Primary School Admissions 2025 Information for parents / carers

How do I get an application?

From 6 September 2024 you can apply for your child’s school place online. This is a quick and easy process and will provide immediate notification of receipt of your application, please ensure you apply by the closing date. Alternatively you may complete a paper application (available to download from the website or by contacting the Admissions Team)

Returning your application

If you have applied online you will have received notification that we have received your application. However, if you have chosen to complete a paper application you must return it to The School Admissions Team, Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 2RL by the closing date of 15 January 2025 at 4.30pm.

From 6 September 2024 you can apply for your child’s school place online.

Advantages of applying online:

• Applying online is quicker, as well as safe and secure
• There are clear simple prompts to guide you through making your application
• You will get an email confirmation that we have received your application
• By making a note of your reference number you can change the details on your application up until our deadline date. PLEASE NOTE: Changes to your address in your e-services account DO NOT transfer to your application. It is your responsibility to notify the School Admissions Team of any change of address.
• Your application cannot get lost in the post
• Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week up until the deadline date of 15 January 2025 at 4.30pm
• If you apply for your school place online you will be notified on offer day which school your child has been offered via your email account. Please note that you must make a note of the email address that you use when applying as this will be the email address that will be used to send notification of your school offer.
• Please note, we are unable to provide the outcome of your child’s application over the telephone.

If you want to change anything on your form prior to the closing date you can do so by accessing your form by typing in the website address: www.southtyneside.gov.uk and click ‘online admissions’ as before, and making the changes.

You must then click ‘submit application’. You will get a message to say that your application has been re-submitted successfully.

If you have any questions about the online admissions process please contact: The School Admissions Team on telephone number 0191 424 7704

Alternatively you can complete your paper copy to apply for a school place.

You will not be able to apply online after the closing date of: Wednesday 15 January 2025 at 4.30pm

Before you complete an application, you must register for an e-services account. To do this, go to www.southtyneside.gov.uk and click ‘My account’ in the hand top right-hand corner of the screen and click ‘Register now’. Or you can go to South Tyneside Council: Register.

Once you have an account:

1. Type in www.southtyneside.gov.uk/schooladmissions
2. Click on ‘Apply for a primary school place’.
3. Click on 'Apply for a place' and follow the instructions for completing the form.
4. Please check that you have selected the correct school(s).
5. Press the ‘submit application’ button. If you do not press the ‘submit’ button then we will not receive your application and it will not be processed.

Returning your Application

If you have applied online you will have received notification that we have received your application. However, if you have chosen to complete a paper application you must return it to:

The School Admissions Team, Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 2RL by the closing date of Wednesday 15 January 2025 at 4.30pm.

Remember it is your responsibility to return your application form to:
The School Admissions Team, Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, NE33 2RL by the deadline of Wednesday 15th January 2025 at 4.30pm.

We recommend you complete your form online.

South Tyneside Council is responsible for all admissions to all Community and Voluntary Controlled schools. As a parent or carer you have the right to express a preference for the school you would like your child to attend. Parental preference will be followed as far as possible but this clearly depends on the number of places available. We will admit pupils up to the published admission number shown in this document. If a school is not oversubscribed all parents who apply will be normally given a place.

School Organisation

South Tyneside has a two-tier school system with children progressing from Primary and Junior Schools to Secondary Schools.

There are 45 Primary Schools.

Breakdown of the organisation of our schools

There are:

• 4 Infant Schools for children aged 3 to 7
• 4 Junior Schools for children aged 7 to 11
• 37 Primary Schools for children aged 3 to 11

Consisting of:

• 27 Community Schools
• 1 Voluntary Controlled (Church of England) School
• 1 Voluntary Aided (Church of England) School
• 16 Academy Schools

There are:

• 9 Secondary Schools

Consisting of:

• 3 Community Schools
• 1 Trust School
• 4 Academy Schools

Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools

Places are allocated at Voluntary Controlled Schools using the Council’s Admission Criteria published in this document. We consult with Governing Bodies each year about our Admission Criteria and arrangements.

Academy

An academy is a school that is directly funded by central government (the Department for Education) and is independent of local government control. An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind. They must meet the National Curriculum core subject requirements and are subject to inspection by Ofsted. Academies are self-governing and most are constituted as registered charities or operated by other educational charities. Most are secondary schools but some cater for children from nursery age upwards.

Trust School

A Trust School is a state-funded foundation school supported by a charity, referred to as a Trust. The Trust is made up of partners working together for the benefit of the school. The Governing Body decide their own admissions using their own admission policy, which may be different to Voluntary Controlled and Community Schools in South Tyneside.

Voluntary Aided Schools (VA)

Governing Bodies of Roman Catholic and Church of England Schools decide their own admissions using their own Policies and Admission Criteria, which will be different to Voluntary Controlled and Community schools in South Tyneside. Their respective Admission Policies can be found in this document or in the individual school prospectuses.

Other Admission Authorities

Additional information about Roman Catholic schools in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle can be obtained from:

Address:

Diocesan Education Service
St Vincent’s Diocesan Offices
St Cuthbert’s House
West Road
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE15 7PY

Telephone number:

0191 243 3313

Additional information about Church of England schools in the Diocese of Durham can be obtained from:

Address:

Durham Board of Education
Carter House
Pelaw Leazes Lane
Durham
DH1 1TB

Telephone number:

0191 374 6018

South Tyneside is committed to ensuring that there are enough free part-time education places for 3 and 4 year olds. Places are available in Nursery Schools, Infant and Primary Schools with a Nursery Unit attached, some Children’s Centres day-care settings and in several private, voluntary and independent day-care settings (PVIs).

The free early education entitlement is for 570 hours across the three terms following a child’s third birthday. In schools this is delivered as 15 hours per week for 38 weeks (three school terms). Usually this is delivered in 5 x 3 hour blocks, but in some settings this can be provided with greater flexibility to suit parents’ and children’s needs. In Children’s Centres day-care settings and in PVIs, the entitlement can also be delivered across school holiday periods, as long as the maximum number of hours is not exceeded in the three-term period. (An example would be 12 hours per week over 46 weeks).

A child’s entitlement begins in the term following their third birthday. This means that children with a birthday in the Autumn term (September to December) become entitled in the following January; children with a birthday in the Spring term (January to March) become entitled after the Easter holiday and children born in the Summer term (April to August) become entitled in the following September.

Whilst each child is guaranteed a free early education place, there may not be one available at your first-choice nursery. You should contact the head teacher or the manager of your preferred setting who will advise you of the application process and of availability of places.

If you need more help, the Families Information Service (FIS) is available to support you with your application, with advice on how and where to find a funded place for your child and where you can find a funded place alongside or close to wrap-around paid childcare if you need this. Please telephone 0800 783 4645.

South Tyneside Council is delivering integrated education and care at the following Children’s Centres:

• All Saint Children’s Centre / Stanhope Primary School
• Biddick Hall and Whiteleas Children’s Centre / Biddick Hall Infant School
• Boldon Children’s Centre / Boldon Nursery School
• Hebburn Children’s Centre / Sue Hedley Nursery School
• Horsley Hill Children’s Centre / Sea View Primary School
• Marine Park Children’s Centre / Marine Park Primary School
• Primrose Children’s Centre / Valley View Primary School

Community and Voluntary Controlled Nursery Schools and Classes

Where demand for places at a setting exceeds the number of places available, the following admission arrangements exist to decide on nursery school admissions, to ensure as far as possible all nursery settings are operating primarily to serve the needs of their local communities with a particular focus on providing support for children and families most in need.

Oversubscription Criteria

Nursery Schools, Nursery Units, even when attached to schools, Children’s Centres and Private, Voluntary and Independent day-care settings do not have catchment areas. Units and Children’s Centres attached to or co-located with schools must not use the school’s catchment area as a criterion for admission to nursery. Whilst it is acceptable for schools to take names of interested parents after their child’s second birthday, nursery places must not be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ or a waiting list basis.

1. ‘Looked after children’ meaning children accommodated by the Local Authority.
2. Children with diagnosed special educational needs.
3. Other children accessing professional support for example children who have English as a second language
4. Concurrent sibling link – brother or sister only attending the nursery (but not any co-located school) when the child will be admitted (this includes adoptive siblings, half siblings, step siblings, long-term fostered children residing at the same address)
5. Shortest distance from the centre of the parental home residence (including flats) to the main nursery entrance as measured as a straight line using the Local Authority Geographical System (GIS) with those living closer to the nursery receiving higher priority.

The distance measurement will be used as a tie-breaker within each criterion, where necessary. There is no right of appeal against an offer of a free early years place. However, you may contact the Families Information Service, based at South Shields Town Hall 0800 783 4645, if you believe your child has not received his or her entitlement.

For admission to Nursery Units attached to Voluntary Aided Schools or to Academies you should contact the head teacher direct for their admissions arrangements and Admissions Policy. However, the basic principles of the Local Authority criteria should still apply. In particular, it is not lawful for a faith school to use faith-based criteria (such as baptism or church attendance) for admission into an attached nursery unit, as all maintained nurseries must be non-denominational.

Parents should note that attendance at a nursery or co-located Children’s Centre does not guarantee admission to the school’s Reception class and that the proper admissions procedures must be followed (see The Procedure section). You must fill in the correct forms for admission into Reception.

A number of children aged 2 are also entitled to 570 hours per year free early education. The eligibility criteria for this offer are: children of parents in receipt of certain benefits, Looked After Children, children accommodated under Special Guardianship Orders, children who have been adopted and disabled children whose parents are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance. To find out if your child is entitled, please contact the Families Information Service 0800 783 4645. You will be required to provide the Parent / Carer’s name, date of birth and National insurance Number.

Places for 2 year olds are currently available in day-care settings attached to Children’s Centres, in some private, voluntary and independent day-care settings.

Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools

In determining admissions, priority will be given to those applications where the parental application is received by the published deadline date on Wednesday 15 January 2025 at 4.30pm.

All Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools in South Tyneside operate an equal preference system for processing parental preferences.

Where we receive more applications than places available at a particular school, the following admission criteria are used to decide on admissions to Infant, Junior and Primary Schools.

In accordance with the Education Act (1996), children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) are required to be admitted to the school named in the Statement or Plan. Thereafter, the following oversubscription criteria will apply.

Oversubscription Criteria

1. A ‘Looked After Child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangement, or special guardianship order (see note 1 below), including children (who appear to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted (see note 2 below).
2. Parental home residence within the defined catchment area of the school
3. Concurrent sibling link – brother or sister only attending the school in September 2025 (to include adoptive siblings, half siblings, step siblings, long-term fostered children residing at the same address)
4. Shortest distance measured as a straight line, from the Ordnance Survey coordinates for the parental home residence (including flats) to the school main entrance, using South Tyneside Council’s Geographic Information System (GIS), with those living closer to the school receiving higher priority.

N.B. The above distance measurement will also be used as a ‘tiebreaker’ within each criterion, if necessary.

Note 1: Looked After Child’ is a child who is (a) in the care of a LA, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a LA in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.

• An adoption order is an order made under Section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
• A ‘child arrangements order’ is an order made outlining arrangements as to the person with whom the child is to live under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989.
• ‘Special guardianship order’ is an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian or guardians (Section 14A of the Children Act 1989).

Note 2: A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.

How will the equal preference system work?

Stage 1

All first, second, and third preference applications are considered equally against the admission criteria. At this stage there is no distinction between first, second and third preference applications. For example, if the school has 120 places and there are 300 first, second and third preference applications all applications are considered equally against the admission criteria.

Stage 2

If a pupil qualifies for a place at more than one school the parents highest ranked preference will be offered and any lower ranking offers will be disregarded. For example, parent’s first and third preferences might both qualify for a place, in which case the parent would be offered their first preference, leaving the place at the third preference school available for another pupil.

Explanation of Oversubscription Criteria

A ‘Looked After Child’

We give a ‘Looked after Child’ priority in our oversubscription criteria. This means that when a place becomes available in the school year it can be offered to these children to ensure that they are quickly placed in an appropriate school. This is necessary as it is recognised that such children are a disadvantaged group who, because of frequent changes of school following their care placements, may have lower than average levels of attainment. It is also a statutory requirement that Admission Authorities give top priority to ‘Looked after Children’ in their oversubscription criteria.

Parental Home Residence

A pupil’s home address is considered to be a residential property that is the child’s only or main residence, and is either:

• owned by the child’s parent(s) or the person with parental responsibility for the child; or
• leased to or rented by the child’s parent(s) or the person with parental responsibility under a lease or written rental agreement of not less than six months duration.

Evidence of ownership or rental agreement may be required, plus proof of permanent residence at the property concerned.

Parental Responsibility

Who is a ‘parent’ in relation to education legislation?

Section 576 of the Education Act 1996 defines the term parent as:

• All natural parents married or not.
• Any person who has got ‘parental’ responsibility (we will require documentary evidence).
• Any person without being a natural parent or having ‘parental responsibility’ who has care of the pupil (we will require documentary evidence).

Shared Parental Responsibility

Where two adults have shared responsibility for a child, they should agree before submitting the application which schools to name as their preferred schools and the order of preferences. In cases of dispute, or when two applications are submitted, the LA will process the application received from the adult with whom the child is living the majority of the week. If parents fail to agree on preferred schools, and two applications are received for the same child from both parents, then the LA may decide to put a hold on both applications reducing the chances of that child gaining a place at a school.

Where parents have a 50/50 split responsibility for their child and child spends the same amount of time with parents at both addresses then it would be the responsibility of both parents to agree on who is making the application and what address is being used but also provide documentation to confirm this.

Catchment Areas

All community and voluntary controlled schools in South Tyneside have a defined geographical area called a catchment area. You can find out which particular school’s catchment area you live in by contacting the School Admissions Team on telephone number 0191 424 7704 or by email at school.admissions@southtyneside.gov.uk

Catchment area maps are also available on our website.

Sibling Link

If your child has a brother or sister residing at the same address (including adoptive siblings, half siblings, step siblings, and long term fostered children) attending your preferred school in September 2025, we will consider this as a sibling link. However, no guarantee is given that siblings can transfer to the same school where the school is oversubscribed.

Shortest Distance from Parental Home Address

Shortest distance measured as a straight line, from the Ordnance Survey coordinates for the parental home residence (including flats) to the school main entrance, using South Tyneside Council’s Geographic Information System (GIS), with those living closer to the school receiving higher priority.

‘Tiebreaker’ - Distance Measurement

The above distance measurement will be used as a tie breaker within each criterion, if necessary. Where two or more applicants meet the same admission criteria and the measured distance between home and school is the same to three decimal places, the tie break will be random allocation and will be by the drawing of lots to determine the rank order for each child. In order to ensure fairness the School Admissions Team will administer the random allocation system overseen by an independent adjudicator in accordance with the random allocation procedure.

In the situation that two or more applications measure the same distance to the school, random allocation will be used. The use of this is rare but the situations that random allocation would be required are:

• Same cohort siblings living at the same address. This does not include twins or multiple births who are an exception to Infant Class Size regulation but does include same cohort siblings applying for places in Year 3 and above.
• Unrelated applicants who live equidistant from the school.
• House of multiple occupation (where living accommodation is shared but not bedrooms. e.g. not a block of flats).
• Forces families applying with a Forces Post Office address and for admission purposes the unit address is used as there is no allocated housing order.

Each random allocation event is only valid for the allocation of the available school place. On any waiting list the remaining applicants will remain equally ranked and any further place offered will be the result of a further random allocation.

The random allocation will be overseen by a person who is not involved in the allocation process. The roles involved with the random allocation are:

• Independent Adjudicator (IA) – this is a person who ensures the process is carried out in a fair and transparent way. The IA must be independent of the school for which the allocation is to be made and must not be a member of the Admissions Team.
• Admissions Officer (AO) – this is an officer from the Admissions Team who is responsible for carrying out the administration of the random allocation procedure and recording the results, under the scrutiny of the IA.
• Person who makes the draw (P) – this must be a person independent of the school for which the allocation is to be made and must be a person who is not a member of the Admissions Team.

Deciding your Child’s School

The most important decision you will make in your child’s education will be to decide on the right school. Making the right choice for you and your child will involve a lot of research and planning. The most important thing you can do before deciding on a school for your child is to find as much information as possible about the school you are interested in. Please follow the advice below before completing your application for your child.

Visit the School

One of the best ways to assess the school is by visiting it in person. You should make an appointment with the Head Teacher. Consider the distance and accessibility of the school. When your child is older, will they be able to safely walk to the school?

A visit to a school does not mean your child will be offered of a place, nor does it give priority for places. Parents should not assume that an offer of a visit by a school constitutes any obligation on the part of the school or the Council.

Obtain the school prospectus

Each year, a school may publish a brochure called a prospectus. The prospectus can tell you more about a particular school than the Council document. You can obtain a copy from the school direct. It is an important document, so be sure to receive the prospectuses from all the schools you are interested in.

Check the Performance Tables

Every year the Department for Education (DfE) publishes performance tables for Primary and Secondary Schools Though they cannot give a complete picture of a school, performance tables provide a guide to how well a school is doing.

Research OFSTED Reports

It may also be helpful to read the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) reports, which are produced by the Government’s School Inspectors. A report is available for every school and copies of the reports are available from the schools direct or by visiting www.ofsted.gov.uk

Consider the Admission Policy

A School admission policy lays down the method by which a school will allocate its places. Admission Authorities have a legal responsibility to publish a clear admission policy and to implement it rigorously when considering applications. This is to ensure that the process is fair and transparent. You can find the admission policy for all Primary Schools in this document.

Before completing your application consider the admission policy for the school(s), at which you are applying for a place and estimate your realistic chance of being offered a place at a particular school. You can assess this by working out how high up in the oversubscription criteria your child will be.

If you have special reasons for wanting a place at a particular school will they be considered?

Your views are very important to us; however, we cannot always comply with your wishes. Where a school is oversubscribed, places are allocated according to the published oversubscription criteria, which does not take into account individual reasons (for example school links, medical and social reasons). In relation to medical conditions you can contact the school direct to discuss their policy and procedures in regards to your child’s needs.

Check the Published Admission Number (PAN) for a School

All schools have an admission number largely based on the size of the school buildings and their capacity to accommodate pupils. Once a published admission number has been set, the Authority must respect that number. Pupils should not normally be admitted above the published admission number unless exceptional circumstances apply. Each schools published admission number (PAN) is in the statistics section.

Look at the statistics from previous years

You can check which schools were oversubscribed in the last two years from the statistical information (see statistics section). This will tell you the number of applications which we received and the number of appeals that were heard. However, parents should note that these figures could change dramatically from year to year.

Completing your Application

Some parents assume that because their child is attending a particular nursery class that their child will automatically transfer into the Infant, or Primary School. We do not operate a feeder school system for any Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools and therefore you should be aware that your child will not automatically feed into a particular school you need to apply.

When completing your application, you need to consider very carefully at which schools you wish to apply for a place and assess accurately at which school you have the best chance of being offered a place for your child.

You can submit only one application form for consideration and can apply for up to 3 schools. We strongly recommend that you name more than one school.

If you have a preference for a Voluntary Aided School (VA) you must list it on your application form.

There is no need to put the same school down more than once. Putting down more than one preference does not affect how your application is dealt with.

If you would like your child to attend your catchment area school you must specify the school as a preference on your application form. Where your catchment area school is oversubscribed, those living in the catchment area and not identifying it as a preference will forfeit a place at the school.

You may state on the form your reasons why you have chosen your preferences. You may include preferences for schools in other neighbouring Authorities.

Applying for a Voluntary Aided School or Academy

If you wish to apply for a Voluntary Aided (VA) School or Academy in South Tyneside you should include it on your application. Everyone must complete the Council’s application as well as any other supplementary form which may be required as part of the school’s own application process.

You need to be aware that Voluntary Aided schools and Academies have different Admission Policies and Oversubscription Criteria to Community and Voluntary Controlled schools in South Tyneside which decide how they will offer places. Their respective Admission Policies can be found in the admissions policies section.

You will need to consider the Admission Policy for any VA school you express a preference for, in order to determine what criteria each individual school will use to consider your application.

Requests to VA schools and Academies will be forwarded to the individual school so the Governing Board can consider your application. They will let us know the outcome of your application to their school.

Contacts in Other Authorities

You can seek advice about admission to schools in neighbouring Authorities on the following telephone numbers:

Make Sure your Application is Received on Time

It is your responsibility to ensure your application is received by Wednesday 15 January 2025 at 4.30pm. We recommend that you apply online as it is quicker and easier. If you have decided to complete a paper application please ensure your application form reaches the School Admissions Team by the closing date, at

Address

The School Admissions Team,
Town Hall and Civic Offices,
Westoe Road,
South Shields,
NE33 2RL

You may want to return your application form by proof of posting or recorded delivery as, in the event of non-receipt proof of posting will be required. Allegations from ‘late’ applicants stating that their application form has been lost in the post or lost by the school or by the Council will not be considered without proof of receipt from you. Remember it is your responsibility to ensure that the application is received on time.

If you submit a late application you may not be offered a place at your preferred school.

Fraudulent Address Claims

Places are withdrawn every year because parents give a false or misleading address on their application form. This includes cases where parents take out a short term let or buy a property solely to use its address on the application form without any intention of taking up permanent residence there. In fairness to all parents, the Council will investigate all allegations of fraudulent practice brought to their attention and, where appropriate, may monitor the residency details you provide, particularly if use of a temporary or permanent address causes concern. Please note that any offers for a place which is then found to be fraudulent and where the place is not withdrawn the parents will lose any priority for applications for siblings.

Families applying from overseas

Families who currently live overseas can make an application but this will be based upon their current residence and they may be asked to provide additional information to confirm their return to the UK.

Change of Address after Closing Date (moving into a particular schools catchment area)

It is your responsibility to notify us immediately of any change of address after submitting your application form. We cannot reserve places for families expecting to move into a particular school’s catchment area. If you have not exchanged contracts or have not signed a tenancy agreement to support your new address we will be unable to use this address for the purpose of allocating places on 16 April 2025. If you can provide us with the above evidence by 25 February 2025, we will be able to use your new address for the purpose of allocating places on 16 April 2025.

However, please note that if you move into a particular schools catchment area after the submission of your application form and do not provide us with proof of your new address by 25 February 2025, your new address will not be taken into consideration when allocating places.

You should note if you move into a particular schools catchment area and do not notify us by 25 February 2025 your new address will not be considered before the ‘offer’ day of 16 April 2025.

Change of Address after Closing Date (moving out of a particular schools catchment area)

It is your responsibility to notify us immediately of any change of address or change in circumstance after submitting your application form that may affect how your application is considered. For example, if you move out of the catchment area for the school you applied to after the submission of your application form, this may affect the category in which your child was considered. If it is determined that your child would not have been eligible for a place at the school offered based on your new address, your child’s school place could be withdrawn.

If necessary, we will withdraw places for change of addresses that take place up to and including 16 April 2025. However we will still continue to investigate any change of addresses following this date up until 31 August 2025 and will withdraw places if a school place has been obtained at any stage using a temporary address, relatives address or if we feel a property has been purchased or leased solely to use its address to obtain a place at a particular school, without any intention of ever taking up permanent residence there.

Children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans

The admission arrangements for children with Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans are specifically excluded from the usual arrangements, including the appeal arrangements, under Section 424(3)b of the Education Act 1996. The appeal in the case of a child with a Statement or Plan is to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal, which is different from an admissions appeal panel.

If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan you will still need to complete an application to express your preference(s). Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan that names a school are required to be admitted to the school that is named. The Admission Authority (even when it is the Governing Board) does not have a right to refuse admission. Children with Statements or EHC naming schools count toward the published admission number. If your child has special needs but not a Statement or ECHP your application for a school place will be considered on the basis of the Admission Authorities published admission arrangements.

At what age is my child admitted?

By law a child must attend school at the beginning of the term following his / her fifth birthday or on the fifth birthday if that is the first day of term. If your child’s birthday falls between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 you should complete an application for admission to Reception Class.

What happens if I do not reside in South Tyneside?

If you do not reside in South Tyneside and would like your child to be admitted to one of our Infant / Primary schools you will need to contact your ‘Home’ Local Authority and complete their application form. However, if you are not offered the South Tyneside School you applied for, you need to know that we will not automatically offer you an alternative school in South Tyneside if no other preferences were expressed. It is up to your ‘Home’ Authority to ensure your child has a school place.

Where we receive more applications than places available at a particular Community and Voluntary Controlled Infant and Primary School the oversubscription criteria will be applied.

Infant Class – Size Limit

Infant classes of 5, 6 and 7 year olds may not contain more than 30 pupils with a single qualified teacher.

Parents should not assume that admission to a particular nursery or co-located children’s centre gives priority for subsequent admission to the reception class of that school.

Deferred Entry to Reception

Where admission authorities offer places in reception class to parents before their children are of compulsory school age admission authorities must allow parents to request that their child’s entry be deferred until later in the same school year. The effect is that the place is held for that child and is not available to be offered to another child. The parent would not be able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted.

Summer born children

Parents of summer born children (those born between 1 April 2021 to 31 August 2021) may request not to send their child to school until the September following their fifth birthday (which will be year 1) and may also request that they are admitted out of their normal age group, i.e. start reception class a year later (in September 2025). All requests for admission of children outside their normal age group must be discussed with the LA and relevant school Head Teacher prior to the application being made.

In reaching a decision, the local authority will consider the parents views, information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development, where relevant medical history and views of medical professionals and they will also consider whether the child may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if they were not born prematurely. The Local authority will also take into account the views of the head teacher of the school for which the request is being made.

Any parent who successfully requests that their summer born child starts reception class a year later than their normal age group i.e. into the reception class September 2025, must reapply for admission when the application forms are available in September 2025 and their application will be considered against the relevant schools admission policy along with all other applications received on time for this year group.

Any parent that successfully requests that their child is admitted the term after their fifth birthday (including admission into year 1); their application will be considered as part of the main admissions round using the schools admissions policy along with all other on time requests for this year group.

At what age does my child transfer?

Every parent whose child is in their last year of Infant education (year 2) whose date of birth is between 1 September 2017 to 31 August 2018 will need to complete an application for admission into a separate Junior or Primary School.

Do not return your application form to your child’s current Infant School.

What happens if I do not reside in South Tyneside?

If you do not reside in South Tyneside and would like your child to be admitted to one of our Junior / Primary schools you will need to contact your ‘Home’ Local Authority and complete one of their application forms, and return it to them by the deadline date of Wednesday 15 January 2025 at 4.30pm. However, if you are not offered the South Tyneside School you applied for, you need to know that we will not automatically offer you an alternative school in South Tyneside if no other preferences were expressed. It is up to your ‘Home’ Authority to ensure your child has a school place.

Co-ordinated Admission Scheme

South Tyneside operates a Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for Infant, Junior and Primary Schools with our neighbouring Authorities.

These Authorities are North Tyneside, Gateshead, and Sunderland. This means that we compare applications we receive against those submitted to the Authorities above to ensure we have received only one application for each child who is due to transfer to an Infant, Junior or Primary School. The procedure makes it simpler for parents to apply on one form for schools administered by different Admission Authorities. If any of your preferences are for a school other than a South Tyneside School, then we will contact the appropriate Admission Authority of that school to enable a decision to be made on your application.

All parents will be sent an offer of a school place on Wednesday 16 April 2025.

You may obtain a full copy of our Co-ordinated Admission Scheme by contacting the School Admissions Team on telephone number 0191 424 7704 or alternatively you can download a copy

Acknowledgement Letter

All parents who complete an application (either online or paper copy) will be sent an acknowledgement by the end of February 2025 to confirm that we have received and are processing your application. Parents who have applied online will receive an acknowledgement to their individual email accounts. Parents who have completed a paper application will be sent an acknowledgement letter through the post.

Proof of Address

If you have listed a school which is normally oversubscribed on your application form (please see statistics section) you will be asked to provide us with proof of address to confirm that you are living within the schools catchment area. Each year Admission Authorities have to withdraw offers of places because parents have given false information about their child’s true residence. If the address on your application form is not your child’s normal address, you must provide a child arrangements order, issued by a court, if you wish that address to be considered.

Change of School Preference(s)

Once you have submitted your application form you cannot change your preferences without a genuine reason i.e. you have moved address proof of ownership or tenancy of a South Tyneside property will be required. Your original application will be cancelled and a new application must be submitted which will be considered as ‘LATE’. You should be aware that this will reduce your chance of gaining a place at the school(s) you want. If you change preference(s) after the ‘offer’ date any place previously offered at a school in South Tyneside will be withdrawn and you will be notified in writing of the outcome.

Please contact the School Admissions Team on telephone number 0191 424 7704 to obtain a new application.

Late Applications

If you return your application after 4.30pm on Wednesday 15 January 2025 your application will be considered as 'LATE' unless exceptional circumstances exist. You should be aware that this will reduce your chance of gaining a place at the school you want. Parents returning their application after the deadline date must give a reason why their application is ‘LATE’. The Local Authority will consider your reasons and if they are exceptional will consider your application along with those received on time.

Applications received before 25 February 2025 for a good reason or in exceptional circumstances may be considered. Examples of what may be considered as a good reason or exceptional circumstances include a family who has just moved into the area (proof of ownership or tenancy of a South Tyneside property will be required in this case), other cases may be considered and each case will be decided on its own merits. Applications, which are not deemed to be exceptional, will not be processed until after 16 April 2025. However, parents will receive an offer of a school place on 16 April 2025 at their catchment area school if a vacancy exists or at the nearest appropriate school measured by shortest distance in a straight line.

All applications received by the closing date will be considered before any applications received after this closing date unless exceptional circumstances apply.

No Application Received

If you do not complete your application, on 16 April 2025 your child will be allocated a place at your catchment area school if a vacancy exists or at the nearest appropriate school with a vacancy as measured by the shortest distance in a straight line.

Parents should be aware this applies to South Tyneside residents only.

16 April 2025 - ‘Offer Day’

If you have applied for your place online you will be notified on offer day via your individual e-mail account. Please note this is the email address attached to your eservices account.

Parents who have not been allocated a place at any of their preferred schools, will be allocated a place at their catchment area school if a vacancy exists or at the nearest appropriate school with a vacancy as measured by the shortest distance in a straight line. If parents are dissatisfied with the response to their preferences they have the right to present their case to an Independent Appeals Panel (see Appeals section).

Acceptance slip – Deadline date 22 April 2025

If your child has been allocated a place at a school which is oversubscribed you must ensure you accept the place by completing and returning the acceptance slip by the deadline date 22 April 2025 to:

Address

The School Admissions Team,
Town Hall and Civic Offices,
Westoe Road,
South Shields,
NE33 2RL

We would always advise you accept an offer of a school place even if you want to appeal/go on the waiting list for other schools. Please note; having a school place does not impact an appeal outcome and / or place on a waiting list. If you still wish to decline your child’s school place you must put your request in writing by the deadline date 22 April 2025 to:

Address

The School Admissions Team,
Town Hall and Civic Offices,
Westoe Road,
South Shields,
NE33 2RL

Please be aware; if the school you decline is oversubscribed, the school place will then be offered to a child from the waiting list. There is no guarantee if you reapply at a later date a place will be available for your child.

Waiting list request – Deadline date 22 April 2025

If your child has not been allocated a place at any school that you ranked higher on your application than the school you were offered on 16 April 2025, you may request to place your child’s name on a waiting list by completing and returning the pro-forma by the deadline date 22 April 2025 to:

Address

The School Admissions Team,
Town Hall and Civic Offices,
Westoe Road,
South Shields,
NE33 2RL

Waiting Lists

The Council holds waiting lists for all Community schools and where requested for VA, Trust or Academy schools. If you have been refused any of your preferred school(s), you will have the opportunity to place your child’s name on a waiting list. You may wish to place your child’s name on a waiting list for more than one school. Waiting lists are established after 22 April 2025. Children are placed on the waiting list according to the oversubscription criteria regardless of when their application was received and within each criterion their place is ordered by shortest distance measured as a straight line, from the Ordnance Survey coordinates for the parental home residence (including flats) to the school main entrance. If pupil numbers fall below the published admission number the place will be offered to the child at the top of the waiting list. This means a child who is on the waiting list will move down the list if another late application is received that falls within a higher priority under the oversubscription criteria.

However, children who have been the subject of a direction by an Authority to admit or who have been referred for admission by the In Year Fair Access Placement Panel will receive priority above children in all other criterion. If appropriate we may decide to exceed the Published Admission Number to admit a child who is referred for admission through the In Year Fair Access Protocol. Waiting lists for all schools will be kept for the first term in the academic year; no lists will be kept for any school thereafter, either by the Council or by any individual school. If the school is a Voluntary Aided School you should contact the school direct to discuss their admission policy.

Withdrawing Offers of a School Place

It should be noted that an offer of a school place may be withdrawn if information supplied by you on your application is intentionally misleading or fraudulent (for example, a false claim to residence in a catchment area). We may also withdraw places if acceptance slips are not returned by the deadline of Tuesday 22 April 2025.

Cancelling your School Place

If you move out of South Tyneside or your child will be attending a Private School you should notify the School Admissions Team immediately in writing, as your child may be holding a place at an oversubscribed school. This will enable the admission authority to offer a place to the next child on the waiting list.

Reserved Places

Places in South Tyneside Community Schools will not be held back or reserved in the expectation of further applications from families moving into the area.

If parents are dissatisfied with the response to their preferences they have the right to present their case to the Independent Appeals Panel.

Before deciding to appeal you will probably want to think about the Admission Policy, your reasons for wanting your child to attend the school, your child’s view of what school he / she should attend and how strong a case you have.

You can express a preference for up to three schools in order of priority.

You may want to attend an appeal for more than one school. The outcome of one appeal does not prevent you from attending another.

Who is at the appeal?

• The Panel – who make the decision
• Clerk to Panel – who advises the Panel
• Council Officer – who presents the case
• Possibly, a staff member from the school
• You and your representative (please see below)

Who are the Panel?

The Appeal Panel will be made up of three (or possibly five) Panel members who have no connection with the people and schools involved in the appeal. At least one panel member will have experience in education and another will be a lay member (an independently appointed member of the public). The other members may be drawn from either of these categories. No member of the panel will have been involved in the decision against which you are appealing.

Date, time and place

Staff from Democratic Services will give you notice in writing no later than 10 school days of the date, time and place for your appeal hearing. This will usually be at the Town Hall, Westoe Road, South Shields, NE33 2RL.

Preparing for the appeal

You will receive a copy of the same papers that are sent to the Appeal Panel, a reasonable time before the date of the hearing.

If you have any additional documents such as a letter or medical report, which you want to bring to the attention of the Appeal Panel, please send a copy to the Democratic Support Officer, Town Hall, Westoe Road, NE33 2RL as soon as possible.

If new issues are raised for the first time at the hearing it may be necessary to adjourn the hearing to allow the other party to consider them. However, it may not be possible for the evidence to be considered at all.

Can I bring someone with me?

You can bring a friend, adviser, family member or representative (or interpreter) to either help you say what you want, or speak for you, or simply to give you support. The friend or adviser can be a locally elected politician or a Council employee such as an educational social worker provided that this will not lead to a conflict of interest.

A member of staff from the school in question or a member of the admission authority cannot attend.

Legal representation is not necessary.

It is not necessary for your child to attend.

If necessary, you may also call a witness to help you put your case. If you require the services of an interpreter or signer the Council can provide one.

What happens if I do not come to the appeal?

It is better if you can attend, as you are the best person to tell the Panel why you want your child to go to the school. If you cannot attend the Panel will give the same attention to your appeal by considering your written reason.

Attendance on the Day

Unless you tell us otherwise, we will assume that the date and time we have given you is convenient. If the date is not convenient, it may not be possible to change it but please ask as soon as possible. If you tell us that you will attend and fail to do so, the Panel may decide to hear the appeal in your absence.

The appeal is heard in private and all papers and discussions are treated as confidential. However, a representative of the Council on Tribunals is entitled to attend as an observer.

We try to make your appeal as informal as possible, but to make sure everyone has their say there is a simple order of speaking that we follow. A copy of that procedure will be sent to you with your papers.

Infant Class Appeals – Class Size Prejudice

Infant classes (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) may not contain more than 30 pupils, so there are special rules on appeals where this class size limit applies. It will be argued that to admit one more child will breach the class size limit and there are no measures the school could take to avoid this without prejudicing the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources. This means that the school would need to provide additional resources such as employing an additional teacher or introducing or increasing mixed age group teaching, to ensure that children are not taught in classes of more than 30 pupils.

The panel must dismiss the appeal where:

1. it finds that the admission arrangements did comply with admissions law and were correctly and impartially applied; or
2. it finds that the admission arrangements did not comply with admissions law or were not correctly and impartially applied but that, if they had complied and had been correctly and impartially applied, the child would not have been offered a place; and it finds that the decision to refuse admission was one which a reasonable admission authority could have made.

You will have the opportunity to ask questions and express your views. However, the Panel cannot take account of your personal reasons for preferring a particular school or the personal circumstances of the family.

Further Appeals

You cannot appeal again until the next academic year unless there has been a major change in the circumstances of the parent, child or school, since the original application e.g. you have changed address.

What can I do if I’m unhappy about the Panel’s Decision?

Nothing, there is no further appeal. There is no right of appeal to the Secretary of State for Education, but you are entitled to write to the Secretary of State about any aspect of your child’s education.

The Local Government Ombudsman can investigate written complaints about maladministration on the part of an admission appeals panel. This is not a right of appeal and has to relate to issues such as a failure to follow correct procedures or a failure to act independently, rather than just the person making the complaint thinks the decision is wrong. For further information please call the Advice Line 0300 061 0614 or visit the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

The Governing Body manages pupil admissions to Voluntary Aided, Trust and Academy schools and any appeals should be made directly to the Chairman of the Governors at the school address.

Community Primary School - Admission into Reception class and Year 3
(numbers as of 16 April 2023)

Community Primary School - Admission into Reception class and Year 3
(numbers as of 21 July 2023)

Education Appeals - Community Primary Schools - Admission into Reception class
(numbers as of 21 July 2023)

Voluntary Aided Schools – Admission into Reception Class and Year 3
(numbers as of 16 April 2023)

Primary Academy Schools - Admission into Reception Class and Year 3
(numbers as of 16 April 2023)

Voluntary Aided Schools - Admission into Reception Class and Year 3
(numbers as of 21 July 2023)

Academy School | Admission into Reception and Year 3
(numbers as of 21 July 2023)

Education Appeals | Academies - Admission into Reception Class
(numbers as of 21 July 2023)

Community Primary School - Admission into Reception class and Year 3
(numbers as of 16 April 2024)

Community Primary School - Admission into Reception class and Year 3
(numbers as of 22 July 2024)

Voluntary Aided Schools – Admission into Reception Class and Year 3
(numbers as of 16 April 2024)

Primary Academy Schools - Admission into Reception Class and Year 3
(numbers as of 16 April 2024)

Voluntary Aided Schools - Admission into Reception Class and Year 3
(numbers as of 22 July 2024)

Academy School - Admission into Reception and Year 3
(numbers as of 22 July 2024)

Education Appeals - Academies - Admission into Reception Class
(numbers as of 22 July 2024)

Admission policies for Voluntary Aided schools and Academies can be found on the following pages:

• Ashley Academy
• Cleadon Church of England Academy
• Holy Trinity Church of England Academy
• Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School
• St Aloysius Catholic Infant School
• St Aloysius Catholic Junior School
• St Bede's Catholic Primary (Jarrow)
• St Bede's Catholic Primary (South Shields)
• St Gregory's Catholic Primary
• St James' Catholic Primary
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary
• St Mary's Catholic Primary
• St Matthew's Catholic Primary
• St Oswald's Catholic Primary (South Shields)
• St Oswald's Church of England Primary (Hebburn)

In-Year Transfers

In-Year admissions are those that occur other than at the normal time of entry to school. You can submit only one application form for consideration, you may express up to three preferences, we strongly advise that you name more than one school. If any of your preferences are for a school other than a South Tyneside School, then you must contact the chosen local authority and complete their own in year transfer form. They will contact you in regards to the outcome of your application.

If there are places available the start date may not be immediate and would normally be at the beginning of a half term. If the year group is full, the admission authority will write to you and inform you of your right to appeal to the Independent Appeals Panel.

Before submitting your request to the Local Authority you must discuss the transfer with the Head teacher of your Child’s current school. If this is a school within South Tyneside Local Authority, you must get him / her to sign the application form.

We do not advise you to withdraw your child from one school before you have made satisfactory arrangements for admission to another and it is expected that your child will continue to attend his / her current school.

In the case of house moves or permanent exclusion, a move of schools may be unavoidable. At other times your application to change your child’s school will need careful consideration. It is vital that parents consider the effect on their child / children if they are considering changing schools.

Sometimes a change is considered because there has been a disagreement between the parents or child / children and school. There are very few differences that cannot be resolved if an issue is discussed openly and reasonably between the school and parent. Services for Young People can also be contacted to help parents resolve difficulties. Parents are encouraged to settle any differences with schools and only move their child / children to another school as a last resort. If you believe your child is being bullied you should contact your child’s school who will advise you of the procedure to follow.

Please note that before submitting a request to the Local Authority, you must discuss the transfer with the Headteacher of your child’s current school. If this is a school within South Tyneside Local Authority, you must get him / her to sign the form.

Bullying in schools

It is a statutory responsibility for all schools to have an Anti-Bullying Policy. This Policy will explain how they will respond to all reported incidents. If you are worried or concerned about bullying issues, or your child has reported bullying to you, it is important that you make contact with the Head Teacher of the school, who will ensure a member of staff follows up your enquiry, as outlined in their schools policy. Schools will endeavour to meet with you to discuss your concerns so that they can work with you and your child to resolve the issues. If the matter remains unresolved the next step would be to refer the matter through the schools complaints procedure, which would involve the Schools Governing Board.

Excluded pupils

Exclusion from school is viewed as a very serious step, for this reason only the Head Teacher has the power to exclude a pupil. There are two types of exclusion –

Fixed Term Exclusion – these are usually for a short period (up to 45 days in an academic year). Pupils can be excluded from school across a lunch period, for statistical purposes this is counted as a half day. The pupil returns after the exclusion period has expired. In the case of one to five days exclusion, pupils are excluded to home with work set by the school. Pupils must not be in a public place, during school hours, without justifiable cause during this period of exclusion and if caught, their parents may face a fine of up to £100. Pupils who have been excluded for more than five days are entitled to full time education from the sixth day; this is provided by the pupils’ home school using a range of alternative options. Schools should aim to provide full time education from day one of exclusion for a vulnerable pupil. The Head Teacher will inform you in writing of the period of the exclusion and the reason for the decision. If you are unhappy about the exclusion you have the right to put your case to the Governing Board Discipline Committee. If you wish to make representations to the Governing Board Discipline Committee you should write to the Chair of Governors c/o the school.

Permanent Exclusion – this means the child cannot return to the school unless re-instated.

In the case of permanent exclusion the above procedures will be followed but if the Discipline Committee uphold the Head Teacher’s decision to permanently exclude your child you have the right to appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel. If you decide to appeal it is important that you lodge your appeal within 15 school days from the date of the Discipline Committee decision. If your child is not re-instated by the Independent Appeal Panel your child’s name will be removed from the school roll. If your child is permanently excluded, the Local Authority has the duty to provide other suitable education. This may be a place in another school or in alternative provision.

For further information please contact the Children and Families Education Support Service on telephone number 0191 424 6763

Exceptions to the Duty to Offer a School Place

If there are more places available than applicants, the Admission Authority must accept all the applications except in the circumstances described below: -

1. Twice-Excluded Pupils
   Where a child has been permanently excluded from two or more schools parents can still express a preference for a school place, but the requirement to comply is removed for a period of two years from the date on which the latest exclusion took place. This does not apply to children with a statement of special educational needs; children who were below compulsory school age when excluded; children who were reinstated following a permanent exclusion; and children who would have been reinstated following a permanent exclusion had it been practicable to do so.
2. Pupils with Challenging Behaviour
   It is normally unacceptable for a school to refuse to admit a child on the basis of their behaviour elsewhere. It is also unacceptable for a school to refuse to admit a child thought to be potentially disruptive, or who has exhibited challenging behaviour, on the grounds that the child ought first to be assessed for Special Educational Needs. If a pupil, once admitted is found to be seriously disruptive then the school may consider disciplinary action, including exclusion procedures.
   
   Exceptionally outside the normal year of entry, and where an application is made outside arrangements covered by an In Year Fair Access Protocol, admission authorities may decide to refuse to admit a child with challenging behaviour even though there are places available, on the grounds that admission would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources. This will normally only be appropriate where a school has a particularly high concentration of pupils with challenging behaviour or previously excluded children and one or more of the following exceptional circumstances exists, namely that the school:
   1. requires special measures or has recently come out of them (within the last 2 years);
   2. has been identified by Ofsted as requiring significant improvement and therefore given ‘notice to improve’;
   3. is subject to a formal warning notice by the Council;
   4. is a Fresh Start school or Academy open for less than two years; or
   5. is a secondary school where fewer than 20 per cent of children are achieving 5 or more A* -C GCSEs including English and mathematics, or a primary school where fewer than 55 per cent of pupils achieve Level 4 or above at Key Stage 2 in both English and mathematics for four or more consecutive years.
3. In Year Fair Access Protocols
   In Year Fair Access Protocols exist to ensure that access to education is secured quickly for pupils who have no school place, and to ensure that all schools admit their fair share of pupils with challenging behaviour. All schools in South Tyneside participate in the protocol in order to ensure that unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. The protocol ensures that no school, including those with places available is asked to take an excessive or unreasonable number of pupils who have been excluded from other schools. Pupils placed by the Fair Access Panel are given priority for admission over others on a waiting list or awaiting an appeal.
4. Pupils with Special Educational Needs
   The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice recommends that when a child is identified as having special educational needs the school should intervene initially through School Action. If concerns about a pupil’s progress continue then an outside agency such as the Education Psychology Service may be involved at what is termed School Action Plus. For a few pupils, the Council may make additional resources available through the Inclusion Panel or through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or Statement of Special Educational Needs. Most pupils with special educational needs are educated within mainstream school, some are in specialist units attached to mainstream schools and others are in special schools. Detailed information relating to special schools and units in South Tyneside can be obtained from the individual school or on our website www.southtyneside.gov.uk

SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs Information Advice and Support Service)

SENDIASS is an independent service offering impartial support and information to parents whose child / children have, or may have, Special Educational Needs (SEN). The service offers parents and carers information and advice about the following:

• How special educational needs (SEN) are identified and assessed by schools and the Local Authority
• How progress is monitored and reviewed
• Who to talk to in school about your concerns
• The SEN Code of Practice, Education Health and Care Plan process.
• Parents / Carers rights and responsibilities
• Someone to attend meetings and reviews with about your child’s needs
• Help with filling in forms and expressing your views in writing
• What to do if you are not happy with a decision made about your child’s SEN
• Details of local and national organisations, which may be able to offer help and support in relation to your child’s SEN

To contact the service please telephone Gillian Harte on 0191 424 6345 or email Gillian.harte@southtyneside.gov.uk

Pupils with Disabilities

If your child has a disability he/she will be treated no less favourably than other applicants for admission. Schools are under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that pupils with disabilities are not placed at a substantial disadvantage.

Admissions Outside the Normal Age Group

Most children will be admitted to a school within their own age group but it is possible for you to request a place outside your child’s normal age group. This might be because you have an exceptionally gifted and talented child, or your child has missed part of a year maybe due to ill health. In addition South Tyneside operates a flexible admission system particularly in Infant and Nursery schools to help pupils with special educational needs to be placed in the most appropriate year group. This might be because your child was born prematurely or has some degree of special educational needs and would be better placed within the following year group. This option should be discussed with the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and Educational Psychologist. We will consider such requests on the basis of the circumstances of each individual child and in consultation with the appropriate colleagues and with the written recommendation of an Educational Psychologist. If your application for a place outside the normal age group is refused, you have a right to appeal against the decision but this does not apply if parents are offered a place other than the year group in which they applied for.

Elective Home Education

It is the duty of parents to secure an appropriate education for their child / children. This can be done either by regular attendance at a school or ‘otherwise’. For most children in South Tyneside this means that they will attend their local school, but for a wide variety of reasons a minority of parents decide to take on the ‘duty to educate’ their child at home. Parents are advised to carefully consider the decision to Home Educate, as it is a great responsibility and a considerable commitment of time and energy.

For further information on Elective Home Education please contact telephone number 0191 454 6254.

Education for Children and Young People with Medical Needs

Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 provides that each Local Authority ‘shall make arrangements for the provision of suitable education at school or otherwise than at school for those children of compulsory school age who, by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them,’ Local Authorities also have the power to provide suitable education otherwise than at school for young people over compulsory school age but under the age of 19.

Access to education: All pupils should continue to have access to as much education as their medical condition allows so that they are able to maintain the momentum of their education and to keep up with their studies.

• Education for pupils who are unable to attend school because of medical needs is provided in through the home education service. It is important that each of the component elements forms part of a strategic planning framework.
• Home teaching services, or discrete parts of services, which provide education in a unit or school type setting, must either be registered with the Department for Children Schools and Families as a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU). It is good practice for PRUs that provide for pupils with medical needs to cater exclusively for them.
• Children, Adults and Families Directorate should in partnership with parents and health professionals ensure that:
  • Pupils are not at home without access to education for more than 15 working days.
  • Pupils who have an illness/diagnosis which indicates prolonged or recurring periods of absence from school, have access to education, so far as possible from day one.
  • Pupils educated at home receive a minimum entitlement of 5 hours teaching per week. This is a minimum and should be increased where necessary to enable a pupil to keep up with their studies. This is particularly important when a pupil is approaching public examinations.
  • Whether the child or young person is able to access this will depend on medical advice.

For further information please contact telephone number 0191 454 6254.

Alternative Education Behaviour Support Service

A central team of specialist staff who provide education throughout South Tyneside for pupils who are not being educated within mainstream or special school for reasons of exclusion or in danger of exclusion, social and emotional difficulties, sick at home new to the borough who may be awaiting a specialist school placement. The Children Adults and Families Directorate is the provider of Education Otherwise than at School (EOTAS).

For further information please contact telephone number 0191 454 6254.

School Attendance

Improving school attendance is a major priority for the Council. Children who attend school regularly perform better and gain better qualifications than those who attend less regularly. By missing out on education children risk leaving school without qualifications and nothing to show for their time at school.

Parents have a moral and a legal duty to make sure that their children are properly educated. From time to time problems may arise that cause children to miss school; these include teenage rebellion, bullying at school, peer pressure, family problems or problems with studying.

Should problems arise help should be sought in the first instance from the school. In most cases the person to contact is the Head Teacher.

Services for Young People can help sort out problems and offer independent advice and support. Your child’s school will be able to put you in touch with the Services for Young People or you can contact them directly by telephoning 0191 424 6763.

Pupils from Overseas

Families who are not entitled to remain permanently in South Tyneside may be granted leave to enter for a stay of several months or for a short holiday. It may be reasonable for an application for a school place not to be granted if the stay is so short that it would not be practicable to admit the child to school. Each application for a school place will be considered on its merits in terms of the educational welfare of the child.

Accessing your Child’s School Records

As a Parent / Carer you have a right to see or have a copy of your child’s educational records. You should put your request in writing direct to the Head Teacher of your child’s school.

School Uniform

For further information on school uniforms you should obtain a copy of the individual school prospectus.

Complaints about Schools

If you are not happy with what is happening at your child’s school you should obtain a copy of the schools complaints procedure (available from the school direct) and follow the procedure in the documentation.

Black and Minority Ethnic Children (BME)

South Tyneside Local Authority supports children from BME communities, including Travellers, to achieve success in our schools. The Ethnic Minority Traveller Refugee Achievement Service (EMTRAS) helps children to overcome any barriers of language or racism preventing them from making progress.

Please be aware in making applications if you tick the refugee box, information may be shared with other agencies, this is to ensure your needs are met and you receive any support required.

For further information please contact the EMTRAS Manager on telephone number 0191 427 3490.

Fair Processing Notice

All Local Authorities are required to collect information on children and young people who are in need of services or who are “looked after” by the Local Authority. Some of this information is sent to the central government Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) each year in what are called Statutory Returns, and some information is shared by the people working with children and young people to provide them with better services. This notice, (called a “Fair Processing Notice”) is to inform you what the information will be used for.

Information may be shared on an individual basis with other agencies as required by law, and to help us to provide better services for you/your child. In these instances, personal information will be made available.

For a copy of the full Fair Processing Notice please go to the following webpage www.southtyneside.gov.uk or contact the Information Development Team on (0191) 424 7702.

School Transport

The Council as part of its commitment to enhancing the Borough is proactive in promoting sustainable modes of transport for school and everyday journeys. This includes ongoing projects to reducing traffic congestion, improving road safety and lower air quality concerns.

The Council also promotes environmentally friendly, sustainable home to school transport. All schools within South Tyneside have, or are working towards an accredited School Travel Plan and there is an ongoing Healthy Schools initiative ran by Public Health to promote physical activity amongst children. Both programmes are interlinked and complement each other.

Furthermore to help staff, parents and pupils to make informed choices about the range of available travel options a range of tools and information is below;

Online Journey Planning

In order to plan your journey either by foot, bicycle or public transport there is the Go Smarter Journey Planner. This allows you to determine where and when various travel options are available and it’s very easy to use. To access it, please visit: gosmartergoactive.co.uk/

Public Transport

Discounted tickets are often available for young people and journeys to school. Depending on where your school is located you can contact individual Operators for more information. Alternatively discounted fares for young People are available for young people across Tyne and Wear from Nexus, Information on these can be found on their website; www.nexus.org.uk/pop

Walking and Cycling

In order for you to plan journeys with South Tyneside and beyond, a cycle map is also available. This outlines all of the advisory cycle routes in the Borough and many of these connect to schools.

To download copies of the map please visit the Go Smarter Go Active website.

The maps are also available on paper and available across the region free of charge, or by contacting the Strategic Transport Team.

Any questions

For more information on these links, ongoing transport projects in the Borough, or to request a paper copy of the map please contact the Strategic Transport Team at South Tyneside Council using the following email address; strategictransport@southtyneside.gov.uk

Travel Arrangements for Pupils of Statutory School Age

Pupils Under 8 years of age

Where any pupil who attends their nearest suitable school and lives more than two miles statutory walking distance from the school, the Local Authority will meet the cost of travel to and from school.

Pupils aged between 8 and 11 years of age

Where a child of a low income family attends their nearest suitable school and lives more than two miles from that school the Local Authority will meet the cost of travel to and from school.

Pupils aged between 11 and 16

Where any pupil who attends their nearest suitable school and lives more than three miles statutory walking distance from the school, the Local Authority will meet the cost of travel to and from school. In addition to this, children of parents who are on low incomes will be able to benefit from Local Authority transport assistance if their child is attending the nearest suitable school more than two miles away. To qualify for this benefit children of low-income groups are defined in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 as “ those entitled to free school meals, or those whose families are in receipt of their maximum level of working tax credit.” The provision of free transport does not extend to schools more than six miles away.

Children from low-income groups aged 11-16 attending the nearest suitable school based on a preference of religion or belief can benefit from local authority transport to a school not more that 15 miles distant.

Applications for travel passes must be made on the application form which can be obtained from Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear NE33 2RL telephone number 0191 424 7755. Upon completion the application will be assessed against the distance and suitability of the route to school, the age of the child and any additional needs they may have and family circumstances.

Where pupils qualify for free travel the authority will issue Nexus travel passes. Passes are valid for one school year and a fresh application should be made in June for the start of the next school year. Should your family circumstances; the route or the child’s needs have changed during the course of the year your child may no longer be entitled to free transport.

Post 16

Young people attending school 6th forms or local college can obtain discounted travel passes from Nexus. For further information please contact your local Nexus Travel Shop.

Transport arrangements for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and / or disability

Where any child is attending their nearest suitable school and, as a result of their SEN and / or disability is unable to walk to school, then the Local Authority will make suitable travel arrangements. More information is available in the full SEN Transport Policy; this is available from the SEN Transport Unit.

Appeals

Should the Authority decide that your child is not entitled to free transport you may appeal against the decision. Appeals must be made to the Corporate Director, Children Adults and Families Directorate, South Tyneside Council, Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 2RL. Your appeal should state why you disagree with the decision, appeals will be considered within 21 days of receipt.

Definitions

Suitable School

For a school to be “suitable” it must have places available.

Statutory walking distance

“Statutory walking distance” is two miles for children aged under eight and three miles for children aged eight and over (Section 444(5) Education Act 1996).
The measurement of the “statutory walking distance” is not necessarily the shortest distance by road. It is measured by the shortest route along which a child, accompanied as necessary, may walk with reasonable safety. As such this may include footpaths, bridle ways and other pathways as well as recognised roads.

Routes between 3 and 6 or 15 miles

These will be measured along routes that can be used by motor vehicles.

Home

Is the normal place of residence of the child.

Religion or Belief

Section 44(a) of the Education Act 1996 defines “religion” as “any religion”, a broad definition inline with the freedom of religion guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It includes those religions widely recognised in this country and must have a clear structure and belief system.
Section 44(b) of the Education Act 1996 defines “belief” as “any religious or philosophical belief”. For a belief to be worthy of protection it must attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance; be worthy of respect in a democratic society; and not be incompatible with human dignity or the fundamental rights of the child.

Nursery Schools Age 3-5

Community Primary Schools

Voluntary Controlled School - Church of England

Academy Schools

Voluntary Aided Schools - Church of England

Community Secondary Schools

Trust school

Academy School

Special Schools and Special Units

Other Units for Secondary age pupils

Alternative Education Service

The service caters for pupils, who have been excluded from school or have been referred to the service for respite.

Some parents arrange holidays during term time and this often leads to problems such as:

• Your child’s education can suffer
• Lessons and extra-curricular activities are missed
• Continuity of work is lost
• Friendship groups can break down
• The form group is disrupted

Every school will have its own policy regarding this matter and you must check with the school what the policy is and seek permission to take your child out of school before booking any holiday in term time. If parents fail to do this, or if permission is not granted and the child is taken out of school each parent will be liable to receive a Penalty Notice for each child kept away from school

Dates of Terms and Holidays for 2024/2025

Dates of Terms and Holidays for 2025/2026

Definitions and Explanation of Terms used

Academy

An academy in the education system in England is a school that is directly funded by central government (the Department for Education) and is independent of local government control. An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind. They must meet the National Curriculum core subject requirements and are subject to inspection by Ofsted. Academies are self-governing and most are constituted as registered charities or operated by other educational charities. Most are secondary schools, but some cater for children from nursery age upwards.

Acceptance Form

Form used for Parents to accept a school place at an oversubscribed school.

Admission Criteria/Policy

The arrangements, which govern the procedures and decision making for the purpose of admitting pupils to schools.

Admission Authority

The Admission Authority is responsible for pupil places and setting the admissions criteria; The Local Authority is the Admission Authority for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools (except where the Authority delegates the responsibility to the Governing Board) for Voluntary Aided schools, the Admission Authority is the Governing Board.

Appeal

Any parent whose child is refused a school place(s) for which they applied has a statutory right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel.

Catchment Area

A defined geographical area linked to each school. When a year group is oversubscribed in Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools, pupils living within the school’s catchment area will be given priority.

Class Size Limit

No Infant Class being taught by a single teacher can contain more than 30 pupils.

Community Schools

Schools wholly funded by the Council. The Council employs the school staff, owns the school’s land and buildings and has the primary responsibility for deciding the arrangements for admitting pupils.

Comprehensive School

Secondary school designed to educate children from the whole ability range.

Consultation

The Council should carry out full public consultations whenever options are being considered for a new policy or if a new regulation is planned.

Department for Education (DfE)

Central Government Department with responsibility for education.

Diocesan Board

The Christian denominations divide the country into church districts called Dioceses. Each Diocese will have a committee or a board to administer its church schools.

Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership

A board established to review and promote the provision of early years education and childcare. The Partnership produces a plan for the development of services in the Authority.

Early Years Settings

Early Years Settings include Private Day Nurseries, Pre-school childminder places, Children’s Centres, Portage and Pre School Service, Playgroups, Local Authority Family Centres, Nursery Classes and Nursery Schools.

Efficient Education

Means providing a good standard of education.

Equal Preference

This means the Admission Authority considers all the preferences against the admission criteria without any reference to how the school applied for has been ranked. If you child can be offered a place at more than one school, we will refer to your original ranking and offer a place at the one you have ranked the highest.

Exclusion

When a pupil is removed from the school premises by the Head Teacher, either temporarily or permanently, on disciplinary grounds.

Federations

The term federation describes a group of two or more schools who have a formal agreement to share governance arrangements, and who work together to raise standards. There are a range of models for groups of schools wishing to federate.

Foundation Stage

The curriculum established for children aged 3 to 5+ years of age in nursery education and reception class.

Governing Board

A board of people appointed or elected to work with the Head Teacher to oversee the general conduct and curriculum of each Council maintained Community, Voluntary Controlled and Voluntary Aided School. It includes representatives of parents.

Governing Board Discipline Committee

Group of people from the Governing Board to consider pupil exclusions.

Independent Appeal Panel

An Independent panel established by the Council or in the case of VA or Academy schools, the governors to consider a parent’s appeal against the refusal for a school place or their child’s exclusion from school.

Indicated Admission Number

The calculated capacity of the school for a particular year group determined by dividing the school’s net capacity by the number of year groups. A school’s published admission number (PAN) should be equal to or greater than the indicated admission number. A school that wishes to set a PAN lower than the indicated admission number must go through a period of consultation.

Infant School

A school for children aged 4+ - 6+

Junior School

A school for children aged 7+ - 10+

Key Stages

The four stages of pupil’s progress in acquiring knowledge and skills as set out in the National Curriculum. Pupils are tested at the end of each stage.

Key Stage 1 - pupils are aged 5 – 7
Key Stage 2 - pupils are aged 8 – 11
Key Stage 3 - pupils are aged 12 – 14
Key Stage 4 - pupils are aged 15 – 16

Council / Local Authority

The Local Government board responsible for setting and financing education policy.

Local Government Ombudsman

The Local Government Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration by Local Council’s and other bodies. The Local Government Ombudsman investigates complaints about how the Council has done something, but cannot question what a Council has done because a person does not agree with it.

Nursery School

A school providing for children who have attained the age of two but are under compulsory school age. Nursery Schools provide education for children under the age of 5 but above the age of 2.

Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED)

The body that arranges and sets standards for school and Council inspections.

Online Application

A quick and easy way to apply for your school place by using a computer

Oversubscribed

Where there are more requests for admission to a year group in a school than there are places available.

Parent / Carer

A Parent / Carer means any person who holds parental responsibility, and with whom the child normally resides.

Preference

The legal right of parents to state the school they would prefer their child to attend.

Prejudice the provision of efficient education

A legal term used to describe when a school is oversubscribed; it means it would have an adverse effect on providing a good standard of education.

Prejudice the efficient use of resources

A legal term used to describe when a school is oversubscribed; it means it would have an adverse impact on the resources already allocated at a school and or at neighbouring schools in the Authority.

Primary School

A school for children aged 4+ to 10+

Pro forma

Form used for parents to request to place their child’s name on a waiting list of any school they ranked higher on their application than the school place they have been offered.

Prospectus

A document required to be published annually by schools to provide information to parents on the school.

Published Admission Number (PAN)

The number of pupils a school can admit to the relevant age group in any one year. The Admission Criteria will only be applied if we receive more applications than the PAN.

Qualifying Measures

Steps taken by an Infant or Primary School in the event of having more than 30 children in a class. These steps may be employing an additional teacher or introducing mixed aged teaching.

Services for Young People

Staff employed to help pupils and parents where there are problems, particularly regarding attendance. They are a valuable link between home and school.

Special Measures

Judgement by OFSTED inspectors that a school is failing and requires measures, which are determined mainly through an Action Plan used to secure improvement in the school.

Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan

Document drawn up by a Council, which describes a child’s educational needs and the provision that should be made to meet them. Incorporates advice from teachers, educational psychologists, doctors, parents, social workers and others.

Surplus Places

Excess amount of space.

Trust School

A Trust School is a state-funded foundation school supported by a charity, referred to as a Trust. The Trust is made up of partners working together for the benefit of the school. The Governing Board decide their own admissions using their own admission policy, which may be different to Voluntary Controlled and Community Schools in South Tyneside.

Year Group

Name given to describe a pupil’s stage of schooling.

Waiting List

A list of pupils who have been refused a school they ranked higher on their application than the school place they were offered. The list is kept by the Council in order of the Admission Criteria for oversubscribed schools until 31 December 2025.

Currency of Information

The information contained in this publication, which was prepared in July 2023, and relates to the academic year 2025 / 2026 which begins in September 2025. The information was accurate at the time of preparation but it must not be assumed that no changes will occur before the start of, or during the school year or in the subsequent years. Such changes could occur as a result of a variation in Government Policy or in Council Policy.