Our Year 7 admissions policy uses a Nodal Admissions Point. Its location is marked by the star on the interactive map below, in Somerset Gardens, near the border of Fulwell and Teddington wards. This location is within the area on the Middlesex side of Richmond Borough that Turing House was established to serve. It was chosen because it is the furthest point (2237m to be precise) from other local co-ed non-faith secondary schools. It therefore prioritises families who have least priority for other co-ed schools, and also helps to distribute our impact on other schools' admissions.
Our full Year 7 admissions policy can be found on our Admissions Policy & Data page. Most places are allocated in distance order, from either the nodal admissions point or the school entrance, at a ratio of 80%:20% respectively.
The size and shape of our catchment around these points varies annually, depending on patterns of applications and preferences. It is influenced by local geography (the location of parks, rivers and roads), and the relative popularity of other local schools. To help families understand their chances of admission we publish allocation maps for previous years on our Admissions Policy & Data page.
Turing House governors are committed to striking an appropriate balance between serving demand near the school and the broader area of need that the school was established to serve. Every year, in the Autumn term, we review our admissions policy against the latest admissions patterns, to ensure the balance remains fair and reasonable.
How was the Nodal Admissions Point chosen?
The Nodal Admissions Point was identified with Microsoft Excel Solver, using Linear Programming, an optimisation technique developed by a Russian contemporary of Alan Turing.
To put it simply, the algorithm tried many different British National Grid points within the polygon formed by the area's other co-ed secondaries, until it found the point that was furthest from all of them. We could have done the same thing by hand, with a map and a ruler, but it would have taken a very long time and would have been a lot less reliable!
Why not use the Nodal Admissions Point for external admissions to the Sixth Form too?
Our Nodal Admissions Point caters for local need in an area at risk of reduced access to co-ed Year 7 places. External applicants to Year 12 have a different range of choices, so the same rationale does not apply. Both admissions policies are reviewed annually by our Local Governing Body to ensure that they remain fair and reasonable.