Primary School Admissions 2025 Information for parents / carers

Introduction

The Trust Board of WISE Academies will be the Admission Authority for this academy. This means that a committee with delegated powers considers applications sent to them by the Local Authority, according to the criteria as stated below. This policy has been agreed following consultation between the Board of Trustees, all other Admissions Authorities in the area and interested parties and parents. This policy gives regard to the “School Standards and Framework Act 1998, as amended by the Education Act 2011,” “School Admissions Admission Arrangements and Co- ordination of Admissions Arrangements (England) Regulations 2012” and “School Admission Code 2021”.

Parents (a parent is determined as a person with parental responsibility) have the right to express a preference for a school of their choice. In the first instance all preferences expressed will be considered on an equal weighting basis whereby all applications are considered at the same time, irrespective of the order of preference. Therefore all applications will be considered equally against the admission criteria. If a pupil then qualifies for a place at more than one school, the parent’s highest ranked preference will be offered and any lower ranking offers will be disregarded.

Reception applications must be made on the Common Application Form (available from the Local Authority) by the determined closing date and an offer will be made by the Local Authority on behalf of the school on the National Offer date. Applications received after the closing date will only be considered after all those received by the closing date have been considered. Parents should provide supplemental evidence in support of the application where applicable. The Local Authority undertakes the co-ordination of admission arrangements.

Published Admission Number

The Published Admission Number (PAN) for this Academy is 60. The Admission criteria within this policy is applied if the number of applications exceeds the number of places.

Admission Criteria

If the academy is oversubscribed (i.e. where the number of applications for admission exceeds the number of places available) the committee of the Trust Board of WISE Academies, as the admissions authority will apply the following criteria in the order set out below:

Children with an Education, Health and Care plan

Children who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan where the academy is named as the most appropriate educational setting for the child will be admitted.

1. Looked after children: This refers to children who are looked after by a Local Authority in accordance with Section 22 of the Children’s Act 1989(b) and children who were previously looked after, but ceased to be so, because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order, residence order or special guardianship order). Parents are asked to send proof as supplemental information with their application form.
2. Siblings: Children who have a sibling attending Ashley Academy at the time of their application. Sibling refers to a brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister or foster brother or sister. The child of the parent/carer’s partner is also classed as a sibling if the child for whom the place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling.
3. Exceptional medical or psychological reasons: Parents must include a medical or psychological report, prepared by a professional, to confirm information that parent includes in this section. This report should explain why only this academy could meet the child’s medical or psychological needs. Common childhood medical conditions such as asthma or giving a child’s nervousness at starting new school as a psychological reason for choosing a particular school are unlikely to be accepted as exceptional. It will be for the committee of the Trust Board responsible for admissions to determine whether the evidence is acceptable under this criteria.
4. Feeder School: Children who attend the Nursery Class of Ashley Academy in the previous academic year to that of their application.
5. Neighbourhood Places: 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.

If required by the Trust Board or the Local Authority after the closing date for applications, proof of residency will be sought in the form of a Council Tax Bill or alternative evidence such as tenancy agreements or benefit calculations (e.g. for Housing Benefit I the housing element of Universal Credit) and should be correct at the date of closing for applications.

Tie breaker

Where there are places available for some, but not all applicants within a particular criterion priority will be given to children living closest to the academy determined by the shortest distance. Distance from home to school when measured by the shortest walking route will be the deciding factor. Measurements will be calculated using a Geographical Information System (GIS)

In the event of distances being the same for two or more children where this would determine the last place to be allocated, random allocation will be carried out in a public place and supervised by a person independent of the academy.

Admission of Children below Compulsory School Age and Deferred Entry

A child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday. A request may be made for the date at which a child, below compulsory school age, is admitted to the academy, to be deferred to later in the academic year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age, or beyond the beginning of the final term of the academic year. A child may take up a part-time place until the child reaches compulsory school age. Upon receipt of the offer of a place a parent should notify the academy in writing, as soon as possible, that they wish to either defer their child’s entry to the school or take up a part-time place.

Admission of Children outside their Normal Age Group

A request may be made for a child to be admitted outside of their normal age group. Any such request should be made via South Tyneside Council’s School Admissions Team who will co-ordinate the admissions process in line with the statutory requirements on behalf of the academy.

Summer Born Children

The parents of a summer born child, i.e. a child born between 1 April and 31 August, may request that the child be admitted out of their normal age group, to the Reception class in the September following their fifth birthday and that that the child will remain in this cohort as they progress through school.

Parents who want to make this request should make an application for their child’s normal age group at the usual time. The application to the Local Authority should include this request .The Local Authority will liaise with the academy, and the committee responsible for deciding upon admissions will make its decision about the request based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child. In addition to taking into account the views of the Headteacher, who has statutory responsibility for the internal organisation, management and control of the academy, the committee will take into account the views of the parents and of appropriate medical and education professionals. Parents will be informed of the outcome of the request before primary national offer day.

If the request is agreed, the application for the normal age group may be withdrawn before a place is offered. If the request is refused, the parent must decide whether to accept the offer of a place for the normal age group, or to refuse it and make an in year application for admission to year one for the September following the child’s fifth birthday.

Where a parent’s request is agreed, they must make a new application as part of the main admissions round the following year.

One admission authority cannot be required to honour a decision made by another admission authority on admission out of the normal age group. Parents, therefore, should consider whether to request admission out of the normal year group at all their preference schools, rather than just their first preference schools.

Waiting Lists

In addition to their right of appeal, applicants will be offered the opportunity to be placed on a waiting list via the academy office. This waiting list will be maintained in order of the oversubscription criteria set out below and not in the order in which applications are received or added to the list. If any vacancies arise, places will be offered from the waiting list. The waiting list will be in place until 31 December each year, in case any vacancies arise.

Waiting lists for admission will operate throughout the school year. The waiting list will be held open until the last day of the summer term. Inclusion on the academy’s waiting list does not mean that a place will eventually become available.

In-Year Applications

An application can be made for a place for a child at any time outside the admission round and the child will be admitted where there are available places. Applications should be made by contacting South Tyneside Council’s Admissions Team who will co-ordinate all in year applications on behalf of the Academy Trust.

Where there are places available but more applications than places, the published oversubscription criteria will be applied. If there are no places available, a request can be made that the child is added to the waiting list.

Late Applications

In determining allocations, priority will be given to those applications where the parental preference is received by the published deadline date. Parents are therefore encouraged to ensure that their application is received on time as late applications will be considered after those that had been received by the published deadline.

Infant Class Size Regulations

Infant classes may not, by law, contain more than 30 pupils with a single qualified teacher (subject to the provisions in the School Admissions Code for ‘excepted children’). Parents do have a right of appeal in accordance with the infant class size regulations if the academy is oversubscribed and their child is refused a place.

Right of Appeal

Parents will have the right to an independent appeals panel if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of their admission application. Appeals will be carried out in accordance with the Admission Appeals Code. Any decision of the independent appeals panel will be binding on all parties. Appeals should be directed to The Secretary to the Trust, WISE Academies Head Office, Borodin Avenue, Sunderland SR5 4NX or governance@wiseacademies.co.uk

Home address

This must be the address where parents and child normally live and they must be living there on the closing date for receipt of application. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for a part of a week, the home address will be taken as the address of the parent who receives child benefit. In cases where parents are not eligible for child benefit the address will be that of the parent where the child is registered with the doctor. Confirmation of address will be required.

In-year Admissions

The academies is able to accept in-year admission applications directly from parents. An in-year admission application is one that is made outside of the normal time of transfer between schools, for example when a family moves house part way through a school year. Local authorities are still required to co-ordinate admission applications in the normal admissions round. In-year applications will be determined by the academy on the basis of this policy.

Nursery Class Applications

Nursery Application Forms are available from the academy office. You must be able to evidence your child’s birth certificate at the time of application. Applications can be received any time after the child’s second birthday. Places will be allocated using the academy’s admission criteria by order of priority. Additional forms of identity may also be required to establish eligibility.

Evidence of identity

If the parent is required to provide supplemental evidence to support the application (e.g. council tax bill), this evidence should be provided at the time of application. If not provided, evidence may be sought by the academy following the closing date for applications. This information must have been correct at the date of closing for applications.

False Evidence

The Trust Board reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a place where false evidence is received.

Incomplete applications

If there is an incomplete application for a child, in circumstances where parents cannot agree on a preferred school or the main address where the child resides, the Trust Board will suspend the application until parents agree. This will mean that if the closing date has passed, the child will not be considered in the admission round and if all places have been allocated then the child will not be given a place and the application may be treated as a late application.