Droitwich Spa High School and Sixth Form Centre

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Year 9), 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 — ‘Looked after Children’ for whom the school is considered appropriate are given top priority. ‘A “looked after child” has the same meaning as in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989, and means any child who is (a) in the care of the local authority or (b) being provided with accommodation by them in the exercise of their social services functions (eg children with foster parents) at the time of making the application to the school. A “previously looked after child” is a child who immediately moved on from that status after becoming subject to an adoption, child arrangement order or special guardianship order and includes those children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state case as a result of being adopted.
2. 2Sibling at school and within catchment area — Children within the School’s catchment area who have a sibling already at the School. Siblings are defined as brothers or sisters who share at least one birth or legally adoptive parent; or who have birth or legally adoptive parents living at the same home address as partners. Siblings must be attending the school at the time of entry for the younger child. Former pupils do not count as siblings.
3. 3Children resident within the catchment area — Children who reside within the catchment area of the School. The catchment area is defined on the map which may be viewed at the school on request or from Pupil Admissions and Transfers at Worcestershire County Council or found at http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/schoolsearch. If the residency of your child is split between both parents, we consider the home address to be the address where the child lives for the majority of the school week (Monday to Friday). Parents may be required to provide details of the residency split. If the child spends equal amounts of time at both addresses, you must nominate which address you wish to use for the purpose of allocating a school place. If you fail to do so, we have the right to nominate the address that we consider appropriate, which will normally be the address being used for GP registration purposes. For children of UK service personnel and crown servants, Admission Authorities must use the address at which the child will live when applying their oversubscription criteria, as long as the parents provide some evidence of their intended address or where a parent requests that a Unit or quartering address is used instead.
4. 4Sibling at school outside catchment area — Children with a sibling at the school – as defined above – who live outside the catchment area.
5. 5Children attending feeder middle schools — Children attending one of our feeder middle schools, Witton or Westacre.
6. 6Nearest by shortest straight line distance — Children who live nearest to the school by the shortest straight line distance. The measurement will be taken using the GeoCode Points for each property and the GeoCode point for the School. The Academy Trust will utilise the Local Authority software package called Arcview GIS to determine distance. Ordnance Survey supplies the co-ordinates that are used to plot an address within this system. (In the event of equi-distance applicants, any place will be allocated by random selection (lottery). Someone totally independent of the Academy Trust will supervise this process).

If two applications tie: In the event of equi-distance applicants, any place will be allocated by random selection (lottery). Someone totally independent of the Academy Trust will supervise this process.

Children whose EHCP names DSHS in their plan will automatically be allocated a place (statutory duty, applied before oversubscription criteria). School admits at Year 9 (Year 8 to Year 9 transfer in September, from middle schools). CATCHMENT: Children who reside within the catchment area of the School. The catchment area is defined on the map which may be viewed at the school on request or from Pupil Admissions and Transfers at Worcestershire County Council or found at http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/schoolsearch. Transcribed from the school's own determined admission arrangements as published by Worcestershire County Council. Children with an EHCP naming the school are admitted first; that is a statutory duty, not an oversubscription criterion.

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.