Beresford Memorial CE First
2025/2026
2023/2024 & 2024/2025
The PAN for Beresford Memorial CE First School Reception Class is 30.
Normal Age of Entry
Full time places in Reception classes will be available in September of the academic year within which the child becomes five years old.
Although parents have the right to express a preference for the Academy that they wish their child to attend, there is no guarantee of a place being offered at that Academy.
It is the Trust’s policy to try and meet parents’ wishes where possible. However, in some cases there may be more applications for a particular setting than there are places. Admissions to Beresford Memorial CE First School are determined by the oversubscription criteria detailed below.
Oversubscription Criteria
If the total number of preferences for admission to Beresford Memorial CE First School exceeds the Academy’s Published Admission Number (PAN), an order of priority is used by the Local Governing Body to allocate the available places based on the below criteria:
1) Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements 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.
2) Children who have an elder brother or sister in attendance at the preferred Academy and who will still be attending the Academy at the time of 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 parent’s marriage; are adopted or fostered by a common parent or are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners.)
3) Children who are eligible for pupil premium, early years premium or service premium and attending Beresford Memorial CE First School Nursery Provision.
4) Children whose parents seek a Christian Education for their children. Parents will be asked to submit a supplementary form to support the following criteria:
a) Children who are Baptised.
b) Children whose parents are practising members of the Church of England within the Parish Boundaries.
c) Practising Christians outside the Parish Boundaries or of another denomination.
5) Children of staff, where the member of staff has been employed at the school for 2 or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made. Confirmation of the member of staff’s work destination to be sought from the Trust Central Executive Team.
6) Children living within the defined catchment area.
7) All other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of Academy, determined by a straight-line measurement as calculated by the local authority’s geographical information system.
Applicants can view the admission application process on the school’s website, https://bmf.ttlt.org.uk/
Where it is not possible to accommodate all children applying for places within a particular category then the Local Governing Body will allocate the available places in accordance with the remaining criteria. If for instance, all the catchment area children (where applicable) cannot be accommodated at a school, 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 school office on request.
There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to Beresford Memorial CE First School. Applications for admissions are received through Staffordshire County Councils coordinated admission scheme. Information about Staffordshire’s catchment and transport policies are available on the council’s website: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Schooltransport/policy.aspx.
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 an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) that names a particular school as being the most appropriate to meet the child’s needs must be admitted to that school. This will reduce the number of places available to other applicants.
Children in Care means children who are in the care of or provided with accommodation by a local authority in accordance with section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989 at the time of making the application.
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, the Trust will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.
Beresford Memorial CE First School uses Staffordshire County Councils a geographical information system (GIS) 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 Academy. The coordinates of an applicant's home address are determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS address point data. More details regarding this can be found on the Local Authorities website.
The requirement to meet the Infant Class Size legislation may result in a refused application, even of catchment area or sibling where a class has already reached its limit of 30 pupils. However, as an exception, individual Academies will give careful consideration to offering places above the Admission Number to applications from children whose twin or sibling from a multiple birth is admitted even when there are no other vacant places.
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 friends or relatives 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.
It is expected that parents will agree on school places before an application is made, and it may be necessary to request evidence from you to confirm that this is the case. The Local Governing Body is not in a position to intervene in disputes between parents over school applications and will request that these are resolved privately.
If a place is offered on the basis of information submitted that is subsequently found to be incorrect at the time of allocation of places, 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.
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 requesting whether to defer their child’s entry to Reception, parents should visit their preferred school(s) to clarify how they cater for the youngest children in Reception and how the needs of these children are met as they move up through the Academy.
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. There will be a period of two weeks after the national offer date whereby available places will not be reallocated. If places become available after this date, they will be offered according to the child at the top of the waiting list. For cases where the infant class size regulations apply, the waiting list will operate until the cohort concerned leaves Year 2 and parents will be written to each year to ask whether or not they wish their child’s details to remain on the list.
For all other cases, Waiting Lists will be kept by the Local Authority until the 31st December.
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. It is ranked purely on eligibility for a place not length of time on the list.
Children who are subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or who are allocated to a school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over those on the waiting list.
Late Applications
Applications which are received after the last local authority published date will be considered after all others. A late application does not affect the right of appeal or the right to be placed on a school’s waiting list.
Repeat Applications
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, there has been a significant and material change in the circumstances of the parent, child but still refused admission.
“In-Year Transfer” Arrangements
Parents or carers seeking to transfer to a particular Academy may make an application using the appropriate application form, which can be obtained from the individual Academy. In year applications for school places will be responded to within a maximum of 15 school days. This application will be processed in line with the availability of spaces and the criteria outlined in the determined admission arrangements. Whilst an application is considered the parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that their child continues to receive appropriate education in the interim.
In the interests of safeguarding all schools must inform the Local Authority when a pupil has left.
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.
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. This 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 Local Governing Body who will take into account the circumstances of the case and views of the Headteacher/Head of School of that Academy. Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.
Right of Appeal
Where the Academy is unable to offer a place because the school is oversubscribed, parents have the right to appeal to an independent admission appeal panel. Parent/carers should complete an online appeal form available from Staffordshire County Councils website: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Admissionappeals/home.aspx and submit this within 20 school days of receiving the letter refusing admission.
Beresford Memorial CE (VA) First School is a Church of England First School that aims to be both distinctly Christian and an inclusive community, nurturing children in the Christian faith and serving the whole community by reaching out to all.
The Governing Body is responsible for the admission of pupils to Beresford Memorial Church of England School and admits 30 full-time pupils to the reception class and 26 part-time children to the nursery class each September.
Admissions to the school will be co-ordinated through the Local Authority’s co-ordinated scheme and its timetable and no priority will be given for early application.
Children attending the nursery class may transfer to the reception class but this cannot be guaranteed as a new admission form must be completed and eligibility will be under the priorities outlined in this policy. In the event of oversubscription to the nursery class the same criteria as for the reception class, as outlined in this policy, will apply but there is no right to appeal against admission to the nursery class since it is non-statutory education.
The Governing Body is required to abide by the maximum limits for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 (5, 6,& 7 year olds) of 30 children per class.
When there are more applicants than there are places available, the Governors will admit pupils according to the following criteria in order of priority:-
- Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements 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 with medical or social priority reasons. This means pupils that are distinguished from the great majority of other applicants either on medical grounds or by other exceptional circumstances. Medical grounds must be supported by a medical report (obtained by parents). It must clearly justify, for health reasons only, why it is better for the child to attend this school rather than any other school. Exceptional circumstances must relate to the choice of school, i.e. the circumstances of the child, or the specific economic or social circumstances of the parent, and be supported by a professional report, e.g. social worker, justifying why it is better for the child to attend the preferred school rather than any other school and if they would suffer hardship if they were unable to attend this school.
- Children who have brothers/sisters attending the school at the time of admission (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 whose families are faithful and regular worshippers of any of the Anglican churches in Leek and Meerbrook Team Ministry, written evidence of the applicant’s commitment to their place of worship (in the form of a clergy reference) will be required.
- Children whose families are faithful and regular worshippers of another Christian denomination as recognised by the CTBI/EA (Churches together in Britain and Ireland / Evangelical Alliance), written evidence of the applicant’s commitment to their place of worship (in the form of a minister’s reference) will be required.
- Pupils living within the catchment area of the school.
- Remaining places will be allocated by the nearness to the school, determined by a straight line measurement as calculated by the Geographical Information System used by the Directorate of Children, Young People and Families.
Notes
- Any child with a statement of special educational need or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) with Beresford Memorial CE (VA) First School as the named school will be admitted.
- Faithful and regular worshipper is defined as worshipping for 2 years prior to application.
- Late applications will only be considered if places are available.
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.
This request will be accommodated by Governors if it is in the best interests of the child.
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 Governors 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.
This policy will be reviewed on a regular basis in line with the School Admission Code and statutory requirements.
Parents who are not offered a place for admission to the Reception class have a right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel. Information on the appeals procedure is available from the school or the Lichfield Diocesan Board of Education.
For any unsuccessful applicant a waiting list will be kept in admission criteria order until the end of the Autumn Term.
Unless there are significant and material changes in the circumstances of a parent’s application for their child or the school, governors will not consider a repeat application in the same academic year.
Any in-year (outside the normal point of entry) applications should be submitted directly to the school.
The Local Authority uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) 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 is determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point data.
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.
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, the Local Authority will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.
The requirement for the 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, as an exception, the school will give careful consideration to offering places above the published admission number to applications from children whose twin or sibling from a multiple birth is admitted even when there are no other vacant places.