Year 7 Admissions – September 2026
We are extremely proud of our whole school vision, which is ‘One Community, Striving for Personal Excellence’. This is at the heart of John Taylor and highlights the great importance of having a strong, inclusive, diverse community which works effectively together, so that everyone, is able to achieve their personal excellence. The whole school vision is underpinned by the four core values chosen by our school community.
We have an excellent reputation for both the academic results and the personal development and care of our young people. We offer a diversity of courses and opportunities that enable many students to move to the next stage of their education or the world of work as knowledgeable, skilled and confident individuals.
The governors, staff, and parents share a great ambition for the future of the school community. We are extremely proud of our provision at John Taylor High School and we hope the resources provided on this page provides you with an insight into what we have to offer and we look forward to welcoming you in September.
Open Evening takes place in October for the following year’s intake.
Click the below image to view The 2026 Welcome Booklet.
FAQs for Parents
The transition days will take place across the 29th , 30th June and 1st July 2026. Each student will attend on only one of these dates. These transition days will focus on our new students getting to know the school site, staff and some of our student leaders.
Students should arrive on their allocated transition day date by 8.55am in their current school uniform, school bag and a refillable water bottle. Students will be provided with a free lunch on the day but may wish to bring a morning break snack.
If you are arriving by car, please plan to park offsite as there is no parking/dropping off on school site. When entering the school on foot, you must use the pedestrian gate on Palmer Close or via the library car park. The main central gates will be busy with buses and not suitable for entrance on foot.
John Taylor High will be working with Primary feeder schools to gather existing progress data for each student to ensure this can be used to support class groupings. In addition to progress data, Primary feeder schools will also be providing us with details about the personalities and characteristics of your child so a holistic approach is taken to groupings.
Teaching group, Tutor group and House group will be shared with students when joining us on their allocated transition day.
Students joining JTHS sit the following tests during their first half term with use:
- CAT4 Tests
- Reading Test
- Progress Tests – English, Maths and Science
The outcomes of these tests will enable us to have accurate data to see what student skill levels are when they arrive with us. We can then track and monitor the progress of our students on an individual level across their time with us. Please be assured that all assessments will be delivered in a supportive way. There cannot be any revision – and nor would we expect students to undertake any.
The Parent Reception Evening is an opportunity for parents and carers of students joining our new Year 7 cohort to meet key staff and receive information on the school values, expectations and a final opportunity to address any remaining queries. This evening is specifically for parents/carers and students do not need to attend.
At John Taylor High School we use a cashless and biometric fingerprint system. Parents/carers can top up funds through an online account. Details on how to set this up will be sent to you in September. If consent is not given for the use of fingerprints, students will be provided with a code to use.
The current curriculum and journey of a JTHS students can be found on the school website:
With Year group specific overviews available here:
We understand that transition is a huge step for our new students that can trigger a number of emotions and challenges.
The Lower School has an established team to support with all aspects of pastoral care. Students and parents/carers work together to ensure the wellbeing of all students in collaboration with the following staff:
Form Tutor – TBC
Lower School Pastoral Support Assistant – Mrs Gilmore
Head of Year 7 – Mrs Roberts
Head of Lower School – Miss Crutchley
SENDCo – Mr Smith
Wellbeing Support Assistant – Mrs Roden
All transport to and from John Taylor High School via contracted or service buses is arranged through Staffordshire County Council School Admissions and Transport Service. Information regarding this service can be found at:
https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-transport/school-and-college-travel
Should your child catch a bus to school, and it is late, this will be communicated to the school and no sanction would be issued.
The school uniform and PE kit procedure is changing from September 2026 to be in line with new statutory guidance from the Department for Education.
You can find a link to the full Uniform and PE kit policy on the school website and guidance and can refer to the overview in the New Intake booklet emailed to you. There is a link to which will be included in the welcome pack students will receive during the summer term. Please ensure you have fully read the guidance before making any purchases. If you are unsure, please contact the school and we will be happy to help.
- Two black pens
- Two pencils
- A highlighter
- A protractor
- A compass
- A glue stick
- A ruler
- Calculator – Casio ClassWiz fx-85GT
- A reading book
- Refillable water bottle
- Although homework is recorded online, you may wish to buy your child a small planner or diary to support their organisation.
FAQs for Students
JTHS is a big site, but do not worry once you get here, we will give you a map and during your first 2 weeks we will have lots of student leaders and staff around to help you get to where you need to be! You would be surprised how quickly our new students get used to their timetable and the rooms they need to be in. Should it take you a little longer, don’t worry, other students and all staff will be there to help you find your way.
You have the choice to bring a packed lunch or use the Lower School canteen area. The canteen is open before school, at break and at lunch. As we have a big site, there is lots of space for students to spend their free time. Some students choose to sit with friends and catch up, others participate in a club, lots of students use the space to play a game of football. There are also quieter areas such as our LRC (Learning Resource Centre) which is very popular, to read, play chess, use computers or complete homework.
We understand that whilst you are excited about joining JTHS sometimes you may have questions or feel worried. Should this be the case, there are lots of people around who want to help. You will see your Form Tutor every morning for 30 minutes and they are your first port of call for help and support. Older students can also be a real help, remember they were once where you are now and they are all really friendly and happy to help. You can also find Mrs Gilmore (Pastoral Support Assistant) and Mrs Roberts (Head of Year 7) in the Lower School Office.
During your first 2 weeks at JTHS we want you to focus on settling in and becoming part of our school community, so no homework is set during this time. After this homework is set on Go4Schools which you and your parents/carers can view and you might also choose to bring a diary/planner to help you stay organised. After the first 2 weeks, you can expect 2-3 pieces per week from Maths, English and Science which should take around 20 minutes to complete. Eventually, you will be set a piece of homework per subject each week.
It is unlikely that you will be with all of your friends from Primary school in your new groups at JTHS, but this provides an excellent opportunity for you to make new friends with the other new students who are all in the same position as you. You will have plenty of time to catch up with Primary school friends and introduce them to your new friends at break and lunch.
Absolutely! For your first two weeks, there will be a team of student leaders to help you around the school and answer any questions you might have along with key staff including your form tutor, Mrs Roberts – Head of Year 7, Mrs Gilmore – Lower School Pastoral Assistant and Miss Crutchley – Head of Lower School. Our school community is one of kindness, this support will maintain well beyond the first two weeks and continue throughout your journey at JTHS.
JTHS has a wide variety of extracurricular clubs to cater for different interests. These include Sport, Chess, Reading, Films and lots of subject based groups to join. Our extracurricular clubs will be shared with you and parents/carers via email. You can view available clubs via a link in the email and parents/carers can book you on those you will enjoy taking part in.
The school day starts at 9am and finishes at 3.40pm. Throughout the day you will have 6 lesson periods which are broken up with a morning break (11.10 – 11.30am) and lunchtime (12.10 – 1pm initially but then 1.10pm-1.55pm) The biggest difference from Primary will be the number of different classrooms you will have your lessons in and the number of different teachers you will see. Every day starts with registration with your Tutor and tutor group and in your lessons, you will be in your core teaching group.
Everyone comes to John Taylor with different knowledge, skills and talents based on the different experiences that they have had at primary school and through life. Our job, as your school, is to give you the opportunity to show what you know and enable you to learn by building on what you have already learnt. We expect all members of our community to turn up ready to try their best and work hard. It is our teacher’s job to share their passion for their subject and help you to learn and develop your confidence in your own ability. So, all you can do is turn up, be confident in yourself and work hard with your teacher to be your absolute best.
We take great pride in our expectations of our students. By demonstrating our school values of Kindness, Integrity, Perseverance, Respect and following our motto of ‘Turn up, Work Hard Be Nice’, we believe that we can work as one community to strive towards our own personal excellence.
We believe that we all have a part to play in creating a kind and caring community, and our teachers will support you in understanding how we expect you to act and behave. Teachers will talk to you about your actions; noticing when you excel, as well as explaining where you could change your behaviour for you to be your best.
We expect you to work respectfully within our community. Detentions are a part of our behaviour policy but are only issued when you have been given an opportunity to meet our expectations. You should aim to meet our values in all that you do and then you can focus on getting merits and other forms of praise rather than getting detentions.
At John Taylor we look to recognise excellent effort rather that rewarding those who get the top grades. We expect everyone to ‘Turn up, Work Hard, Be Nice’ and recognise when you do this by giving out Values and House Merits which you can track on ClassCharts.
If you consistently meet our expectations, you may get a ‘Praise Postcard’ from your teacher or an email home. We also have form and year awards, celebration assemblies as well ‘Hot Chocolate with the Head’ for those who have gone over and beyond. We want to recognise your effort in living our school values through your actions, believing that this will enable you to strive to be your personal best.
We have clear values that we expect all members of our ‘one community’ to commit to. Learning to meet these expectations is learnt behaviour, which some students may need more support to achieve.
We believe that every member of our community has the right to feel safe and respected. All staff, teachers, lunchtime supervisors, support staff are committed to work with all students to create this environment. We want you to feel comfortable to talk to your teacher if you do not feel comfortable and certainly speak to your form tutor. We have a very experienced pastoral team in lower school office to support you and a clear behaviour policy to follow to ensure we are ‘one community’.
The school is split into four different Houses – Kingstone, Marchington, Sherwood and Needwood. In each year we have two forms from each of Kingstone, Marchington, Sherwood and Needwood. There are three different House Cups which you will all compete to win through the year. The ‘House Merit Cup’ is awarded to the House with the most merits through all year groups through the school year. The ‘Cross Country Cup’ is awarded to the House whose students have come in the highest positions in the cross country. The ‘Sports Day Cup’ is awarded to the House with the most points awarded at sports day in July. There is lots of opportunity for you to contribute towards your House winning.
There are many things that you can do to help you get into good habits: to ‘Turn up’ ready to learn and be your best.
You should use your timetable to bring just the books you need for each day. We do not have lockers, as you should be able to carry the equipment you need for your lessons. We would encourage you to have a copy of your timetable in a prominent place at home, and work with people at home to pack your bag the night before. Again, if you do forget something your teacher will work with you to help you to remember and be organised.
- Two black pens
- Two pencils
- A highlighter
- A protractor
- A compass
- A glue stick
- A ruler
- Calculator – Casio ClassWiz fx-85GT
- A reading book
- Refillable water bottle
- Although homework is recorded online, you may wish to buy your child a small planner or diary to support their organisation.
Ready to apply?
If you would like to apply to become a member of the JTHS community, you need to apply to the county in which you live.
Useful Documents
Click here to view our Admissions Guidance on our Policies and Procedures Webpage
There are so many opportunities outside the classroom to get involved in. There are a variety of clubs and trips which I have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in. (Year 11 pupil)
