Admission to Primary Schools
Admission to Primary Schools
The following information is aimed at parents whose children are due to start Reception class in September 2013.
Parents who have made an application for Primary School for September 2013 will be sent their child's offer of a school place on the 22nd April. If you applied on-line you will receive an e-mail on the 22nd April. You can also log on to the online system to view the outcome of your application. If you applied by phone or with a paper form then your offer letter will arrive within a few days of this date. If you have not received your child's offer of a school place by the close of business 22nd April please be patient it will arrive in due course.
How have school places been allocated?
The following 
Summary of Primary Admissions 2013| (128 kb) indicates how places were allocated this year.
I would like to accept the school place my child has been offered.
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If your child has been offered a place at a school located in Staffordshire and you are happy with the offer then you do not need to contact the Admissions Team to accept the school place, as it is presumed the place is accepted unless it is refused. The school which you have been offered will be in contact in due course to confirm the admission arrangements for your child.
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If your child has been offered a place at a school located outside of Staffordshire and you are happy with the offer then you do need to accept the school place. You can accept the place by calling 01785 278593 or by emailing admissions@staffordshire.gov.uk
Why has my child not been offered a place at a preferred school?
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If your child has not been offered a place at a preferred school it is because there were more applications than available places.
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All school places were allocated using the published admissions criteria.
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Catholic, Voluntary Aided, Foundation, Trust Schools and Academies have their own admissions criteria.
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Details of the admission criteria for all Staffordshire Primary schools can be found in the Primary Information for Parents – 2103 booklet (1.5 mb).
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Details of the admission criteria for all Staffordshire Middle schools can be found in the Middle Information for Parents – 2103 booklet ( 1.93 b).
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There are a limited number of places in each Reception class, the Published Admissions Number (PAN) is the number of places that will be allocated to each school's reception class for the coming September.
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The number may only be exceeded in exceptional circumstances.
Why are limits placed on a primary school’s intake?
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Each school has a Published Admission Number. The number is calculated to reflect the number of pupils that can be admitted into Reception, without prejudice to the provision of efficient education and in consideration of the overall capacity and available resource at the school.
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In addition, Infant class size legislation means that a school is only able to admit 30 children in a class per qualified teacher.
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There are limited circumstances where more than 30 children can be offered a place.
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The infant class size leaflet (34 kb) contains all relevant information regarding class size legislation.
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Schools where the legislation applies can be found in the infant class size schools list (26 kb).
Will my child be placed on a waiting list?
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All children who have been refused a place at a preferred school will be automatically added to the waiting list.
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Waiting lists for Staffordshire schools are ranked using the admissions criteria for the applicable school. All admission criteria can be found in the Primary Information for Parents – 2103 booklet (1.5 mb) and Middle Information for Parents – 2103 booklet (1.93 mb).
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Your child's position on a waiting list may be subject to change, dependant on the oversubscription criteria.
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If your child has not been offered a place due to infant class size legislation then your child will be placed on a waiting list that will be maintained until the end of year 2. Should a place become available between now and the end of year 2 and your child is at the top of the waiting list then the Admissions Team will contact you directly.
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Where infant class size legislation does not apply then the waiting list will maintained until the end of the Autumn Term 2013.
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To enquire about your child's position on a waiting list please call us on 01785 278593.
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Guidance on waiting lists for out of county schools should be sought by contacting the relevant local authority.
Do I have the right of appeal?
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If your child has not been offered a place at one of your preferred schools then you have a right to appeal.
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Your appeal will be heard by an independent appeal panel.
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An appeal can be submitted for a Staffordshire controlled school by accessing the appeals page. This also contains additional guidance on making an appeal.
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If your child has been refused a place at an Academy, Catholic, Foundation, or Voluntary Aided School you will need to appeal directly to the school.
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If your child has been refused a place at a school outside of Staffordshire you will need to appeal directly to the applicable Local Authority.
Can I change my preference and apply for another school?
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You will need to submit your request in writing either by email to admissions@staffordshire.gov.uk or by post to, The School Admissions and Transport Service, Tipping Street, Stafford, ST16 2DH.
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If the school you wish to apply to is oversubscribed your child will be added to the waiting list.
Which schools still have places available?
Is my child entitled to free home to school transport?
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Children attending their catchment or closest school where the home address is over 2 miles from school are entitled to free home to school transport.
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If your child is entitled to free home to school transport you will receive a pass along with details of the type of transport being provided, times and pick up points by the end of the Summer Term.
Not found what you're looking for....
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Please contact the School Admissions and Transport Service on 01785 278593.
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