Three Peaks Primary Academy
Admissions Arrangements 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025
1. Basic principles
1.1. The academy will comply with all relevant provisions of the statutory codes of practice (the School Admissions Code of Practice and the School Admissions appeals Code of Practice) as they apply at any given time to maintained schools. Reference in the codes to admission Authorities shall be deemed to be reference to the Local Governing Body (“LGB”) of the Academy. The LGB is a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees and is the local presence of the Board with Representatives from the school community, the local community and regional businesses and organisations. In particular, the academy will take part in any Admissions Forum set up by their Local Authority (“LA”) and have regard to its advice and any Co-ordinated Admissions System operated by the LA.
1.2. The Academy will admit children with Statements of Special Educational Need (“SEN”) where the academy is named on the SEN Statement, without reference to oversubscription criteria.
2. Admission arrangements – Reception
2.1. The admission arrangements for the Academy for the academic year 2022/2023 are as follows:
a. The Academy has an agreed admission number of 60 pupils in Reception. The Academy will admit the admission number of students in the relevant age group each year if sufficient applications are received. If there are more applications, the oversubscription procedure will be applied.
2.2. The Academy will consider all applications for places. Where fewer than 60 applications are received, the Academy will offer places to all those pupils who have applied.
2.3. In the event of over-subscription, and following the allocation of places to pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or Education Health and Care Plan which names Three Peaks, when there are more applications than places available, the following arrangements will apply:
2.3.1. Looked after children, or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption order, residence, or special guardianship order. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions.
2.3.2. Siblings of pupils in attendance at the Academy in Reception to Year 6. These include brothers and sisters, half brothers and sisters and step brothers and sisters who share the same homes. Theses also include adopted and foster brothers and sisters who share the same home.
2.3.3. Pupils with special medical or social needs which the Academy is best placed to meet; this will be supported by professional advice from the Health Authority and Social Services on why the academy are necessary and a statement from the parent stating the difficulties that would be caused if their child had to attend another school. Special medical or social needs will include priority for vulnerable groups (but after pupils with full statements of special educational needs and those in public care, who have recently come in to care or moved in to the area) such as: pupils whose names are either on or at risk of being placed on the child Protection Register; pupils whose social or personal circumstances are seriously limiting their capability to gain access to education without the support of the local authority.
2.3.4. Children who live nearest to the Academy measured by the straight line distance “as the crow flies” from their normal family home to main gate of the academy. When dealing with multiple applications from a block of flats to the Academy, a random allocation will be applied. The random allocation process will be supervised by someone independent if the Academy, and a fresh round of random allocation will be used each time a child is to be offered a place from a waiting list, Where a child spends time with both parents/carers in separate homes and both have parental responsibility, “their normal family home” is where the majority of school nights (Sunday to Thursday) are Spent.
2.4. There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to the Academy.
2.5. Admissions are administered through a co-ordinated scheme and preferences processed centrally by the LA’s School Admissions and transports Service. Each child will receive only one offer of a place at a Staffordshire school.
2.6. In the case of the Academy, after 60 applicants have been offered a place for admission; others will be offered a place on a waiting list ranked in order of over subscription. The list will be maintained until the end of the first term of the academic year. Places for admission which are declined or otherwise become vacant will be offered to the others on the waiting list. Inclusion on the Academy’s waiting list does not mean a place will eventually become available at the school. A child’s position on a waiting list is not fixed and is subject to change during the year i.e. they can go up or down the list since each added child will require then list to be ranked again in line with oversubscription criteria listed above.
2.7. There will be an independent appeals panel appointed in accordance with the provisions of statutory Code of Practice on School Admission Appeals and parents shall have the right of appeal against any refusal. Parents may also write to the Education Funding Agency (“EFA”) if appropriate; further details are set out in Annex 1.
2.8. Late Applications will be considered following the same criteria set down in this policy, with due regard to the LA late admissions procedure.
2.9. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide any supportive information required in order for the application to be assessed against the published admission criteria, the Academy will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.
2.10. If a place is offered on the basis of an address that is subsequently found to be different from a child’s normal or permanent home address, hat the place is likely to be withdrawn.
2.11. Following the offer of a place at the Academy parents/carers can be asked to provide evidence of their child’s identification and main residence to comply with the Academy’ admissions criteria. The forms of identification may include; a) Birth certificate – a short Birth Certificate is acceptable b) NHS registration c) Council tax bill d) Two current (i.e. less than six months old) utility bills
2.12. Parents do not have the right to a second appeal in respect of the same school for the same academic year unless, in exceptional circumstances, the Academy has accepted a second application from the appellant because of a significant and material change in the circumstances of the parent, child or school but still refused admission.
Deferred Entry to Reception Class:
2.13. The Academy will consider requests for parents to defer their child’s entry to Reception Class. Where it is possible to offer a place, deferral will be supported if the request is made at the normal time of application. A parent may not defer entry beyond the academic year for which the application was accepted.
2.14. Where a parent requests their child is admitted out of their normal age group, the LGB is responsible for making the decision on which year group a child should be admitted to. Their decision must be made on the basis of the circumstances of the case and in the best interest of the child concerned and include such matter and the parents’ wishes, information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development; weather the child has previously been educated outside their normal age group; and the view of the head teacher of the Academy. In the case of children born prematurely, it will include taking account of whether they would naturally have fallen into the lower age group if born at the expected time. The LGB should set out clearly for parents the reason for their decision to ensure transparency in the decision making process.
2.15. There is no statutory barrier to children being admitted to the Academy outside their normal age group, but parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular age group.
2.16. The Academy will also consider requests from parents who wish their child attend Reception Class on a part-time bases until the child reaches compulsory school age.
In Year Applications
2.17. Parents or carers seeking to transfer to Three Peaks Primary Academy or another school with particular provision for special educational needs and disability may make an application using the appropriate application form. This application will be processed in the normal way but parents and carers need to be aware that any date set from joining may be after the next term of half term holiday and those parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that their child continues to receive appropriate education in the interim.