Supporting evidence you need to submit when you apply for secondary school places

The deadline for applying for a secondary school place to start school in September 2027 is 31 October 2026.

Who this information is for

This information is for people who live in the borough of Lewisham.

Parental responsibility

The person completing the application must be the child’s parent (including adoptive parents) or the person with legal parental responsibility. We cannot accept applications from a grandparent or other family member unless they have legal parental responsibility.

If you are not the child’s parent

If you are applying for a school place but are not the child’s parent, you need to include a letter explaining what your relationship is to the child and why you are applying instead of the parent. You must also provide a legal document to prove you have parental responsibility.

If you have moved house recently

If you moved house within the six months before applying, you need to confirm that your home address is permanent, rather than temporary. To do this, you need to submit one of the following:

• closing accounts for your previous property

• official confirmation of the end of tenancy, or house sale, for the previous property

• tenancy agreement from a commercial letting agency for a period of 12 months or more (the period of the tenancy must extend beyond the start of the academic year in which the child is due to be admitted) or a solicitor’s confirmation of the completion of the purchase of the new property. 

Until you have surrendered the tenancy or ownership of the original property, we will not usually accept your new address as your permanent home address.

Shared care arrangements and parental responsibility

Lewisham will accept only one application for each child. Where parents live separately, the address used for admissions purposes will be the child’s permanent home address. This will normally be the address where the child lives for the majority of the school week.

Where a child lives at two addresses and time is shared equally, parents are expected to agree which address should be used for the school application. If parents cannot agree, Lewisham will determine the address to be used for admissions purposes by considering the evidence available. Relevant evidence may include, but is not limited to:

a. any child arrangements order or other court order;
b. any written agreement between the parents;
c. the address registered with the child’s current school, nursery or early years provider;
d. the address registered with the child’s GP or other healthcare provider;
e. Child Benefit records, where applicable;
f. council tax, tenancy or ownership documents; and
g. any other evidence Lewisham considers relevant.

Where more than one person has parental responsibility, parents are expected to consult each other and agree the school application before it is submitted. If Lewisham receives more than one application for the same child, or is notified of a dispute about the application or school preferences, the Council may ask the parents to agree which application should proceed.

Where agreement cannot be reached, parents may need to seek legal advice or apply to the family court for a Specific Issue Order. Lewisham may be unable to process conflicting applications until the issue is resolved by agreement or court order.

Any decision by Lewisham about the address to be used for admissions purposes is made only for the purpose of applying the admission arrangements. It does not determine any dispute between parents about parental responsibility, child arrangements or which school the child should attend.

Lewisham’s School Admissions Service reserves the right to request further documents should parents/carers not be able to provide the documentation listed above or if we need further information in order to verify and process the application at any stage.

Giving a false address

Sometimes parents rent a property close to a popular school or apply from a relative’s address to increase the likelihood of their child gaining admission. If you give a false address and we make an offer on the basis of fraudulent information, we will withdraw the offer of a place. 

Applications for children in public care, or for a medical or social need

If the child is in public care, or you are applying on medical or social grounds, you should make this clear. You need to provide the necessary professional supporting documents so we can consider your application under the correct admissions criteria. 

Children in public care

If you are applying for school places for a looked-after child, you need to submit a letter from an allocated social worker or foster carer.

Medical or social need

In exceptional circumstances, we can admit a child to a school where they would not normally qualify for a place on the grounds of their, or their family’s, severe medical or social need.

When you apply, you must include a letter explaining why the school is the only one to meet the child’s needs. The letter should be written by a:

• a hospital consultant

• social worker

• similar professional

We will make a decision about admission in consultation with a panel of professionals.

If your child has a severe medical or social need please email us for further details.