Woodhouse Academy
2025/2026
2024/2025 and 2023/2024
Parents will be able to make their middle school applications online through the Staffordshire County Council website at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/admissions. However, admissions are the legal responsibility of the Governors and the school is consulted regarding all applications.
If the number of pupils seeking admission to Woodhouse Academy exceeds the number of places available, then the following order of priority will be used:
1. Looked after 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
2. Children who satisfy both the following criteria:
i) They are distinguished from the great majority of other applications 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, if it is better for the child to attend the preferred school rather than any another school.
Exceptional circumstances must relate to the choice of school; i.e. the circumstances of the child not the economic or social circumstances of the parent.
ii) They would suffer under hardship if they were unable to attend the Academy.
3. Children who would, in the first year to which the application related, have an elder brother or sister in attendance at the Academy. For admissions 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.
4. Children living within the catchment area of the Academy - Woodhouse Academy Catchment Area
5. Children who have elected to pursue their primary education at major contributory schools. These are Moor First School and Oxhey First School.
6. For all other applications, and in the event of oversubscription in any category, priority will be given to the child based on distance. Distance will be measured by a direct line from the front door of the childs’ home address to the main entrance of the Academy.
The Governors have set an agreed admission number of 90 pupils for the Academic Year 2025/26.
Additional Notes
Admissions are administered through a coordinated admission scheme and preferences will be processed centrally by the School Admissions and Transport Service. 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 and Care Plan that names the school as being the most appropriate to meet the child’s needs must be admitted. This will reduce the amount of places available to other applicants.
Looked after children 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 Governors will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.
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 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.
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.
Inclusion on a school’s waiting list does not mean that a place will eventually become available at the school. The waiting list will be held until 31 December 2025.
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 the school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over those on the waiting list.
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 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, the governors have 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.
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, explaining why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside of their normal age. 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 may be included. 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 principal. Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.
Appeals
Parents who wish to appeal against the decision of the Governors to refuse their child a place in the school may apply in writing to the Chair of Governors. Appeals will be heard by an independent appeal panel.
Parents will be able to make their middle school applications online. However, admissions are the legal responsibility of the Governors and the school is consulted regarding all applications.
If the number of pupils seeking admission to Woodhouse Academy exceeds the number of places available, then the following order of priority will be used:
- Looked after 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 living within the catchment area of the Academy (Biddulph and Biddulph Moor).
- Children who would, in the first year to which the application related, have an elder brother or sister in attendance at the Academy. For admissions 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.
- Children who satisfy both the following criteria:
- They are distinguished from the great majority of other applications 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, if it is better for the child to attend the preferred school rather than any another school.
Exceptional circumstances must relate to the choice of school; ie the circumstances of the child not the economic or social circumstances of the parent.
- They would suffer under hardship if they were unable to attend the Academy.
- Children who have elected to pursue their primary education at major contributory schools. These are Moor First School and Oxhey First School.
- For all other applications, and in the event of oversubscription in any category, priority will be given to the child based on distance. Distance will be measured by a direct line from the front door of the childs’ home address to the main entrance of the Academy.
The Governors have set an agreed admission number of 120 pupils
Additional Notes
Admissions are administered through a coordinated admission scheme and preferences will be processed centrally by the School Admissions and Transport Service. 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 and Care Plan that names the school as being the most appropriate to meet the child’s needs must be admitted. This will reduce the amount of places available to other applicants.
Looked after children 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 Governors will not seek to obtain this information on behalf of the applicant.
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 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.
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.
Inclusion on a school’s waiting list does not mean that a place will eventually become available at the school.
A child’s position on a waiting list is not fixed and is subject to change during the year i.e. they can go up or down the list since each added child will require 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 the school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over those on the waiting list.
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 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, the governors have 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.
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, explaining why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside of their normal age. 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 may be included. 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 principal. Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.
Appeals
Parents who wish to appeal against the decision of the Governors to refuse their child a place in the school may apply in writing to the Chair of Governors. Appeals will be heard by an independent appeal panel.
panel.