Academy Admissions
Welcome to the Harris Academy Chafford Hundred Admissions information page. Download our current prospectus. This page tells you about how to apply to the Academy, how to appeal if you are unsuccessful and where to find further information.
Our full admissions policy, with details of our admissions criteria, can be downloaded from the bottom of the page.
Parents are also advised to read the advice given by Thurrock Local Authority which inclludes how and when to apply, what to do if you wish to appeal and how to apply late or make 'in year' applications. The advice also incudes catchment area information by address. All this guidance can be accessed here. On this page you will find a summary of the application procedure for prospective Year 7s, in-year admissions and Sixth Form admissions.
Admissions Contact Details
Telephone: 01375 484580
Email: admissions@harrischaffordhundred.org.uk
Address: Harris Academy Chafford Hundred, Mayflower Road, Chafford Hundred, Essex RM16 6SA
Year 7 Applications (including key dates)
| 31st October 2023 | Application forms deadline to Thurrock Council |
| 1st March 2024 | Thurrock Council informs parents/carers of allocated school |
| 25th April 2024 | Deadline for appeals to be made in writing to the Academy |
| June 2024 | Appeals heard |
| 1st September 2024 | Waiting Lists closed and replaced by In-Year admissions waiting lists. |
Applications for places will be made in accordance with Local Authority admission arrangements and will be made on the authority's application form. Advice from Thurrock Local Authority and the application form can be accessed here.
The Academy will work to the common admissions timetable agreed by Thurrock Local Authority which for September 2024 admissions required applications to be made by 31st October 2023. The admissions policy for 2024-25 can be downloaded from the bottom of the page, or obtained by contacting us at the above address.
The Harris Academy Chafford Hundred intends to admit 180 students each year. When considering applications, children with a statement of Special Educational Needs that names the Academy or those with Educational Healthcare (EHC) Plans will be admitted first and under different regulations before the oversubscription criteria is applied.
In the event of there being more applications for places at the Academy than there are places available, after the admission of those with an SEN statement or EHC plan, places will be allocated in the following oversubscription order of priority:
- Looked after children and previously looked after children
- The children of Employees of Harris Academy Chafford Hundred.
- Pupils resident in the priority admissions area (catchment area) of Harris Academy Chafford Hundred in the following order of priority: 1) Pupils who have brothers or sisters attending the academy at the date of admission (in year groups 7 – 10) and who will continue to do so; 2) Pupils resident within the priority catchment area
- Pupils resident outside the priority admissions area of Harris Academy Chafford Hundred in the following priority: 1) Pupils who have brothers or sisters attending the school at the date of admission (In Years 7 – 10) and who will continue to do so; 2) Pupils living closest to the academy
Note: Harris Academy Chafford Hundred is the designated Additional Resource Provision (ARP) base for Children, Education and Families for speech and language children. Places allocated under this will cover children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and all pupils in this category will have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or EHC plan. These children are not included in the school’s published admission limit. ARP are allocated through a multi-disciplinary Local Authority admissions panel, in consultation with Thurrock Council’s Special Educational Needs Department and the Academy’s Principal and Achievement Director of SLCN Resource Base.
Admission Appeals
Parents and carers may wish to appeal against the outcomes of the admissions process. If you wish to appeal you must contact the academy on admissions@harrischaffordhundred.org.uk stating that you wish to appeal.
You will also need to complete the appeal form which is available below. You should attach to your appeals form any relevant documents or evidence which you feel would support your case.
Completed forms should be sent either by post to the Clerk to the Appeal Panel at Harris Academy Chafford Hundred, Mayflower Road, Chafford Hundred, Grays, Essex RM16 6SA or by email to admissions@harrischaffordhundred.org.uk.
Completed appeal forms for the Year 7 September 2024 intake must be received by the Academy by the 25th April 2024 at 4pm. The appeals will be heard in June 2023 in private, by an Independent Appeal Panel. The Clerk to the Appeal Panel will make an appointment within a reasonable time and appeals may be made in English or the Parents’/Carers’ first language.
Only one appeal per application is allowed. Appeals are conducted in person, and you may bring a friend unless you opt for the appeal to be heard in your absence.
The Appeal Hearing
The Academy will arrange for an Independent Appeals Panel to consider the Academy's reasons for refusal and your reasons for wanting to attend the Academy. The Panel will consist of three people (two will have education experience and one will be an independent person with no education experience).
The Panel will consider the case put forward by you and the Academy. They must consider the admission arrangements for the Academy and the reasons why you want to attend that particular school. The Panel must exercise its discretion by balancing the weight of your argument (for wanting to attend) against the Academy’s reasons for refusal i.e. the prejudice that one more student would cause to the education of the students already offered and the Health and Safety of all the students already attending the Academy, also taking into account the Academy's published admission arrangements.
The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on the admissions authority and the Parents.
Post 16 Applications
The Sixth Form has its own admission policy which can be accessed below. Applications are welcome from within the Academy and from external candidates. Before applying, you should also read our Course Guide and entrance requirements, which can be found in the sixth form section of our website. You should also visit the 6th Form page and read the documents available there. Parents are strongly advised to read the policy and prospectus in full.
Entry requirements vary by subject. Please consult the Sixth Form Course Guide for further information. This is available on the Sixth Form page.
In-Year Applications
If you are looking for a place in Harris Academy Chafford Hundred because you have recently moved into the area, or your child is at another secondary school and you feel that a change of school would benefit their education and/or general well-being, you are entitled to apply for a school place.
Please contact Admissions at Thurrock Council here to request an in-year admission form. Please note that there is no guarantee that a place will be available, but you have the right of appeal if you are refused a place.
In-Year Admission applicants who wish to appeal should complete the Appeal form below and return it to the Academy (details above under Admissions Appeals - Year 7)
Admission of Children Outside their Normal Age Group
Parents may request that their child is admitted to a year group outside their normal age range, for instance where the child is gifted or talented or where a child has suffered from particular social or medical issues impacting his or her schooling. All such requests will be considered on their merits and either agreed or refused, on that basis. If a request is refused, the child will still be considered for admission to their normal age group.
The process for requesting such an admission is as follows:
With the application, parents should request that the child is admitted to another year group (state which one), and the reasons for that request. Parents will submit any evidence in support of their case with the application, for instance from a medical practitioner, headteacher etc. Some of the evidence a parent might submit could include:
- information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development, including their prior learning if recently admitted to the country from abroad;
- where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional;
- whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; and
- whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely.
The school will consider each case on its merits, taking into account the individual circumstances of the request and the child’s best interests. We will also ensure the parent is aware of whether the request for admission out of age group has been agreed before final offers are made, and the reason for any refusal.
Requests for admission out of the normal year group will be considered alongside other applications made at the same time. An application from a child who would ‘normally’ be a year 8 child for a year 7 place will be considered alongside applications for year 7.
This applies to all admissions whether made in the normal admissions round through the CAF or in-year admissions. In the case of students joining in-year who have recently entered the country we will counsel parents on when it is in the best interest of the child to make an application for admission outside the normal age group.
