How to apply
If you are living overseas you can apply for a place at a school in Hackney. Your application will be considered from the address where you are living at the time of application i.e your overseas address and your intended local address will only be considered once you are resident there.
The only exception is for applications from crown servants and service personnel. In the case of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting in the area or Crown servants returning from overseas who will reside in Hackney, we will allocate a school place on the basis of the family’s intended future address. For UK service personnel the application must be accompanied by an official letter declaring a relocation date and unit address or quartering address in Hackney. Applications from Crown servants will be dealt with on a case by case basis and proof of the intended future address and return date must be provided, particularly in the case where the application includes oversubscribed schools. In all other aspects these applications will be treated as for any other Hackney resident and in accordance with published admission arrangements.
The earliest you should apply for a school is four weeks before your proposed move to the local area. Applications are processed on a two weekly cycle and if you apply any earlier, you are unlikely to be in a position to accept a place offered. Schools do not hold places for parents who are unable to start their children within ten school days of being offered a place.
Satisfactory evidence of a return/arrival should include a combination of the following, although this list may not be exhaustive:
- Evidence of your child's date of birth
- Evidence of the address that you will be living at when you move to the local area. For example, rental agreement indicating the start date of the tenancy; notification to the local authority of your proposed move to an address for Council Tax purposes or notification to a utility company of your proposed move with start date for water, gas or electricity
- A written statement from the parent(s) of their intention to return to/enter the United Kingdom, giving their reasons and an expected date
- Termination of a work contract abroad
- Sale/notice of rental of property abroad
- Notice to existing tenants to terminate the tenancy of an owned property in the United Kingdom
- Completion of purchase of property in the United Kingdom
- Tenancy/Mortgage of property in the United Kingdom
- Copy of work contract within the United Kingdom
- Confirmation of study arrangements within the United Kingdom
- Confirmation of travel arrangements
Your application will be processed at the next allocation process period. Please do not contact us during this time as we will not have any further information. We will send you a letter to let you know the outcome of your application. Please note that your preferred schools may not have vacancies in your child's year group. If this is the case we will advise you of the schools with places available.
In-year applications will not be considered any earlier than four weeks before an anticipated arrival in the United Kingdom. Please note if a place was to be offered, the place cannot be reserved for children who are not ready to take up their place at a school and as a result the offer will be withdrawn.
The majority of schools use distance from home to school as part of their oversubscription criteria. This means it is unlikely we will be able to offer your child a place at an oversubscribed school without evidence of your address.