St Bonaventure’s School was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for boys of Catholic families.  The school is conducted by its governing board as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its trust deed and instrument of government, and seeks at all times to be a witness to Jesus Christ.

Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will always be given to Catholic applicants in accordance with the oversubscription criteria stated.  

The Governing board of St Bonaventure’s School intends to admit 186 boys into Year 7 in the school year which begins in September 2023.  

Applications for places at St Bonaventure’s for Year 7 starting September 2022 were: 400

St Bonaventure’s School is voluntary aided which means we are our own admission authority.

Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will always be given to Catholic applicants in accordance with the oversubscription criteria stated below;

Criteria 1

Adopted, “Looked After‟ (LAC) , previously “Looked After‟ and Internationally Adopted Previously Looked After Children from overseas state care (IAPLAC) from Catholic Families.

Criteria 2

Practising Catholic children, as determined by a Catholic Priest using the Certificate of Catholic Practice and who are resident in the Deanery of Newham.

Criteria 3

Practising Catholic children, as determined by a Catholic Priest using the Certificate of Catholic Practice and who are resident outside of the boundary of the Deanery of Newham.

Criteria 4

Baptised Catholic children as determined by a Catholic certificate of baptism.

Criteria 5

Adopted, “Looked After‟ (LAC), previously “Looked After‟ and Internationally Adopted Previously Looked After Children from overseas state care (IAPLAC) who are not Catholic.

Criteria 6

Members of an Eastern Christian Church, whose application is supported by an appropriate Minister of Religion using the Reference Form for Non-Catholic Faith leaders.

Criteria 7

Members of other Christian denominations that are members of “Churches Together in England”, whose application is supported by an appropriate Minister of religion using the Reference Form for Non-Catholic Faith leaders.

Criteria 8

Children of other Faith traditions, whose application is supported by an appropriate religious leader using the Reference Form for Non-Catholic Faith leaders.

Criteria 9

All other applicants.

For full Determined Admission Arrangements – Click here – 2023-2024

Determined Admission Arrangements – Click here for 2024-2025

Before you complete an application for a place at St Bonaventure’s it is important that you do the following;
  • Carefully read the “Starting Secondary School” booklet produced by the London Borough of Newham.
  • Carefully read the Determined Admission Arrangements for St Bonaventure’s these are published in the Admissions Section of the website.
  • Ensure that you have all of the necessary forms and information.
  • Carefully review all virtual open evening material.
  • Seek advice from school staff by phone or email if you require help to complete the documents.
  • Make sure that you have all necessary forms. To ensure that your child is allocated to the most appropriate criterion you will need to complete the Common Application Form (CAF), Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and provide a Certificate of Practice OR the appropriate Faith Leader Reference Form.

It is important that all forms are sent to the correct place by the correct date, so please read all instructions carefully.

If in doubt, ask the school for clarification.

The full Determined Admission Arrangements are published on the website within the Admissions, Admissions Step by Step Guide pages.

You can object to these arrangements or the arrangements of any school by referring to the Office of Schools Adjudicator. Objections to admission arrangements for entry in September 2024 must be referred to the Adjudicator by 15 May 2023. Any decision of the Adjudicator must be acted on by the admission authority and admission arrangements amended accordingly.