Children with an education health and care plan
If your child has an education health and care plan (EHCP) and you want your child to change school, you must contact the SEN team, email cs.sendadmin@derbyshire.gov.uk
When and where to apply
You can apply online to change schools at a time other than when your child is due to start infant, junior, primary or secondary school. We call this an in-year application for admission to school.
We will accept applications one half-term in advance of when the place is required. For example if you require a place in January the earliest you should apply is October half term. For a place in September, applications will not open until 16 May, so please wait until then to apply.
You are strongly advised to arrange a visit to your preferred school, or schools, before making your application.
Schools that handle their own in-year admissions
Some Derbyshire schools now handle their own in-year admissions directly with parents. They're not listed on our in-year application forms.
Secondary schools:
Primary schools:
Other Derbyshire schools
For all other Derbyshire schools you can apply for in-year admission.
Apply for an in-year admission
We prefer you to apply online but if you are unable to do this, telephone: 01629 537479 and ask for a paper application form (form AF5).
If you want to apply for a place at a school in another council area you should contact the council where the school is located. If you don't live in Derbyshire you can find your local council.
Applications for places in early years settings, nursery schools and post-16 provision should be made directly to the establishment.
School place decision
You'll be informed in writing within 15 school days of your application being made of the outcome of your application. All decisions will be confirmed by us acting as a clearing house.
Where a place is offered and the offer is accepted, arrangements should be made for the child to start school as soon as possible.
Appeals
If you're unable to obtain a place for your child in the school you wanted, you have the right to appeal against the decision.
Children without a school place
We operate a fair access protocol to ensure that children without a school place who find themselves in challenging circumstances are admitted to school as quickly as possible.
To enable us to identify children who may be eligible for placement under the protocol, parents are encouraged to give full information on their child's previous educational background and personal circumstances on the application.
Parents of children identified as potentially being eligible for placement through the protocol will be contacted to discuss the matter.
Before you apply
Our parents' guides to primary admissions and parents' guides to secondary admissions give details on schools which you may wish to consider.
School brochures (prospectuses) are available direct from schools.
Impact on your child
When a child moves school, it can seriously impact on their education.
Schools follow different curriculums and a change can significantly affect your child's progress. For example, whilst all schools teach English, maths and science, there can be major differences in schemes of learning. Your child may end up repeating work already covered or missing out on key skills and knowledge that will not be repeated. This is one of the many reasons why on average, children who change schools make much less academic progress than their peers who have not done so.
Therefore, carefully consider the following information, and ensure that you have taken all relevant action before completing the application form to apply for an in-year admission to change school.
Dissatisfaction
Discuss your concerns with the headteacher, as it may not be in your child's best interests to change school.
Non-school attendance
Sit down with your child and find out why they are not attending the school. Find out why your child may be worried about certain subjects. Moving school may not remove the problem.
All schools operate strict attendance policies including rules about term-time holidays.
Discuss your concerns with the headteacher as it may not be in your child's best interests to change school.
Behaviour issues
Some parents and carers want to change schools because they think their child's behaviour will improve with a change of school. It's more important for everybody to work together in trying to address and resolve the difficulties that are causing the poor behaviour.
Most schools share very similar behaviour policies and procedures. Changing schools should not be used as a way of avoiding a fixed term or a permanent exclusion unless this is a managed process agreed by both schools.
Bullying
A person is bullied when, either as an individual or part of a group, they suffer in any way from the direct result of intentional and persistent harassment and/or victimisation by another individual or group.
You may feel a change of school is necessary because your child is being bullied and this has not improved after several strategies have been implemented by the school.
All schools have anti-bullying policies, and as such, if you think your child is being bullied you need to tell the school immediately. Moving school without dealing with the problem may not help your child in the long term.
Making progress
If you feel your child's education is suffering and not enough progress is being made, make an appointment to meet with a senior leader at your child's school to discuss this.
It is anticipated that concerns may already have been raised at a meeting with your child's tutor or at a parents' evening. Give the school opportunities to put things right.
Special educational needs
If your child has special educational needs and you believe their school is not meeting these, you need to talk to the teacher in charge of special needs, known as the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), at the current school.
There are processes in place to address this without moving school. Find out more about the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Service (SEND).
Continued attendance at current school
If you do decide to make an application, it's expected that your child will continue to attend their current school until the child is admitted to a new school.
If your child does not attend their current school, you should be aware that seeking an alternative school place may not prevent the current school from considering legal action relating to non school attendance.
School preference
The law enables parents of children seeking a school place to express preferences. Schools cannot necessarily guarantee a place for any child, even where they move into the school's normal area. In law there's no automatic right to a place in any particular school.
Getting to school
Consider how your child will travel to school. View our home to school transport policy.