St. Benedict Biscop CE Primary
2025/2026
2023/2024 & 2024/2025
Published Admission Numbers (PANs)
Our PAN for Reception Year is:
St Benedict Biscop CE Primary: 30
Reception Admissions
The admission arrangements outlined in this section apply to children starting Reception for thefirst time in 2025 / 2026. St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School is part of the Staffordshire County Council co-ordinated admissions scheme. The closing date for admissions will be 23:59 on 15 January 2025. Allocation results will be notified on 16 April 2025 by the applicants’ home Local Authority (LA).
Parents/carers who would like their child to be admitted during the year their child is five should ensure they complete all the necessary application forms. Admission to nursery does not mean automatic entry to the Primary school.
Admission Criteria for the schools in our MAT for Reception
A child with an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will be admitted. Remaining places are allocated as detailed below.
Where there are fewer applicants than the PAN, all children will be admitted. In the event the school is oversubscribed, the admission authority will apply the following oversubscription criteria in order of priority:
1. Looked After Children and all previously Looked After Children
A ‘Looked After Child’ is a child who is:
a) in the care of the local authority, or
b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of the social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time the application is made to school.
If the child has previously been in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by them and has subsequently been adopted, or is subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order, this must be indicated on the common application form andevidence (e.g. adoption certificate/copy of court order) to support this claim must be submitted with the common application form.
For children in state care outside of England who ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted, the relevant legal document(s) must be supplied.
2. Medical/Social
Whether there are specific medical or social circumstances that can be met only by the child’s attendance at the preferred school.
Supporting Evidence
If parents/carers believe there are specific reasons, medical or social, for claiming priority for their child to attend a particular school these special factors must be indicated on the application form and evidence (e.g. a letter from a registered health professional such as a doctor or a social worker) to support this claim must be submitted to the School Admissions Team, City of Wolverhampton Council.
The information submitted must state clearly the effects of the condition/illness and why the preferred school is the only school that can meet their child’s needs. This is necessary because parents/carers would be asking the Admitting Authority to assess their child as having a stronger case than many other children, even some who live closer to the school in question than they do. The information provided will be used to prioritise the request for a particular school. Please note that only in exceptional cases are places prioritised in respect of a child’s/parent’s/carer’s medical/social grounds.
This supplementary information will not be regarded as a valid application, unless the parent/carer has also completed an application with the LA where they reside.
3. Children with a sibling already attending the at the time of admission.
For admission purposes, a sibling is a child who resides permanently at the same address as the child for whom a place is being requested, and is one of the following:-
- brother/sister
- half brother/sister (i.e. share one common parent)
- or stepbrother/sister (i.e. related by a parent’s marriage)
- any other child for whom it can be demonstrated that s/he is residing permanently at the same address (e.g. under the terms of a residence order)
The sibling connection only applies where the child concerned has a sibling attending the school at the time of the application as well as at the time of admission, (i.e. for normal year of entry applications siblings are expected to be attending the same school in September 2020). A sibling connection will not be accepted if the original place was obtained by using fraudulent or false information.
4. Religious Reasons
To a child and family who has religious reasons for attending St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School or St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School and for whom it can be demonstrated by the faith leader that s/he has current strong religious connections. This reason will only be taken into consideration if the preferred school is the nearest Church of England school to the child’s home address (measured by a straight line from the home address to the school using the City of Wolverhampton Council’s software).
Supporting Evidence
A Supplementary Information Form (Appendix A) will be provided for parents/carers and their faith leader to complete, to enable them to demonstrate the child and family’s* current strong religious connections. (*Family for this criterion defined as parents/carers)
St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust defines “strong religious connections” as attendance at a place of worship on at least two occasions per month for at least 2 years. The completed form should be returned to School Admissions Team, City of Wolverhampton Council
As well as being an inclusive neighbourhood school, as a Church of England School St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School and St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School have distinctive Christian characters and ethos that reflect the teaching of Jesus Christ and Christian values. We ask all parents and carers applying for a place at these schools to respect this ethos and its importance to the school community. We hope that all children who come to the school will be able to participate (as appropriate) in the religious life of the school (including collective worship and religious education).
This does not affect the rights of parents and carers who are not Christians to apply for a place. Indeed, through our commitment to inclusion, we actively welcome families from other faiths and no faiths.
(Parents have the legal right of withdrawal from collective worship and religious education.)
The completed Supplementary Information Form will not be regarded as a valid application, unless the parent/carer has also completed an application with the LA where they live.
5. Children whose parent/carer is a member of staff employed at the school
This applies where the parent/carer has been employed by the school for two or more years at the time at which the application of admission to the school is made, and/or where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post at the school for which there is demonstrable skills shortage. This criteria applies to all permanent staff members, and excludes staff employed on a casual/temporary contract. This criteria only applies to staff that are employed specifically to work at the school and does not apply to staff that work at other schools within the multi-academy Trust, or within the central team.
Supporting Evidence
Parents/carers must complete the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and return it to City of Wolverhampton Council’s School Admissions Team
6. Children who live closest to our schools
How close the child lives to the school requested with those living closest to the school getting the highest priority. The distance from the applicant’s home and school is taken in a straight line between the respective school and the child’s home address. The distance is measured using the City of Wolverhampton Council’s software, with those living closest to the school receiving the highest priority.
If there are a limited number of spaces available and we cannot distinguish between applicants using the above criteria, children who live in the same block of flats will be offered the available spaces randomly selected by drawing lots.
Child’s Home Address
Parents are asked to provide their child’s home address, i.e. the usual place of residence on weekdays and nights.
Please note that childminder’s addresses will not be accepted. This applies to both formal childminders and relatives or friends acting in a childminding capacity.
The home address of a pupil is considered to be the permanent residence of a child in a residential property when the place is offered. The address must be the child’s only or main residence and is either:
• Owned by the child’s parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s)
• Leased to or rented by the child’s parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s) under lease orwritten rental agreement.
Documentary evidence of ownership or rental agreement may be required together with proof of actual permanent residence at the property concerned.
Acceptable proof of address includes:
• A copy of a council tax bill;
• A copy of a recent utility bill (gas, electric, dated within the last six months);
• A solicitor’s letter stating that contracts have been exchanged and specifying acompletion date;
• A copy of your Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit award letter (ifyou receive any of these benefits);
• A signed and dated tenancy agreement.
Where parents have shared responsibility for a child and the child lives with both parents for part of the week, then the main residence will be determined as the address where the child lives for the majority of the school week.
If the child equally shares living with both parents, the parents must inform the City of Wolverhampton Council (and the home Local Authority if this is not the same) which address should be used for admission purposes and which parent will make the application. Parents may be requested to supply documentary evidence to support the address used for the application.
In the event that the family moves between the application and date of allocation, it is the parent’s responsibility to inform the City of Wolverhampton Council School Admissions Team(and the home Local Authority if this is not the same) as soon as possible of these circumstances.
Late Applications
Applications received after the closing date will be treated as late. This includes a change of preference for the school, a change in order of preference for the school or the addition of the school as a preference. Changes should be sent to the home LA of the parent/carer.
Therefore applications received after the closing date and before 13 February will only be incorporated into the initial allocation process if the late submission is for a good and valid reason i.e. parents/carers can demonstrate a material change of circumstances, or the request is for an academy that has not reached its admission limit.
When submitting late applications parents must give reasons in writing for the late submission. The admission authority will give consideration to the reasons, following which the application will be either:
- Incorporated into the initial allocation and assessed against the oversubscription criteria
- Considered only after all other applications
Late applications without written reasons for the late application or those received after 13 February will only be considered after all other applications.
Material Changes of Circumstance
In claiming a material change of circumstance the applicant, at the time of application, must supply documentary evidence to confirm the changes. An example of material changes of circumstances is a house move that necessitates a change of preferences.
If applicants’ circumstances change during the course of making the application that relate to any of the published criteria it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide evidence to the City of Wolverhampton’s Admissions and Appeals Team as this may affect the outcome of the application.
Waiting lists
The Admitting Authority will maintain the waiting lists until 31 December.
The waiting list will be ranked in admission criteria order.
A child’s position on a waiting list is not fixed. This means that a child’s position on the waiting list could go up or down during the time that it is on the list. Any late applications accepted will be added to the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.
In Year Fair Access Protocol
The Directors of St Bartholomew’s CE MAT are committed to taking its fair share of children who are vulnerable and/or hard to place, as set out in locally agreed protocols.
Children who are the subject of a direction by the Local Authority to admit or who are allocated to a school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol take precedence over those on a waiting list.
Fraudulent or Misleading Applications
The Admitting Authority will follow up any reports they receive that allege that a fraudulent or misleading application has been made.
Multiple Births
We understand that parent/carers would like to keep twins, triplets and other children of multiple births together. In the event that there is an insufficient number of places to allocate to twins, triplets, etc. all children will be allocated together.
Tie-Breaker for Oversubscription
If there are an insufficient number of places to accommodate all the children of a particular criterion, the next criterion will be used to assess the applications concerned in order to prioritise applications.
Applications for children to be admitted outside their normal age group
Summer-born children
Parents/carers of a summer-born child may choose not to send that child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted outside of their normal age group – to Reception rather than Year 1. Any parent/carer wishing to make such a request must put their requests in the first instance in writing to the LA where they reside by 15 January.
Requests will be considered on an individual basis and decisions will be reached taking into account the parents’/carers’ views, information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development, where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional, whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group if it were not for being born prematurely. The view of the Headteacher/Head of School of the school concerned will also be sought as part of the decision-making process.
Any agreement to defer a child’s admission to Reception class does not guarantee a place at the preferred school, nor does it give the child any additional priority for a place. Parents/carers are required to make a new application next year for Reception 2026 and the application will be considered alongside all other applications for that round in accordance with the criteria.
Deferred Entry
A child’s parents/carers may defer the date at which their child, below compulsory school age, is admitted to the school, until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age and not beyond the first day of the summer term 2025. A child may take up a part-time place until later in the school year, but not beyond the point at which the child reached compulsory school age. Upon receipt of the offer of a place a parent/carer should notify the school, as soon as possible, that they wish to either defer their child’s entry to the school or take up a part-time place.
In-Year Admissions
An in-year admission is any entry to school other than at the normal point in Reception, for example, transferring school due to a move of house or personal reasons. Requests for places in Reception after the normal round of admissions or request for places in other year groups should be made directly to the City of Wolverhampton Council.
With the exception of a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), applications should be made on the City of Wolverhampton's website following The City of Wolverhampton Council’s coordinated in-year admissions in conjunction with St Bartholomew’s CE MAT Schools Admission Policy.
For In-Year Admissions all applicants must:
- Complete the In-Year Application Form and return to the City of Wolverhampton Council
- In addition, where relevant (as detailed in the oversubscription criteria) applicants must complete the Supplementary Information Form and return it direct to the School Admissions Team, City of Wolverhampton Council.
Forms available on the City of Wolverhampton website.
Admission Appeals
In the event that an applicant is denied a place at the School, the parent/carer will have the right to appeal to an Independent appeal panel. Information relating to this can be found on the City of Wolverhampton website.
Parents are only entitled to one appeal per year group, per school, per academic year unless there is a material change of circumstances.
Withdrawing Offer Places
Any allegations received by the admission authority of people providing false accommodation addresses when applying for school places shall be fully investigated and, if found to be true, allocated places may be withdrawn, as appropriate. Our schools have been advised by City of Wolverhampton Council to ask parents/carers to provide proof of residence (for example utility bill) before admitting a child. A child’s home address is defined as the address at which a child normally resides or, where the child lives at more than one address, the address at which the child lives for the majority of the time. Where the home address is unclear parents/carers will be required to provide documentary proof of the child’s residence.
Financial Implications
There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust.
Published Admission Numbers (PANs)
Our PAN for Reception Year is:
St Benedict Biscop CE Primary: 30
Reception Admissions
The admission arrangements outlined in this section apply to children starting Reception for the first time. The admissions process for St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School is part of the Wolverhampton Local Authority co-ordinated admissions scheme. St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School is part of the Staffordshire County Council co-ordinated admissions scheme.
The closing date for admissions will be 23:59 on 15 January. Allocation results will be notified on 16 Aprilby the applicants’ home Local Authority (LA).
Parents/carers who would like their child to be admitted during the year their child is five should ensure they complete all the necessary application forms. Admission to nursery does not mean automatic entry to the Primary school.
Admission Criteria for the schools in our MAT for Reception
A child with an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) which names the school will be admitted. Remaining places are allocated as detailed below.
Where there are fewer applicants than the PAN, all children will be admitted. In the event the school is oversubscribed, the admission authority will apply the following oversubscription criteria in order of priority:
1. Looked After Children and all previously Looked After Children
A ‘Looked After Child’ is a child who is:
a) in the care of the local authority, or
b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of the social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time the application is made to school.
Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order); including those children who appear to have been in state care outside of England.
2. Medical/Social
Whether there are specific medical or social circumstances that can be met only by the child’s attendance at the preferred school.
Supporting Evidence
If parents/carers believe there are specific reasons, medical or social, for claiming priority for their child to attend a particular school these special factors must be indicated on the application form and evidence (e.g. a letter from a registered health professional such as a doctor or a social worker) to support this claim must be submitted to the School Admissions Team, City of Wolverhampton Council.
The information submitted must state clearly the effects of the condition/illness and why the preferred school is the only school that can meet their child’s needs. This is necessary because parents/carers would be asking the Admitting Authority to assess their child as having a stronger case than many other children, even some who live closer to the school in question than they do. The information provided will be used to prioritise the request for a particular school. Please note that only in exceptional cases are places prioritised in respect of a child’s/parent’s/carer’s medical/social grounds.
This supplementary information will not be regarded as a valid application, unless the parent/carer has also completed an application with the LA where they reside.
3. Children with a sibling already attending the at the time of admission.
For admission purposes, a sibling is a child who resides permanently at the same address as the child for whom a place is being requested, and is one of the following:-
- brother/sister
- half brother/sister (i.e. share one common parent)
- or stepbrother/sister (i.e. related by a parent’s marriage)
- any other child for whom it can be demonstrated that s/he is residing permanently at the same address (e.g. under the terms of a residence order)
The sibling connection only applies where the child concerned has a sibling attending the school at the time of the application as well as at the time of admission, (i.e. for normal year of entry applications siblings are expected to be attending the same school in September 2020). A sibling connection will not be accepted if the original place was obtained by using fraudulent or false information.
4. Religious Reasons
To a child and family who has religious reasons for attending St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School or St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School and for whom it can be demonstrated by the faith leader that s/he has current strong religious connections. This reason will only be taken into consideration if the preferred school is the nearest Church of England school to the child’s home address (measured by a straight line from the home address to the school using the City of Wolverhampton Council’s software).
Supporting Evidence
A Supplementary Information Form (Appendix A) will be provided for parents/carers and their faith leader to complete, to enable them to demonstrate the child and family’s* current strong religious connections. (*Family for this criterion defined as parents/carers)
St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust defines “strong religious connections” as attendance at a place of worship on at least two occasions per month for at least 2 years. The completed form should be returned to School Admissions Team, City of Wolverhampton Council
As well as being an inclusive neighbourhood school, as a Church of England School St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School and St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School have distinctive Christian characters and ethos that reflect the teaching of Jesus Christ and Christian values. We ask all parents and carers applying for a place at these schools to respect this ethos and its importance to the school community. We hope that all children who come to the school will be able to participate (as appropriate) in the religious life of the school (including collective worship and religious education).
This does not affect the rights of parents and carers who are not Christians to apply for a place. Indeed, through our commitment to inclusion, we actively welcome families from other faiths and no faiths.
(Parents have the legal right of withdrawal from collective worship and religious education.)
The completed Supplementary Information Form will not be regarded as a valid application, unless the parent/carer has also completed an application with the LA where they live.
5. Children who live closest to our schools
How close the child lives to the school requested with those living closest to the school getting the highest priority. The distance from the applicant’s home and school is taken in a straight line between the respective school and the child’s home address. The distance is measured using the City of Wolverhampton Council’s software, with those living closest to the school receiving the highest priority.
If there are a limited number of spaces available and we cannot distinguish between applicants using the above criteria, children who live in the same block of flats will be offered the available spaces randomly selected by drawing lots.
Late Applications
Applications received after the closing date will be treated as late. This includes a change of preference for the school, a change in order of preference for the school or the addition of the school as a preference. Changes should be sent to the home LA of the parent/carer.
Therefore applications received after the closing date and before 13 February will only be incorporated into the initial allocation process if the late submission is for a good and valid reason i.e. parents/carers can demonstrate a material change of circumstances, or the request is for an academy that has not reached its admission limit.
When submitting late applications parents must give reasons in writing for the late submission. The admission authority will give consideration to the reasons, followingwhich the application will be either:
- Incorporated into the initial allocation and assessed against the oversubscription criteria
- Considered only after all other applications
Late applications without written reasons for the late application or those received after 13 February will only be considered after all other applications.
Material Changes of Circumstance
In claiming a material change of circumstance the applicant, at the time of application, must supply documentary evidence to confirm the changes. An example of material changes of circumstances is a house move that necessitates a change of preferences.
If applicants’ circumstances change during the course of making the application that relate to any of the published criteria it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide evidence to the City of Wolverhampton’s Admissions and Appeals Team as this may affect the outcome of the application.
Waiting lists
The Admitting Authority will maintain the waiting lists until 31 December.
The waiting list will be ranked in admission criteria order.
A child’s position on a waiting list is not fixed. This means that a child’s position on the waiting list could go up or down during the time that it is on the list. Any late applications accepted will be added to the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.
In Year Fair Access Protocol
The Directors of St Bartholomew’s CE MAT are committed to taking its fair share of children who are vulnerable and/or hard to place, as set out in locally agreed protocols.
Children who are the subject of a direction by the Local Authority to admit or who are allocated to a school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol take precedence over those on a waiting list.
Fraudulent or Misleading Applications
The Admitting Authority will follow up any reports they receive that allege that a fraudulent or misleading application has been made.
Multiple Births
We understand that parent/carers would like to keep twins, triplets and other children of multiple births together. In the event that there is an insufficient number of places to allocate to twins, triplets, etc. all children will be allocated together.
Tie-Breaker for Oversubscription
If there are an insufficient number of places to accommodate all the children of a particular criterion, the next criterion will be used to assess the applications concerned in order to prioritise applications.
Applications for children to be admitted outside their normal age group
Summer-born children
Parents/carers of a summer-born child may choose not to send that child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted outside of their normal age group – to Reception rather than Year 1. Any parent/carer wishing to make such a request must put their requests in the first instance in writing to the LA where they reside by 15 January.
Requests will be considered on an individual basis and decisions will be reached taking into account the parents’/carers’ views, information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development, where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional, whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group if it were not for being born prematurely. The view of the Headteacher/Head of School of the school concerned will also be sought as part of the decision-making process.
Any agreement to defer a child’s admission to Reception class does not guarantee a place at the preferred school, nor does it give the child any additional priority for a place. Parents/carers are required to make a new application next year for Reception 2021 and the application will be considered alongside all other applications for that round in accordance with the criteria.
Deferred Entry
A child’s parents/carers may defer the date at which their child, below compulsory school age, is admitted to the school, until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age and not beyond the first day of the summer term 2021. A child may take up a part-time place until later in the school year, but not beyond the point at which the child reached compulsory school age. Upon receipt of the offer of a place a parent/carer should notify the school, as soon as possible, that they wish to either defer their child’s entry to the school or take up a part-time place.
In-Year Admissions
An in-year admission is any entry to school other than at the normal point in Reception, for example, transferring school due to a move of house or personal reasons. Requests for places in Reception after the normal round of admissions or request for places in other year groups should be made directly to the City of Wolverhampton Council.
With the exception of a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), applications should be made on the City of Wolverhampton's website following The City of Wolverhampton Council’s coordinated in-year admissions in conjunction with St Bartholomew’s CE MAT Schools Admission Policy.
For In-Year Admissions all applicants must:
- Complete the In-Year Application Form and return to the City of Wolverhampton Council
- In addition, where relevant (as detailed in the oversubscription criteria) applicants must complete the Supplementary Information Form and return it direct to the School Admissions Team, City of Wolverhampton Council.
Forms available on the City of Wolverhampton website.
Admission Appeals
In the event that an applicant is denied a place at the School, the parent/carer will have the right to appeal to an Independent appeal panel. Information relating to this can be found on the City of Wolverhampton website
Parents are only entitled to one appeal per year group, per school, per academic year unless there is a material change of circumstances.
Withdrawing Offer Places
Any allegations received by the admission authority of people providing false accommodation addresses when applying for school places shall be fully investigated and, if found to be true, allocated places may be withdrawn, as appropriate. Our schools have been advised by City of Wolverhampton Council to ask parents/carers to provide proof of residence (for example utility bill) before admitting a child. A child’s home address is defined as the address at which a child normally resides or, where the child lives at more than one address, the address at which the child lives for the majority of the time. Where the home address is unclear parents/carers will be required to provide documentary proof of the child’s residence.
Financial Implications
There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust.