Admissions
Year 7 Admissions
For September 2026 Sir John Lawes School will admit 196 students per year into Year 7. The Published Admissions Number (PAN) for Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 is 196.
All applicants must complete the Common Application Form of their home Local Authority. Hertfordshire residents should apply online to Hertfordshire County Council. Families resident in other authorities must complete the form provided by the authority in which they live. Applicants for Sir John Lawes School do not need to complete a Supplementary Information Form (SIF).
Secondary Transfer admissions and all Appeals are handled by Hertfordshire County Council. If you have any queries regarding Secondary Transfer or Appeals, please call County Admissions directly on 0300 123 4043 or go to their website: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk.
School Admission Appeals Timetable
September 2026 Entry
Appeals resulting from secondary transfer and under 11s applications for admission in September 2026 will be heard according to the following timetable:
| Application deadline | Allocation day | Appeals lodged by | Appeals to be heard between | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary (Year 7) Transfer | 31 October 2025 | 2 March 2026 | 4pm on 27 March 2026 | 29 April - 15 June 2026 (excluding half term and bank holidays) |
| Sixth Form (Year 12) | 6 February 2026 | GCSE Results day |
- Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date.
- Appellants will be sent notification of their appeal hearing at least 10 clear working days in advance of the hearing.
- Appellants will be sent a copy of the school's case 7 working days in advance of the hearing.
Additional Supporting Information
Any appellant wishing to submit supporting evidence after they have lodged their appeal will need to get that to the Appeals Team at least 7 working days before the hearing.
Please remember that any confidential medical/social evidence submitted to the Admission Authority (AA) in support of an application will not be provided to an appeal panel. Any appellant who wishes to rely on this in support of an appeal will need to submit it separately to the Appeals Team.
A short document (like a doctor’s letter which was not previously available) will be accepted up to 4 working days before the hearing. Any additional evidence received after this deadline will be accepted only at the panel’s discretion.
In-Year Admissions
In Year admissions are coordinated by the school. Any requests for an in-year transfer should be made to the school via the Admissions Office at Sir John Lawes School. Please email admissions@sjl.herts.sch.uk to request an application form. In-year places will be allocated to students in accordance with our admissions criteria and the Admissions code.
Admissions policies
Transfer Appeals and In Year Appeals
All parents now need to set up an appeals account in order to appeal. The online appeals portal is the same for all parents and is found here: School Admission Appeal | Hertfordshire County Council
In order to set up an account, the following codes are needed:
- Application Reference Number
- Child ID
Hertfordshire parents can access the codes they need in order to set up a Secondary transfer appeal account via their admissions account. They can see them on the page where they are told their allocation.
Parents who live out-of-county or who applied on paper will need to contact our Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043 in order to obtain their registration details to gain access. These will be sent via automated email.
