Deciding which secondary schools to apply for

How many schools you can apply for

When you apply for a secondary school place for your child, you can put up to six schools on the application. These can be in the borough of Lewisham or outside the borough. 

There are 14 secondary schools in the Lewisham borough. It is a good idea to research a range of schools, including ones closest to your home address, as not every child can be offered their first preference school.

Find out about our secondary schools.

We expect most schools in the borough will be oversubscribed, so we strongly recommend you look at your nearest schools, including faith or non-faith schools. When you apply, you should use all six preferences for the best chance of getting a place.

Admissions criteria

Read the admissions criteria for the schools you want to apply for. Most secondary schools get more applications than there are places available. If you apply for oversubscribed schools, the admissions criteria for the school is used to decide which children are offered a place.

Visiting schools

Before you decide which schools you want to apply for, you should visit the school to meet the staff and see the facilities and opportunities available.

Headteachers will be pleased to show you around and answer any questions. All secondary schools in the borough hold open days so you can visit them with your child.