APPLICATIONS FOR YEAR 7

GAINING A PLACE AT CRANFORD COMMUNITY

This page primarily sets out the three main routes to securing a place at Cranford Community College

A) YEAR 7 (SECONDARY TRANSFER)

FOR SEPTEMBER 2026 (APPLY NOW)

B) IN-YEAR ADMISSION OR SCHOOL TRANSFER

APPLY THROUGHOUT THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE WAITING LIST (UNTIL A SUITABLE VACANCY BECOMES AVAILABLE)

C) SIXTH FORM

FOR SEPTEMBER 2026 (APPLY NOW)

 

A. YEAR 6 INTO YEAR 7 (PRIMARY TO SECONDARY TRANSFER) for September 2026

National Offer Day: 1 MARCH 2026

Who should apply?

CURRENT YEAR 6 CHILDREN

(Children born 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015) 

 

How to apply

Apply online through your home Local Authority (the council where you live and pay council tax).

Use all six preferences and list schools in genuine order of preference.

If Cranford is your first choice, list us first.

⚠️ NOT YET APPLIED FOR A YEAR 7 SCHOOL PLACE FOR SEPT 2026 ?⚠️

 

Year 6 aged children who have not yet applied for or been offered a place at a secondary school for September 2026 should contact their local council urgently to secure a school place.

Cranford Community College is a very popular and oversubscribed school.

Our admissions criteria (shortened summary)

  1. Children with an EHCP naming Cranford.
  2. Looked-after and previously looked-after children (including those formerly in state care outside England).
  3. Children with exceptional medical or social need.
  4. Siblings.
  5. Children of staff (as defined in the policy).
  6. Distance from school (used as a tie-breaker where needed).
 
APPLICATIONS ARE CONSIDERED ONLY BY THE SINGLE HIGHEST CRITERION THAT THEY MEET.
 
 
Full details are in the Admissions Policy for 2026-27.
 

What happened last year?

THERE WERE MORE FIRST CHOICE APPLICATIONS MADE TO CRANFORD THAN THE 210 PLACES AVAILABLE

599total applications (2025)
210places available (PAN)
1.335 mileslast distance offered

HOW PLACES WERE OFFERED FOR YEAR 7 AT CRANFORD FOR SEPTEMBER 2025

(599 on-time applications, with more first choices than 210 places available)

Criteria

EHC

Plan

LAC

Sibling

Dist.

Staff

Med/

Soc

Number

placed

(210)

10

1

91

108*

0

0

*The distance of the last successful applicant under the distance criterion was 1.335 miles

The siblings of any student, including post 16 students, have higher priority in the academy's admission policy criteria than those applying on distance alone.

 

Local Authority application links

Hounslow

Apply from 1 Sept 2025

Hillingdon

Apply from 1 Sept 2025

Ealing

Apply from 1 Sept 2025

Other LAs

Apply via your home Local Authority.

 

USEFUL TIPS ✅

  • List schools in your genuine order of preference.

  • You must apply using your child’s home address.

  • Living nearer helps but does not guarantee a place.

  • Apply on time and use all six preferences.

 

National Offer Day: 1 MARCH 2026

DATE  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

15 March 2026

LAST DATE TO RESPOND TO YOUR SCHOOL OFFER ONLINE.

ADMISSIONS PORTAL CLOSES. 

⚠️ TO BE ANNOUNCED

CLOSING DATE FOR THE RETURN OF APPEAL FORM

FOR AN APPEAL TO BE HEARD IN THE SUMMER 2026 TERM

 

Applying from outside Hounslow? You’re welcome here.

Families from neighbouring boroughs regularly choose Cranford. We’re proud that around half our students live in other local authorities.

Parent‑friendly processHappiness & successYear 7 entry — Sept 2026
50%+students from outside Hounslow
6 choicesuse all preferences on your form
31 Octon‑time application deadline

 

1) Apply via your home local authority

Complete the standard online secondary application provided by the council where you live — even if you’re applying to Cranford.

EalingHillingdonH&FRichmondPOSTCODE SEARCH
 

 

2) List Cranford as one of your preferences

Use all six preferences where possible. We recommend including your nearest school(s) among your choices.

 

3) Need help? Contact your council

Your home local authority can support you with the online form and the process. We’re also happy to answer general questions.

Email AdmissionsCall Reception

Myth busting — get the facts

 
MYTH

Applying as soon as the portal opens increases your chances

FACT

Places are not first‑come, first‑served. All on‑time applications (by 31 October) are considered against each school’s published criteria.

 
MYTH

Missing the deadline won’t matter

FACT

Late applications are processed after on‑time ones. This can delay your offer and the schools you prefer may already be full.

 
MYTH

Listing one school gives a better chance there

FACT

If you name only one school and don’t get it, you’ll be offered the nearest school with places. Use all six preferences and include your nearest school(s).

 
MYTH

I can apply using a grandparent/childminder’s address

FACT

You must apply from your child’s home address. If a false address is used, the application may be withdrawn at any stage.

 
MYTH

If I don’t get my preferred school, I’ll get my nearest anyway

FACT

If a preferred school can’t be offered, you’ll be allocated the nearest school with a place. Without other preferences, this could be further away.

 
MYTH

Living nearer guarantees a place

FACT

Distance may be part of a school’s oversubscription criteria, but it doesn’t guarantee a place if others rank higher that year.

Need help with the form?

Contact your home local authority’s admissions team for assistance with the Pan‑London application. We’re happy to help with general queries too.

 

⚠️ Fraudulent or Deliberately Misleading Applications ❌

The academy may withdraw the offer of a place, even after the child has started if, for example, the application is found to have been fraudulent or deliberately misleading.

The academy will not accept an address provided in an application if we consider it to be an address of convenience.

All academy admission applications are subject to rigorous address checks to ensure school places are allocated fairly and in accordance with published admission arrangements. 

Applicants may also be required to provide additional evidence to support their application.

The academy will not accept possible future addresses as a basis for allocating academy places. If you move after submitting your application you must inform admissions@cranford.hounslow.sch.uk within two weeks of your move.

It is for the admissions authority to determine if, on the balance of probability, the address given on an application is a child’s normal place of residence or is considered to be an address of convenience. Some examples of circumstances which may be considered an address of convenience are:

- using the address of a relative, friend, childminder or business

- using the address of a parent with whom the child spends the minority of the week

- purchasing a new property or renting accommodation and using this address in order to gain a school place, whilst continuing to own or rent an alternative property.

- owning a property which is or has previously been used as your home address and applying from another address in order to gain a school place, but still retaining ownership of the initial property

- use of a local address whilst the child lives overseas

For detailed guidance, please click here

If a fraudulent address or address of convenience is found to have been used after the allocation of places, any offer made will also be withdrawn, and this may be the case even if your child has started at the academy. The matter may also be referred to the police.

 

 

Contact DPO
UK GDPR • Data Protection Act 2018

GDPR Notice for Applicants

Cranford Community College is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in accordance with data protection law. This notice explains how we collect, use, and store personal data during the admissions process.

 

Contact Us
Clear

 

Plain English

Easy summaries for busy families..

Secure

 

Data Minimisation

We only collect what we need and retain it for no longer than necessary.

Your Rights

 

In Control

Access, correct or object. We’ll help you every step of the way.

The Details

 

 

1. Purpose & Lawful Basis▾

We collect and process personal data from applications in order to:

  • manage and administer the admissions process; and
  • meet our legal obligations under education and safeguarding legislation.

Our lawful bases for processing are:

  • Legal obligation – to comply with statutory duties; and
  • Public task – to perform tasks carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority.
2. How Long We Keep Your Data▾

If your application is unsuccessful, we will retain your data only for as long as is required to meet statutory or regulatory requirements.

If your application is successful, your data will become part of your student record and will be retained and processed for the duration of your time at Cranford Community College, and thereafter in line with our data retention policy.

3. Your Rights▾

Under data protection law, you have the right to:

  • access the personal data we hold about you;
  • request correction of any inaccurate data;
  • request erasure of your data, where appropriate;
  • object to or restrict processing in certain circumstances; and
  • make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been misused.
4. Providing Your Data▾

You are under no statutory obligation to provide personal data during the admissions process. However, if you do not provide certain information, we may not be able to process your application properly or at all.

5. Contact Us▾

For any data protection queries, please contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) using the drop-down menu on the Contact Us page, or by writing to:

Data Protection Officer
Cranford Community College
High Street, Hounslow, TW5 9PD
 
© 2025 Cranford Community College • UK GDPR • ICO Registered
 

 

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