Admissions FAQs
It is always a good idea to carefully read the Admission Arrangements for any School that you intend to make an application to. We have provided a comprehensive Notes section that is annexed to the Supplementary Information Form that, whilst not exhaustive, provides meticulous detail about the way in which the Admission Arrangements are applied to an application to this School.
Below are some of the common FAQs. If you still have further questions please email admissions.
How do I make an application?
1. Apply online to your Local Education Authority, giving Rickmansworth School as a named school.
2. Complete and return a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to Rickmansworth School.
You MUST complete both forms and return them by the deadlines given.
How consistent do I need to be completing the forms?
Please be very consistent with the data on both forms. For instance, if you register your child with an unabbreviated version of their name (i.e. Benjamin, Joseph, Francis, etc.), please do not send in a SIF with an abbreviated version of their name (i.e. Ben or Benji, Joe, Frank, etc.). If you applied for the South West Herts Consortium Schools Tests, please use the same naming protocol with your Local Education Authority form and the School SIF. It makes it much easier to match your child’s name with their score when processing the application if the naming protocol is identical.
What is the deadline for applications?
31st October is the official deadline for applications, both to your LEA and Rickmansworth School. However if this date falls in half term, you should ensure your SIF is received by us before half term.
What is the DfE number of Rickmansworth School?
The Department for Education number is:
919 5400
Is the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) available on-line?
The SIF will be available to either complete online or as a download from our website from the beginning of term. If you are applying under either Criterion 5 (Musical Aptitude) or Criterion 6 (Academic Ability), please do not complete and submit the form until your child has taken the test(s).
If you are unable to access our website you can collect a SIF from the school, either on Open Evening or from the School Reception. School opening hours are 8.30am to 4.00pm.
Please ensure you are completing the correct form. An In Year Application Form is quite different from a Secondary Transfer Supplementary Information Form. We will not know if you are eligible to have your application considered under any particular criteria if you do not complete the correct form. Please ensure that the form says “Supplementary Information Form For Secondary Transfer” at the top.
Please note the SIF cannot be submitted electronically.
Do I Have To Live In The Local Area To Apply For A Place At Rickmansworth School?
No. You do not have to live in the local area or within one specific postcode to apply.
However please note that approximately 97% of the places are allocated to applicants from postcodes beginning with WD17, WD18, WD19, WD23, WD24, WD25, WD3, WD4, WD5 and HA6 2 and HA6 3.
These postcodes are known as priority postcodes.
My postcode is not one of the priority postcodes , can I still apply?
Yes, approximately 3% of places under Criterion 5 (Musical Aptitude) or Criterion 6 (Academic Ability) are allocated from outside the above postcodes. However, last year the school received over 1,500 applications for 240 places and, unfortunately, this means that, due to our over subscription criteria, other than the two places offered as above, applicants outside the Admission Area have no realistic chance of being offered a place under these admission arrangements. It is worth noting that the two out of area places are offered to Criterion 5 applicants. Out of area applicants under Criterion 6 have only ever been offered these places in a single instance where there were insufficient applicants under Criterion 5. Therefore, if you live outside of the priority postcode area and have not taken the Musical Aptitude test, you are highly unlikely to be offered a place.
Having taken the test before applying to any school will not make your child eligible for a place unless the application complies with our admissions arrangements, principally that the child’s home address is inside the Rickmansworth School admissions area.
In such a case, should you apply, even after your child has taken the tests, your application will merely be acknowledged and retained. Should it transpire that there are insufficient acceptances from applicants within the Admission Area to fill all the places, only then, would your application be considered.
I live outside Hertfordshire, do I still need to submit an application to Hertfordshire County Council?
No, you should apply to your own Local Authority but you still need to submit a completed Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to Rickmansworth School.
How near to the school do I have to live to qualify under the Proximity/Distance 1 Criterion?
Under Criterion 2, 10% of places are allocated to applicants who do not qualify under any other criteria. The distance will vary from year to year depending on who is applying and where they live.
What happens if I move address during the admissions process?
You should notify your Local Authority and Rickmansworth School straight away. Rickmansworth School is an autonomous admitting authority and as such will make the decision as to whether or not to accept a change of address during the secondary transfer process. Please note that if you move into the priority postcode area for this School from a different county/borough or from outside of the priority postcode area, we will require proof of address in the form of a solicitor’s completion letter and, if renting, a tenancy agreement of a minimum of 6 months duration.
If I know that I am going to move after I apply, what address should I put on the application form?
The address that you put on your application form must be your permanent home address at the time of application, i.e. the address that the child is actually living at.
Is there a deadline for my new address to be taken into account for allocation?
Please email admission for this information.
The decision to accept a change of address during the secondary transfer process will be at the discretion of the Governing Body.
How is the distance from my house to Rickmansworth School measured?
The Local Authority measure the home to school distance of every applicant to the school. You can find the distance from your home to your nearest school via the following Local Authority link:
What is the difference between Criterion 2 (Distance 1) and Criterion 7 (Distance 2)?
The distances of ALL applicants are measured and placed in order. Criterion 2 is the initial 10% of places that are offered. Criterion 7 Distance places are offered if there are any places left at the end of the allocations. We simply return to the distance list and continue to work down it.
What happens if I do not submit a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to Rickmansworth School?
If we do not know about your application to Rickmansworth School, there may be a delay in processing your application. This is because we will not know under which criteria you intend to apply and we will have no way of knowing if you have taken the academic or music tests or if you have a sibling already here. Your application will therefore only be processed under Criterion 2 and 7 (Distance). This is particularly relevant if you live outside of our priority postcode area or if you reside in a different county or London Borough.
What happens if I do not submit a Common Application Form (CAF) to my Local Authority?
Places can only be offered to applicants who have applied via the Local Authority. If you do not apply to your Local Authority you will be considered as not having made an application, even if you have taken the academic/music tests or have a sibling here already.
Can I apply under more than one Criterion?
Yes, you can apply under as many criteria as are relevant.
If I take the academic/music tests, can I still apply for a distance place?
Test places are classed as specialist places. All applicants who apply for a specialist place under either the Academic or Music criteria are automatically deemed to have applied under the Distance criteria.
What is the pass mark for the Academic and Music tests?
Historical data with regard to lowest scores at which a place has been offered is for use as a guide only.
We publish the lowest mark to achieve a place at Rickmansworth School over the last three years on Allocation Day, on or around 1st March each year. The figures quoted are the marks that were the lowest - in that particular year - to achieve entry under the Academic and Music criteria. This information should be used as a benchmark to make a decision only about an application to a school within the consortium.
There is no pass mark for the academic test, places being offered in accordance with each school’s admission arrangements. Each year is different. Therefore, the lowest mark required for a place in Year 7 in September will only be known only when the offers have been made in the preceding March.
Once you have received your test score, you will be able to decide which school or schools you wish to apply to.
Please note that we only publish lowest score and furthest distance data as at Allocation Day. This data is meant as a guide only and we feel that publishing data from later in the allocation process could be misleading.
What does my child’s test score mean?
The mark for the academic test combines the results of both the verbal and numerical reasoning tests. In order to do this, the raw marks for each test are standardised using accepted statistical procedures. This gives a mark of approximately 100 as the average for all of those taking the test with the individual marks generally lying, again approximately, between 70 and 141. When the results for the two tests are added the range is between 140 and 282. The standardisation procedure takes into account the different ages of those taking the test.
Further information on standardisation can be found here.
Can I find out my child’s raw score(s)?
In the opinion of the Consortium, Freedom of Information obliges us to give to parents the information we said we would, so that they can use it for the purpose for which it is intended. This the Consortium has done; the purpose of the tests in September has been fulfilled with the issue of the overall standardised score to parents. The test was not intended to give parents an analysis of a particular candidate's performance.
The Consortium has therefore resolved not to give parents the raw scores. The reason for this decision is precisely that our experience has repeatedly demonstrated that giving raw and /or standardised scores for the two parts of the admissions test did not help parents understand or come to terms with their child's overall score; it simply provoked more questions, the answer to all of which, finally, is that this is the score, and it is correct.
Parents entered their children for the tests in order to receive a score which would help them decide on their secondary school preferences. The Consortium has fulfilled that undertaking and will not therefore provide any further information, nor respond to requests to do so except to acknowledge receipt of them with this statement.
Can I request a re-mark of my child’s test paper(s)?
Re-mark requests will not be entertained until after Allocation Day and only then if submitted in writing.
What happens if I want to apply under the Academic or Music Criterion but my child missed the SW Herts Consortium tests?
If an applicant has not taken the admission tests and received results prior to applying for a place at the school, then it will not be possible for the application to be considered under musical aptitude and academic testing.
What should I do if my child is ill on the day of the Test?
If your child is ill on the day of the test and cannot attend, you should inform the school so that arrangements can be made for them to attend the Reserve Test.
What happens if my child later complains that they felt ill during their test?
Parents must be aware that no adjustment to marks can be made once a child has taken the Academic or Music Test.
My child is good at sport and partakes in many extra-curricular activities. Will this help with the application to Rickmansworth School?
No. We can only consider applications strictly in accordance with our admissions policy. We cannot take account of any sporting or other ability. This includes the submission of proficiency certificates and awards.
Is there a bus service from near my home address?
Transport links are good.
Public Transport and Lanes Coaches
The School is within walking distance of Rickmansworth and Croxley Green train station and is also accessible via Arriva bus service routes;
http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/
Trains from Croxley Green and Rickmansworth underground station, near to the School, run directly into Central and North West London.
Please see the School Website for further Transport Details
What information is transferred when my child moves schools?
Rickmansworth School follows accepted protocols and guidance in the transfer of required information when a student transfers from the school to another school.
This data transfer may be between a local authority or another school.
Schools and local authorities use the Common Transfer File (CTF) to send student data when a pupil transfers from one school to another. This is securely shared using the School 2 School (S2S) system and done so in accordance with current guidance. In addition to this data transfer, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will decide if personal data needs to be shared. If data is shared, the DSL will do so in accordance with current guidance contained with in Keeping Children Safe in Education and working together to safeguard children.
Should student reports and/or additional information be requested, then these may also be shared in accordance with any relevant protocols or guidance.
Guidance
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/data-protection-in-schools/sharing-personal-data
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-to-school-service-how-to-transfer-information
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/common-transfer-file
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2
