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Admissions Made Simple

Welcome to Holy Trinity

We’re Excited to Meet You

Starting secondary school is an exciting milestone, but it can also feel a little overwhelming for both parents and children. From researching schools and completing applications to finding out which school your child will attend and buying a new uniform — there’s a lot to think about. But don’t worry, we’ve put together a simple step-by-step guide to help you through the admissions process.

(See below)

🗓️ Key Dates

The Admission Application Round takes place between 1 September and 31 October every year. If you miss this deadline, there is a possibility that you will not get your chosen school.

TaskDeadline
Open Evening24 September
Apply to West Sussex Admissions31 October
Submit Holy Trinity Forms (SIF + Ref)31 October
School Place Offers Sent1 March
Appeals Deadline31 March
Appeal HearingsJune
Late Offers (if any)April – August

New Year 7 Step-by-Step Admissions Guide:

✔️ Step 1: Apply Online to West Sussex

  • Go to West Sussex Admissions Application
  • List 3 school choices in order of preference
    • Put your top choice first
    • You cannot appeal for a school ranked lower than your offer
  • Check your catchment area: West Sussex Catchment Tool
    • Note: Holy Trinity does not have a catchment area, as we use our own Oversubscription Criteria to rank students. If you have named Holy Trinity as one of your preferences, please read our Admission Arrangements (see below).

🚨 Important: If you don’t submit this online application, your child won’t be offered a place.

✔️ Step 2: Extra Forms for Holy Trinity

If you choose Holy Trinity as one of your preferences:

  1. Read our Admissions Arrangements and Oversubscription Criteria documents here:
  2. Complete the Supplementary Information Form (SIF):
    • Electronic SIF (online)
    • If you submit an electronic SIF, and need a reference, you will be asked to provide their email in the form, so we can send them an electronic form to complete on your behalf.
    • Your chosen reference will be sent the electronic forms, if they have not received these this can be found at the following link. Click here for electronic forms
    • Paper SIF (print & fill)
    • If you submit a paper SIF and need a reference, you will need to print the relevant reference form (links below), get it completed, signed and returned to the school by the deadline.
  3. (For paper SIF) Choose and submit the correct reference form PDF Only.
  4. Submit all forms to Holy Trinity by 31 October.

🚫 Do NOT send baptism, communion, or catechism certificates. We only need the reference form.

✔️ Step 3: School Ranking & Offers

  • Holy Trinity ranks applications in December.
  • West Sussex sends offers on 1 March.
  • If not offered your top choice, your child is added to waiting lists for higher preferences.

✔️ Step 4: Late Offers (April – August)

  • West Sussex may offer places as other families withdraw.

✔️ Step 5: Registration Pack

  • After offers are made on 1 March, HTS will send a Welcome email which incudes a Registration Form and other important information about upcoming events for their child.
  • Make sure you can still access the email used for your application.

Appeal Information❗

If your child is not offered a place at Holy Trinity, please DO NOT contact the school directly.

What to do:

  1. Wait for your official offer letter from West Sussex County Council (sent on 1 March).
  2. The letter will tell you how to submit an appeal.
  3. You must complete the appeal on the West Sussex Appeal Application (online form) by 31 March.

Key Points:

  • Holy Trinity cannot handle appeals directly — all appeals are managed by West Sussex Admissions.
  • Appeals are heard by an independent appeals panel in June.
  • You cannot appeal for a school you ranked lower than the school you were offered.
  • The school holds Appeal Hearings in the first half of June each year.
  • To view the Admissions Appeals Timetable 2025 [Applies for appeals lodged between 1/3/2025 – 28/2/2026]
  • To view the Admissions Appeals Timetable 2026 [Applies for appeals lodged between 1/3/2026 – 28/2/2027]

Waiting List:

West Sussex manages this waiting list until September.

If you didn’t get a place, your child will automatically go onto the waiting list for Holy Trinity (if it was a higher preference).

Information for parents/carers of New Year 7 students joining us in September

A warm welcome to you if your child will be joining us at Holy Trinity this September. We are truly looking forward to getting to know you and your family in the months and years ahead.

Over the coming months, we hope to offer opportunities for you to hear more about life at Holy Trinity and to meet key members of our staff.

Behind the scenes, we will be working closely with your child’s Primary school to ensure we receive all the information needed to make their transition to Holy Trinity as smooth and positive as possible.

SEND Children

Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team will be working closely with staff in the Primary School to plan the additional support needed for some of the children who will be joining us. If you are a parent of a child with SEND, please be assured that we have a well-established process to ensure your child’s needs are carefully planned for ahead of their arrival in September. For some children, this may also involve extra visits to the school during the summer term.

Do parents and students get to visit the school?

Yes! We hold an information evening before Transition Day, as well as another one just before students begin their first day at HTS in September.

The SEN Team organises additional visits for students with special educational needs. If a parent feels their child would benefit from extra visits, these can be arranged by the Pastoral Team upon request.

Current Schedule

EventWhenWho Attends
Open EveningNext: 24th September 2025Parents & Students
Information Evening 1June/July (Before Transition Day) Parents & Students
Transition DayFirst Wednesday in July
Next: 1st July 2026		Students Only
Summer CampAugust (TBC)Students Only
Information Evening 2Before First Day of Term
Next: 3rd September 2025 		Parents & Students

If you have any urgent queries about school admission, please email: admissions@holytrinitycrawley.org.uk

To view the Acceptable Use Policy for Pupils – relating to their Information Technology use click here.

Applications for current Year 7 to 11

1. Complete an In-Year Admission form on the West Sussex Admissions Website. West Sussex In Year Application

2. Read our Admissions Arrangements and Oversubscription Criteria and complete a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) if applicable and submit to the school. (links above)

3. West Sussex will inform you if a space is available and either make an offer or advise you to place your child on the waiting list if no spaces are currently available. You will need to provide the school with your contact details, along with your child’s name and date of birth.

4. Parents can Appeal the refusal of a place by completing an Appeal form on the West Sussex Website. (links above)

5. The school will email you an electronic registration form to help us prepare for your child’s arrival. Your child will also attend an Induction day before their start date which will include CATS testing and Lucid Exact Testing, which will help our teachers place them in the appropriate classes.

Sixth Form Admissions

Please click this link to see our Sixth form admissions page.