Moving to Secondary School

Making an application

If you live in Tower Hamlets and your child is in Year 6 (born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014), you will need to make an online application via the eadmissions portal for them to transfer to secondary school in September 2025. For a guide to using the eadmissions portal, click here. The closing date for making applications is midnight on 31st October 2024.

Banding

Banding is used at secondary transfer to help to ensure that secondary schools maintain a balanced admission intake. This should reflect the full range of abilities of all children in the local authority.

Every child who applies must sit a cognitive ability test (CAT). The results are used to group applications into four ability bands (quartiles). For administrative purposes, the quartiles are referred to as Band A, B, C, and D. The results are not published at any stage during the transfer to secondary school process.

In the case of oversubscription, secondary schools will take an equal amount of pupils from each quartile, ensuring that children from all abilities have equality of access.

There is further information on the Secondary Admissions page of Tower Hamlets website here.

You can also contact Tower Hamlets Pupil Services:

Telephone: 020 7364 4307 / 5860
Email: school.admissions@towerhamlets.gov.uk

 

Important dates to remember

• From 1st September 2024 - Make your application online
• Children take their CAT4 banding assessment at primary school in September
• 31^st October 2024 - Closing date to make applications
• 3^rd March 2025 – Secondary school offer day

 

For further support, you can also contact Tower Hamlets Pupil Services:

• Telephone: 020 7364 4307 / 5860
• Email: admissions@towerhamlets.gov.uk