Entry guidelines

Set out below are the criteria that are used to decide who will be offered a place at a community school if there are more applications than there are places available. If this is the case, people living in the school's catchment area will have priority for, but not a guarantee of, a place, except for looked after children who have top priority irrespective of whether they live within or outside the catchment area. The same criteria are used to allocate places to children living outside the catchment area if places remain after all catchment pupils have been allocated places. All applications are considered in accordance with the admissions criteria. The LA operates an equal preference system whereby all preferences listed by parents on the common application form are considered under the oversubscription criteria for each school without reference to the parental ranking. Only if a pupil is able to be offered a place at more than one school will the ranking be used to determine the single offer by selecting the one ranked highest of the places able to be offered.

The criteria listed in order of priority are:

  1. Children in public care - children who are in public care as defined in section 22 of the 1989 Children’s Act (this includes  foster children) living within or outside the catchment area.
  2. Children living in the catchment area with a brother or sister who will be attending the main school (not the nursery class) at  the time of admission. (i)
  3. Children living in the catchment area with a brother or sister who will be attending the main school (not the nursery class) on the same site (this refers only to Berrymede Infant and Junior schools) at the time of admission (i) 
  4. Children living in the catchment area with exceptional medical or social circumstances for one of the named preferred schools. (ii)
  5. Children living in the catchment area on the basis of distance from the child’s permanent home address to the preferred school.(iii)
  6. Children living outside the catchment area with a brother or sister who will be attending the main school (not the nursery class) at the time of admission (i) 
  7. Children living outside the catchment area with a brother or sister who will be attending the main school (not the nursery class) on the same site (this refers only to Berrymede Infant and Junior schools) at the time of admission (i) 
  8. Children living outside the catchment area with exceptional medical or social circumstances for one of the named preferred schools. (ii) 
  9. Children living outside the catchment area on the basis of distance from the child’s permanent home address to the preferred school. (iii)

Notes

i) The words brother and sister refer to all blood, half, foster, step and adoptive brothers and sisters (not cousins) who live at the same home address as the child. A sibling relationship does not apply when the older child(ren) will leave before the younger one starts.

ii) The medical circumstances must relate to the child and parents will be expected to provide supporting evidence from a consultant - not a General Practitioner (GP) - in relation to medical circumstances or a social worker (or other appropriate professionally qualified person) in relation to social circumstances. All supporting evidence showing why education should be at the preferred school must be submitted at the time of application. Priority under this criterion can only be given for one named school.

iii) Using a MapInfo computer program, the distance is measured from home to the nearest gated entrance which is used by pupils to enter the school grounds. The route is measured using public highways, but excludes common land and does not take into account access by public transport or any private vehicle. It does not mean that we will be able to allocate a place at the school nearest to your home address.

Any combination of two or more criteria give higher priority than one criterion. For example, a brother/sister connection and agreed medical/social circumstances would give priority over a brother/sister connection.

If two or more children have equal priority under the criteria, the criterion of distance set out in point 5 above will then be applied.

Tie break
In the event that the distances are equal the local authority (not the school) will draw lots to determine which applicant should be offered the place.

Twins, triplets or other children from multiple births
The Local Authority does not give priority under its admissions criteria for twins, triplets or other children from multiple births. However, the local authority will endeavour, wherever possible, not to separate these children whilst still operating within the infant class size legislation.

Do you live in this school's catchment area?  Find out using our property enquirer.

Please also see primary school admissions and applying for a primary school place.