAQ leaflet for more details. – FAQ on Pupil Ability Banding LBTH

Children with Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

A child with EHCP needs naming Stepney All Saints School will be offered a place. The place will be provided in the appropriate band of ability. Our SEND policy and SEND report can be viewed on the policies section of our website

Aptitude in Modern Foreign Languages

16 places will be offered to pupils who demonstrate an aptitude for Modern Foreign Language, having completed the school’s independently moderated Language Aptitude Test. The four highest scoring pupils in each band of ability will be offered places.

Foundation Places

A total of 40 places (10 in each band of ability) will be offered to pupils whose families are faithful and regular worshippers in a recognised Christian Church (see note 1). If there are more than 40 applicants, places will be allocated according to the following criteria. These are stated in order of priority:

1. Children looked after by the local authority (see note 2), previously looked after children who left care and became subject to adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order. This includes those who appear [to the admission authority] to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2. Children who have a strong medical or social reason to attend the school. This can include the parents’, carers’ or other family members’ medical conditions and the family’s social needs. Parents must complete the relevant section on the application form and attach medical and/or social reports from a suitable professional (e.g. a doctor or social worker) to support the application. The reports must be received by 31st October 2024. (See note 3)
3. Children who live in the 20 parishes of the Tower Hamlets Deanery within the Church of England and the following parishes:
   • Bermondsey: St James
   • Bermondsey: St Katharine
   • Bermondsey: St Mary Magdalene
   • Rotherhithe: Holy Trinity
   • Rotherhithe: St Mary
   • St Leonard Shoreditch
   • All Hallows-by-the-Tower
   • St Botolph: Without Aldgate St Katharine Creek
   • St Mark Noel Park
   • St Mary Lansdowne Road

   You can use the following website to check whether you live in one of the listed parishes – www.achurchnearyou.com 

4. Children whose older brother or sister already attends the school and will still be at the school in September 2025. (See note 4)
5. Any other children whose parents wish them to attend the school based on distance measured along the shortest safe walking route to the school’s gate on Stepney Way, using the Local Authority’s computerised map. (See note 5)

In the event that two or more applicants have equal rights to a place under any of the above criteria, the Governing Body will accept the applicant that lives nearest to the school, measured along the shortest safe walking route to the school’s gate on Stepney Way.

Written evidence of applicant’s commitment to their place of worship (in the form of a clerical reference) will be required at the time of application.

Open Places

The Governing Body has designated 152 places as open places (38 in each band of ability) to be offered to pupils who do not qualify for a specialist language or foundation place or whose parents have chosen the school for the type of education it provides. Governors hope that parents who have chosen this school for their child have done so knowing that it is a Church of England school with a distinctive Christian ethos. If there are more than 152 applicants, places will be allocated according to the following criteria. These are stated in order of priority:

If there are more than 152 applicants, places will be allocated according to the following criteria. These are stated in order of priority:

1. Children looked after by the local authority, previously looked after children who left care and became subject to adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order. This includes those who appear [to the admission authority] to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. (See note 2)
2. Children with a strong medical or social reason to attend the school. This can include the parents’, carers’ or other family members’ medical conditions and the family’s social needs. Written supporting evidence required. (See note 3)
3. Children whose sibling i.e., older brother or sister already attends the school and will still be at the school at the time of attendance. (For this purpose, “sibling” means a whole, half or stepbrother or stepsister resident at the same address). (See note 4)
4. Children whose parent is a member of staff who has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time of application and/or children of a member of staff who has been recruited to fill a vacancy for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage . (See note 5)
5. Children who live nearest the school, measured along the shortest, safe walking route to the school’s gate on Stepney Way, using the local authority’s computerised map. (See note 6)

In the event that two or more applicants have equal rights to a place under any of the above criteria, the Governing Body will accept the applicant that lives nearest to the school, measured along the shortest safe walking route to the school’s gate on Stepney Way

Note 1: It must be a Church which is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and/or the Evangelical Alliance.

Regular worship must be at least twice a month for the past 2 years.

In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these admissions arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the or alternative premises have been available for public worship.

Note 2. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989). State care is defined as being in the care of public authorities, religious authorities or other organisations that act in the public benefit and could encompass a wide range of institutions.

Note 3: Applications under this category are considered by the Admissions Sub-Committee of the school’s Governing Body who will decide whether the application should be given priority under this category.

Note 4: Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner, and in every case, the child should be living in the same family unit at the same address. The address used should be the one that the child usually lives at and attends school from.

Note 5: Priority will be limited to three places per year. The staff applicant must complete the relevant section on the application form and attach documentation supporting admission on these grounds. It is the staff applicant’s sole responsibility to provide this information. Without the provision of the relevant documents, the child will not be considered on these ground

Note 6: Where two or more distances are the same the decision will be made using random allocation.

Note 7: We follow the DfE requirements regarding the admission of children of UK Service Personnel and Crown Servants. Families of Crown Servants or UK Service Personnel returning from overseas must provide an official letter or an official posting notice with a relocation date, UK base address and UK home address when making an application for a school place.

Language Aptitude

The Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School Language Aptitude Test aims to identify pupils who have an aptitude for learning the subjects covered by Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School Modern Foreign Languages. No part of the test will be conducted in these subjects and prior knowledge of any modern foreign language is not required. The aptitude test is designed to indicate a student’s potential to learn a foreign language and make full use of the opportunities available to them at the school. Students who are admitted to the school through the language aptitude test will join the selective stream in this subject, where individuals will have access to a specialist curriculum studying Spanish, French or Bengali.

All applicants for a language aptitude place must complete the School’s Application Form for the Language Aptitude Test. The form should be returned direct to the school by Friday 4th October 2024. Applicants will be required to attend an aptitude test at the school to be administered on the morning of Saturday 12th October 2024 (subject to agreement).

Please note that completing the test is not an application to the school. If you are applying to Stepney All Saints CofE School, you must apply via www.eadmissions.org.uk.

The Language Aptitude Test

The test is designed to assess the aptitude of students to recognise the meaning of non-familiar language. Produced by an external agency and based on research which indicates that cognitive talent assessed by the test plays a significant role in language development, this written assessment will indicate the likelihood that a child will perform highly when learning an additional language.

Regrettably, due to the nature of the test, it will not be possible to provide sample questions. All instructions will, however, be made clear on the day and an independent agency will be appointed to moderate and mark the test. Where the minimum standard for the test is reached, the four highest scoring pupils in each band of ability (16 in total) will be offered places. In the event that there is a tie for the last place(s) available within each band, the place will be offered to the child who lives nearest the school. If fewer than 4 children qualify to be admitted in any band the unused places will be filled by language aptitude applicants in adjacent bands. If fewer than 16 children qualify for the language aptitude places, the number of places available under the ‘open places’ admission criteria will be increased in each band accordingly.

Parents will be notified of the outcome of their child’s application for a language aptitude place by Monday 21st October 2024. This is before the deadline for school applications. Children who have not been successful can be considered for a place under the other admission criteria, provided they have named Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School as one of their preferences on the Local Authority’s secondary transfer form.

Co-ordinated Admission Arrangements

Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School is part of the locally agreed co-ordination scheme and the timescales for applications to be received and processed are those agreed with the local authority. Parents must complete their home Local Authority’s Common Application Form and return the form to their home Authority, even if they are applying for a school in another Local Authority area. If parents are applying for a place at this school, they must name this school as one of the preferences on their eAdmissions Form. Parents who wish to apply for a foundation place must also complete the school’s supplementary form and return this to the school by the end of October 2024. Failure to return the supplementary form will mean that the school cannot consider the application under the church criteria and in this case the application will be considered under the next most appropriate criteria based on the information on the eAdmissions Form.

Late Applications

The Governors will consider late applications in accordance with the procedure in the Tower Hamlets Local Authority co-ordinated scheme as published in its ‘Ready for Secondary School’ brochure available HERE.

Waiting List

If there is no place available at the school, parents/carers may have their applications placed on the school’s waiting list.

All unsuccessful applicants for places in Year 7 are placed on the waiting list from the time the decisions are announced until it is discarded on 31st December. After this date, applicants must confirm if they wish it to remain on the list.

Places that become available are offered in accordance with the over-subscription criteria. In the event of a vacancy the Oversubscription Criteria will be applied in order to determine the offer of places.

Appeals

Parents who are not offered a place for their child have the right to appeal to an independent appeals panel. All appeals are handled for Stepney All Saints CofE Secondary School by Tower Hamlets Local Authority. Parents wishing to appeal must complete and submit an appeal online. Full details including the timetable for hearings and an explanation of the appeal process can be found HERE.

Admissions

Applications for in-year admissions must be made through the Local Authority’s Pupil Admission Team, who coordinate the process. This can be done at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/schooladmissions. To make an in-year application, please complete the relevant in-year common application form for secondary schools. The Local Authority will refer the application to Stepney All Saints CofE School. The school will indicate whether or not a place can be offered and advise the Local Authority of the outcome.

Protocols on “hard to place” children

Stepney All Saints CofE School is committed to taking its fair share of vulnerable children who are hard to place, in accordance with the Local Authority’s Fair Access Protocol. Accordingly, outside the normal round of admissions, the Governing Body is empowered to give absolute priority to a child where admission is requested in agreement with both of the Governing Body and the Diocese for the current admission year. The Governing Body has this power even when admitting such a child would exceed the school’s normal admission number.