Admission into Year 7
Admissions arrangements during the academic year
If you want to move your child to Prendergast Ladywell School during the academic year, or you have recently moved into the area and would like to enrol your child here, please see our in-year admissions page.
Admissions Arrangements for September 2025
These are the admission arrangements for entry into Year 7 in September 2025 to Prendergast Ladywell School.
Our Published Admissions Number (PAN) is 180 students.
The deadline for claims under the Social-Medical criterion for the school to receive your Supplementary Information Form with written evidence is by 11.59pm on 31 October 2024.
Our online supplementary form is available on this website during the period when the normal round for national applications is open.
The closing date for secondary transfer applications (via www.eadmissions.org.uk ) is 31 October 2024.
Key Admission Process Dates (for entry in September 2025)
| Date | Event |
| 1 September 2024 | Secondary Transfer applications open (via www.eadmissions.org.uk) |
| September 2024 | Please see our Open Events flyer for details and sign up via this link. |
| 31 October 2024 | Closing date for submitting the Common Application Form for secondary transfer applications. Closing date for submitting a social-medical claim to the school with written evidence from a professional for consideration. To be considered under this criterion, you must complete the school's Supplementary Information Form and submit your evidence direct to the school by 11.59pm at this deadline. |
| 3 March 2025 | National Offer Day |
Notice: Admissions and appeals arrangements are subject to government guidance and public health advice and may change at short notice.
How to apply
This school participates in the Pan-London Admissions Scheme. For applications in the normal admissions round you should use the online application form which can be found at: www.eadmissions.org.uk.
For those who do not reside in one of the London boroughs or surrounding county councils which participates in the Pan-London Admissions Scheme, an application should be made via the home local authority. You can use the online form to express your preference of a maximum of SIX state-funded schools, in rank order. It is the parent’s responsibility to submit an application and any required supporting evidence before the published closing date for applications.
Please carefully read our Determined Admissions Policy 2025-26 before applying:
- See School Policies for the Admissions Policy 2025-26
Social-Medical claims: Your social-medical claim with supporting evidence must reach the school before the closing date for submissions shown in the Key Admission Process Dates above. Further information about how to make a claim under this criterion is below.
Should an applicant not be successful under a higher criterion, they will automatically be considered for a place using any other relevant criteria.
You will receive the outcome of your secondary transfer application direct from your local authority at National Offer Day.
Find out more about our Open Events
Parents and children who intend applying for a place are invited to participate in our Open Events held in September. Please see our Open Events flyer (details below) and sign up via this link.
Please see below a list of Open events scheduled which provide you with an opportunity to visit our Secondary school, meet some of our students, teachers and receive a presentation from Mr Hand, the Headteacher.
We are delighted to be offering these events to our local community, but will be limiting numbers on our school site by requiring all our visitors to book a place in advance.
We have three different types of events, make sure you book a place on the right one for you.
Open Mornings - An opportunity to visit the school during the course of the normal school day, you will be guided in a small group by one of our students, and will be able to attend a presentation by Mr Hand the Headteacher.
12th September, 09:15-10:30AM
17th September, 09:15-10:30
19th September, 09:15-10:30
24th September, 09:15-10:30
Open Evening - An opportunity to visit our school at the end of the school day. A number of students will be available to guide you around our school and act as subject ambassadors. You will have the opportunity to talk with our teachers and professional support staff, and will be able to attend a presentation by Mr Hand the Headteacher.
10th September, 18:00-20:00
How to make a claim under the Social or Medical criterion
This criterion is for children with a social or medical need that is exceptional, and who can demonstrate that Prendergast Ladywell School is particularly well suited to meet that need.
Applications must include:
- The school’s Supplementary Information Form, which is available for download via the link below or upon request from the school office;
- Written evidence from an appropriate qualified professional (eg: doctor or social worker) which confirms the exceptional need and is dated within the six months prior to the date of application.
Applications may also include additional supporting evidence from other professionals (eg: current SENCO or headteacher) who are currently providing direct care/support/treatment to the child relating to their exceptional need on an ongoing basis in their professional capacity. However, this additional evidence will only be considered if the mandatory pieces of evidence have been submitted with the original application.
All supporting evidence should be submitted with the application and before the closing date for applications.
Applications under this criterion are determined by the Federation.
For your child to be considered under the Social-Medical criterion, please download the school's Supplementary Information Form (SIF):
Make a claim under the Social-Medical criterion (Supplementary Information Form)
Your social-medical claim with completed Supplementary Information Form and supporting evidence must be submitted directly to the school via the email address below before the closing date for submissions published in our Key Admission Process Dates.
If you are unable to send an email, you may post or deliver your written evidence to the school, which must reach the school before the closing date for applications. The school closes at 4.00pm on school days and is not open at weekends, holidays (including half term) or INSET days.
Please email your supporting written evidence to PLS Admissions: SecAdmissions@prendergast-ladywell.com
Form submissions
If you would like your child to be considered under the Social-Medical oversubscription criterion, we would prefer that you send your Supplementary Information Form and supporting evidence via email. The SIF is available for download on our website from September. If you are unable to download the form, a paper copy is available on request, to be sent by post. Please call our Reception team.
If you do need to request a paper form, you must make sure you have allowed enough time to receive and return the completed paper form (with supporting documents) to reach the school by the published deadline.
Our address is: Prendergast Ladywell School, Manwood Road, London SE4 1SA
There are no exceptions to the deadline for claims under the Social-Medical oversubscription criterion for any reason to ensure that the process is fair to all.
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
All children whose Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP) names the school will be admitted before any other places are allocated.
Oversubscription Criteria
The school has capacity to admit 180 pupils to Year 7 in September 2025. 60 places will be allocated to those children already on roll in Year 6 at the Prendergast Primary phase. If your child is already on the roll of the primary phase, you do not have to apply for the secondary phase. Your child will be automatically transferred from Year 6 into Year 7. (Please be aware it is the policy of the local authority that families cannot hold two offers at the same time. Therefore, if a parent accepts a place in Year 7 at another school, their child’s name will be removed from the automatic transfer list for Year 7 at Prendergast Ladywell School and the place will be offered to another child).
In the case of a child who holds an ECHP and who is already attending the primary phase of the school, you must re-consult with the secondary phase to establish whether the secondary phase can meet the needs of your child, in order to be able to exercise the right to transfer through to Year 7 under the all-through policy.
The PAN for external candidates is 120. If the school is not oversubscribed, all applicants will be offered a place. Where there are more external applicants than places available, places will be allocated in accordance with the published over-subscription criteria, up to a maximum of 180 pupils.
In the event that the school receives more applications than the number of places at the normal point of entry (Year 7), and after those children with an Education Health & Care Plan which names the school have been admitted, the Trustees will apply the criteria in priority order to determine which applicants qualify for a place.
The oversubscription criteria are described in detail in our Determined Admissions Policy. The following provides a summary only:
- Children who meet the definition of looked after children or previously looked after children.
- Children with a social or medical need that is exceptional.
- Siblings: A child whose sibling is on roll in Years 7-10 of the school on the closing date for applications and is expected to be on roll (in Years 7-11) at the intended date of admission.
- The children of staff in either or both of the following circumstances:
a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made and/or
b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post at the school for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage. - Those who are permanently living nearest to the school. All distances will be calculated digitally as a straight-line distance to a nodal point in the school premises (Primary Pedestrian Gate Ewhurst Road) from a nodal point in the applicant’s permanent home address. The child’s home address will be considered to be where the child normally and habitually resides and with a parent with parental responsibility. The applicant’s home local authority will be expected to verify a child’s permanent home address in accordance with its published London-wide coordinated admission scheme.
Please note the following information about the oversubscription criterion:
1 Looked after children or previously looked after children are children who, at the time of making an application to a school, are as defined in the School Admissions Code (2021).
2 See above and our admissions policy for how to make an application for assessment under the music criterion.
3 See above and our admissions policy for how to make a claim for consideration under the social-medical criterion. Written evidence from an appropriate qualified professional, and dated within the six months prior to application, must be provided to the school before the closing date.
4 Siblings include all blood siblings, half-siblings, foster siblings, adopted siblings and step siblings. All siblings must live permanently at the same address as the qualifying sibling on roll. Proof of the sibling relationship may be required.
5 To note – Staff who work across all of the schools in the Federation (Federation central team staff) will be considered as staff of this school.
6 If more than one applicant lives in a multi-occupancy building, such as flats, we will give priority to the applicant whose door number is the lowest (numerically or alphabetically).
General information
It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit written evidence in support of their claim under social or medical need that is exceptional before the closing date.
Siblings in Year 11 and those who attend Prendergast Sixth Form (Year 12 and Year 13) do not qualify for sibling priority for secondary transfer. Please note that for in-year applications for a secondary place (Years 7-11), a qualifying sibling is a sibling who is in the secondary phase (in Years 7-11).
Multiple Birth: Where twins, triplets or children from other multiple births qualify for the last school place to be allocated, the school will admit all of the siblings of a multiple birth in excess of the published admissions limit.
Admission Outside the Normal Age Group: Parents are entitled to request a place for their child outside of their normal age group. If you wish to request a place, please contact the Governance Professional at: governance@leathersellers-federation.com
This admission authority cannot be required to honour a decision made by another admission authority about a child out of the normal age group.
Details of our Open Events are published on our website. The school does not usually arrange ad hoc tours at other times.
Waiting list
Waiting lists are held in the same order as the oversubscription criteria.
The Local Authority hold the Year 7 waiting list and process this on behalf of the school until the end of the Autumn Term of the year of entry. From 1 January of Year 7 onwards, the school handles its own in-year admissions. Please follow our in-year admissions process:
To ensure the waiting list is accurate, the in-year waiting list will close at the end of the academic year in July. Parents/carers must re-apply to the school at the start of each academic year in September.
The school participates in Lewisham Local Authority’s Fair Access Protocol for in-year admissions and children may be prioritised over those children on the waiting list for admission under this protocol.
Furthest distance measurement
The following table indicates the furthest home-to-school distance place offered as at National Offer Day each year of entry into Year 7, with a normal intake of 120 students (except where shown*).
Furthest Distance at National Offer Day
| Year of Entry | Furthest Distance Measurement |
| Entry in September 2024 | 977.71 metres |
| Entry in September 2023 | 888.02 metres |
| Entry in September 2022 | 1031.68 metres |
| Entry in September 2021 | 1316.5m metres |
Appeals
If your child’s application for admission to the school was refused, you will be informed why and given information about the process for submitting an appeal. Under the School Standards and Framework Act, the Federation has to make appeal arrangements for parents who wish to appeal against their child not receiving an offer of admission to the school. If you wish to appeal, you must set out the grounds for your appeal in writing.
Appeal forms are available for download on the website until the appeals deadline for the secondary transfer round. At any other time, or to request a paper copy, appeal forms are available on request from the school office. Please phone our Reception.
You can find details of the school’s appeals timetable on the appeals page of the school website. This information is updated from 28 February each year.
Parents who wish to appeal, please complete the school's appeal form. You must set out the grounds for your appeal in writing. You may send the form, with supporting evidence, to the following email address: secadmissions@prendergast-ladywell.com
Information from Lewisham Council
You can sign up to receive weekly emails from Lewisham Council about the secondary school admissions process using this link https://r1.dotmailer-surveys.com/d7402e3-404ptedd
Lewisham Council has created a webpage to make it easy for parents to find information on secondary school open events in one place, which will continue to be updated: https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/education/schools/school-admission/applying-to-start-secondary-school/secondary-schools-open-days
