Stoneydelph Primary
2025/2026 and 2024/2025
2022/2023 & 2023/2024
Full time places in reception classes will be available in September of the academic year within which the child becomes five years old. Stoneydelph’s PAN (Published Admission Number) is 30 for the main school.Although parents have the right to express a preference for Stoneydelph Primary school, there is no guarantee of a place being offered.
It is Stoneydelph Primary school’s policy to try and meet parents’ wishes where possible, however in some cases there may be more applications than there are places available.In the event of over subscription the Governing Body have agreed the following criteria.
Oversubscription criteria
If the total number of preferences for admission to the academy exceeds the academy’s published admission number (PAN) of 45, the following order of priority is used to allocate the available places.
- Children in Care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order) including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
- Children who have an elder sibling in attendance at the academy and who will still be attending the school at the proposed admission date; (For admission purposes, a brother or sister is a child who lives at the same address and either: have one or both natural parents in common; are related by a parents marriage; are adopted or fostered by a common parent or are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners.)
- Children living within the catchment area of Stoneydelph Primary School.
- Children who satisfy both of the following tests:
- The child is distinguished from the great majority of other applicants either on their own medical grounds or by other exceptional circumstances.
Medical grounds must be supported by a medical report (obtained by the applicant and provided at the point of application). This report must clearly justify, for health reasons only, why it is better for the child’s health to attend Stoneydelph Primary School rather than any other school.
Exceptional circumstances must relate to the choice of school and the individual child, i.e. the circumstances of the child, not the economic or social circumstances of the parent/carer. They should be supported by a professional report (obtained by the applicant and provided at the point of application), e.g. social worker. This report must clearly justify why it is better for the child to attend the preferred school rather than any other school.
- The child would suffer hardship if they were unable to attend Stoneydelph Primary School. Hardship means severe suffering of any kind, not merely difficulty or inconvenience, which is likely to be experienced as a result of the child attending a different school. Applicants must provide detailed information about both the type and severity of any likely hardship at the time of application.
- Other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the academy, determined by a straight-line measurement as calculated by the local authority’s geographical information system.
Where it is not possible to accommodate all children applying for places within a particular category then the academy will allocate the available places in accordance with the remaining criteria. If for instance, all the catchment area children cannot be accommodated, children who are resident within the catchment area will be arranged in order of priority according to the remaining criteria.
Additional notes
- Copies of school catchment area maps are available from the Local Authority or individual schools.
- There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to a school.
- Admissions are administered through a coordinated admission scheme and will be processed centrally by the Staffordshire School Admissions Service (Prime).
- Each child will receive only one offer of a place at a Staffordshire school.
- In accordance with legislation, children who have a statutory statement of special educational need or Education Health Care Plan that names Stoneydelph Primary School as being the most appropriate to meet the child’s needs must be admitted to that school. This may reduce the amount of places available to other applicants.
- Relevant Children in Care means children who are in the care of a local authority in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989(b) and who (a) are looked after at the time an application is made and (b) in relation to whom the local authority has confirmed that the children will still be looked after at the time when the child will be admitted to school. It has also recently been extended to include those previously determined as Looked After Children. (That is, 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).
- It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide any supportive information required in order for the application to be assessed against the published admissions criteria, Stoneydelph Primary school will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.
- Staffordshire Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to calculate home to school distances in miles. The measurement is calculated using Ordnance Survey (OS) data from an applicant's home address to the main front gate of the school. The coordinates of an applicant's home address are determined using the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point data.
- The requirement for Stoneydelph Primary school to meet the Infant Class Size legislation may result in the refusal of catchment area or sibling applications where a class has already reached its limit of 30 pupils. However, there are permitted exceptions to this legislation which Stoneydelph Primary school will regard when considering applications.
- The home address is considered to be the child’s along with their parent/carer’s main and genuine principal place of residence at the time of the allocation of places i.e. where they are normally and regularly living. If a child is resident with friends or relatives (for reasons other than legal guardianship) the friend or relative’s address will not be considered for allocation purposes.
- Where parents have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives with both parents for part of the school week, parents will be required to provide documentary evidence to support the address they wish to be considered for allocation purposes.
- If a place is offered on the basis of an address that is subsequently found to be different from a child’s normal and permanent home address then that place is likely to be withdrawn.
- If there are a limited number of spaces available and we cannot distinguish between applicants using the criteria listed, such as in the case of children who live in the same block of flats, then the child or children who will be offered the available spaces will be randomly selected. This process will be independently verified.
- Any Staffordshire child not obtaining a place at any of their parent’s preferred schools will be allocated a place at their catchment area school (if places remain available) or the next nearest school with a space available and advised about the independent appeals process.
Deferred entry to reception class
Parents may request that their child be admitted to reception class on a part-time basis, or that their child be admitted to school later in the same academic year until the child reaches compulsory school age (i.e. beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday). The effect is that the place will be held for the child in reception and is not available to be offered to any other child within the same academic year in which it has been offered.
Before deciding whether to defer their child’s entry to school, parents should visit the academy to clarify how we cater for the youngest children in reception and how the needs of these children are met as they move up through the school.
Admission outside of the normal age group
Parents may seek to apply for their child’s admission to school outside of their normal age group, for example if the child is exceptionally gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health. In addition, the parents of summer born children may choose not to send their 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.
These parents will need to make an application alongside children applying at the normal age which should explain why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside of their normal age which may include information such as professional evidence as to why this is the case and why an exception should be made in the case of the child. A decision as to whether this is an appropriate course of action will be made by the governing body who will take into account the circumstances of the case and views of the headteacher. Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.
Waiting lists
Unsuccessful applicants will be placed on a waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria stated above and not based on the date their application was received. If places become available after the offer date they will be offered according to the child at the top of the waiting list.
Waiting Lists will be kept until the end of the autumn term of admission.
For cases where the infant class size regulations apply, the waiting list will operate until the cohort concerned leaves Year 2.
Inclusion on a school’s waiting list does not mean that a place will eventually become available at the preferred 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 the list to be ranked again in line with the oversubscription criteria listed above.
Children who are subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or who are allocated to Stoneydelph Primary school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over those on the waiting list.
Appeals against allocation of places
In the event of a dispute regarding allocation of places, parents will have the right to lodge an appeal with an Independent Appeals Panel. A revised School Admission Appeals Code came into effect on 1 October 2022.
Appeals against determined admission arrangements
The new Code introduces a different route for lodging objections to the determined admissions arrangements of Academies. Previously these were submitted to the YPLA. From now on they should be submitted to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA). This change applies only to formal objections about determined admissions arrangements.
The Code requires Academies to have in place procedures which are slightly different to those of maintained schools. The Appeals Procedure must contain the following three stages, for any objection with regards the Admissions Policy:
- An opportunity to resolve the complaint with the Academy on an informal basis.
- A formal complaint made in writing.
- An opportunity for unresolved complaints to be heard by a panel of governors not directly involved in the matters detailed in the complaint and including a member independent of the management and running of the school.
Late applications
Application forms received after the closing date will be considered alongside those applicants who applied on time wherever possible. Where it is not practicable because places have already been allocated, or are shortly to be allocated, then late applicants will be considered only after those applicants who applied by the published closing date.
A late application does not affect the right of appeal or the right to be placed on Stoneydelph Primary school’s waiting list.
Repeat applications
Parents do not have the right to a second appeal in respect of Stoneydelph Primary school for the same academic year unless, in exceptional circumstances, the school 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.
Published admission numbers and school place capacity
A school’s published admission number (PAN) reflects the maximum number of children to be admitted at the normal age of entry and should only be exceeded in exceptional circumstances and with prior agreement from the Local Admissions Forum. Published Admission Numbers for all local schools are available from Staffordshire County Council School Admissions website. Stoneydelph Primary School PAN is 30 for Reception to Year Six.
In addition to the Published Admission Number which is published it should be recognised that in some academic years Stoneydelph Primary School operates a school structure with amalgamated year groups. This may result in practical limitations to the number of school places able to be offered at any given time. This is of particular relevance when requests are received from parents or carers for an ‘in-year transfer’ from another school.
'In-year transfer' arrangements
Parents or carers seeking to transfer to Stoneydelph Primary school 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 for joining the new school may be after the next term or half term holiday and those parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that their child continues to receive appropriate education in the interim.
Closing date for return of applications - normal age of entry
All primary school applications should be submitted by the national closing date of 15 January.
Decisions
All Staffordshire parents who have applied for a place at Stoneydelph Primary School at the normal age of entry will be notified on the national notification date.
Offers of school places will be sent by Staffordshire County Council on behalf of the school.
Children resident in other Local Authorities who have made preferences for schools within Staffordshire for the normal age of entry will be notified of the outcome of their request by their home Local Authority.
Where a Staffordshire child does not qualify for admission to any of their preferred schools and is also not on the roll of a school within a reasonable distance of the home address, an alternative school will be offered in conjunction with the relevant admission authority.
Where refusals are made for Staffordshire schools, parents will be given information about the appeal process.
Where refusals are made on behalf of other Local Authorities further information will be provided to parents to enable them to appeal should they wish to do so.
Waiting lists and late applications
Stoneydelph Primary School operates a waiting list when oversubscribed at the normal age of entry.
Stoneydelph Primary School, as the admissions authority, shall maintain a waiting list for the normal age of entry for at least 1 term in the academic year of admission according to the published admission arrangements. The waiting lists will be clear, fair and objective and will not give priority to any child based on the date that their application was received or the date that the child’s name was added to the waiting list. It must be noted, that children who are the subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or those that are allocated to a school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol must take precedence over other children on the waiting list. (Please see School Admissions Code paragraphs 3.9 to 3.15.)
Acceptance of school place
Parents will have at least two weeks after the date of offer to notify the authority as to whether or not he/she wishes to accept the place offered where relevant to the individual school admission arrangements.
Change of preference
During the admission process the order of school preference may be changed by parents in writing up to the closing date. After this date, any change of preferences received will be dealt with in line with the late application policy. Parents wishing to change their preferences to include schools not previously named will need to make a late application, which will be administered in line with information provided above. Parents wishing to change their preferences after the notification date will need to make a late application which will then be administered in line with information provided above.
Failure to express a preference
Where a Staffordshire parent does not make an application for any school and the child is known to the School Admissions and Transport Service a place will be offered at the nearest maintained school with spaces available. Transport assistance will not necessarily be provided. In the case where the nearest school with a space available is its own admissions authority as is the case for Stoneydelph Primary School, the offer will be made in consultation with and on behalf of the allocated school.
Processing applications – in-year admissions
The process for in year transfers for Staffordshire schools is not coordinated. In line with the School Admissions Code, parents are able to contact the school or Staffordshire Admissions and Transport Service for information about places available and then make applications directly to schools.
Application forms for ‘In Year’ places are available from the County Council along with guidance on completing them or from the Staffordshire school you are leaving / the Staffordshire school you are applying to join. Completed application forms should be returned directly to the preferred school. The school will notify the local authority of both the application and the outcome of the application within 7 school days, including sending through a copy of the decision letter where the application has been refused. All decisions on applications will be made in line with the determined admission arrangements and will be subject to scrutiny to determine whether or not they meet the criteria for consideration under the LA Fair Access Protocol. A copy of this protocol is published on the LA website.
When determining school place applications outside the normal admissions round, admission authorities must not refuse to admit a child thought to be potentially disruptive, or likely to exhibit challenging behaviour, on the grounds that the child is first to be assessed for special educational needs.
Where a child has been permanently excluded from two or more schools there is no need for an admission authority to comply with parental preference for a period of two years from the last exclusion. The twice excluded rule does not apply to children who were below compulsory school age at the time of the exclusion, children who have been re-instated following a permanent exclusion (or would have been had it been practicable to do so), and children with special educational needs statements. There is an expectation that the PAN at the normal age of entry will apply as the year group works through the school.
When it is not possible to offer a place, parents must be advised of their right of appeal under the School Admissions Appeals Code. Schools should confirm that this has been done in their notification to the local authority by sending a copy of the formal decision to parents.
For applications for year groups where a waiting list is in operation, the School Admissions and Transport Team will add unsuccessful applicants to the waiting list. Schools must not offer places to applicants in excess of the published admission number where a waiting list is in operation without consulting with the School Admissions and Transport Team.
Where a refusal means that a child does not have a school place, the School Admissions Team will contact parents to discuss options for securing a place. This may involve approaching other schools in the area that have places on parents behalf to offer them an alternative school.
The Staffordshire School Admissions and Transport Service are available to both schools and parents as a source of advice on the admissions process.
Stoneydelph Primary School is a Converter Academy, having joined the Community Academies Trust (CAT) in July 2018. More details about the Trust are available at on their web site.
If the total number of preferences for admission to the academy exceeds the academy’s published admission number (PAN) of 45, the following order of priority is used to allocate the available places.
- Relevant Children in Care, including those previously determined as Looked After Children. (That is, 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).
- Children who have an elder sibling in attendance at the academy and who will still be attending the school at the proposed admission date; (For admission purposes, a brother or sister is a child who lives at the same address and either: have one or both natural parents in common; are related by a parents marriage; are adopted or fostered by a common parent or are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners.)
- Children living within the catchment area of Stoneydelph Primary School.
- Children who satisfy both of the following tests:
- The child is distinguished from the great majority of other applicants either on their own medical grounds or by other exceptional circumstances.
Medical grounds must be supported by a medical report (obtained by the applicant and provided at the point of application). This report must clearly justify, for health reasons only, why it is better for the child’s health to attend Stoneydelph Primary School rather than any other school.
Exceptional circumstances must relate to the choice of school and the individual child, i.e. the circumstances of the child, not the economic or social circumstances of the parent/carer. They should be supported by a professional report (obtained by the applicant and provided at the point of application), e.g. social worker. This report must clearly justify why it is better for the child to attend the preferred school rather than any other school.
- The child would suffer hardship if they were unable to attend Stoneydelph Primary School. Hardship means severe suffering of any kind, not merely difficulty or inconvenience, which is likely to be experienced as a result of the child attending a different school. Applicants must provide detailed information about both the type and severity of any likely hardship at the time of application.
- Other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the academy, determined by a straight-line measurement as calculated by the local authority’s geographical information system.
Where it is not possible to accommodate all children applying for places within a particular category then the academy will allocate the available places in accordance with the remaining criteria. If for instance, all the catchment area children cannot be accommodated, children who are resident within the catchment area will be arranged in order of priority according to the remaining criteria.
Additional notes
- Copies of school catchment area maps are available from the Local Authority or individual schools.
- There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to a school.
- Admissions are administered through a coordinated admission scheme and will be processed centrally by the Staffordshire School Admissions Service (Prime).
- Each child will receive only one offer of a place at a Staffordshire school.
- In accordance with legislation, children who have a statutory statement of special educational need or Education Health Care Plan that names Stoneydelph Primary School as being the most appropriate to meet the child’s needs must be admitted to that school. This may reduce the amount of places available to other applicants.
- Relevant Children in Care means children who are in the care of a local authority in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989(b) and who (a) are looked after at the time an application is made and (b) in relation to whom the local authority has confirmed that the children will still be looked after at the time when the child will be admitted to school. It has also recently been extended to include those previously determined as Looked After Children. (That is, 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).
- It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide any supportive information required in order for the application to be assessed against the published admissions criteria, Stoneydelph Primary school will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.
- Staffordshire Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to calculate home to school distances in miles. The measurement is calculated using Ordnance Survey (OS) data from an applicant's home address to the main front gate of the school. The coordinates of an applicant's home address are determined using the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point data.
- The requirement for Stoneydelph Primary school to meet the Infant Class Size legislation may result in the refusal of catchment area or sibling applications where a class has already reached its limit of 30 pupils. However, there are permitted exceptions to this legislation which Stoneydelph Primary school will regard when considering applications.
- The home address is considered to be the child’s along with their parent/carer’s main and genuine principal place of residence at the time of the allocation of places i.e. where they are normally and regularly living. If a child is resident with friends or relatives (for reasons other than legal guardianship) the friend or relative’s address will not be considered for allocation purposes.
- Where parents have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives with both parents for part of the school week, parents will be required to provide documentary evidence to support the address they wish to be considered for allocation purposes.
- If a place is offered on the basis of an address that is subsequently found to be different from a child’s normal and permanent home address then that place is likely to be withdrawn.
- If there are a limited number of spaces available and we cannot distinguish between applicants using the criteria listed, such as in the case of children who live in the same block of flats, then the child or children who will be offered the available spaces will be randomly selected. This process will be independently verified.
- Any Staffordshire child not obtaining a place at any of their parent’s preferred schools will be allocated a place at their catchment area school (if places remain available) or the next nearest school with a space available and advised about the independent appeals process.
Deferred entry to reception class
Parents may request that their child be admitted to reception class on a part-time basis, or that their child be admitted to school later in the same academic year until the child reaches compulsory school age (i.e. beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday). The effect is that the place will be held for the child in reception and is not available to be offered to any other child within the same academic year in which it has been offered.
Before deciding whether to defer their child’s entry to school, parents should visit the academy to clarify how we cater for the youngest children in reception and how the needs of these children are met as they move up through the school.
Admission outside of the normal age group
Parents may seek to apply for their child’s admission to school outside of their normal age group, for example if the child is exceptionally gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health. In addition, the parents of summer born children may choose not to send their 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.
These parents will need to make an application alongside children applying at the normal age which should explain why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside of their normal age which may include information such as professional evidence as to why this is the case and why an exception should be made in the case of the child. A decision as to whether this is an appropriate course of action will be made by the governing body who will take into account the circumstances of the case and views of the headteacher. Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.
Waiting lists
Unsuccessful applicants will be placed on a waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria stated above and not based on the date their application was received. If places become available after the offer date they will be offered according to the child at the top of the waiting list.
Waiting Lists will be kept until the end of the autumn term of admission.
For cases where the infant class size regulations apply, the waiting list will operate until the cohort concerned leaves Year 2.
Inclusion on a school’s waiting list does not mean that a place will eventually become available at the preferred 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 the list to be ranked again in line with the oversubscription criteria listed above.
Children who are subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or who are allocated to Stoneydelph Primary school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over those on the waiting list.
Appeals against allocation of places
In the event of a dispute regarding allocation of places, parents will have the right to lodge an appeal with an Independent Appeals Panel. A revised School Admission Appeals Code came into effect on 1 February 2012.
Appeals against determined admission arrangements
The new Code introduces a different route for lodging objections to the determined admissions arrangements of Academies. Previously these were submitted to the YPLA. From now on they should be submitted to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA). This change applies only to formal objections about determined admissions arrangements.
The Code requires Academies to have in place procedures which are slightly different to those of maintained schools. The Appeals Procedure must contain the following three stages, for any objection with regards the Admissions Policy:
- An opportunity to resolve the complaint with the Academy on an informal basis.
- A formal complaint made in writing.
- An opportunity for unresolved complaints to be heard by a panel of governors not directly involved in the matters detailed in the complaint and including a member independent of the management and running of the school.
Late applications
Application forms received after the closing date will be considered alongside those applicants who applied on time wherever possible. Where it is not practicable because places have already been allocated, or are shortly to be allocated, then late applicants will be considered only after those applicants who applied by the published closing date.
A late application does not affect the right of appeal or the right to be placed on Stoneydelph Primary school’s waiting list.
Repeat applications
Parents do not have the right to a second appeal in respect of Stoneydelph Primary school for the same academic year unless, in exceptional circumstances, the school 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.
Published admission numbers and school place capacity
A school’s published admission number (PAN) reflects the maximum number of children to be admitted at the normal age of entry and should only be exceeded in exceptional circumstances and with prior agreement from the Local Admissions Forum. Published Admission Numbers for all local schools are available from Staffordshire County Council School Admissions website. Stoneydelph Primary School PAN is 45 for Reception to Year Six.
In addition to the Published Admission Number which is published it should be recognised that in some academic years Stoneydelph Primary School operates a school structure with amalgamated year groups. This may result in practical limitations to the number of school places able to be offered at any given time. This is of particular relevance when requests are received from parents or carers for an ‘in-year transfer’ from another school.
'In-year transfer' arrangements
Parents or carers seeking to transfer to Stoneydelph Primary school 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 for joining the new school may be after the next term or half term holiday and those parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that their child continues to receive appropriate education in the interim.
Closing date for return of applications - normal age of entry
All primary school applications should be submitted by the national closing date of 15 January.
Decisions
All Staffordshire parents who have applied for a place at Stoneydelph Primary School at the normal age of entry will be notified on 16 April.
Offers of school places will be sent by Staffordshire County Council on behalf of the school.
Children resident in other Local Authorities who have made preferences for schools within Staffordshire for the normal age of entry will be notified of the outcome of their request by their home Local Authority.
Where a Staffordshire child does not qualify for admission to any of their preferred schools and is also not on the roll of a school within a reasonable distance of the home address, an alternative school will be offered in conjunction with the relevant admission authority.
Where refusals are made for Staffordshire schools, parents will be given information about the appeal process.
Where refusals are made on behalf of other Local Authorities further information will be provided to parents to enable them to appeal should they wish to do so.
Waiting lists and late applications
Stoneydelph Primary School operates a waiting list when oversubscribed at the normal age of entry.
Stoneydelph Primary School, as the admissions authority, shall maintain a waiting list for the normal age of entry for at least 1 term in the academic year of admission according to the published admission arrangements. The waiting lists will be clear, fair and objective and will not give priority to any child based on the date that their application was received or the date that the child’s name was added to the waiting list. It must be noted, that children who are the subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or those that are allocated to a school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol must take precedence over other children on the waiting list. (Please see School Admissions Code paragraphs 3.9 to 3.15.)
Acceptance of school place
Parents will have at least two weeks after the date of offer to notify the authority as to whether or not he/she wishes to accept the place offered where relevant to the individual school admission arrangements.
Change of preference
During the admission process the order of school preference may be changed by parents in writing up to the closing date. After this date, any change of preferences received will be dealt with in line with the late application policy. Parents wishing to change their preferences to include schools not previously named will need to make a late application, which will be administered in line with information provided above. Parents wishing to change their preferences after the notification date will need to make a late application which will then be administered in line with information provided above.
Failure to express a preference
Where a Staffordshire parent does not make an application for any school and the child is known to the School Admissions and Transport Service a place will be offered at the nearest maintained school with spaces available. Transport assistance will not necessarily be provided. In the case where the nearest school with a space available is its own admissions authority as is the case for Stoneydelph Primary School, the offer will be made in consultation with and on behalf of the allocated school.
Processing applications – in-year admissions
The process for in year transfers for Staffordshire schools is not coordinated. In line with the School Admissions Code, parents are able to contact the school or Staffordshire Admissions and Transport Service for information about places available and then make applications directly to schools.
Application forms for ‘In Year’ places are available from the County Council along with guidance on completing them or from the Staffordshire school you are leaving / the Staffordshire school you are applying to join. Completed application forms should be returned directly to the preferred school. The school will notify the local authority of both the application and the outcome of the application within 7 school days, including sending through a copy of the decision letter where the application has been refused. All decisions on applications will be made in line with the determined admission arrangements and will be subject to scrutiny to determine whether or not they meet the criteria for consideration under the LA Fair Access Protocol. A copy of this protocol is published on the LA website.
When determining school place applications outside the normal admissions round, admission authorities must not refuse to admit a child thought to be potentially disruptive, or likely to exhibit challenging behaviour, on the grounds that the child is first to be assessed for special educational needs.
Where a child has been permanently excluded from two or more schools there is no need for an admission authority to comply with parental preference for a period of two years from the last exclusion. The twice excluded rule does not apply to children who were below compulsory school age at the time of the exclusion, children who have been re-instated following a permanent exclusion (or would have been had it been practicable to do so), and children with special educational needs statements. There is an expectation that the PAN at the normal age of entry will apply as the year group works through the school.
When it is not possible to offer a place, parents must be advised of their right of appeal under the School Admissions Appeals Code. Schools should confirm that this has been done in their notification to the local authority by sending a copy of the formal decision to parents.
For applications for year groups where a waiting list is in operation, the School Admissions and Transport Team will add unsuccessful applicants to the waiting list. Schools must not offer places to applicants in excess of the published admission number where a waiting list is in operation without consulting with the School Admissions and Transport Team.
Where a refusal means that a child does not have a school place, the School Admissions Team will contact parents to discuss options for securing a place. This may involve approaching other schools in the area that have places on parents behalf to offer them an alternative school.
The Staffordshire School Admissions and Transport Service are available to both schools and parents as a source of advice on the admissions process.
This policy was agreed by Stoneydelph Primary School Governors Board on 26 September 2019.