Academy Admissions
Details about our next open events can be found via the link below
Open Events
Welcome to Harris Academy Falconwood's Admissions page.
Harris Academy Falconwood opened in September 2008. It is set up and managed by the Harris Federation, which has over thirty years’ experience in education. At Harris Academy Falconwood, we hold three core values dear to us. These values are Serve, Support, Success. We believe in serving our local community with excellence. We care for our students, inspiring and encouraging them to take pride in their work, and serve themselves every day at our Academy. Developing our students is key at Harris Academy Falconwood. We support them continuously through every element of their academic studies, but equally, support our students through their growth into young adults. Our high expectations allows our students to succeed academically, giving them a currency to progress onto further education or the world of work. Investing in our community is our passion and we are driven by our students’ inquisitive minds. We encourage self-belief and in doing so we give our students the confidence to aim high in all aspects of their lives.
At Harris Academy Falconwood, our Sixth Form offers a variety of A-Level and Vocational subjects. Outside of group lessons, our Sixth Form students are able to study independently in our Sixth Form Study Base or well-equipped library.
We all look forward to seeing you at our open events.
Below you will find details of our open events, admissions process and prospectus. The full Academy Admissions Policy, with details of our admissions criteria, and associated forms can be found at the bottom of this page.
Academy Admissions Manager: Mrs Julie Jones
Address: Harris Academy Falconwood, The Green, Welling, Kent DA16 2PE
Telephone: 020 8304 4916
Email: admissions@harrisfalconwood.org.uk
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| View Digital Prospectus Online | Download a PDF |
Admissions Arrangements 2025-2026
The Governing Body of Harris Academy Falconwood met on 28th November 2023 to review and consider the responses of the admissions consultation. After careful consideration, the Governing Body have agreed to determine the arrangements. These can be found below.
Year 7 Applications
Harris Academy Falconwood admits 200 students in Year 7 each year.
For admissions into the next year’s Year 7, parents and carers are required to complete an application form known as the “Common Application Form” (CAF); either a paper copy or online at the eAdmissions website. No applications direct to the Academy can be accepted.
Parents are strongly advised to read carefully the full Academy Admissions Policy and the information and advice from their Local Education Authority. The main points to remember are:
- You must submit an application to your Local Education Authority by the deadline, a place at any secondary school can only be offered if an application has been received
- Think carefully about the order in which you place your chosen schools on the form, you should enter your most preferred school first on the list
- Please remember to enter the full name of Harris Academy Falconwood, there are several different Harris Academies, and an entry of simply “Harris Academy” will be ignored
- Be sure to include at least 3 different schools on your preference form
- All applicants who have named the Academy on the CAF will be invited to the Harris Testing Day at the Academy, this is a non-verbal reasoning test and ensures places are offered to all bands of ability
- For students applying as a sibling of a current HAF student (refer to 2. below), please ensure you indicate this on your application by ticking the relevant box and adding the supporting information.
- Additionally, if your son/daughter requires extra support on the Harris Testing Day, please contact the Academy Admissions Manager to request a Supplementary Information Form, or download a copy at the bottom of this page, and return to the Academy for the attention of admissions
Late applications will be processed by the Local Authority after all ontime applications have been processed, which will unfortunately reduce the chances of the child being offered a place. Parents are therefore strongly advised to submit their applications on time.
Harris Banding Test
The Academy will operate an Ability Banding Admissions procedure with nine ability bands. All applicants will be required to undertake a Non-Verbal Reasoning Test (NVRT) on Friday 13th December 2024. Applicants also applying to other Harris Academies will only need to sit the test once, this may be at Harris Academy Falconwood or at another named Academy. Applicants will be allocated to an ability band based on their NVRT score. The test has no pass or fail mark. The percentage of places available in each of the nine bands will be determined by the distribution of the national ability profile. This means that there will be more places available in the middle bands than in the highest and lowest bands.
Allocation of Places
Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the published admissions number, applications in each band will be considered against the criteria set out below, using inner and outer catchment areas (zones) with agreed allocations of places to each.
After the admission of pupils with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) and/or Statement of Special Educational Needs where the Academy is named, the criteria will be applied in the order in which they are set out below:
1. Looked after or formerly looked after children
Applications in this category may need to be supported by documentary evidence confirming the child's status, such as a signed letter from the child's social worker or former social worker confirming their current or previous status, an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order
2. Children with a sibling at the Academy.
For inclusion in this category, the sibling must attend the Academy in Years 7 – 11 at the time of application and at the time the applicant child is admitted
3. Children of staff employed at Harris Academy Falconwood
For inclusion in this category, the staff member must be permanently based at Harris Academy Falconwood for more than 50% of their normal working hours each week during term time
4. Children living within the Academy's defined catchment area
Up to 90% of remaining places in each ability band shall be randomly allocated to children whose home address is situated in the Academy’s defined catchment area, until all places in each ability band are allocated, or until all applicants in that ability band have been placed. The defined catchment area is a 1.75 mile radius from the main entrance gate on The Green.
5. Children living outside the Academy's defined catchment area
All remaining places in each ability band shall be randomly allocated to children living outside the Academy’s defined catchment area, until all places in each ability band are allocated, or until all applicants in that ability band have been placed.
Where there are still places left in a band after all children in that band have been allocated a place, the remaining places will be allocated to children in adjacent bands, starting with the lower ability band first and then alternating between lower and upper.
The Local Education Authority will notify you of the school where your child has been offered a place. If you are offered a place at Harris Academy Falconwood and are happy to accept, you MUST ACCEPT the place by returning the acceptance to the Local Education Authority.
Year 7 Admissions Key Dates - September 2025 Intake | |
| 2 September 2024 | Online application opens and paper CAF forms available |
| 31 October 2024 | Deadline for return of CAF forms to Local Education Authority |
| 13 December 2024 | Harris Testing Day |
| 3 March 2025 | Local Authority National Offer Day |
| 31 March 2025 | Deadline for Admissions Appeals to be made in writing to the Academy |
| May 2025 | Admissions Appeals heard |
| 31 December 2025 | Admissions waiting lists closed and replaced by In-Year Admissions, parents/carers will need to re-apply as an In-Year Admission if still waiting for a place |
Admissions Appeals
If you are unhappy that you did not receive an offer of a school place at Harris Academy Falconwood, you have the right to lodge an independent appeal with us.
Those wishing to appeal against the Academy’s decision on admissions should complete the Admissions Appeal Form stating the reason for the appeal, based on the published Admissions Criteria. Please Contact the Academy for a form or download the form here or at the bottom of this page.
The completed Admissions Appeal Form should then be sent to: Clerk to the Appeals Panel, Harris Academy Falconwood, The Green, Welling, Kent DA16 2PE.
Completed forms must be received at the Academy by 4.00pm on Monday 31st March 2025.
The appeal will be held by an Independent Appeals Panel. The Clerk to the Appeals Panel will make an appointment within a reasonable time. Appeals may be made in English or the parent/carer's first language.
- Only one appeal per application is allowed
- Appeals are conducted in person, and you may bring a representative.
The Appeal Hearing
The Clerk to the Appeals Panel will arrange for an Independent Appeals Panel to consider the Academy's reasons for refusal and your reasons for wanting to attend the Academy. The Panel will consist of 3 people (2 will have education experience and one will be an independent person with no education experience).
The Panel will consider the case put forward by you and the Academy. They must consider the admission arrangements for the Academy and the reasons why you want to attend. The Panel must exercise its discretion by balancing the weight of your argument (for wanting to attend) against the Academy’s reasons for refusal i.e. the prejudice that one more student would cause to the education of the students already offered and the Health and Safety of all the students already attending the Academy, also taking into account the Academy's published admission arrangements.
The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on the Local Education Authority, the Academy and the parents.
Please note that appeals panels may be held in person or online via Zoom.
In-Year Admissions
If you are looking for a place at the Academy because you have recently moved into the area, or your child is at another secondary school and you feel that a change of school would benefit their education and/or general well-being, you are entitled to apply for a school place.
Please contact the Academy Admissions Manager to request an In-Year Admissions Form, or download a copy at the bottom of this page. The following information will need to be included with the application form:
- proof of residence (e.g. copy of council tax or tenancy agreement)
- proof of child’s age (e.g. copy of birth certificate or passport)
- copy of your child’s latest school report
Please note that there is no guarantee that a place will be available, but you have the right of appeal if you are refused a place.
Sixth Form Applications
Harris Academy Falconwood is a campus of the Harris Sixth Form, which administers a co-ordinated application scheme for all our Sixth Form centres and campus.
The Harris Sixth Form publishes a common application form which is used by all applicants who wish to apply for a place. This application form allows the student to provide up to 4 choices of A levels and/or BTEC combination courses at 10 Academies.
Please see the Harris Sixth Form website more details.
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