Admissions and Appeals 2025/26 | Warden Park Secondary Academy

ADMISSIONS

If you are interested in applying for a place at Warden Park Secondary Academy, please read the information on the application process below. It would be useful for you to read the three key documents below in advance of applying as these documents provide you with key information that you may find useful. Our Families guide provides important information about all aspects of our school including our culture and ethos, curriculum, home learning, as well as platforms and systems that we use within school. Our home school agreement details what you can expect from us as a school, as well as what we expect from Parents/Carers and students. Our Uniform and Appearance guide details exactly how we expect students to wear our school uniform and provides details about aspects such as jewellery, hair colour and cut, PE kit, and shoe expectations. Please read all three of these documents carefully.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA

The criteria for admissions to Warden Park Secondary Academy follow the mandatory guidance in the Statutory Admissions Codes of the Department for Education (DfE) and the law.

ADMISSIONS 2025/26

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION FORM FOR ADMISSION IN 2025/6

This form should be completed when applying for a place at Warden Park Secondary Academy, Cuckfield, only if you meet one or more of the following conditions :

Your child has a brother or sister* who is a student at Warden Park Secondary in Year 11 at the point of application submission deadline.

*Brothers or sisters may be half or step-siblings, adopted siblings or the child of the parent/carer’s partner but must be living permanently at the same address.

Your child has a parent, step-parent, adoptive parent or carer who works for the Warden Park Secondary Academy.
Children who are on roll at a member school of the Sussex Learning Trust at the point of application.

GENERAL CRITERIA

It is acknowledged that children with an Education Health Plan that specifies the school will be given prior consideration either for one of the Specialist Support Centre places or the ‘main roll’. Beyond these children places will be allocated on the following basis with the ‘tie-breaker’ in each category (should they be over-subscribed) being nearest ‘as the crow flies’ from the child’s home front door to that of the Academy.

OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA

Looked After Children, children who were previously looked after and children who leave care under a special guardianship or residence order [1]
Children who need a place at the academy on exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical grounds. [2]
Children living ‘in the catchment area [3] with siblings on-roll at the point of application submission deadline [4] & [5]
Children living ‘out of the catchment area’ with siblings on roll at the point of application submission deadline [4] & [5]
Children on roll at Warden Park Primary Academy at the point of application
Your child has a parent, step-parent, adoptive parent or carer who works for the Warden Park Secondary Academy
Children living in the catchment area who are on roll at a member school of the Sussex Learning Trust at the point of application
Children living in the catchment area
Children living outside the catchment area who are on roll at a member school of the Sussex Learning Trust at the point of application
All other children

NOTES

[1] A Looked After Child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22 (1) of the Children Act 1989).

[2] Parents/carers must provide written supporting evidence from an appropriately qualified person (usually a doctor or social worker) if they wish to apply under exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical grounds where used. The evidence should state clearly why the academy is best suited to meet the child's specific needs. Letters from parents are not considered sufficient evidence. The term "parent" includes other legal guardians. Such applications will be considered by a panel of three academy Directors advised by the Headteacher.

[3] A catchment area is a geographical area served by Warden Park Secondary Academy and defined on a map. Parents are informed of the catchment academy or school for their home address. Maps are available from admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk

[4] Brothers or sisters may be half or step-siblings, adopted siblings or the child of the parent/carer's partners but must be living permanently at the same address.

[5] Application submission deadline established by West Sussex County Council.

In the case of oversubscription in any of the above categories, priority of placement is given to applicants who live nearest the academy (measured in a straight line from the child's home front door to that of the Academy, using Ordnance Survey Data from a central point in each building). A home address is the address recorded on the Local Authority database as provided by the parents.

Application Process

Admission arrangements for Warden Park are co-ordinated by: Pupil Admissions Office, County Hall North, Horsham, West Sussex. RH12 1XA. Tel: 01403 229102. Fax: 01403 240158. Email: admissions@westsussex.gov.uk

For information about how to apply, please go to www.westsussex.gov.uk/admissions. Applications are usually made on line. If you have problems, please alert the Pupil Admissions Office.

Applicants from East Sussex must complete the East Sussex application form. This can be completed on line. The form will be forwarded to the West Sussex Admissions Office by East Sussex County Council.

Parents should keep the Admissions Team informed of any changes to their circumstances once an application has been made.

Please note that visits to the academy do not form part of the process of deciding which children are to be offered a place at the academy.

The WSCC admissions team will confirm a young person’s place with parents or carers and with the academy. A senior member of the Warden Park staff will then contact parents or carers as soon as is practicable to make the necessary arrangements to enrol the young person at Warden Park.

Parents of children with disabilities or Statements of Special Educational Need should contact us when their children are in Year 4 of primary school.

Further general information on admissions and appeals, can be obtained from www.westsussex.gov.uk/admissions

Once your son or daughter’s place is confirmed, we will then contact you.

How to apply for a place

Warden Park Secondary Academy is a significantly over-subscribed school demonstrating the high regard with which it is held in the local community. We have 300 places available in Year 7 each year. We welcome all students, including those with particular gifts and talents or with Additional Educational Needs as long as they will benefit from a mainstream education and will contribute to the development and well being of the academy community. The Academy’s catchment area will remain as agreed with the Local Authority in 2012.

We welcome the opportunity of meeting you and believe you will find many reasons for choosing Warden Park for your child. See below for information on tours throughout the year. In year admission enquiries should be directed to: Mr M Sorrell, Deputy Headteacher msorrell@wardenpark.co.uk

Information on availability of places in current Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 (including waiting list information) can be obtained from West Sussex County Council, Pupil Admissions on Telephone Number: 033 301 42903 or admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk Catchment maps can be obtained from the Pupil Admissions Office of the Local Authority Contact Pupil Admissions.

Useful documents

Click here for our Admisions Criteria for 2025/2026

Click here for our Home School Agreement

Click here for our Uniform and Appearance Guide

Click here for our Supplementary Information Form