Admissions

St Paul’s C.E. Primary school

Admissions Criteria:

It is intended to admit up to a maximum of 30 pupils at the beginning of the school year 2024/2025. Applicants for admission are dealt with by the Governors of the school, once places have first been allocated to the children with a statement of special educational needs or education health and care plan which names the school, using the following criteria:

Looked after children and previously looked after children. (see note 1).

Children who appear to the local authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care because they were adopted. Applications for previously looked after children must be supported with appropriate evidence i.e., a copy of the adoption order, residence order or special guardianship order. (See note 1)

Children of regular worshipers or attendees at a Christian worshipping community. (See Notes 2, 3).
Children who attend a Christian worshipping community on a regular basis. (See note 4).
Children who have brothers/sisters already attending the school who will be there at the time of admission including half-brother/half-sister, stepbrothers/stepsisters and foster brothers/foster sisters who live at the same address as part of the same family unit.
Children with a proven special education, medical or social need whom the Governors believe would benefit from a place in this, their nearest school. (Supporting evidence from a professional person e.g., doctor, social worker or clergy member will be needed).
Children whose home address is within the proximity of the school premises as measured by the L.A. GIS system will be given priority. (Proof of residence may be required). (Please see note 5)

Tie Breaker

If a tie breaker is required, proximity to the school premises as measured by the LA GIS system will be given priority. (See note 6).

Notes:

Previously looked after children are children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or a special guardianship order). Applications for previously looked after children must be supported with appropriate evidence i.e., a copy of the adoption order, residence order, or special guardianship order.
A regular worshipper of a Christian worshipping community is deemed by the Governing Body to be one who has attended that place of worship, a minimum of once a month, for at least 1 year prior to the closing date for applications. The vicar or minister of the worshipping community which you attend must sign the supplementary form to confirm said attendance.
The ‘Governing Body’ defines ‘Christian worshipping community’ as being any Christian worshipping community in membership of or sharing the statement of belief of ‘Churches Together in England’.
Regular attendance at a Christian worshipping community is deemed by the Governing Body to be once a month, for the 12 months prior to the closing date for applications.
When considering your child’s application, we will use the permanent home address we have for you at the closing date for applications.

If parents are separated and the child spends time at each parents’ address, the address which will be used for admission to schools is the address where the child sleeps the majority of the school nights (Sunday to Thursday) during the week in term time. Where there is dispute or equal nights are slept, parent will be asked to provide proof of the address registered with the child’s GP.

We may ask to see additional forms of evidence of your home address (photocopies are acceptable). This may include:

proof of where you are registered for council tax
your television licence
wage/ salary slip
proof of your child tax credits

Any evidence you provide must show that the parent or main carer lives at this address. We may seek evidence by other means if the parent/carer is unable to provide sufficient proof of their residence.

If a tie occurs in the case of twins, triplets then they will all be offered a place.

Additional Information

Part Time Admissions

Where parents wish, their child can attend part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.

Deferred Entry

Where parents wish, they can defer the date their child is admitted to the school until later in the school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year. Where entry is deferred, the place will be held open and not offered to another child. Parents cannot 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.

Admission of a child outside their normal age group

Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group, for example, to a higher year group if the child is gifted and talented or to a lower year group if the child has experienced problems such as ill health.

The parent of a summer born (born between 1 April and 31 August) may choose not to send their child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted out of their normal age group – to reception rather that year 1.

A decision is made on the basis of the circumstances of each case.

The process is as follows:

Stage 1 – request

Parents make a formal request to the Local Authority School Organisation Team in writing with any support evidence they wish to be considered.

A request for delayed entry to reception class should be made at the same time as applying for a place for normal entry (i.e., by the closing date in January) in order to give sufficient time for the case to be considered prior to the offer of the school places in April.
A request for in year admission outside of the normal age group should be made on the normal in year transfer form.

We do not accept requests for early entry to reception class for the children who will not be of statutory school age.

Stage 2 - Decision

Requests will be referred to the school to be considered.

Requests will be considered by the Local Authority. Who will look at the following factors, but these are no exhaustive:

Parents Views.
The needs of the child and the possible impact on them of being educated out of year group.
The child’s medical history and views of medical professionals if appropriate.
In the case of children born prematurely the fact that they may have naturally fallen into the lower age group if they have been born on their expected date of birth.
Whether delayed academic, social, emotional or physical development is adversely affecting their readiness for school.
Any other information which the parent requests the Local Authority to consider.

Waiting Lists

If any places become available after the offer date, but before pupils are admitted in the Autumn Term, we will put all children, to who a place has been refused, on the waiting list. The list will be kept in priority order which is decided by the admissions criteria for the school. Any available places will be offered to the next child on the waiting list. The waiting list will be maintained until 31 December 2025.
The Governing Body cannot take into account the length of time a child’s name has been on the waiting list, only the admission criteria for the school. This means that your child’s position on the list may change if another parent/carer asks for their child to be put on the list and their child has a higher priority in the admissions criteria.