School Admissions Guidance: Completing an Online Application Form for Primary and Secondary Schools in Bath & North East

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1 School Admissions Guidance Completing an Online Application Form for Primary and Secondary Schools in Bath & North East Bath and North East - Page 1 of 22 - The place to live, work and visit

2 Online School Admissions Guidance To apply online please visit our website: You will be able to access the online application system from this page. This guidance has been created to help guide you through completing an online admissions application form to primary and secondary schools for residents in Bath & North East. It is very important that you read the appropriate online admissions booklet before completing an application, including considering how your child will travel to their preferred school(s). To make an online application you will need a valid address in order to complete the registration process and to receive confirmation of your application. Please note: The child s postcode determines which Local Authority you should make an application with. If the postcode is within another Local Authority outside of Bath & North East (e.g. Bristol, Wiltshire, North or South Gloucestershire) then you should seek advice from that Local Authority on making an application. Applying for a school place is done via the Bath & North East Council Admissions Online web page. A paper version of the application form along with copies of the primary and secondary admissions booklets are available from the website (the link can be found at the top of this page). If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions & Transport on Keep an eye out for these handy tip boxes found throughout the guidance - Page 2 of 22 -

3 CONTENTS PAGE Admissions Website: Help, Information and Links 4 Setting up/registering an Account 5 Logging into Admissions Online 8 Creating a new application and submitting 9 Editing an existing application and resubmitting 17 Changing your details 19 Personal Details 19 Contact Details 19 Change Address 19 Change Password 19 Change Secret Question 19 Resetting your Account Password 20 Help/Frequently Asked Questions 21 I m using a tablet/mobile device 21 Council Tax reference number 21 Password not accepted 21 Lost/Forgotten Password 21 My preferred school is not showing up 21 Do I need to complete a paper application form as well as the online form? 21 Can I change the details on my application form? 21 I am moving house, what should I do? 22 How will I learn of the outcome of my application? 22 I don t know/have a UID (Unique Identification Number) 22 I need some help with my application 22 - Page 3 of 22 -

4 Admissions Website: Help, Information and Links Along with making an online application, you can access helpful information from our admissions website: You will be presented with the options below when visiting our admissions website, click on each of the options to view more information about each section: IMPORTANT NOTE The Online Admissions website may not be compatible with mobile and tablet devices so it is recommended that you use a laptop or computer to make the application should you experience difficulties when viewing the pages. An update is planned for the system to be able to use mobile and tablet devices, however, until further notice, you may be unable to do so. - Page 4 of 22 -

5 Setting up/registering an Account Please note that if you registered last year for admissions starting in September 2016 you are able to use your existing and password. For all other parent/carers they must initially register as new to the site even if they have submitted applications in previous years before September 2015 For those parent/carers that need to register as a new user. Follow the below steps to do this: Go to the school admissions website: Click on the link Admissions Online The page below will open: Click Register This will open the Before you Register screen. Enter My Child s Postcode into the box and click Check Now - Page 5 of 22 -

6 The child s postcode determines which Local Authority you should make an application with. If the postcode is within another Local Authority (e.g. Bristol) then you should seek advice from that Local Authority on making an application. If the child s postcode is within this Local Authority (Bath & North East ) then click Continue to Register This will open the Registration - Your Personal Details screen. Fields marked with an * are required fields: Select your Title from the drop down menu Enter your Forename and Surname Select your Gender Please provide a Home Phone, Mobile Number or Work Phone Enter your Postcode and then click Find Address to search for your house details from the postcode you have provided If your address does not appear after entering the Postcode and clicking Find Address then please enter your address details manually This address will only be used as a mailing address for any correspondence that is sent to you Click Next - Page 6 of 22 -

7 This will open the Registration Your Login details screen. Fields marked with an * are required fields: Enter your Address and input the same address into Confirm Address Enter your chosen Password and enter the same password into Confirm Password Passwords must be a minimum of 8 characters, no longer than 20 characters and must contain a minimum of 2 number(s). It must have at least 1 capital letter (A-Z) and at least 1 lower case letter (a-z). Remember that your password is case sensitive. Select your Secret Question from the drop down menu Type in the answer to your Secret Question into the Secret Answer box Click Registration complete An will now be sent to the address you have used to register with. Please check your inbox (including any Junk/Spam folders) for an from Admissions_Online@bathnes.gov.uk you will need to click the link in the within 24 hours to complete the registration process and activate your account. After clicking the link in the , this will take you back to the login page where you can enter your Address and Password and login. - Page 7 of 22 -

8 Logging into Admissions Online Once you have successfully registered with our admissions website you will able to login and start making an application. This section of the guidance shows you how to login to the admissions website if you have previously registered, further sections of this guidance below detail how to make an application for a school place, how to reset your password or change your address. Enter your Address and Password and click Login If you have forgotten your password then click Forgotten your Password? on the login screen. Enter your address to be sent a link regarding changing your password. For further information on changing your password please see the Changing your Account Password section later in this guidance. - Page 8 of 22 -

9 Creating a new application and submitting This section of the guidance will take you through Creating a new application and submitting that school application. During the process of creating a school application you are able to save any details and return later on to continue the application if you wish If you have already submitted an application and wish to make amendments to it then please see the Editing an existing application and resubmitting section below. Open the Admissions Online web site. Enter your Address and Password and click Login You will see the screen below. If you have made other applications then you will see details of these in the middle of the screen. To start a new application, on the right hand side, click the green arrow button: Underneath Make new application for a school place. Enter your child s Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY) and click Confirm If you have more than child, you will need to complete a separate application for each child. You can return to this page at any time to add further applications for additional children. - Page 9 of 22 -

10 The Date of Birth is used to determine the Admissions Group you are applying for if you enter an incorrect Date of Birth this could affect finding an Admissions Group. Primary to Secondary for example After entering the Date of Birth, if applicable you will be given the Admissions Group to select. Click on the option you require to continue. Please note: The Primary admission group is for children starting at an infant or primary schools, the Junior admissions group is for children transferring from year 2 at an infant school to a Junior school and the Primary to Secondary admission group is for children transferring from Primary to Secondary school You will now see the Find Child screen, if you have received a letter from your Local Authority containing your child s UID (Unique Identifier) enter the UID into the Unique Identifier box on the left hand side and click Next - Page 10 of 22 -

11 You can continue without the UID by clicking the No UID button on the right hand side Child Details On the Child Details screen you will be asked about your child s details. Any fields marked with * must be completed before you can continue with your application: Enter your child s Legal Forename, Middle Name and Legal Surname Make sure the Date of Birth is correct and select the child s Gender Read through the questions on screen and select the appropriate answers Within the You and your child section, select What is your relationship to the child? and the answer to Do you have parental responsibility for the child? Click Next to continue - Page 11 of 22 -

12 Address Details On the Address Details screen you will be asked about your child s address details: We need to know where your child lives now. If the child s address is different to your address (as the person making the application) then enter the child s postcode into the Postcode box and click Find Address then select the required address from the list If applicable, read through the Returning Service Families only section and set the required options. Leave this section blank if you are not a returning service family Click Next to continue Current School On the Current School screen you will be asked to enter details about the child s current school (if they are at a current school). If you re making an application for a primary school this screen isn t applicable, so after completing the Address Details screen and clicking Next you will be taken to the School Preferences screen automatically: - Page 12 of 22 -

13 You can search using the Schools located in and School Name to search for the current school here you can narrow the search by selecting the Local Authority (For example: Bath & North East ) A tip when searching for a school, try entering part of the school name, for example st mar for St Mary s, as it should make it easier to find the school you re looking for. If after searching you are still unable to find the school, you can tell us where the child is currently being educated by typing the name into the Currently educated at box Click Next to continue School Preferences On the School Preferences screen you will be asked to enter the School Preferences for the child. You can express a preference for up to 3 schools: Enter the School Name and use the Search button to locate your preferred school A tip when searching for a school, try entering part of the school name, for example broa for Broadlands, as it should make it easier to find the school you re looking for. You can search using the Schools located in and School Name to search for the current school here you can narrow the search by selecting the Local Authority (For example: Bath & North East ) When you have found the school you require, click Select to the left of the school name - Page 13 of 22 -

14 At this stage you will receive some questions to answer in order to support your application for this school, select the appropriate reasons against these questions and click Next You will then be given the chance in Other Reasons to write in any other reason to support your application with that school. A maximum of 3000 characters is allowed. When completing Other Reasons the free text box may time out if you are writing a large amount of text. We suggest you write it in notepad or a word document and then copy and paste it into the memo. Click Next to continue Repeat the above few steps to select up to 2 more school preferences, remembering that you can have a total of 3 preferences. You don t have to choose 3 preferences, you can choose only one or two; but note that you might not get your first preference. You can always Re-order your preferences once you ve selected them if you wish, use the Re-order up and down arrows as shown below. You can also Remove or Edit your preferences here: Once you are happy with your School Preferences click Next Please note: that transport is not necessarily offered to the school you prefer, if transport is an issue for you, you may wish to contact the Admissions & Transport Team on prior to naming your preferences to check whether your child is eligible for transport to your preferred school. - Page 14 of 22 -

15 Finish for now & return later At this stage, you can either Continue to view the Terms and Conditions and then submit your application or you can Finish for now & return later to save your details and return later to re-check before submitting the application You can also see a printer friendly version of your application by clicking Preview Ts & Cs (Terms and Conditions) Please read through the Terms and Conditions and Data Protection sections here If you would like to receive your offer of a school place via click Yes this option will be defaulted to Yes as you are making an online application. The will be sent to the address you used to make the application! If you wish to edit an application you have already submitted see the Editing an existing application and resubmitting section of this guidance below. You can also see a printer friendly version of your application by clicking Preview Before you can submit, you must select Yes against: I declare that I have checked the information given on this form and believe it to be correct. I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms and conditions set out above Finally, when you re happy with the application and you would like to complete and submit the application, click Submit - Page 15 of 22 -

16 Confirm You have now submitted your application, you do not need to take any further action If you need to make changes to the application, you can do so up until the stated date and time. If you need to make any changes to the application, you MUST make sure you resubmit the application, otherwise your application will not be considered - Page 16 of 22 -

17 Editing an existing application and resubmitting If you wish to make changes to your application, you may do so by logging back into the Admissions Online website at any time until 23:59 on the closing date of that admissions group (Secondary: 31 st October and Primary and Junior: 15 th January) Open our Admissions Online website Enter your Address and Password and click Login You will see the screen below if you have previously submitted an application, with your child s name down the left hand side and the details of your submitted application in the middle To edit the application, click Change my Application Details and you will see the screen below: - Page 17 of 22 -

18 If you only want to view the application, click Show me my Application to edit your application, click Continue (Remember you MUST resubmit the application after doing so) Go through your application, making the required changes on the different screens. If you require help with the application please see the Creating a new application and submitting section of this guidance above You will see the below message when you are editing an application: Warning! Application is now un-submitted. Resubmit by pressing Next (or Continue ) and then Submit on submission page. Or go to the Home Page and submit from there. Resubmit by 31/10/ :59 (Secondary) or 15/01/2017 (Reception & Junior) for this online application to be considered After clicking Submit you ll be given the Confirm screen with confirmation of your submission: You have now submitted your application, you do not need to take any further action If you need to make changes to the application, you can do so up until the stated date and time. If you need to make any changes to the application, you MUST make sure you resubmit the application, otherwise your application will not be considered - Page 18 of 22 -

19 Changing your personal details You are able to change your personal details by logging into the admissions website and selecting Change my Personal Details in the top right hand corner: You can edit your title, forename, surname, gender and telephone numbers here, as well as being able to change your address. Click Update Details when you have finished. Changing your Address/Password You are able to change your address and change your password by logging into the admissions website and selecting Change My Login Details in the top right hand corner: - Page 19 of 22 -

20 There are two sections here, one for Your Login Information and one for Change Password click either Update Details or Change Password to accept the changes. When changing a password, a valid password must be: - Between 8 and 20 characters in length - At least 2 numbers (0-9) - At least 1 capital letter (A-Z) - At least 1 lower case letter (a-z) Resetting your account Password If you have forgotten your password to the admissions website, follow the steps below: Open our admissions website Below Address and Password click Forgotten your password? Enter your Address and click Continue this should be the same address you used to sign up to our school admissions website Enter the answer to your Security Question and click Continue A Password Reset will be sent to your address (as long as the address was the same address that you used to sign up to the admissions website) Please be patient whilst you wait for the Password Reset to come through, remember to check any spam or junk folders Click on the blue hyperlink in the and enter in your new Password and then Confirm Password When changing a password, a valid password must be: - Between 8 and 20 characters in length - At least 2 numbers (0-9) - At least 1 capital letter (A-Z) - At least 1 lower case letter (a-z) You should now have reset your password, please try logging into the admissions website using your Address and newly reset Password - Page 20 of 22 -

21 Help/Frequently Asked Questions Q: I m using a tablet/mobile phone device School Admissions Online may not be compatible with all mobile and tablet devices so it is recommended that you use a laptop or computer to make the application if you experience difficulties viewing the pages. An update is planned to the system to be able to use mobile and tablet devices, however, until further notice, you may be unable to do so. Q: Council Tax reference number Council Tax reference number is not necessary to complete an online school application Q: Password not accepted If you are having difficulties getting our system to accept your password and/or address, please read the following tips below before contacting us. Passwords are case sensitive. Be careful not to confuse for example the figure 1 with a lower case l, the figure 0 with the letter O. Also, ensure you provide the same address that you used when registering. Q: Lost/forgotten password If you need to retrieve your password, click the Forgotten Password link below the password box on the Admissions Online homepage. You will be asked to enter the address and the answer to your secret question entered during your registration. Your password will be ed to this address. See the Resetting your account password section of this guidance for instructions on how to do this. Q: My preferred school is not showing up when I enter the name and click search Try entering just a few letters of the school name, e.g. st mar for St. Mark's, or som for Somerdale Educate Together Primary School and then click the Search button. Q: Do I need to complete a paper application form as well as the online form? No, you should not complete a paper form as well. Duplicate forms can cause delays in the application process as additional checks need to be made. Where duplicates are received, the most recently received on time application will be the one processed and any previous applications withdrawn. You may need to complete a supplementary information form if you apply for a voluntary aided (church) school, Academy or Foundation school to allow the governors or academy trust to consider your application in accordance with their admission criteria. Q: Can I change the details on my application form? You can edit any of the details on the online application form right up to the appropriate closing date. *If you edit the application, do not forget to re-submit your form - Page 21 of 22 -

22 See the Editing an Existing Application and Resubmitting section of this guidance for instructions on how to do this. Q: I am moving house, what should I do? The application form should be completed showing the address as at the time of application as it is the address of the child as at the closing date that determines the priority given to the application for the first round of allocations. If you are planning to move documentary evidence will be required in order for any address changes to be taken into account in the first round of allocations made on 01 March (secondary) or 16 April (reception and junior) or the next appropriate working day should either of those dates fall on a weekend or bank holiday, the appropriate evidence should be submitted by midnight on the closing date and time of 31 October (secondary) or 15 January (reception and junior). However, if details of a change of address that will occur after the closing date (and before the start of term 1) is received with the appropriate documentary evidence by 14 November (secondary) or 30 January (reception and junior) it will be considered in the first round of applications. Please refer to the admissions booklets for examples of evidence that may be acceptable to determine a child s address. Q: How will I learn of the outcome of my application? You will be able to view the outcome of your application by logging on to the website using your password on or after the relevant offer date. A letter giving further details of the offer of a school place will only be sent to those applicants who have not been offered their highest preference and those applicants who have indicated that they wish to receive their offer by 2 nd class post on the relevant offer date. We cannot respond to telephone enquiries about the school offered from residents outside of Bath & North East. Please note that you will only be able to view the outcome of your application online if you have applied online via the Admissions Online. If you apply by paper application form, you will not be able to view information online. Q: I don t know/have a UID (Unique Indentifer) Letters will have been sent to schools for them to give to you regarding your child s UID (Unique Identification Number). Don t worry if you don t have the UID as you can submit an application without it. Q: I need some help with my application If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions & Transport Team on or by at admissions_transport@bathnes.gov.uk - Page 22 of 22 -