Admissions

Welcome to The Lenham School Admissions Page.

As parents/carers this is one of the most important decisions you will make as a family, we know that it can also be a very stressful process for many of you. We hope that this page will help answer some of the questions you may have and simplify the process.

We are a community that is always striving to do the best for our families and we have reached a point in our history where we have a very clear mission to take this to a new level:

We want to empower our learners by giving them the knowledge and confidence to thrive in an environment of ACADEMIA.
We want to create as many OPPORTUNITIES as possible for members of our community.
We want our learners to feel that this is more than a school. The Lenham School is a place where you feel a sense of BELONGING, as though school is your home from home.

Please do explore the sections below. We would also encourage you to follow our official Facebook page to learn more about what is happening in school. We are looking forward to welcoming you to our wonderful community.

Click here to view our Admissions Policy - Including our oversubscription criteria.

Click here to read more about our TLS Vision for 2028.

Admissions Process Timeline

The Lenham School has a published admission number (PAN) of 150 students, to be admitted into Year 7 each year. Applications for places will be made in accordance with Kent local authority’s coordinated admission arrangements and will be made on the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF), provided and administered by the Kent Local Authority.

Click here to view the full KCC Determined Co-ordinated Scheme for Secondary Admissions 2026/27.

Click here to view our Admissions Policy - Including our oversubscription criteria.

National Closing date for applicaiton forms	Friday, 31 October 2025
National Offer Day	Monday, 2 March 2026
Welcome letters are sent to the families of our New Year 7 intake	Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Deadline by which to accept/decline the place that has been offerred by KCC	Monday, 16 March 2026
Deadline for lodging appeals	TBC
Reallocation Offer Day - KCC may issue places, if other families have declined their place at the school.	Thursday, 23 April 2026

Open Events

We are delighted to offer the opportunity for students in Years 5 and 6, together with their parents/carers, to explore The Lenham School. In the Autumn term we have our Opening Evening and a series of Open Mornings available.

Our Open Evening will be held on Thursday, 2 October 2025 from 5.30pm to 8pm. There will be two Headteacher talks throughout the evening at 5.45pm and 6.30pm. In order to manage visitor numbers we are operating an advance booking system here.

We will also hold a series of Open Mornings throughout October for an opportunity to meet our Leadership Team and visit a working school. Booking is required please use the links below.

To make your booking, please click on your desired event/time in the table below. ONLY ONE BOOKING NEEDS TO BE MADE FOR EACH FAMILY. If you have any special access requirements, please contact Mrs C Rush, Office Manager/Admissions at the school by email office@thelenham.viat.org.uk

Please note for Open Mornings only:

Each booking is limited to three persons (including your child).
Please allow approximately one hour for your visit.
Unfortunately, if you miss your timeslot, we will not be able to accommodate late arrivals.

Open Mornings:
Tuesday, 7 October 2025	9.30am
Wednesday, 8 October 2025	9.30am
Thursday, 9 October 2025	9.30am
Tuesday, 14 October 2025	9.30am
Wednesday, 15 October 2025	9.30am
Thursday, 16 October 2025	9.30am

We look forward to meeting you.

In Year Admissions

If you live in Kent and wish to apply for a place at The Lenham School (with the exception of Year 6 children applying through the SCAF system) you will need to complete an In Year Admission Form (IYAF).

If we have available space within the required Year Group and Teaching Sets you will be invited to attend a meeting with a member of staff at which any questions and concerns can be addressed. Following that meeting you will receive written confirmation of whether a place is being offered.

For further details of the Admissions process, please refer to Section 2 of KCC’s Determined Co-ordinated Scheme for Secondary Admissions.

The school will notify applicants of the outcome of their application in writing within 15 school days detailing any reason for refusal and information about the right to appeal.

Appeals

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY

If you have not been offered a place at The Lenham School, the law entitles you to appeal against that decision to an Independent Appeal Panel. This panel is completely independent of the school and the Local Authority. All appeals will be heard online which has the advantage that your appeal can be heard from your home or place of work.

If you wish to appeal, please use this link to complete your appeal online. Please do NOT use ANY other appeal form or send your form to your local authority. It is suggested that you download the explanatory booklet about appeals which you should read before you complete the appeal form – Booklet Link .

You should include any evidence or supporting material with your appeal form and you MUST give the grounds for your appeal at the time you lodge your appeal form. Your appeal form will not be accepted unless you state the grounds for your appeal. You may appeal for more than one school, but on different forms.

Any letters or reports that you wish the panel to see should be uploaded at this time. You are asked to bear in mind that if you later send additional information, the closing date is 12 noon, 5 working days before the STAGE 1 hearing. All appointed panels have agreed NOT to take any late letters or reports after the 5 working day deadline. This will be strictly enforced. For secondary/primary transfer appeals, the hearing will take place at least TWO months after the refusal letter. This gives you plenty of time to get your evidence together if you act early and take account of school holidays.

Please note that the online form will ask you to download two utility bills dated in the last THREE months. If you do not have access to a scanner, please take two photographs with a mobile phone and upload the photographic files.

Full details about the hearing will be sent to you with your invitation to the hearing.

If you wish to contact the clerk – email: clerk@educationappeals.com

The timetable for appeals is as follows: -

Last day for lodging appeal forms for a place in year 7 to start in September 2026	4pm on Thursday 2 April 2026 to guarantee that your appeal will be heard in the first tranche of appeals. Appeals lodged later may not be heard until the second tranche which could be in September 2026. You MUST state the reasons for your appeal and supply any documentary evidence at this stage.
The stage 1 part of the hearing (with other parents present) will take place on	Thursday 30 April 2026 – 5pm
Part 2, the individual private hearings will take place on	Friday 1 May 2026 (depending on the number of appeals)
Invitation letter giving details about your hearing will be sent by the Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel	At least 10 school days before the stage 1 hearing.
Any additional supporting evidence	Closing date is 12 noon Thursday 23 April 2026. You are advised that additional paperwork received after this (including on the day of the appeal hearing) will not be taken into account. Please provide the Clerk with ONE copy of any new additional evidence BY EMAIL ONLY. These must be sent to clerk@educationappeals.com.
Letter from the Clerk informing you of the decision of the independent appeal panel	Due to the high number of appeals held at this time, this may not be sent until up to 15 school days after the last hearing for the school.

Timetable for appeals for mid-term applications is as follows:

Last day for lodging appeal forms following a refusal for a place ‘in year’ or ‘mid-term’ excluding 6^th form.

You must lodge the appeal form within 20 school days upon receipt of your letter of refusal. You MUST state the reasons for your appeal and supply documentary evidence at this stage. Appeals are held within 30 school days of receipt of the appeal form.

Timetable for appeals for the 6^th form is as follows

Last day for Lodging appeals

4pm on Thursday 27 August 2026 to guarantee that your appeal will be heard within the first weeks of September. You MUST state the reasons for your appeal on the online form and supply any documentary evidence at this stage e.g. a copy of your result sheet.

Please note the timetable is very short to enable those appellants who win appeals to start as early into the school year as possible.

Closing Date for appeals to be submitted Friday 18 September

Click here for the 6^th form appeal form.

Appeal date

The date will be during the month of September 2026.

Transition from Year 6 - Year 7

We are delighted to welcome you to our school and look forward to seeing you during the upcoming events we will be holding to support your transition to secondary school.

We know that for most of you changing schools can be very unsettling and you will all have some anticipation and worry; this is only natural. With this in mind we have designed a dedicated transition programme full of activities for you in the coming months to help you get to know the school and meet your future class groups. Further information will be sent out to your parent/carer in the coming weeks/months giving more information on our Welcome Evening, Virtual Tutor Group sessions, Primary School visits, and our fun and exciting Transition Week!

Already your Parent/Carer has been given a booklet that you should read with them, this includes all the information you need to know about our school, during your transition week you will also be provided with a Student Booklet with lots of information, advice and top tips.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you or your family have any concerns (admissions@thelenham.viat.org.uk)

Please do explore our website for information on our Uniform, Termly Newsletter, Term Dates, Travel, School meals, Safeguarding, Attendance.

We look forward to meeting you all.
The Transition Team