Admissions
Welcome to The Whitstable School!
We are thrilled that you are considering joining our school. Choosing to become a part of our community at The Whitstable School is a significant step, and we dedicate ourselves to ensuring this transition is as enriching and positive as possible.
Secondary Admissions Academic Year 2025-26
School offers are sent by KCC on Monday 3rd March 2025. You will need to accept or refuse the offer by Monday 17th March 2025. If you are unhappy with your offer click here for more guidance from KCC. To lodge an appeal for a Year 7 place, please go to our appeals page.
If your child has special educational needs and has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), talk to your SEND Caseworker about which school you’d like your child to attend, and they will explain the next steps.
If your child is joining The Whitstable School for year 7 in September 2025 and you live outside of Whitstable town, you are eligible for a 25% travel bursary for the bus or train. To be able to claim this bursary, the school will need a copy of an annual train or bus travel receipt - please send this to TWS_admin@swale.at. The school will then send you the bursary payment in 3 termly instalments.
The travel bursary scheme will run for 1 academic year and will be reviewed in July 2026 for a decision on the continuation of the scheme. Any existing children on roll or joining TWS in year are not eligible for this travel bursary.
Special Aptitude Place
Applications for Year 7 places for September 2025, DO require a supplementary form to be completed if you wish to apply for a special aptitude place. The school is dedicated to the Performing Arts as one of our special pathway approaches.
Special Aptitude Places
Each year we offer 10% of our spaces to children who demonstrate an aptitude for Music, Performing Arts or Art and Design. Distance to the school for this method of admission is irrelevant.
If you would like to apply for one of our Special Aptitude Places please refer to the document below for more information.
The Planned Admissions Number for the Year 7 Entry in September 2025 is 210.
If you would like to find out more about the school admissions criteria, please follow the link here.
In Year Admissions
At the Whitstable School we understand that circumstances may arise where families need to enroll their children mid-year and we are committed to making this process as seamless as possible and welcome new students throughout the academic year.
To request admission or transfer between schools during the school year, please complete the IYAF form and send your completed form to our school office at TWS_admin@swale.at
In-Year Admissions and Transfers
For pupils who wish to join the school after the start of the school year this would be called an in-year admission.
If you wish to apply for a place you would need to complete an In-Year Admission Form which can be found here and return it to the School. The School will respond within 5 school days with a decision.
There is no guarantee that The Whitstable School will be able to offer your child a place. If no place is available you will be given the opportunity to place your child on the waiting list which is ranked in order of the oversubscription criteria listed in our Admissions Policy. This does not prevent parents from exercising their right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place.