All Saints CE First, Leek

2025/2026

2024/2025 & 2023/2024

Admission arrangements 2025/2026 admission arrangements

The PAN for All Saints CE First School Reception Class is 45.

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 All Saints CE First School are determined by the oversubscription criteria detailed below.

Oversubscription Criteria

If the total number of preferences for admission to All Saints 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 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.

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 living within the defined catchment area.

6) 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://asf.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 school office on request.

There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to All Saints CE First School Academy. 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 Local Governing Body will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.

All Saints 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.

Admission arrangements 2024/2025 & 2023/2024  

All Saints’ is a Church of England Academy, part of the Talentum Learning Trust (TTLT). Decisions about admission rest with the All Saints’ First School after consultations with the Local Education Authority and the Lichfield Diocese.  All Saints’ First School is responsible for the implementation of the admission arrangements of pupils into the Nursery and main school and for determining the arrangements for admitting all pupils.

As a Church school we offer a distinctly Christian education and are open and inclusive of those who seek such an education.

The published admission number (PAN) for All Saints’ First School for is 45.

Children will be admitted to Reception in the September of the academic year in which the child becomes 5 years of age. Applications for admission into Reception are separate to applications for admission into Nursery.

Admissions criteria for all of the above:

Waiting lists will be kept until at least the end of the Autumn Term for admissions in September.

In admitting children priority will be given to children with Statements or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) specifying this school and then the following criteria, in priority order, will be adopted in the event of an insufficient number of places being available:

1. Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement 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 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 the 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.
3. Siblings of children who will be attending the school at the time of the child’s admission and do not meet one of the criteria listed above. Sibling refers to a child who lives at the same address and either:
   1. have one or both natural parents in common
   2. are related by a parent marriage
   3. are adopted of fostered by a common parent
   4. are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners
4. Children of staff in either or both of the following circumstances:
   1. where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or
   2. the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
5. Children whose parents are genuinely seeking a Christian Education for their children and who reside within the Parishes of the Leek Team churches. Priority will be given to:
   1. children who are baptised and whose parent(s) are practising members of the Church of England
   2. practising Christians of another denomination

Parents may be asked to submit a reference of worship from their minister to support their application if this is required to support criteria 4a or 4b.

6. Children who reside within the school catchment area.
7. Children who reside within the Parishes of the Leek Team churches.
8. Children of parents who reside outside the Parishes of the Leek Team churches but who seek a Christian Education within a Church of England School. Priority will be given to:
   1. children who are baptised and whose parent(s) are practising members of the Church of England
   2. practising Christians of another denomination

Parents may be asked to submit a reference of worship from their minister to support their application if this is required to support criteria 8a or 8b.

9. Other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the school, determined by the shortest available walking route as calculated by the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System.

Note: 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.

Tie-Break: 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.

Late Applications

Preferences 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 preferences will be considered only after those that were made before this point.

A late application does not affect the right of appeal or the right to be placed on a school’s waiting list.

Repeat Applications

The Governors will not consider repeat applications in the same academic year unless there have been significant and material changes in the circumstances of the applicant.

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 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 school.

Waiting Lists

A waiting list will be operated in admission criteria order and will remain open until 31 December and will then be discarded. Parents may apply to remain on the waiting list if they so wish.

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.

Applications other than the normal intake year

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.

“In-Year Transfer” Arrangements

Parents or carers seeking to transfer to All Saints’ CE(A) First School at a time other than at the start of the Nursery or Reception years, may make an application using the appropriate application form, available from school. 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.

Appeals

Any parent has the right to appeal against a decision not to admit. Appeals should be made in writing to the Chairman of Governors and should state the child’s name, date of birth and home address together with the grounds on which the appeal is made. The Governors have established an independent appeal committee to hear any appeals. The decision of the appeal committee is final and binding.

Admissions arrangements 2020/2021 & 2021/2022

All Saints’ is a Church of England Academy, part of the Talentum Learning Trust (TTLT). Decisions about admission rest with the All Saints’ First School after consultations with the Local Education Authority and the Lichfield Diocese.  All Saints’ First School is responsible for the implementation of the admission arrangements of pupils into the Nursery and main school and for determining the arrangements for admitting all pupils.

As a Church school we offer a distinctly Christian education and are open and inclusive of those who seek such an education.

The published admission number (PAN) for All Saints’ First School for is 42.

Admission into Nursery

The Nursery class has a capacity for up to 36 morning sessions, and 36 afternoon sessions. Provision is made in the Nursery for children in the September of the academic year in which the child becomes 4 years of age. Children generally start nursery the September after their third birthday. If there are places still available after those children have been offered and accepted places, younger children will be considered and may start nursery the term following their third birthday, in January and April.

Registration Process

Parents who wish their child to attend All Saints’ Nursery should register their interest for a nursery place with the All Saints’ First School by completing an application form (available from the school) when their child is two.

Parents may apply for universally funded places and/or additional hours funded places. If parents are not eligible for additional hours funding, they may also apply for a self-funded place for additional hours above the 15 hours which are universally funded.

Documentary evidence of age together with address must be attached to the application. The closing date for September 2019 Nursery applications is 31st March 2019. The closing date for applications for the January 2020 intake is 30 September 2019 and for the April 2020 intake is 31 December 2019.

Late Applications

Preferences 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 preferences will be considered only after those that were made before this point.

Consideration of applications

The school will consider all applications for place in its Nursery. Where fewer applications than the number of places available are received, the school will offer places to all those who have applied.

Procedures where the Nursery is oversubscribed

Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the number of places available, applications will be considered against the same oversubscription criteria as for main school which will be applied in the same order. There is no statutory right of appeal for admission to a nursery setting.

Operation of waiting lists

Where in any year All Saints’ Nursery receives more applications for Nursery places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate. This will be maintained by the school. Any parent may ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application. The child will remain on the waiting list for one term. Children’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the over-subscription criteria.

Important: Admission to All Saints’ Nursery does not guarantee admission to All Saints’ First School Reception. Please refer to the separate Admissions Criteria to All Saints’ First School below.

Admission into Reception

Children will be admitted to Reception in the September of the academic year in which the child becomes 5 years of age. Applications for admission into Reception are separate to applications for admission into Nursery.

Admissions criteria for all of the above:

Waiting lists will be kept until at least the end of the Autumn Term for admissions in September.

In admitting children priority will be given to children with Statements or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) specifying this school and then the following criteria, in priority order, will be adopted in the event of an insufficient number of places being available:

1. Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement 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 are looked after by a local authority in accordance with section 22 (1) of the Children Act 1989 and who are in care of a Local Authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a Local Authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see definition in Section 22 (1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under Adoption and Children Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).
2. 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 the 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.
3. Siblings of children who will be attending the school at the time of the child’s admission and do not meet one of the criteria listed above. Sibling refers to a child who lives at the same address and either:
   1. have one or both natural parents in common
   2. are related by a parent marriage
   3. are adopted of fostered by a common parent
   4. are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners
4. Children of staff in either or both of the following circumstances:
   1. where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or
   2. the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
5. Children whose parents are genuinely seeking a Christian Education for their children and who reside within the Parish of Leek and Meerbrook. Priority will be given to:
   1. children who are baptised and whose parent(s) are practising members of the Church of England
   2. practising Christians of another denomination

Parents may be asked to submit a reference of worship from their minister to support their application if this is required to support criteria 4a or 4b.

6. Children who reside within the school catchment area.
7. Children who reside within the Parish of Leek and Meerbrook.
8. Children of parents who reside outside the Parish of Leek and Meerbrook but who seek a Christian Education within a Church of England School. Priority will be given to:
   1. children who are baptised and whose parent(s) are practising members of the Church of England
   2. practising Christians of another denomination

Parents may be asked to submit a reference of worship from their minister to support their application if this is required to support criteria 8a or 8b.

9. Other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the school, determined by the shortest available walking route as calculated by the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System.

Note: 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.

Tie-Break: 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.

Late Applications

Preferences 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 preferences will be considered only after those that were made before this point.

A late application does not affect the right of appeal or the right to be placed on a school’s waiting list.

Repeat Applications

The Governors will not consider repeat applications in the same academic year unless there have been significant and material changes in the circumstances of the applicant.

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 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 school.

Waiting Lists

A waiting list will be operated in admission criteria order and will remain open until 31 December and will then be discarded. Parents may apply to remain on the waiting list if they so wish.

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.

Applications other than the normal intake year

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.

“In-Year Transfer” Arrangements

Parents or carers seeking to transfer to All Saints’ CE(A) First School at a time other than at the start of the Nursery or Reception years, may make an application using the appropriate application form, available from school. 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.

Appeals

Any parent has the right to appeal against a decision not to admit. Appeals should be made in writing to the Chairman of Governors and should state the child’s name, date of birth and home address together with the grounds on which the appeal is made. The Governors have established an independent appeal committee to hear any appeals. The decision of the appeal committee is final and binding.

Reviewed and amended December 2017