Secondary school deadline Sheffield: Everything you need to know to apply for Y7 places

Secondary school applications have opened and parents in Sheffield have just six weeks to put in for their children’s Year 7 places.

Sheffield City Council has published this guide for how to apply with advice on certain schools’ admission criteria FAQs and what to do if you encounter a problem – but for more curious parents, The Star has written the guide below on where to find extra information about schools in your area.

Here’s everything you need to know about getting your child’s applications in, how to find your catchment area and how to compare schools to get the best education you can.

When is the deadline for secondary school applications in Sheffield?

Sheffield parents must apply for their child’s transfer into secondary school for Y7. This is done through what is called a Common Application Form (CAF).

The deadline to apply online is October 15, 2021, at 11.59pm

The deadline to apply with a written form is October 31, 2021, at 11.59pm.

It’s important that families apply on time. If you apply late, you are less likely to get offered the place you want at any of your preferred schools.

Any applications after the deadline will be classed as late applications and will not be looked at until after places are already first offered, on March 1, 2023.

What schools do I apply to in Sheffield?

You can select three preferred schools for your child’s placement.

It is strongly recommended you use all three, and not to select the same school more than once.

Have a read through our guide below to learn how to find a school’s Ofsted report, compare it with others and look at other things you may want to take into account like road safety, public transport and which are hardest to get into.

If you want to apply to schools outside of your catchment area, it is recommended that you list at least one school in your area as your second or third preference.

How do I find my catchment area?

Children have a higher chance of being accepted into a school in their catchment area (or nearest their catchment area, if yours does not have a secondary school).

To find your catchment area, enter your postcode here on Sheffield City Council website.

What schools in Sheffield are most oversubscribed?

By their nature, Sheffield’s most oversubscribed schools are also the most difficult to get into.

Many parents apply outside their catchment to a preferred school, then list schools in their area as a second and third choice.

The hardest schools to get into for 2022 are listed by The Star here – but the most difficult by far was Mercia School, which had to turn away 156 students to fill its 185 places.

This guide by Sheffield City Council also lists the most oversubscribed schools and criteria to help your child get a place.

Which schools in Sheffield are the best?

Follow this link to see how Sheffield’s schools have been evaluated and compared by the education watchdog, Ofsted, rated by their GCSE schools, inspection reports and student prospects.

Where can I read Ofsted reports for my child’s school?

Follow this link for a full list of schools in a 10 mile radius of Sheffield, where you can then look up the school you’re looking for.

But, as this story by The Star shows, some of the city’s best schools have not had an Ofsted inspection in around 10 years.

What do parents think of Sheffield‘s schools?

Many parents may be worried about whether the school they are applying for has bullying issues or if pupils are happy there.

One rough way to gauge this is to look at the Ofsted Parent View results.

This uses parent feedback to paint a rough picture of what the student experience at a school is like.

A school’s Ofsted report will also discuss how students seem to enjoy their time.

Does my school in Sheffield have a school bus or public transport routes?

It has been a worrying year for school transport, which received a stay of execution in July following a £5.1m bailout when private operators moved to make massive cuts across their networks.

This page by Travel South Yorkshire lists all schools that are accessible by a public transport route.

You can also use this Journey Planner to see if your school is connected by FirstBus.

Often, your school will have a page on their own websites about if they provide school buses.

Are the roads around my school safe?

This data map by the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership can be used to gauge how many collisions have historically taken place in your area.

Zoom in on the roads around your school or the walk home to see how safe the area has been in the past.

When do I apply for primary school places?

If you’ve come across this guide looking for how and where to apply for primary school places, the deadline for this is January 15, 2023. For more information, visit the council’s guide here.