Admissions

Reception Admissions 2027/28

School Tours 2027 Admission

We look forward to welcoming you on our Reception School Tours – please check back soon!

Part One

Your child can start in Reception class in the September following their 4th birthday.

Parents can access all the information they need and can make an application for a primary school place at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/admissions. Applying online is quick, safe and secure and parents will receive confirmation that the application has been received; the application can be viewed at any time online and applicants can check or change the application at any time before the deadline.

Application to Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) must be made before your application to St Albert the Great School can be considered by the Governors. If you live outside Hertfordshire at the time of application, you should apply through your home Local Authority.

Part Two

As St Albert the Great is a Voluntary-Aided School, the admission criteria are those of the Governing Body.

Completion of the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is essential and must be sent directly to St Albert the Great along with the additional supporting documentation in order for the Governors to consider your application before the 15th January deadline.

Please note: home is the address where the child permanently resides.

Supplementary Information Form (SIF) will be available here from the 2nd November

Timetable for Reception applications 2027/2028:

2 November 2026	Online system opens for you to apply online.
Thursday 12^th Nov - 9:15 am start Wednesday 25^th Nov - 2pm start Tuesday 12^th Jan - 9:15 am start	Open events at schools. Booking information to follow in due course.
15 January 2027	Deadline to apply for a school place.
1 February 2027	Last date to submit a written explanation giving reasons why your application was late, for your application to be agreed as ‘on time’. If you move house, this is the last date for you to provide evidence of your new address and for it to be considered ‘on time’ in the allocation process.
1 March 2027	Applications received after this date will not be offered a school place until the week commencing 14 June 2027.
16 April 2027	National allocation day We will email you the school you've been allocated, if you applied online and confirmed your email address. The online allocation system will be updated with allocations and be available only after allocation emails have been sent. If you applied on paper, we will send you a notification letter and response form by first class post. If you applied online, you can use online facilities including appeals and continuing interest.
16 – 23 April 2027	Continuing interest applications open. You can add new school preferences for some Hertfordshire schools for the first continuing interest run. Information will be available online on 16 April 2027.
17 – 23 April 2027	Continuing interest lists are created. Applicants with unmet higher preferences will automatically go on the list for those schools. Parents or carers should confirm this with schools responsible for their own admissions.
23 April 2027	Last date for accepting the place offered. Online applicants must accept the place online. Paper applicants should return their response form to the Admissions and Transport team.
10 – 14 May 2027	First continuing interest run. We'll contact you with an offer of a new school place, if you're successful at the first continuing interest run.
17 May 2027 (4pm)	Last date to register an appeal.
17 – 21 May 2027	Continuing interest applications open for the second run. You can add new preferences for any school for the second continuing interest run.
21 May 2027	Last date to register a change of preferences or for new applications to be added for the second continuing interest run.
14 – 18 June 2027	Second (and final) continuing interest run. We'll contact you with an offer of a new school place, if you're successful at the second continuing interest run.
June – July 2027	If school vacancies occur, places will be filled from remaining continuing interest lists.
10 June – 19 July 2027	School admission appeals take place during this period.
28 June 2027	Continuing interest lists (waiting lists) for junior and middle schools close on 24 June 2027. To retain your continuing interest for a Hertfordshire junior or middle school, you will need to make an in year application from 28 June 2027.
23 July 2027	Continuing interest lists (waiting lists) for primary schools close on 22 July 2027. To retain your continuing interest for a Hertfordshire primary school, you'll need to make an in year application from 23 July 2027.

In-Year Applications

An application can be made for a place for a child at any time outside the admission round. Applications should be made via Hertfordshire's website and if there is a place available, they will contact the school and the school has 15 working days to respond.

Once your place has been allocated by Hertfordshire and you have accepted this, please contact Mrs Small at the school office on 01442264835 or admin@albertthegreat.herts.sch.uk

Where there are places available but more applications than places, the published oversubscription criteria, as set out in the admission arrangements for 2026-2027, will be applied.

/docs/Admissions/2025-2026_IN_YEAR_SIF.pdf

/docs/Admissions/2025-2026/Admission_Policy__2025-2026_website.pdf

Admissions criteria policy

Parents are advised to read the admission arrangements carefully before making their application.

If there are no places available, the child will be added to the waiting list. Please see the admission arrangements for more details.

You will be advised of the outcome of your application in writing as soon as possible. Applicants must be informed of the outcome of their application within 15 school days of receipt, but the aim is to notify applicants of the outcome of their application within 10 school days of receipt.

You have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel if your application is unsuccessful.

If you have any questions in relation to in-year admissions please contact Mrs Small at the school office-01442264835. You may also wish to discuss in-year applications with the local authority Hertfordshire.Gov

Determined Admission Arrangements 2027/2028

/docs/Admissions/2024-2025/St_Albert_the_great_Determined_Policy_2027-28.pdf

Appeals

School Admission Appeals- Important Information/Reminders

All parents now need to set up an appeals account in order to appeal. The online appeals portal is the same for all parents and is found here: School Admission Appeal | Hertfordshire County Council

In order to set up an account, the following codes are needed:

Application Reference Number
Child ID

Transfer appeals

Hertfordshire parents can access the codes they need in order to set up an appeals account via their admissions account. They can see them on the page where they are told their allocation.

NB If all your applications are dealt with centrally by the Admission Transport team, you do not need to notify admissions in this way.

Parents who live out-of-county or who applied on paper will need to contact Hertfordshire's Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043 in order to obtain their registration details to gain access. These then will be sent via automated email. (Any in-county parents having difficulty finding their codes in their admissions account can also do this if they need to.)

More information can also be found on Hertfordshire's website here
/docs/Admissions/Appeals_timetable_2026.doc

Secondary School Admissions

Important dates – secondary school admissions

1 September 2026	Online system opened for you to apply online.
Sept / Oct 2026	Open events at schools. Find individual school details in the schools directory.
31 October 2026	Deadline to apply for a school place.
1 December 2026	Last date to submit a written explanation giving reasons why your application was late, for your application to be agreed as ‘on time’. If you move house, this is the last date for you to provide evidence of your new address and for it to be considered ‘on time’ in the allocation process.
29 January 2027	Applications received after this date will not be offered a school place until the week of 26 – 30 April 2027.
1 March 2027	National allocation day We will email you the school you've been allocated, if you applied online. The online allocation system will be updated with allocations and be made available only after allocation emails have been sent. If you applied on paper, we will send you a notification letter and response form by first class post. If you applied online, you can use online facilities including opting out, making a new application and submitting an appeal.
1 – 8 March 2027	Continuing interest lists are created. Applicants that didn't get any higher preference schools will automatically go on the list for those schools. Parents or carers should confirm this with schools responsible for their own admissions.
1 – 8 March 2027	Continuing interest applications open. You can add new preferences for some Hertfordshire schools for the first continuing interest run. Information will be available online from 1 March 2027.
8 March 2027	Last date to accept the place offered. Online applicants should accept the place online. Paper applicants should return their response form to the Admissions and Transport Team.
22 – 26 March 2027	First continuing interest run. We'll contact you with an offer of a new school place, if you're successful.
12 April 2027 (4pm)	Deadline to submit an appeal.
29 March – 9 April 2027	Continuing interest applications open again. You can add new school preferences for all schools for the second run of continuing interest.
9 April 2027	Last date to register a change of preferences or for new applications to be added for the second continuing interest run.
26 – 30 April 2027	Second (and final) continuing interest run. We'll contact you with an offer of a new school place, if you're successful at the second continuing interest run.
29 April – 15 June 2027 (excluding 3 May, 31 May – 4 June 2027)	School admission appeals take place during this period.
May – July 2027	If school vacancies occur, places will be filled from remaining continuing interest lists.
28 June 2027	Continuing interest lists (waiting lists) for Year 9 (upper school) and Year 10 (studio school or university technical college) close on 24 June 2027. To retain your continuing interest for a Hertfordshire upper or studio school or UTC you will need to make an in year application from 28 June 2027.
22 July 2027	Continuing interest lists for secondary schools close on 22 July 2027. To retain your continuing interest for a Hertfordshire secondary school you will need to make an in year application from 23 July 2027.

St. Albert the Great Catholic Primary School