Admissions
in Church of England Schools

All Church of England schools in the Dioceses of Portsmouth and Winchester have Admission Policies that explain how admissions are managed. Most Church of England schools were set up to serve all of the community around the school without reference to the faith of the parents or child. They were and are schools for anyone in the community.

Voluntary Controlled Church of England Schools

If the Church of England school is Voluntary Controlled (a Church School controlled by the Local Authority), admissions are the responsibility of the Local Authority. Parents who are regular church members may wish to use their attendance at church to support their application. The school will then ask parents to provide a declaration of their Christian commitment usually through regular attendance at worship in a Church of England church. This evidence is often on a form where you declare your attendance and have that attendance validated by a priest or minister of the church you attend. The form is called a Supplementary Information Form. Please check with the individual school if they use Christian commitment in their admissions policy and how you can complete any necessary paperwork.

Voluntary Aided Church of England Schools

If the Church of England school is Voluntary Aided (a Church School aided by the Local Authority) admissions are the responsibility of the Governing Body of the school. Each Voluntary Aided school has its own individual Admissions Policy designed to meet the needs of the local community, including Christians, those of other faiths and those of no faith. Most Voluntary Aided schools use Christian commitment in their admissions criteria so that Christian parents can have their regular attendance at worship taken into account. The school will then ask parents to provide a declaration of their Christian commitment usually by regular attendance at worship in a Christian church. This evidence is often on a form where you declare your attendance and have that validated by a priest or minister of the church you attend. The form is called a Supplementary Information Form. Please check with the individual school if they use Christian commitment in their admissions policy and how you can complete any necessary paperwork.