Admissions - Joining Henry Cort
| Main-round admissions | View our prospectus  |
Admission policies | Year 6 transition | In-year admissions | Appeals | Contact our admissions team |
Main-round admissions
Parents of Year 6 pupils applying for a school should apply online here - www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions
If applying for a school place for a Year 6 student transferring from a Private School please contact the Admissions Team in Winchester (0845 603 5623) for a Common Application Form (CAF).
To find the catchment school for your address, please visit the Hampshire website: https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning and use the link “Find a school in Hampshire”. An address in the catchment area does not guarantee admission.
Please be aware that our PAN is 180, and we have been full for the last three years, we encourage parents to submit main round applications on time. Please view the Hampshire County Council Admission Policies for further information.
In-year admissions
An in-year admission is when a child needs an immediate school place during the school year. There are two main reasons for this. You might be moving house or unhappy with your child’s current school.
You can apply for an in-year place up to four school weeks before the place is needed. If you are offered a place, we will require your child to start within four school weeks. Exceptionally, parents seeking an in-year place starting in September 2024 can apply from 1 May 2024. These applications will be considered from 12 June 2024. To apply for an in-year transfer please apply online via Hampshire School Admissions:
https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions/applicationprocess/inyear
If you are considering The Henry Cort Community College and wish to have a look at the college or find out further details please complete our Admission Enquiry Form .
Back to top
Appeals
If your application has been refused because the college has already reached its admission limit in your child’s year group. Places have been allocated according to the published admission policy. We have taken into account the County Council’s obligation under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to meet parental preference except where this would compromise efficient education or the efficient use of resources. Students have been admitted up to the limits of the capacity and resources of the school.
You have the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel against the refusal of a place at this school. If you would like to appeal against this decision, please visit www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions/guidance/appeals to complete the online appeal form or contact the County Admissions Team on 0300 555 1377 to request an appeal pack by post.
Your child’s name will automatically be placed on the waiting list and will remain on it until 31 August 2024, at which point the waiting list will close. Please let us know if you do not wish your child’s name to be on the waiting list.
If you need assistance finding an alternative school place for your child, please contact the County Admissions Team on 03707 796289, 790570 and 795819.
Back to top
Year 6 Transition
Moving from Primary to Secondary school can be an anxious time for parents as well as for children. At The Henry Cort Community College we recognise that, and we work hard to ensure the transition process is as smooth as possible. We have a wonderful team of dedicated staff, who are committed to providing students with exciting learning opportunities that equip all students for the next stages in their lives. We believe our House system and vertical tutor groups help to provide a community or ‘family’ environment which both welcomes new students in and helps to nurture them over time.
We are proud of our transition programme, and we have a dedicated Transition Co-ordinator who is responsible for the transfer of Year 6 children to our college. Every child is important to us and a successful transfer often means less anxious but happy children at the beginning of Year 7.
We also have an established programme of events:
- Year 6 transition day and parent information event
- Virtual visits by Henry Cort staff to Year 6 pupils in their own schools
- A Year 7 induction day at the beginning of the first term
- Year 10 students acting as ‘buddies’
The transition process starts when parents/carers have made their choice of secondary school. During the summer term, the transition team visit your child's primary school as we believe it is important
to try and meet every child coming to us.
All these activities culminate in a taster day which every child transferring to Henry Cort is expected to attend. This is always scheduled during the first week of July and is followed by a parent's information evening. This gives you an opportunity to meet staff and share any concerns you may have. We will also ensure both you and your child receive a full transition pack in the summer term which includes all the information you need about starting at Henry Cort, including computer log-ins and access to on-line transition activities ahead of the Autumn Term.
The transition co-ordinator will continue to support your child once they arrive here and throughout the autumn term. During this most important time, do not hesitate to contact us.
View our parent information booklet in the downloadable section
Back to top
Admission policies
Please find our admissions policies available to download below.
Following a decision by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA), Hampshire County Council is required to revise its admission policies to give effect to this decision and meet the mandatory requirements of the School Admissions Code.
This includes a revision to the determined admission policies for 2022/23 and 2023/24, and also the policies recently consulted on for 2024/25 as part of the statutory consultation for voluntary controlled and community schools. Specifically, the wording in relation to three parts of its admission arrangements:
Tenancy
Previous arrangements have required a signed tenancy agreement usually for 12 months. The varied arrangements published in our parent's guide and on the website will now say:
“A signed tenancy agreement.”
Permanent residence
Previous arrangements have not indicated how the circumstances where a child’s time is divided evenly between parents in the case of separated families will be considered. The varied arrangements in the admission policy now say:
“The child’s permanent residence is where they live, normally including weekends and during school holidays as well as during the week and should be used for the application. The permanent residence of children who spend part of their week with one parent and part with the other, at different addresses, will be the address at which they spend most of their time. Where a child’s time is evenly divided between the parents, parents must agree which address they would like to be considered for the purposes of the application. In the event of a dispute, in the absence of a relevant court order, the admission authority will make a judgement about which address applies, taking into account the address registered with the child’s current school, nursery, preschool or childminder, the address registered for child benefit and the address registered with the child’s GP."
Children or families with an exceptional medical and / or social need
Previous arrangements have limited this criterion to the normal admissions round only. The varied arrangements in the admission policy now allow evidence to be submitted with in-year and late applications, and that this criterion can be considered outside the normal admissions round. The arrangements now say:
“Children or families with an exceptional medical and/or social need. Each application must include supporting evidence from an independent professional such as a doctor and/or consultant for medical needs or a social worker, health visitor, housing officer, the police or probation officer for social needs. This evidence must confirm the child or family’s medical or social need and why that need(s) makes it essential that the child attends X School rather than any other (see definition ii). Applicants will only be considered under this criterion if on the application form (online or paper) they have ticked the appropriate box explicitly indicating that they wish for their application to be considered under medical / social need and supporting evidence is submitted with the application.”
"(ii) ‘Medical need’ does not include common medical conditions supported in mainstream schools, such as asthma or allergies. ‘Social need’ does not include a parent’s wish that a child attends the school because of a child’s aptitude or ability or because their friends attend the school or because of routine childminding arrangements. Priority will be given to those children whose evidence establishes that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally, this priority will apply to children whose evidence establishes that a family member’s physical or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Evidence must confirm the circumstances of the case and must set out why the child should attend a particular school and why no other school could meet the child’s needs. Providing evidence does not guarantee that a child will be given priority at a particular school and in each case a decision will be made based on the merits of the case and whether the evidence demonstrates that a placement should be made at one school above any other."