St Albans Girls' School

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Year 7), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1. 1Looked after and previously looked after children — Girls looked after and Girls who were previously looked after, including those who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order.
2. 2Medical or Social need — Girls for whom it can be demonstrated that they have a particular medical or social need to go to the school. A panel of Hertfordshire County Council officers will determine whether the evidence provided is sufficiently compelling to meet the requirements for this rule. The evidence must relate specifically to the school applied for under Rule 2 and must clearly demonstrate why it is the only school that can meet the child’s needs.
3. 3Siblings living in the priority area — Girls who have a sibling at the school, living in the priority area at the time of application (unless the sibling is in the last year of the normal age-range of the school).
4. 4Children of Staff — Children of members of staff who have been employed at the school on a permanent contract, for two or more years at the time at which the application is made, whether full time or part time, teaching or education support staff. Children of a member of staff recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
5. 5Priority primary school attendance — Girls who, at the closing date of application, attend the following priority primary school: Beech Hyde primary school and nursery.
6. 6Priority area – nearest school — Girls who live in the priority area for whom STAGS is the nearest Hertfordshire maintained non-faith, non-partially selective school or academy that makes provision for girls. If more girls qualify under Rule 6 than there are places available, places will be allocated to those who live closest to the school.
7. 7Priority area – not nearest school — Girls who live in the priority area for whom STAGS is not the nearest Hertfordshire maintained non-faith, non-partially selective school or academy that makes provision for girls. If more girls qualify under Rule 7 than there are places available, places will be allocated to those who live closest to the school.
8. 8Siblings living outside the priority area — Girls who live outside the priority area and who have a sibling at the school at the time of application, excluding sisters who a) first entered the school in the Sixth Form (Year 12) or b) are in Year 13 which is the last year of the normal age range of the school.
9. 9Random allocation — Places will be allocated on a random basis. Random allocations are undertaken independently of the school by Hertfordshire County Council. Every child’s preference is allocated an individual random number between 1 and 1 million when their name has been entered onto the county council’s admissions database. If a preference is expressed for St Albans Girls’ School, this number will be used in the random allocation process, with the lowest number being given priority.

If two applications tie: These rules are applied in the order they are printed above. If more Girls qualify under Rules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 than there are places available, a tie-break will be used by applying the next rule to those Girls. Where there is a need for a tie-breaker where two different addresses measure the same distance from a school, in the case of a block of flats for example the lower door number will be deemed nearest as logically this will be on the ground floor and therefore closer. If there are two identical addresses of separate applicants, the tie break will be random. Every child entered onto the HCC admissions database has an individual random number assigned, between 1 and 1 million, against each preference school. When there is a need for a final tie break the random number is used to allocate the place, with the lowest number given priority.

Priority area is allocated by parish percentages (Rule 6/7 apply within this framework). Sixth Form admissions (Appendix 3) have a separate PAN of 100 and separate oversubscription criteria, not included here as this entry covers Year 7 entry.

Published by the admission authority. Meeting a criterion never guarantees a place — it sets the order places are offered in. Full detail, other entry points and previous years are on the Admissions tab.