Admission arrangements

Do you want to send your child to a successful, forward-thinking, award winning academy which features state-of-the-art facilities? Thorp Academy is one of the Top 3 best performing schools in Gateshead as well as one of the Top 18% of performers in the North East of England.

Our results speak for themselves in so many different areas, across the academy as well as on an individual subject level.

Thorp Academy has a Progress 8 score which is above the national average.
Thorp leads sport in Gateshead supported by our own unique Elite Performer Programme.
“In 2018, 71% of Year 11 pupils achieved a grade 4 or higher in English and mathematics; this was above the national average” – Ofsted 2019
Thorp is a Lead School in the Network of Excellence for Computer Science and has two CAS & DfE registered Master Teachers of the subject.
25% of our Sixth Form students went off to study at elite Russell Group universities.

Admissions to Year 7

Thorp Academy is a member of the Northern Education Trust.

The academy currently follows the admission criteria of Gateshead Council’s admissions policy. Parents with children in Year 6 in Gateshead primary schools will be contacted during the autumn term with details of how to express their preference for a Secondary school. The admissions team can be contacted at Gateshead Council on 0191 4333000 and further details can be found here. If you would like to send your child to Thorp Academy and you live outside Gateshead you should contact the local authority where you live.

Admissions to other year groups will be conducted in line with the national code of practice for admissions as long as there is an available place in the year group. In the first instance you should contact the admissions team at Gateshead Council on 0191 4333000.

Copies of the determined admission arrangements for maintained schools and academies in Gateshead are available for inspection at the Local Authority Offices at Gateshead Council’s Civic Centre, School Admissions, Children’s Commissioning Service Learning and Children, Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead, NE8 1HH. The information is also published on the Council’s website here.

Admissions to 6th Form

For admission enquiries for the 6th Form please contact [email protected].

Applying for an in-year school transfer?

Parents with school age children who move to Gateshead or other parents who wish to change their child’s school can apply for a place using the interactive school transfer form (336Kb). You can save the form to your computer, type your details into Section A (and Section B if you have arrived from overseas) and then email the form to your child’s current school for them to complete Section C. You will need to contact your child’s current school for the email address for you to email the form to. Once the school have completed Section C they will email the form to our School Admission Team to be processed.

Alternatively you can complete the printable school transfer application form (147 Kb) or contact the Education Support Service on 0191 433 8589 for a paper application which can be posted to your home address. Once you have completed Section A you must return the hard copy form to your child’s current school for them to complete Section C before your form can be processed.

Parents must apply direct to Gateshead Local Authority and complete the application before a school transfer can be considered.

Should either the local authority, current or receiving school feel that a child’s needs could be best met by not moving school, an intervention meeting will be arranged to try and resolve any issues and ensure that the best advice is given before a move of school is made.

If you are moving house, Gateshead LA will require a copy of the exchange of contracts or the signing of a formal lease agreement, before a new address will be considered. Other documentary evidence may be required in order to support a claim to residence.

School transfer form and process

Gateshead’s school transfer form can only be used for schools in Gateshead
Section A, B and C of the form must be fully complete before your request can be processed
You can apply for up to three schools
Once you have completed Section A of the form, you must return the full form to your child’s current school for them to complete Section C. They will then forward the completed form to the council.
All persons with parental responsibility for a child must agree to the request before the transfer form is completed.
If one of your preferences is for a faith school, the school may contact you for further information in order to verify your child’s religion.
Your child may not be offered a place at one of your chosen schools, as this will depend on the availability of places at the schools your request.
If Gateshead Council cannot offer your child a place at one of your preferred schools, they will inform you of other schools with places available.
If you are new to the UK from overseas, you must complete Section B of the school transfer form in full and attach relevant documentary evidence.
You can request a school transfer up to a maximum of six weeks prior to the school place being required (excluding school holidays).
Once Gateshead Council receives the completed school transfer form, they will forward a copy to the receiving school(s), who have ten school days to respond the request.
Gateshead Council will notify you of the outcome of the request.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (also known as a Single Plan)

School transfer requests for children with an EHCP will be referred to the relevant Special Education Needs Team (SEN). The SEN team will work with parents to secure a place at a school where the specific needs of the child can be met.

If you are refused a place

If you are refused a place, Gateshead Council will let you know which other schools have places available and will notify you in writing of your right to appeal. Appeal forms are available from The Education Support Team on telephone number 0191 433 8589.

Completed forms must be returned to:

Legal, Democratic and Property Services
Democratic Services
Civic Centre
Regent Street
Gateshead
NE8 1HH

They will acknowledge your request. Your appeal will be heard within 30 school days following the date of receipt. Vacant places sometimes arise before the date of the appeal hearing. Where this happens, the school will allocate the vacant place to a pupil on the waiting list using the admission criteria set out within the schools admission policy. Appeal forms for Voluntary Aided schools are available direct from the school.

Where year groups in schools are full, the school will maintain a waiting list and any vacancies which may arise will be allocated using the schools waiting list. If you would like your child’s name places on the waiting list for a particular school, you must contact the school direct to request this. If a place becomes available which can be offered to your child, you must complete a School Transfer form (147 Kb) if you have not already done so.

Fair Access Protocol

Fair Access Protocols exist to ensure that access to education is secured for vulnerable children and young people who are without a school place and where a placement in a mainstream school or alternative provision is appropriate. The fair access process also ensures that all schools admit their fair share of vulnerable children and young people. Our approach reflects a commitment by all our schools/academies to work in partnership with each other and the local authority in the interests of securing the best outcomes for children and young people.

Should parents agree to a referral to the fair access process, although parents may state a preferred school, the panel may not allocate a place at the parent’s first choice of school as they have to take into account both the number and complexity of the student’s allocated to schools via this process. This does not however remove the right of a parent to request an independent school appeal for a place at their first preference school, however, participation in the fair access process will be taken into consideration by the appeal panel.

Copies of the protocols are available at Fair Access Process or from the Education Support Team, telephone number 0191 433 8591.