School Admissions

Secondary Transfer for Year 7 Entry In September 2023

All applicants must complete Hertfordshire Country Council's Common Application Form (CAF) indicating the four preferred schools, including Rickmansworth School, in rank order of preference.

The CAF should be returned online to Hertfordshire County Council at:

https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/school-admissions/school-admissions-and-transport.aspx

Applicants should also complete our Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

The SIF is available as an online form, available via the link below at the appropriate time.

SIF Online Application Form

Please click to complete the online SIF.

If you are completing the SIF as a paper version, please return directly to the School by 31 October 2022. Please be aware that the school will not be open during half term and there will be no one onsite to accept application forms.

The deadline for both the CAF and the SIF is 31 October 2022.

Admissions Policy for Year 7 Entry in September 2023

We are dedicated to maintaining community and family at the centre of our ethos with the proximity and sibling criteria, whilst retaining partial selection through academic ability and musical aptitude.

Each application will be considered under the relevant admission criteria, and we welcome applications from parents whose children will make a full and committed contribution to the School. 

The Published Admission Number is 240 in Year 7.

Admission-Arrangements-For-Secondary-Transfer-2023 2024

Admissions through the South West Herts Consortium

For applications to be considered under the academic or music criterion, applicants must have taken the relevant South West Herts Consortium entrance test. 

Parents of children that wish to apply for the entrance tests will need to register with the South West Herts Consortium.  Online registration will open on 11 April 2022 and close on the 17 June 2022.    No late applications will be accepted.  Information on the South West Herts Consortium entrance tests can be viewed via the following link:  http://www.swhertsschools.org.uk/.  

Note: Rickmansworth School is not able to assess whether a child with a particular test score will or will not achieve a place for Secondary Transfer.

Historical data has been provided to facilitate parents to make informed decisions whether or not to make an application for the South West Herts Consortium Test.

Historical-Data-Results-In-Previous-Years 2020-22

Please note: letters setting out your child's position on the respecting continuing interest lists, for which they qualify, will be sent out in the days following 1 March and should be received no later than 9 March.

A high volume of calls are expect during the admissions window. Any messages including emails left requesting a call-back may take up to or in excess of 48 hours to return.

Following National Allocation Day (1 March), all applicants will automatically be rolled onto the Continuing Interest List for a higher preference school.

You will not remain on the continuing interest list for schools that are lower down your preference list than the school you have been allocated.  You will not be entitled to re-apply for a lower preference school until the SECOND round of continuing interest which occurs towards the end of April.

The continuing interest list for entry in September of any year is deleted at the end of the current academic year (i.e. in mid July).  If you wish to remain on the continuing interest list for any year group, you will be required to re-apply and submit an In-Year (Online/Paper) Application Form.

Year 7 applicants who have taken the South West Herts Consortium entrance tests will continue to have their application assessed under each criteria that is relevant to them and allotted a position on more than one waiting list.

In Year Admissions

We very rarely have vacancies outside the normal admissions round. Applications for each year group are considered 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. If a vacancy arises in any of our year groups, a place will be allocated in accordance with our In Year admissions policy and not according to the date a child's name was added to the list.

Rickmansworth School is not part of Hertfordshire County Council's scheme of In Year coordination and parents should apply direct to the school.  Parents wishing to be considered for a place at Rickmansworth School will need to submit an In Year application to the school. 

If you wish to apply please complete the online form below:

In Year Online Application Form  

If you are unable to complete the online form, the In Year Application Form should be completed and returned by post to: Admissions Officer Rickmansworth School, Scots Hill, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 3AQ.

Parents will be informed of the outcome of an In Year Application in writing within 15 school working days.

In order to comply with the Admissions Code, the Local Authority will be informed of every application and its outcome.

In-Year-Application-Form

In-Year-Admissions-Policy- 2021-2022

Sixth Form Admissions are dealt with by the Sixth Form Office.

Please navigate to the Sixth Form section of the website for admissions details and the application process.

RICKMANSWORTH SCHOOL APPEALS INFORMATION

All unsuccessful applicants have the right to appeal. In 2021 the historical secondary transfer appeal information for our School was as follows:

Secondary Transfer 2022

If you wish to appeal and are a Hertfordshire resident, you can access the online system via your admissions account.  Parents who live out-of-county or who applied on paper should now use the appeals online system and will need to contact the Hertfordshire County Council Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043 in order to obtain registration details to gain access. 

Appeals resulting from secondary transfer applications for admission in September 2022 will be heard according to the following timetable:

Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date.

Appellants will be sent notification of their appeal hearing at least 10 clear school days in advance of the hearing.

Appellants will be sent a copy of the school's case 7 working days in advance of the hearing.

Additional Supporting Documentation

If an appellant wishes to submit further evidence, which was not included with their initial appeal, they should ensure this is received at least 7 clear working days, not counting the day of postage or the hearing, in advance of your appeal.

Only a short document, such as a doctor’s letter not previously available, will be accepted up to 4 clear working days prior to the hearing. Any additional evidence or information received after this deadline will not be circulated and may not be considered at the hearing. 

In Year Appeals

You are now able to use the appeals online system for In Year Appeals.  In order for you to be able to access the ‘appeals online system’ and register your intention to appeal, you can request registration details from the Local Authority’s Admissions and Transport Team (ATT) to enable you to log into the appeals online system.  Appeals resulting from in year admission applications will be heard within 30 school days of an appeal being lodged. 

Correspondence

The School is bound by its admissions criteria, and cannot offer places because of special circumstances.  We would ask you not to write to the school – please see “Additional Supporting Documentation” above.

Secondary Transfer for Year 7 Entry In September 2022

All applicants must complete Hertfordshire Country Council's Common Application Form (CAF) indicating the four preferred schools, including Rickmansworth School, in rank order of preference.

The CAF should be returned online to Hertfordshire County Council at:

https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/school-admissions/school-admissions-and-transport.aspx

Applicants should also complete our Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

The SIF is available as an online form, available via the link below at the appropriate time.

SIF Online Application Form

Please click here to complete the online SIF.

If you are completing the SIF as a paper version, available here, please return directly to the School by 31 October 2021. Please be aware that the school will not be open during half term and there will be no one onsite to accept application forms.

The deadline for both the CAF and the SIF is 31 October 2021.

Admissions Policy for Year 7 Entry in September 2022

We are dedicated to maintaining community and family at the centre of our ethos with the proximity and sibling criteria, whilst retaining partial selection through academic ability and musical aptitude.

Each application will be considered under the relevant admission criteria, and we welcome applications from parents whose children will make a full and committed contribution to the School. 

In 2021 the school made a decision to allocate an additional 14 places (to 240), prior to the planned increase in PAN for 2022.

Admission-Arrangements-for-Secondary-Transfer-2022-2023

Admissions through the South West Herts Consortium

For applications to be considered under the academic or music criterion, applicants must have taken the relevant South West Herts Consortium entrance test. 

Parents of children that wish to apply for the entrance tests will need to register with the South West Herts Consortium.  Online registration will open on 12 April 2021 and the deadline to register is 18 June 2021.    No late applications will be accepted.  Information on the South West Herts Consortium entrance tests can be viewed via the following link:  http://www.swhertsschools.org.uk/.  

Note: Rickmansworth School is not able to assess whether a child with a particular test score will or will not achieve a place for Secondary Transfer.

Historical data has been provided here to facilitate parents to make informed decisions whether or not to make an application for the South West Herts Consortium Test.

Please note that letters setting out your child's position on the respecting continuing interest lists for which they qualify will be sent out in the days following 1 March and should be received by you no later than 9 March.

If you are intending to call the Admissions Office prior to 9 March, please be aware of the high call volumes during that time and as a result, any voicemail messages left requesting a call-back may take up to or in excess of 48 hours to return.

Following National Allocation Day, all applicants will automatically be rolled onto the Continuing Interest List for a higher preference school.

You will not remain on the continuing interest list for schools that are lower down your preference list than the school you have been allocated.  You will not be entitled to re-apply for a lower preference school until the SECOND round of continuing interest which occurs towards the end of April.

The continuing interest list for entry in September of any year is deleted at the end of the current academic year (i.e. in mid July).  If you wish to remain on the continuing interest list for any year group, you will be required to re-apply and submit an In-Year Supplementary Information Form which is available under the In-Year Admissions Page.

Year 7 applicants who have taken the SWHCS Tests will continue to have their application assessed under each criteria that is relevant to them and allotted a position on more than one waiting list.

What Are CATs?

Most secondary schools use Cognitive Abilities Tests, CATs, to test general intelligence and to stream overall or set for certain subjects. They are designed to assess a pupil’s ability in three different areas: verbal (thinking with words); quantitative (thinking with numbers); and non-verbal (thinking with shapes and space). 

My Child Has Already Taken SATs. What Is The Point Of CATs?

Some secondary schools don't like to assess pupils solely by their Maths, English and Science SATs results in Year 6.  They feel some primary schools 'overcoach' for the tests, so some children may have artificially high results.  CATs are used to give a snapshot of a child's potential, what they could achieve and how they learn best. The results can help teachers to set the right learning pace for each child, monitor their progress and identify areas where they might need extra support.

Can I Help My Child Prepare For CATs?

Officially, no. The tests are designed to be taken without any revision or preparation so they can assess a child’s potential in his or her ability to reason. CATs are not testing children's knowledge and understanding as a maths or English exam might, so they can't ‘learn’ how to answer the questions. 

Though many parents feel familiarity with the format and style of the test would improve their child’s performance, past CATs papers are not available for parents to buy from any official assessment body.

What Do The Results Mean?

The result will be given in SAS (Standardised Age Scores) so they take into account a pupil’s age. The average SAS is 100. The scores are used to calculate predicted levels and can also be used to predict the outcome of GCSEs. If there is a wide variation between the scores in different aspects of the test, this may flag up a child who is experiencing difficulties in one area and can lead to a diagnosis, such as dyslexia. Extra support can then be put in place to help the child.

What If My Child Under-Performs?

Don’t be dismayed if your child does poorly in CATs – poor results don’t mean your child is destined not to achieve their potential.  There are many other factors which may influence how your child performs at school.  Having said that, every school needs a "starting point" and teaching groups change and move throughout the academic year.