Research a school
You must decide which schools you want to apply for (up to a maximum of 6 schools).
You should research the schools that you are interested in before you apply.
The following information will help you research and choose a school.
Our school map helps you to find your nearest school and check the approximate distance from your home address to a school. Also see our admissions booklets for schools in your area.
Our Directory of Surrey schools is a list of all state schools in Surrey.
Each school's entry includes links to their Ofsted results and to the school's own website.
On their websites, you'll also find their achievements, open days or evenings, and exam results.
Also see our admissions booklets for schools in your area.
You can visit a school that you are considering by contacting them directly to arrange a time to visit.
You can also attend their opening days or evenings.
Admission authorities are responsible for setting and applying admission arrangements.
Each school has admission criteria which set out how they allocate places.
You should read the criteria for your preferred schools and consider how likely it is that your child will be offered a place. Many schools put their admission criteria on their websites.
Our admissions booklets for schools in your area include:
- a summary of admission criteria.
- the number of pupils each school intends to offer a place to for the next school year (the published admission number or PAN).
- information on how places were allocated for the previous year.
- the furthest distance each Surrey school offered places to last year under their last offered criterion (where this was applicable). These distances are provided as a guide only. There is no guarantee that a school will offer to the same distance as in the previous year because each year it depends on the number of applications, where the applicants live and how many places are available.
You can find out how Ofsted inspect schools and their inspection reports for schools on the Ofsted web site.
Our Directory of Surrey schools also has links to Ofsted reports for each school.
Check if you will be eligible for travel assistance to your preferred schools.
Eligibility for travel assistance is not linked to the admission criteria of a school. For example, some schools give priority for a school place to children who are attending a feeder school, but this does not confer an automatic right to travel assistance.
To be considered for travel assistance to a school that is not your nearest, you will normally be required to demonstrate that you have applied for and been refused a place at any nearer schools.
You should also not assume that existing transport will be operating or available in the future, including local and school buses.
If your child is not eligible for travel assistance, you should think carefully about how your child will get to school.
Types of schools and their admission authorities
Admission authorities are responsible for setting and applying admission arrangements.
- The local authority is the admission authority for community schools.
- A school's academy trust or governing board is the admission authority for academies and foundation, free and voluntary aided schools.
Independent of the local authority and funded directly by the Department for Education. An academy can set its own curriculum.
Maintained by the local authority.
State funded school run by its own governing board.
A type of academy set up by a group, such as parents, teachers, charities, community groups and businesses.
Maintained by the local authority but strongly supported by the church authorities (usually Church of England or Catholic).