Admissions
HARRIS PRIMARY SCHOOL
Be Kind • Be Thankful • Be Ambitious
September 2023
The Governing Body of Harris Primary School applies the regulations on admissions fairly and equally to all those who wish to attend this school. The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 introduced a new framework for school admissions as of September 2000. This policy conforms to the regulations that are set out in that Act and also further explained the statutory School Admissions Code (2012) and the statutory Appeals Code of Practice.
Aims and objectives
We are an inclusive school that welcomes children from all backgrounds and abilities.
All applications will be treated on merit and in a sensitive manner.
The only restriction we place on entry is that of number. If the number of children applying for entry exceeds the places available, we enforce the procedure set out below in order to determine whether a child is accepted or not. It is our wish to allow parents the right to have a place at the school of their choice. However, this is not always possible, due to the excess demand on the school places available.
How parents can apply for their child to be admitted to our school
As our school is a community school, the Local Authority (LA) is the ‘Admissions Authority’ for our school. The regulations for entry to each school, where the Admissions Authority is the LA, are published each year by the LA. Parents can access a copy of these regulations on the local authority website.
The LA publishes a composite admissions prospectus each year, which gives information about how parents can apply for a place in the school of their choice. Application forms and the admissions prospectus can be viewed online and applications should be submitted online to the Authority before the published closing date. The LA notifies parents about the school places as soon as all the applications have been considered.
In this area, children enter school in the academic year they become five. There is one admissions date per year, early in September (ie at the start of the school year). Therefore, parents who would like their child to be admitted to this school during the year their child is five should ensure that they complete the necessary application form by the given date. Applications received after this date will be deemed late and will not be considered in the first round.
Admissions Criteria
If this school is oversubscribed, admission will be determined according to the criteria set down by Lancashire County Council:
- Children in public care at the time when preferences are expressed and who are still in public care at the time of their admission to school, and those who have been previously looked after (see note (xi) below), then
- Children for whom the Local Authority accepts that there are exceptional medical, social or welfare reasons which are directly relevant to the school concerned (see note (i) below, then
- Children with older brothers and sisters attending the school when the younger child will start (see note (iii) below, then
- Remaining places are allocated according to where a child lives. Those living nearest to the preferred school by a straight line (radial) measure will have priority (see note (v) below).
Notes
(i) The medical, social and welfare criterion will consider issues relevant to the child and/or family. This category may include children without a statement/EHC Plan who have special needs.
(ii) Children who have a statement for special needs/EHC Plan will have their applications considered separately.
(iii) Brothers and sisters includes step-children, half-brothers and sisters, fostered and adopted children living with the same family at the same address (consideration may be given to applying this criterion to full brothers and sisters who reside at different addresses).
(iv) The distance criterion which will be used as the tie-breaker if there is oversubscription within any of the admissions criteria is a straight line (radial) measure. If the Local Authority is unable to distinguish between applicants using the published criteria (eg twins or same block of flats) places will be offered via a random draw.
(v) The distance measure is a straight line (radial) measure centre of building to centre of building.
(vi) A child’s permanent address is the one where he/she normally lives and sleeps and goes to school from. Proof of residence may be requested at any time throughout the admissions process (including after a child has accessed a school place).
(vii) The Local Authority will keep waiting lists for all Lancashire primary schools until 31st August. These are kept in priority order using the school’s published admission criteria. From 1st September, for one school term only, waiting lists will be retained by individual admission authorities (the Local Authority for community and voluntary controlled schools and individual voluntary aided and trust schools will each retain their own list).
(viii) Children will not normally be able to start school other than at the beginning of the term unless they have moved into the area or there are exceptional circumstances.
(ix) Applications for school places which are received late will not necessarily be dealt with at the same time as those received by the set deadline. The reasons for a late application may be requested and where these are not exceptional the relevant admission criteria will be initially applied to all others received on time. The late application will be dealt with after this process.
(x) Where a child lives with one parent for part of the week and another for the rest of the week, only one address will be accepted for a school admission application. This will normally be the one where the child wakes up for the majority of school days (Monday to Friday).
(xi) The highest priority must be given to looked after children and children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order). Further references to previously looked after children in the Code means children who were adopted (or subject to residence orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after.
Admission appeals
If parents wish to appeal against a decision to refuse entry, they can do so by applying to the LA. An independent appeals panel then meets to consider all appeals by parents who have been refused a place at our school and who wish to appeal against this decision. An appeals panel’s decision is binding for all parties concerned. If the appeals panel decides that we should admit a child to our school, then we will accept this and continue to do all we can to provide the best education for all the children at our school. (Details of appeal arrangements are set out in the School Admissions Code, which came into force in February 2009).
The standard number
The standard number is the number of children the school can accommodate. The standard number for our school is 210.
Infant class size
We teach infant children (aged five to seven) in classes that have a maximum number of 30 children.
Monitoring and review
This policy will be reviewed annually with the Admissions Authority in the light of any changed circumstances in our school or the local area.
This policy should be read in conjunction with School Admissions Notes and Guidance and School Admissions Arrangements issued annually by the LA.
Reviewed by: Mr Ian Groom
Date of Review: June 2023
Date of Next Review: June 2024
