Year 10 and 11 applications - Critical considerations
If your child is in Year 10 or Year 11 and currently attends a Havering school (or a school within a reasonable distance from your home address), we strongly advise against transferring them to another school at this crucial stage.
Moving schools during these years can cause significant disruption to their education and potentially disadvantage them as they prepare for their GCSEs.
Why it is disruptive?
Disruption to GCSE courses
Many Havering schools begin GCSE coursework in Year 9.
Your child's current school may be following a different curriculum pace or even using different exam boards and syllabuses compared to a new school.
Irrelevant coursework
Any coursework your child has already started might not be relevant to the new school's curriculum.
Increased stress
A mid-course move can be a major source of unnecessary stress and anxiety for your child during an already demanding academic period.
Discuss your concerns first
If you believe that transferring schools is absolutely in your child's best interest, we strongly recommend you discuss this thoroughly with the Head Teacher of your child’s current school.
Often, schools can address your concerns and put support in place, allowing your child to remain in their established learning environment and continue their GCSEs without interruption.
Don't have a Year 10 or 11 place yet?
If your child does not currently have a Year 10 or Year 11 school place, you should apply for one as soon as possible.
It's important to be aware that there are very few vacancies in Years 10 and 11 across Havering schools.
Pupils rarely leave during these vital examination years, meaning spaces are exceptionally limited.
In these circumstances, we have made alternative arrangements to ensure pupils without a school place can access suitable education until a place can be found.
A caseworker from our Admissions Team will contact you as soon as possible to discuss appropriate educational provisions with you and your child.