New Entrants 2025 Key Dates:

National Offer Day – Monday 3rd March 2025
Deadline for accepting / refusing offers – Friday 28th March 2025

Deadline for completion of Admissions portal (Applicaa) – TBC

Languages choice information goes live – Monday 17th March 2025

Year 6 New Entrants evening – Thursday 5th June at 7pm

Year 6 induction day – Thursday 10th July 2025 
First day of term – Monday 1st September 2025

ADMISSIONS

Families who have received an offer of a place by Medway Council will receive an email from the school inviting them to create an account on our admissions and enrolment portal called ‘Applicaa’. Parents will be required to accept or decline their offer via this portal and upload address evidence. The address evidence we require is as follows:

If you are a resident owner-occupier:

  • The most recent Council Tax bill in the name of the resident parent. These are issued in April, so we require the bill for the preceding financial period, covering the month of October (the application deadline), and
  • A utility bill covering the month of October and at least two preceding months.

If you are a resident tenant:

  • The most recent Council Tax bill in the name of the resident parent. These are issued in April, so we require the bill for the preceding financial period, covering the month of October (the application deadline) and
  • A tenancy agreement covering the month of October and at least two preceding months, and
  • A utility bill covering the month of October and at least two preceding months, and
  • A housing benefit entitlement letter (if the family is eligible)

Where families cannot produce these proof of address documents, we will refer the matter to Medway Council for investigation.

If a child’s stated home address at the time of enrolment is different from that used on the application form then further checks will be carried out and we will also refer this to Medway Council.

Parents who have accepted their offer and uploaded their evidence will receive a further link to complete the admissions and enrolment sections.

Families who do not upload these documents will not be able to progress to the admissions section on the portal.

Year 6 Information Video

Admissions Information Video

our prospectus 2024-25 View our SEN information

Current number of students on roll: Year 7 = 216, Year 8 = 215, Year 9 = 217, Year 10 = 216, Year 11 = 217, Year 12 = 231, Year 13 = 218

Oversubscription Criteria

If the number of preferences for the school exceeds the number of places available at the school, the LA will allocate places in the following priority order:

1. Looked after children (children in public care) and previously looked after children, and children previously in Care outside of England – Children who appear to Medway Council to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.

2. Children who will have a brother or sister (including children living as siblings in the same family unit) on the roll of the school at the time of the sibling’s admission.

3. Child’s health reasons, supported by medical evidence, which requires the child to attend this school.

4. Children who at the time of application have a parent who is a member of staff at the school (where the member of staff has been employed for three years or more at the time at which the application for admission is made and/or where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage).

5. Nearness of children’s homes.

Distance will be measured by the shortest available safe route between home and school as measured by the council’s geographical information system. Those living closer to the school will receive the higher priority. Medway Council’s Geographical Information System measures the start point, end point and distance of each route.

Parents who believe that they qualify under criterion 1 are advised to send evidence directly to the local authority Admissions team, who will decide if they qualify. The local authority will then inform all preferred schools of the outcome of the decision at the same time that rank lists are made available.

In the event of two or more pupils having equal ranking for the last place the deciding factor will be the shortest available safe distance between the home address and the school as measured by the Medway Council Geographical Information System and determined by Medway Local Authority. Where this cannot be determined, the available place(s) will be allocated by drawing lots.

Admissions Policy

september 2024 september 2025

DISTANCE AND PROOF OF ADDRESS

The distance a child lives from the school is a key determinant of the likelihood of gaining a place because distance is the most frequently applied of the five oversubscription criteria.

While some children gain admission via the sibling link or due to health reasons, the vast majority of our 203 places (commonly 217 after Appeals) in Year 7 are offered on the basis of distance.

The size of the Medway Test score is not a determining factor. It is just necessary to have passed.

As a general rule, the nearer a child lives to the school, the greater their chances of being offered a place (please see FAQ number 6 on the admissions page of our website).

As a consequence, both Medway Council and the school pay particular attention to the address used on a child’s school application.
The address used on a child’s school application is important and will be used to calculate the home to school distance. The address provided by families must be the child’s main place of residence. This means they must live at this address permanently or the address of the parent where the child spends most school nights at the time of the application deadline. Families can only use one address in their application.

SJWMS has a duty to ensure school places are offered correctly and fairly, and therefore have a duty to ensure all addresses used for the purpose of allocating school places are accurate.

If an incorrect address is provided to Medway Council and a place at this school is offered to a child based on this information, the school place will be withdrawn and will be offered to another child.

Families who have been offered a school place with us will be required to provide proof of the address given on the application form. We require the following documents:

  • The most recent Council Tax bill in the name of the resident parent. These are issued in April, so we require the bill for the preceding financial period, covering the month of October (the application deadline). This applies to a resident owner-occupier or a resident tenant.
  • For a resident tenant, a tenancy agreement covering the month of October and at least two preceding months.
  • A housing benefit entitlement letter, if the family is eligible.
  • A utility bill covering the month of October and at least two preceding months. This applies to a resident owner-occupier or a resident tenant.

Where families cannot produce these proof of address documents, we will refer the matter to Medway Council for investigation.

If a child’s stated home address at the time of enrolment is different from that used on the application form then further checks will be carried out and we will also refer this to Medway Council.

Those who think someone has provided incorrect information on their school application are asked to email admissions@medway.gov.uk to tell them. They will treat your email in confidence and keep your personal information private. They will not be able to tell you the outcome of any investigation.

FAQs

For admissions in September 2024, students sat the Medway Test in October and got their result in early November. Attendees at our Open Evening are making a decision about whether to list our school on their Secondary Common Application Form, which has to be submitted in late October.

We do not have a separate application form. Parents who wish a place for their son at our school should list it on the Secondary Common Application Form. Parents can apply online at www.medway.gov.uk/onlineadmissions

The SCAF invites parents to express preferences in priority order. Preferences can be expressed for Medway and non-Medway schools. Medway operates an Equal Preference scheme. This means that all preferences are considered equally and the order of preference is between parents and the LA. The LA will look to offer a place at the highest named preference for which the child is eligible. Putting the school as 1st Preference will not guarantee an offer of a place because that depends on the over-subscription criteria.

Offers are notified on National Offer Day in March.

No. Allocation of places at this school is overseen by Medway Council, and in the event of the number of pupils seeking admission exceeding the number of places available, our over-subscription criteria are applied. These are – children in care, those previously in care outside of England, sibling link, health reasons, staff parent and then distance. This school does not admit pupils based on the size of the score, they just need to have passed.

No defined catchment area exists, but the distance a child lives from the school is key determinant of the likelihood of gaining a place because distance is the most frequently applied of the six oversubscription criteria. The distance calculated is the shortest available safe route between the child’s home and school using roads and footpaths known to the mapping layer used by Student Services (Admissions) within the Geographical Information System.  The furthest distances a child lived who gained their place under the distance criterion over the years are as follows:

  • 2010 – 4.9 miles (7.89 km)
  • 2011 – 4.9 miles (7.89 km)
  • 2013 – 9.2 miles (14.81 km)
  • 2014 – 3.8 miles (6.12 km)
  • 2015 – 5.2 miles (8.37 km)
  • 2016 – 4.6 miles (7.40 km)
  • 2017 – 3.9 miles (6.28 km)
  • 2018 – 4.6 miles (7.40 km)
  • 2019 – 4.14 miles (6.66 km)
  • 2020 – 3.31 miles (5.33 km)
  • 2021 – 4.86 miles (7.82 km)
  • 2022 – 5.84 miles (9.40 km)
  • 2023 – 3.51 miles (5.65 km)
  • 2024 – 3.52 miles (5.66 km)

Parents who live in another area can register to sit the Medway Test (and should have done so by the time of Open Evening in October). They must submit an application form to their relevant authority but can name this school on that form. Their ‘home’ authority will liaise with Medway Council.

No. Medway will not accept the results of any other test. To gain admission to a Medway selective (grammar) school, children must have sat and passed the Medway Test.

This means that all preferences are considered equally and the order of preference is between parents and the LA. All children will be ranked against the oversubscription criteria for all schools listed by a parent on their preference form, and this ranking will not be affected by the preference position on the form. The LA will look to offer a place at the highest named preference for which the child is eligible. Parents should always list schools in their true preference order, as Medway will offer a place at the school highest on the form where a place can be offered. Even if a parent is unlikely to obtain a place for their child at their preferred school, this should not stop them from putting it as their first preference, as it will not affect their chances of getting into any other school on their list.

No. Medway Council will continue to oversee admissions and allocate places. We have no intention of changing our oversubscription criteria or the number of places available.

The Leigh Academies Trust relates to aspects of school leadership, management and resources, and our admissions arrangements will remain unchanged. Please direct questions regarding admissions to Mr Hodges (Principal) or Mr Morris (Deputy Principal). 

IN-YEAR ADMISSIONS

The method to apply for a place at this school during the academic year is the casual admission process.

Please complete the casual admission form (available here) and return it by email to office@sjwms.org.uk   Please refer to our admissions determination policy before completing this form.

All year groups at The Math are currently over our PAN (Planned Admission Number), so it is rare that a space is available when an in-year application is made. Subsequently, applications are usually rejected on the basis that the year group is full, even when a student meets the selective standard of the school.

For Years 7-11 – in year admissions can be made by completing the above application form. Please do not send the application form until you and your son are resident in the UK.

When the application is made and processed, the student will be invited to sit a test of academic ability. The test consists of four electronic CAT tests (cognitive ability tests) which require no prior revision, and consists of quantitative, verbal reasoning, non verbal reasoning and spatial. In order to meet the entry standard for Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School we would expect the tests to demonstrate and student’s performance equates to performance of students already at the school, this minimum level of attainment, therefore, is set to; 

  • ST score for all four disciplines tested is between 7 and 9.
  • NPR in all four disciplines tested is above 80. 

The ST and NPR scores are methods for the school to determine the level of achievement for the student in the test. They can each be defined as;

  • The Stanine (ST) places the student’s score on a scale of 1 (low) to 9 (high) and offers a broad overview of his performance. 
  • The National Percentile Rank (NPR) relates to the SAS and indicates the percentage of students obtaining any particular score. NPR of 50 is average. NPR of 5 means that the student’s score is within the lowest 5% of the national sample; NPR of 95 means that the student’s score is within the highest 5% of the national sample.

We have set the attainment level at 80, meaning a student’s score is within the highest 20% of the national sample. The Medway Test pass mark is set at 23% of the Year 6 cohort in Medway primary schools.  

Please note that if your son has already been deemed selective by Medway Council, the result is valid for 12 calendar months. If your son reaches the required academic standard and if a place is available in the year group, a place will be offered. Parents will be notified of the outcome of a casual admission no more than 15 days from receipt of the application form.

If an offer is not given (including Sixth Form places), due to the school being oversubscribed or your son/daughter not reaching the required academic standard, you will be able to appeal. To request an admission appeal please consult the Appeals pages of this website.

Please note that, as set out in the School Admission Appeal Code 2022, section 5, para 5.1, parents can only appeal once for a place in the same school in the same academic year.

This school is currently oversubscribed in all year groups.

The school does not hold a waiting list for in-year admissions.

APPEALS

Admissions appeals for this school are handled by Educationappeals.com. If you wish to appeal please use this link to complete your appeal online.

It is highly recommended that you download the explanatory booklet about appeals which you should read before you complete the appeal form. Booklet Link

Please note that the online form will ask you to download two utility bills dated in the last THREE months.  This can be done by taking photographs using a mobile phone and uploading the photographic files if you do not have a scanner.

Information about Year 6 to 7 secondary transfer appeals will be posted here before 28th February 2025.

If you wish to contact our admissions clerk please email clerk@educationappeals.com. Information about timescales and processes can be found below.

Timetable for ‘in-year’ appeals

Last Day for Lodging Appeals

20 School days after the decision letter informing you that you had not been offered a place.

Invitation letter giving details about your hearing will be sent by the Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel

At least 10 school days before the hearing.  This MAY be emailed.

All in-year appeals will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal form being lodged

Closing date for any additional supporting evidence

FIVE working days before your hearing. You are advised that additional paperwork received on the day of the appeal hearing will not be taken into account. Please email files to clerk@educationappeals.com

Please note that slightly different rules will apply for any summer transfer appeals into Year 7.

Letter from the Clerk informing you of the decision of the independent appeal panel

Due to the high number of appeals, an email is sent a few working days after your hearing with the decision of the panel.  This is followed up around 10 working days later with a letter outlining the panels’ reasons.

Timetable for Sixth Form Appeals

Last Day for Lodging Appeals

4pm on Thursday 29 August 2024 to guarantee that your appeal will be heard in early to mid-September. You MUST state the reasons for your appeal on the online form and supply any documentary evidence at this stage to include a copy of your result sheet.

Please note the timetable is very short to enable those appellants who win appeals to start as early into the school year as possible.

The form will only be available from results day.

Click here for the 6th form appeal form.  If this link does not work, it means you are too late to appeal.

Appeal Dates

The appeal will be during the month of September 2024.

Click here for general information from Medway Council about appeals.

Please email clerk@educationappeals.com with all queries regarding appeals

ADMISSIONS APPEALS STATEMENT 2024 Year 6 to 7 Appeal Process diagram
Appeals Advice for parents and guardians - gov.uk

11+ PREPARATION WITH ATOM LEARNING

Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School provides exceptional opportunities for individual development and our aim is to support pupils to achieve the best possible academic outcomes regardless of background.

Atom learning partnership

As part of our continuing provision for disadvantaged pupils we are working with Atom Learning, the leading online Key Stage 2 learning and 11+ preparation platform, to provide students who are eligible for Pupil Premium with free access to a range of fun and engaging materials to help them progress during Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 (specifically ages 7-11). 

The programme is designed to benefit all participants, whatever their current attainment level, but it may be helpful in familiarising children with the type of questions they may see on the 11+ papers by building exam technique and confidence. They’ll be able to access learning resources, practice papers and test materials through their Atom Home account.

If your child has been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, they will be given entirely free access to Atom Home. Your child’s primary school will be required to provide proof of eligibility for Pupil Premium as part of this process.

To register please click on the link below:

Free 11+ Preparation & Key Stage 2 Learning from Atom Learning

Once your Pupil Premium status has been verified by your primary school an account with Atom Home will be set up for you.

You do not need to be planning to apply to SJWMS to be eligible and the materials are equally available to both boys and girls.

While the resources do include some mock 11+ style tests, they are focussed on the acquisition of knowledge and skills which are applicable for all children.

Atom Learning Partnership and SJWMS logos