Legal framework

This policy has due regard to all relevant legislation and statutory guidance including, but not limited to, the following:

• Equality Act 2010
• Human Rights Act 1998
• School Standards and Framework Act 1998
• DfE (2021) ‘School Admissions Code’
• DfE (2012) ‘School Admission Appeals Code’

This policy operates in conjunction with the following school policies:

• Equal Opportunities Policy
• Data Protection Policy
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy
• SEN Information Report

Roles and responsibilities

The LA is responsible for:

• Acting in accordance with the relevant legislation and guidance when carrying out the overall admission of pupils into the school.
• Clearly communicating any reasons for rejecting the admission of a pupil, as well as the parent’s right to appeal and the appeal process.
• Implementing any advice or recommendations given by the School without undue delay.
• Communicating oversubscription criteria clearly to parents.
• Notifying the school of any in-year admissions and their outcomes.

 

The governing body is responsible for:

• Liaising with the LA where relevant regarding admitting pupils to the school.
• Working with the LA when determining the school’s capacity.
• Ensuring that the LA has all the information it needs to set admissions arrangements.
• Making arrangements for pupils admitted through in-year admissions to start as soon as possible.
• Publishing a link to the full, determined admissions arrangements on the school’s website.

 

The School is responsible for:

• Acting in line with the relevant legislation and guidance pertaining to admissions.
• Receiving concerns and objections regarding the admission of pupils and making recommendations to the admission authority as a result of these concerns and objections.
• Approving variations to determined admissions arrangements where there has been a major change in circumstances or law.

 

RATIONALE

St. Stephens CE Primary is a two-form entry Voluntary Aided School.  This means governors are responsible for admissions and will admit 60 children each year. Children are admitted into the Reception class in the September of the academic year when they reach the age of five.

The admission of pupils with an Education and Health Care Plan is dealt with by a completely separate procedure. Such children will be admitted to St Stephen’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School if this school is named on the statement.  This is a statutory entitlement under S.324 of the Education Act 1996.

 

PURPOSE

• To provide a clear statement of admission criteria, notes, and guidance which will be used to allocate places and which comply with local, statutory and diocesan advice and regulations.
• To avoid favouritism or discrimination.

 

OVER-SUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA

The LA is responsible for determining admissions arrangements for the school. The oversubscription criteria is reasonable, clear, objective, procedurally fair, and compliant with all relevant legislation, including equalities legislation. This means that the oversubscription criteria will not unfairly disadvantage, whether directly or indirectly, any child based on a protected characteristic or economic disadvantage. When the number of applications exceeds the number of places available, then the following criteria will be applied, in priority order as listed, to determine who will be offered a place in school.

 

1. Looked after children or children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order whose guardians/carers are practicing members of the Church of England or other Christian churches.
2. Other looked after children or children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order.
3. Children whose guardians/carers are practicing members of the Church of England or other Christian churches and have a brother or a sister attending the school at the time of admission.
4. Children whose guardians/carers are practicing members of the Church of England or other Christian churches.
5. Children with siblings currently in school, living at the same address at the time of admission. (For the purpose of this policy, “sibling” is defined as any brother or sister related by blood or marriage and any fostered or adopted siblings and children living with the same family who are step-sisters or step-brothers.)
6. Children whose guardians/carers want them to attend the school for genuine religious reasons and support the Christian ethos of the school (commitment to a major faith group).
7. Proximity of the child’s home to the school, measured by a straight line distance from the Ordnance Survey address point of the home to the main entrance to the school building.

All pupils who have named the school in their EHC plan will be admitted to the school.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Parents wishing to apply for a place at St Stephen’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School must:

1. Complete the COMMON APPLICATION FORM for entry into Reception which is available online by logging onto www.bradford.gov.uk and selecting ‘Online School Admissions.
2. Complete an In-Year application form for entry into years one to six and return it to the LA admissions team.
    

WAITING LISTS

1. All those who apply for a place in our school are held on a waiting list until a place becomes available. The LA manages all In Year applications and allocates places as and when a place becomes free.
2. Parents who make an unsuccessful application for admission to St. Stephen’s will be informed of their statutory right of appeal.  Appeal forms can be obtained from The Admissions Team, by telephone (01274) 439200.

TIE BREAK

When demand exceeds places in any of the following policies, the distance between the child’s home and school, measured by a straight line distance from the Ordnance Survey address point of the home to the main entrance to the school building, will be used to decide who is given a place; those living nearest being given the available places. Where the offer of places to applicants with equi-distant addresses would lead to oversubscription, the decision of who will be offered the place will be made by random selection.

MULTIPLE BIRTHS

Where parents of multiple births (twins, triplets etc) request admission and only one of the siblings can be offered a place, the remaining siblings will also be offered places above the admission number.

NOTES

1. The criteria will be overridden for a child with an Education Health Care Plan where this school is named
2. Where guardians/carers are requesting a school place based on points 3 or 4, a written reference must be obtained from their relevant church.  This should be submitted to school (not the LA) and is the only additional piece of evidence that guardians/carers will need to provide.
3. If you are allocated a place at St Stephen’s you will receive a letter of confirmation from The Admissions Team. We ask that you complete the attached form and return to school to ensure your place is allocated. 
4. All new guardians/carers are invited to an initial meeting in the summer term to ensure their child/ward’s smooth transition to starting school.  We expect all guardians/carers to attend.
5. Attendance at St. Stephen’s Nursery does not guarantee admission into the Reception class, nor does it provide additional priority for Reception places.
6. ‘Home address’ refers to the child’s permanent home at the date of admission.  Where the child lives with split parents who have shared responsibility, it is for the parents to determine which address to use when applying for a primary school. Proof of residency may be required at any time during or after the allocation process.