School admissions criteria

Admissions Arrangements 2025/2026 Consultation

The School Admissions Code (2021) requires admission authorities to consult on their arrangements where changes are proposed.

 Tower Hamlets is consulting all interested parties including schools, parents and community groups on its school admissions arrangements for the 2025-26 school year.

 The aim is to improve the school admission process for Tower Hamlets schools, so that it is fair and that as many parents as possible gain a place for their child at one of their preferred schools. We would like your views on the following:

1. Local Authority Relevant Area for admissions purposes

2. Proposed Admissions Policies for Tower Hamlets Community Schools

• Nursery School/Class Oversubscription Criteria
• Primary Schools Oversubscription Criteria
• Secondary Schools Oversubscription Criteria

3. Proposed Schemes for Co-ordinated Admissions to:

• the Reception Year of Primary School;
• the Year 7 of Secondary School; and
• In-Year (admissions outside of the normal points of entry)

4. Proposed Planned Admission Numbers for Schools in Tower Hamlets

The significant proposed changes are to banding arrangements.

The consultation with relevant documentation is available at Let’s Talk Tower Hamlets and runs until 17 December 2023

Own admission authority schools – admissions policies 2024/25

 Academy and faith schools that are their own admission authority are responsible for determining admission arrangements annually and providing a copy of their formally agreed arrangements to the LA by no later than the 15th March each year. This information is collated by the LA’s school admissions team. Their admission arrangements are required to be displayed on the individual school websites. The following schools in Tower Hamlets determine their own admission policies and can be viewed by clicking on the links below:

Primary schools

• Bygrove
• Canary Wharf College
• Christchurch
• Culloden
• English Martyrs
• Old Ford
• Our Lady and St Joseph's
• Sir William Burrough
• St Agnes
• St Anne's & Guardian Angels
• St Edmund's 
• St Elizabeth's
• St John's 
• St Luke's
• St Mary and St Michael
• St Paul's 
• St Pauls Way Trust
• St Paul with St Luke
• St Peter's
• St Saviour's
• Solebay Academy
• Stebon
• Stepney Greencoat
• The Clara Grant
• Wood Wharf

Secondary schools

• Bishop Challoner Boys
• Bishop Challoner Girls
• London Enterprise Academy
• Mulberry School for Girls
• Mulberry Academy Shoreditch
• Mulberry Stepney Green Maths Computing and Science College
• Stepney All Saints CE School
• St Paul's Way Trust
• Wapping High School

Each school has a published admissions number, the maximum number of places that can be offered. Details on the number of places available can be found in the Starting School in Tower Hamlets brochure for primary schools and the Moving to a Secondary School in Tower Hamlets brochure for secondary schools.

Some schools receive more applications than there are places available. If one of your preferences is for a school that has more applications than places, the admissions criteria for the school will be applied and it is possible that your child may not be offered a place.

It is, therefore, important that you consider the admissions criteria and the likelihood of your child being offered a place before you name a school on your application form.

Please note that Tower Hamlets is not able to exceed the school's admission number because, to do so, would result in overcrowding and would have an adverse effect on the school's ability to provide quality education. Additional children would place too much strain on the school's resources.

Equality impact assessment 2015

The authority has completed an equality impact assessment. Please download the full equality impact assessment report.

For more information on the specific arrangements for admission to Tower Hamlets community primary schools, visit the equal chance page.