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Hertfordshire County Council

Home to school distances (for school place allocation purposes) are measured along a straight line between a child’s address and the relevant school or academy.

How we measure distances

We measure distances using a computerised mapping system to 2 decimal places. The measurement is taken from the AddressBase Premium address point of your child’s house to the address point of the school.

AddressBase Premium data is a nationally recognised method of identifying the location of schools and individual residences.

It doesn't take into account the actual or expected route a child will travel to school.

Academies and voluntary aided or foundation schools decide their own method of distance measurement. Most schools use our measurement system, but some schools use a different definition. Check the school's full admissions policy.

We use a different method of measurement, using roads and pathways, to decide who is entitled to home to school transport.

Priority areas we use for admissions purposes are not used in home to school transport decisions.

 

The definition of “nearest school”

Primary schools

The nearest school or academy, excluding those that allocate places on the basis of faith (membership or practice) before allocating on the basis of distance/location. This can include schools outside Hertfordshire.

Secondary schools

This definition is for secondary and upper schools using our rules or priority areas.

For co-educational schools (boys and girls), it is the nearest Hertfordshire maintained school, or academy, that is:

  • non-faith
  • co-educational and
  • non-partially selective.

"Non-partially selective" means the school doesn't offer any places based on academic ability.

School type

Schools

Faith schools

John F Kennedy, John Henry Newman, Loreto College, Nicholas Breakspear, St George’s, St Joan of Arc, St Mary’s Catholic, St Mary’s Church of England, St Michael’s, Townsend Church of England, Yavneh College

Partially selective schools

Dame Alice Owens, Parmiter's, Queens’, Rickmansworth and St Clement Danes.

Single sex schools

Bishop's Hatfield Girls, Bishop's Stortford High, Hertfordshire and Essex High, Hitchin Boys, Hitchin Girls, Presdales, Richard Hale, St Albans Girls, Verulam, Watford Grammar School for Boys, Watford Grammar School for Girls.

Check a school's admission rules for their definitions.

Read up on the types of school in Hertfordshire.

Tiebreak (distance)

A tiebreak is used if 2 applications have addresses that measure the same distance from a school.

For example, if 2 applications had identical home to school distance measurements, a random tiebreak would be used to decide which applicant is offered a place.

Every applicant is given a unique random number for each of their school preferences. When a random tiebreak is needed, this random number is used to allocate the place – the lowest number is given priority.

If 2 applications were received from the same block of flats, the applicant with the lower door number would be classed as nearest and offered a place because they are likely to be closer to the ground floor and, therefore, the school.

This tiebreak method is used for all schools that we manage admissions for.

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Like many other websites, we place small information files called 'cookies' on your computer.

Why do we use cookies?

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To find out how you use the site to help us update and improve it.

How do I change my cookie settings?

You can change the settings of your web browser so that it won’t accept cookies. For more information visit AboutCookies.org.

But, doing this may stop you from using some of the online features and services on this website. 

Cookies we use

Cookies do a lot of different jobs, and we use 2 types of cookies:

Required functionality cookies – these cookies are essential for the website to work.

Performance and feature cookies – these cookies help to improve the performance and feel of this website, for example providing you with personalised services.


Take a look at a list of cookies we use on our website:

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Just for the time you are on our website.

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Required functionality

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Just for the time you are on our website.

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Required functionality

To track the effectiveness of our website using Google Analytics. 

2 years

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Performance and feature

To save the pages that you visit by clicking the heart at the top of the page. 

1 month

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Performance and feature

This stores your postcode (or partial postcode) when we ask you for your location.

Just for the time you are on our website or 30 days (you choose this).

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Performance and feature

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Just for the time you are on our website or 30 days (you choose this).

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Third party cookies

There are links and content from other sites and services on our website. These sites and services set their own cookies.

Below are a list of cookies that the other sites and services use:

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These are used to compile reports for us on how people use this site.

Cookies of the same names are also used for the same purpose by other websites such as Building FuturesCountryside Management Service and Hertfordshire LIS.

Visit the Google Analytics website for more information about the cookies they use.

You can prevent data from being collected and used by Google Analytics by installing Google's Opt-out Browser Add-on.

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It expires at the end of your browser session.

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