Admissions
South Borough Primary School became an academy and part of the Trust in February 2015.
The following arrangements with respect to the admission of pupils to the school are to be adopted.
The governors will provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. The PAN in Reception is 60. Parents can request that the date their child is admitted to the school is deferred until later in the school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year. Parents may also request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.
Where applications for admission exceed the number of places available, the following criteria will be applied, in the order set out below, to decide which children to admit.
1. Oversubscription Criteria
Looked After Children / Children in Local Authority Care
A ‘looked after child’ or child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
Sibling / Current Family Association
A brother or sister attending South Borough Primary School when the child starts; in this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters. The sibling link is maintained as long as the family live at the same address as when the first child applied, or has moved closer to the school than when the first child was offered a place, or has moved to an address that is less than 2 miles from the school using the distance measured by the method outlined in the distance/nearness of children’s home to school criterion.
Medical / Health and Special Access Reasons
Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend South Borough Primary School. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’, physical or mental health or social needs means that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend South Borough Primary School. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and South Borough Primary School.
Distance / Nearness of children’s home to school
We use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point data. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for the school, these straight lines measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school.
A block of flats has a single address point of reference, so applicants living in the same block will be regarded as living the same distance away from the school. In the unlikely event that two or more children live in the same block and in all other ways have equal eligibility for the last available place at the school, the names will be issued a number and drawn randomly to decide which child should be given the place.
2. Child’s home address
A child’s home address is considered to be a residential property that is the child’s only or main residence (not an address at which the child may sometimes stay or sleep) and which is either owned by the child’s parent, parents or guardian or leased or rented to them under a lease or written rental agreement. Where partners live apart but share responsibility for the child, and the child lives at two different addresses during the week, we will regard the home address as the one at which the child sleeps for the majority of week days.
Where applications are received after the deadline set by Kent County Council, places will be allocated in line with Kent’s admissions scheme. Priority of admission will be determined by the above criteria. In the event of a ‘tie breaker’ situation the nearness of an applicant’s home to school will be the decider. In the event that more than one applicant has the same distance from home to school (as measured by the local authority), and then a random selection will be applied.
3. Appeals
Parents have the right to appeal against any refusal to admit their child. Appeals should be directed to an Appeals Committee established within the terms of the Education Act 1996. Details of the appeals procedure can be obtained from the Chair of Governors. The Appeals Committee will notify the Appellant of the outcome:
- Appeals must be lodged in line with the LA date, except where the initial application was a late application, in which case the appeal must be lodged within 21 days of the allocation decision being sent to the parents.
- The school will acknowledge an appeal within seven working days of it being lodged
- Appeals relating to other admissions can be made at any time
4. Right to Withdraw a Place
After a place has been offered the school reserves the right to withdraw the place in the following circumstances:
i. When a parent has failed to respond to an offer within a reasonable time; or
ii. When a parent has failed to notify the school of important changes to the application information; or
iii. The admission authority offered the place on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent
5. Waiting Lists
Parents of children who have not been offered a place at the school may ask for their child’s name to be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list will be operated using the same admissions criteria listed above. Placing a child’s name on the waiting list does not guarantee that a place will become available. This does not prevent parents from exercising their right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place. It is possible that when a child is directed under the local authority’s fair access protocol they will take precedence over those children already on the list.
6. In-Year (Casual) Admissions
Requests for applications for a place at the school in-year must initially be made on an In Year Casual Admission Form or by writing to the Head of School who will offer a place, if one is available and their child meets the criteria for admission. If a place cannot be offered, parents will be offered the opportunity of placing their child’s name on a waiting list. This does not prevent parents from exercising their right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place.
7. Deferred Entry
Where an offer has been made, the school will provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. Parents can chose to defer the date their child is admitted to the school until later in the school year, but not beyond the start of the term after their child reaches compulsory school age and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year. Where parents wish, children may attend part-time until after in the school year, but not beyond the start of the term after their child reaches compulsory school age.
Requests for admission to Reception outside of the normal age group should be made to the Headteacher as early as possible in the admissions round associated with the child’s date of birth. This will allow the school and admissions authority sufficient time to make a decision before the closing date. Parents are not expected to provide evidence to support their request to defer their application, however where provided it must be specific to the child in question. This might include medical or Educational Psychologist reports. There is no legal requirement for this medical or educational evidence to be secured from an appropriate professional, however, failure to provide this may impede a school’s ability to agree to deferral. Parents are required to complete an application for the normal point of entre at the same time, in case their request is declined. This application can be cancelled if the school agrees to accept a deferred application for entry into Year R the following year. Deferred applications must be made via paper RCAF to the LA, with written confirmation from each named school attached. Deferred applications will be processed in the same way as all applications for the cohort in the following admissions round, and offers will be made in accordance with each school’s oversubscription criteria. Further advice is available at www.kent.gov.uk/primaryadmissions.
If your child is due to start Primary school in September 2024, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Tuesday, 16 April 2024). You needed to submit your appeal before Tuesday 14 May 2024 for it to be considered by Tuesday 16th July 2024. Any appeals received after this time will be heard within 40 school days from the deadline, or where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.
For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.
Applications Out-of-Chronological Age Group
In rare circumstances, parents/carers may choose to seek a place for their child outside of their chronological age group for a variety of reasons (e.g. the child is summer-born, is considered gifted and talented, has experienced problems such as ill health, or has had an interrupted education through residency abroad).
The decision to admit a child out-of-year group is rare. It will always be made on the basis of the unique circumstances for each specific case and what is best for that individual child. The decision will be made by the Executive Headteacher of the school and will take into account the following:
- parents’/carers’ views;
- expert advice from relevant social, educational and medical professionals;
- whether the child has previously been educated out of their normal age group;
- any evidence that the child may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely;
- the long-term impact of the decision on the child.
Applications for a child to be admitted to a year group outside of their chronological age group should be made through the same process set out in this policy for both ‘normal round’ and ‘in-year’ applications. However, in addition to the standard application form further documentation should be provided to support the request for a place out of chronological year group. This applies regardless of whether it is for a higher or lower year group.
The Executive Headteacher may request additional information after the submission of an application for an out-of-year group place, if necessary.
Each application will be considered on the individual circumstances of each case. Applicants will be notified in writing of the decision, including the reasons for it.
Unsuccessful applicants have the right to appeal if they are refused a place at the school. However, this right does not apply if they are offered a place at the school, but it is not in their preferred age group.