Weald of Kent Sevenoaks Annexe

[azik]

Hi all,

Our DD scored 421. We live in Sevenoaks, 2.4ish miles away from the campus and really want to get into the WoK Sevenoaks Campus. We were told, that first of all, we wouldn't necessarily get a place at all and even if we do, we might get assigned to the Tonbridge campus. This would be a disaster in our case.

Could you please share your thoughts on the situation and tell us if you know any cases of kids applying for and wanting to get into WoK Sevenoaks but assigned the Tonbridge campus instead?

Thank you.

[ToadMum]

Looking at the oversubscription criteria, if you live in Sevenoaks, you fall into the penultimate category. Does the school have a history of reaching PAN within this category (I can't imagine that it would fail to get as far as that category, the higher ones being iirc LAC/PLAC, siblings, PP and DC of staff? Score is totally irrelevant, having been deemed 'selective' and although you cannot specify one campus or the other on your CAF (because the intake and hence the offer of a place, is for 'Weald of Kent School') the SIF which you complete after places are allocated, wrt the campus, allows you to state a preference and give details of particular reason. And the school say that they would normally place girls at the campus nearer to their home address.

Unless I'm totally missing something, I can't see that you have anything to worry about.

We're you expecting to be told now that your DD definitely has a place? The Admissions Code doesn't permit that. The offer of a place must only be made by your home LA on national offer day.

[Sevenoaks mum]

I also live in Sevenoaks and am 2.2 miles from the Sevenoaks Annexe. My daughter got into Weald (Sevenoaks site) 2 years ago. I know there is no guarantee which site you will get but I'd like to bet you will be perfectly safe. Even if you aren't there is movement. My daughter is year 9 now but when she started there was a girl who lives in Tonbridge right next to the Tonbridge site but she was given a place at Sevenoaks as she only got into the school on appeal and that was the only site with spaces left. After about 4 weeks at school a place came up at the Tonbridge site and she moved.

[azik]

@ToadMum, @Sevenoaks mum. Thank you very much for your response. Yes, I think securing a place at Weald is very likely but we were told by some parents whose daughters applied for the school that the Sevenoaks campus is really oversubscribed with demand going up every year. Obviously they should try to offer places to local children but there are simply too many qualifying children in Sevenoaks. It seems and the numbers are growing.
I am sorry if it was confusing, but no, of course we don't expect to be offered a place before the national offer day. I am simply trying to gather some stats and considering a lack of experience (I even had to google most of the terminology you used here), just to understand where we stand.

The thing that worries us is that we will be offered a place at Weald and then fail to secure the Sevenoaks campus. In that case we'll need to travel to Tonbridge which in itself is very bad for us, but also miss the second option, the TGS which is next to Weald in that case.

The reason we try to stick to the Sevenoaks campus is because our DD has multiple severe allergies and carries an EpiPen. One of us always works from home simply to be near her. We had a few incidents at our current school and even 5 minutes away is far in these cases.

Thanks,
Azik

[Sorrel]

Hope you get the one that you want. I'd imagine some girls in Sevenoaks might prefer the Tonbridge site if they're close to the station, it's a 10 minute direct train to Tonbridge. So you won't necessarily be competing with everyone. And the annex was previously coming way out to Orpington and Petts Wood, so there was definitely capacity after the Sevenoaks cohort.

[BR5mum]

Have you contacted the Admissions team at Weald to ask for the distance data? When I went to the open day a few years ago, they showed the number of girls by postcode admitted to each site, which was really helpful. I have heard that the catchment was around 2-ish miles for the Sevenoaks site for 2021 admission, I'm not sure if offers actually came out to the BR5 postcode, and I know girls in the BR5 postcode who were all allocated the Tonbridge site for 2020 admission (in previous years, they would have been allocated the Sevenoaks site, but it looks like it's getting more popular now).

[BR5mum]

This is on page 13 of the Kent Schools Admissions booklet:

Health, social and special access reasons (medical)

Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority under health and special access reasons will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment or social need means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school.

All claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner
which can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school that parents feel
can accommodate these needs.
This must be sent directly to the school before Friday 10 December 2021 for the school to consider the evidence. Without this evidence when schools are ranking children in accordance with their oversubscription criteria, they cannot take your needs into account.

You're probably best off contacting the Weald Admissions team to ask whether they would accept a letter as above.

[doodles]

I can understand your anxieties and I suggest you call the Weald admissions team and explain the situation. I doubt that they will be able to give you any definite assurances but they will be able to tell you how and where you should explain your DD's situation. I am sure that they will be well versed in dealing with such enquiries. Failing that many on this site have said how helpful KCC can be so it may be worth calling them as well.

Good luck.

[azik]

We recently contacted the school but we can meet someone and discuss the matter only next week and by that time we will have submitted the application already.

There is one thing I can't figure out by searching the internet. Is allergy, where EpiPen is prescribed, a medical condition? I mean can it be used as a ground to ask for a place in a particular school campus? I know they are nut free, but I think all canteens are these days. But I mean needing to be close to a child in case an allergic reaction occurs, is that a valid reason to apply for a place under that clause? We are also a bit worried to just ask the school as they might turn down her could-be-successful application just because she is "a special needs" child.

[Sorrel]

I'm sure there would be no prejudice to her because of her medical condition. I doubt it is an official basis on which you can request a school - practically speaking, you need her and/or someone on the site to know what to do in case of a reaction. But also it sounds like Weald has a lot of discretion in deciding who goes to which campus, so why wouldn't they take your circumstances into account.