Document type: Policy

Admission
Arrangements
for
Community and
Voluntary Controlled
Primary and
Secondary Schools
2022-2023

Published by: Beverley Sadler

February 2021
 Directorate for People

CONTENTS
Introduction 4

A Date of Admission to Primary and Secondary 5

schools

B Deferred Entry to Primary Schools 5

C Summer Born Children 6

D Admission of Children Outside their Normal Age 6

Group

E Children of UK Service Personnel 6

F Oversubscription Criteria 7

G Expressing a Preference for Admission to the 8

Relevant Year Group

H Single Offer of a School Place 8-9

I Late Applications 10

J Waiting Lists 10-11

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K False Information 11

L Appeals again the Authority’s Decision Not to 11

Offer a Place

M No Common Application Form Received for 11

Children Resident in Barnsley

N Applications for Admission to Schools Outside of 12-13

the Normal Admissions Round

O Twice Excluded Pupils 13

P Distance Criterion : Tie Break 13-14

Annex 1 – Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools 15

Annex 2 – Timetable for Admission to Primary and 16

Secondary Schools

Annex 3 – Criteria for the Offer of a Single School 17

Place in Primary and Secondary Schools

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Introduction

Barnsley Authority is the admissions authority for all community and voluntary
controlled schools within the administrative area of Barnsley and these admission
arrangements only apply to these schools.

A list of schools is provided at Annex 1 with their admission numbers.

Admission to all the Authority’s schools is into the Relevant Year Group which is:
Reception Year group in primary schools;
Year 7 in secondary schools.

Schools are required to admit children up to their admission number in the Relevant
year group.

Attendance at a nursery unit attached to a primary school does not guarantee a place
at that school.

The Authority does not operate defined communities (catchment areas) or feeder
primary schools for allocating places in secondary schools.

Nothing in these arrangements relates to:

(i) the admission to the sixth form at Penistone Grammar School;

(ii) voluntary aided schools, trust schools, Academies
(iii) any school which becomes their own admission authority following
the determination of these admission arrangements

The Governing Bodies of these schools are the admission authority for their
respective arrangements.

The time table for the normal admissions round is given at Annex 2.

Definition of the normal admission round is the process by which:

a) an application for the admission of a child to a relevant age group at a school is

submitted in accordance with the requirements of the scheme;

b)that application is considered by the relevant admission authority for the school in
determining, in accordance with the school’s admission arrangements, the order of
priority in which the application is ranked; and

c) a determination relating to that application is communicated to the parent on the

offer day.

1 The scheme referred to is a scheme adopted by a local education authority to co-ordinate

the admissions process. Details of the scheme to be adopted in Barnsley is contained in the
document: Co-ordinated scheme for the Admission Arrangements for pupils to Primary and
Secondary Schools 2021-2022.

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A Date of Admission to Primary and Infant Schools

Although the law does not require children to be admitted to school until the
beginning of the term following their fifth birthday, (compulsory school age), the
School Admissions Code makes provision for all children to be admitted to school in
the September following their 4th birthday.

Parents will be able to access this entitlement through one of the following options.

Option 1
Full-time in the Reception Year from 1 September following the child’s
4th birthday.
Option 2
Part-time in the Reception Year from 1 September following the child’s fourth
birthday.
Option 3
Part-time in an early years setting.

B Deferred Entry to Primary Schools

1 Where the Authority offers a place at a primary or infant school, a parent who
accepts that school place can defer entry to that school until the term after the
child’s fifth birthday.

2 There may be Spring and Summer Term admissions as a result of parents who
have deferred their child’s entry.

3 The deferred place at that school will be held for that child and will not be
available to be offered to another child.

4 The deferred place must be taken up during the same school year for which the
offer of the place was made and accepted.

5 Entry to a school cannot be deferred to:

a) the next academic year; or

b) beyond the beginning of the term following the child’s fifth birthday.

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C Summer Born Children

1 Parents of summer born children, (those born from 1 April to 31 August)

can request that their child delays entry to Reception year group for a year.

2 The child would then be admitted into Reception Year group in the following
year when other children in they age range are beginning Year 1.

3 Parents must write to the Admissions Team requesting this, and providing
any information in support of their request.

4 A decision is taken by the Admission Authority based on the circumstances of

the case and in the best interests of the child.

D Admission of Children Outside of Their Normal Age Group

1 Parents of gifted and talented children, summer born children, or those who
have experienced problems or missed part of a year, for example due to ill
health, can seek places outside their normal age group.

2 A determination on the exceptional circumstances will be made by the Authority

based on the information provided by the parent.

3 Where the decision is to refuse admission there is no right of appeal if the child
is offered a place in another year group in the school.

E Children of UK Service Personnel

1 For families of service personnel with a confirmed posting to their area, or

crown servants returning from overseas the admission authority must:

a) allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area provided the
application is accompanied by an official letter declaring a relocation date
and a Unit postal address or quartering area address when considering
the application against oversubscription criteria.

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F Oversubscription Criteria

1 Where the number of applications for a primary or secondary school received

during the normal admissions round exceeds the admission number of the
school, or an admission limit set higher than the admission number, then
admission will be determined in accordance with the following priority of
admission criteria:

Children who have a Statement of Special Educational Need which names

the school are required to be admitted.

First, Looked After Children (LAC), previously Looked After Children

(PLAC) and children who have been in state care outside of England (IPLAC);

Second, to children with brothers and/or sisters attending the school on the
proposed date of admission;

Third, to children living nearest the school; the distance to be measured by a

straight line between the centre point of the child’s ordinary place of
residence and the main entrance to the school building.

2 The child’s ordinary place of residence will be deemed to be a residential

property at which the person or persons with parental responsibility for the
child resides at the closing date for receiving applications for admission to
school.

Where parental responsibility is held by more than one person and those
persons reside in separate properties, the child’s ordinary place of residence will
be deemed to be that property at which the child resides for the greater part of
the week including weekends.

Where responsibility for a child is shared evenly, the person receiving Child
Benefit is deemed to be the person responsible for completing application
forms, and whose address will be used for admissions purposes.

3 For the sibling criterion to be applicable one of the following conditions must
exist:

a) brother and/or sister to be permanently resident at the same address;

b) stepbrother and/or stepsister to be permanently resident at the same

address (to include half brothers/sisters).

4 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 care function s at the time of making an application to the school.

Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased
To be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or

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special guardianship order).

G Expressing a Preference for Admission to the Relevant

Year Group

1 This procedure applies to admission for the Reception Year in either a primary
school (age range 5-11) and to Year 7 in a secondary school.

2 For admission to the Reception Year Group or Year 7 parents will be invited to
express three preferences for those schools at which they wish their child to
receive education.

3 Preferences will be made via the online admissions system or on the common
application form.

4 The application will provide three spaces in which parents can state their
preferences in rank order, and give reasons for those preferences.*1

5 For primary applications, the common application form for admission to school
during the normal admissions round will be handed in to the school ranked first
on the common application form. For secondary schools the completed form will
be handed in to the child’s current primary school. Forms can also be submitted
through the Council Website using the Online Admissions System, which is the
preferred method of application recommended to parents.

6 Applications must submitted by the closing dates of

31st October 2021 for secondary schools and by 15th January 2022 for primary
schools.

H Single Offer of a School Place

1 All preferences for individual schools will be treated equally.

2 For each preference expressed the Authority will determine whether the child is
eligible for admission.

3 Where a preference is expressed for a primary or secondary school which is

oversubscribed the Authority will apply the priority of admission oversubscription
criteria.

4 The Authority will make a single offer of a school place for the highest ranked
preference where the child is eligible for admission to school.

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(see Annex 3)

5 For children not resident in Barnsley, the offer of a place will be made by the
Authority in which the child resides.

6 The Authority will only make a single offer of a school place.

7 The offer of a place to a parent will be communicated to the parent on the offer
day of 16 April 2022 for primary schools and 1 March 2022 for secondary
schools.

8 No acknowledgement of an offer will be required from the parent where they

accept that offer of a place.

9 However, where a parent declines the offer of a place made to them by the
Authority they must inform the Authority within 10 working days from the date of
receipt of the letter.

10 Where the Authority cannot make a single offer for any of the preferences
expressed by a parent resident in Barnsley, an offer will be made to the parent
for the nearest community or voluntary controlled school in Barnsley with places
available to the child’s ordinary place of residence. This may also include a
voluntary aided school or academy.

For definition of ‘nearest’ and ‘ordinary place of residence’ see Section D points
(1) and (2).

11 The offer of a place under point 10 will be done after the offers made for all
other preferences to schools, and before the offer day.

12 a) Where a place has been allocated and the parent declines that place and
requires a place at a school ranked lower on the original common
application form, the parent must notify the Authority in writing.

b) Where a place has been allocated and the parent declines that place and
requires a place at a school not originally named by the parent, the parent
will be required to complete another application.

The allocated place will remain assigned to the child until such time as the parent
accepts an offer for another school.

13 Where an application submitted by a parent contains fewer than three

preferences it will be dealt with under the same criteria as one which contained
three.

14 In the case where a parent fails to complete and submit an application form
they will not receive a single offer of a school place on National Offer Day.

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I Late Applications

1 Late applications received for primary schools after 15 January 2022 by the
Authority will be considered after the determination of the single offer of a school
place for those common application forms received by 15 January.

2 Late applications for secondary school received by the Authority up to 30

November 2021 will be included in the offer of places made on the offer day.

3 Late applications for secondary schools received after 30 November by the

Authority will be considered after the determination of the single offer of a school
place for those common application forms received by 30 November.

J Waiting Lists

1 The Authority will establish a waiting list for all schools where the number of
applications for those schools has exceeded the places available in the relevant
year group.

2 Names of children will automatically be placed on the waiting list for a school
where they have not been offered a place where that school is ranked above
that at which a place has been offered to the parent.

3 Parents will have the right to request their child’s name placed on the waiting list
for a school where they have not been offered a place which is ranked lower
than that at which they have received a single offer of a school place.

4 A vacancy arises in Reception Year and Year 7 only when the number of
allocations to a particular school falls below the admission number (or a higher
admission limit where one has been set). Any vacancy which arises in Year R or
Year 7 following allocation of places will be filled from the waiting list.

5 The waiting list will be established on the offer day and be maintained up to
the end of the Autumn Term in the admission year.

6 The waiting list is determined according to the Authority’s priority of admission

oversubscription criteria.

7 Following the offer day should an application be received for a school where the
pupil has a higher priority, as determined by the admissions criteria for a place at
the school, they will be placed on the waiting list above those with a lower
priority.

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8 Parents who intend to appeal against the Authority’s decision not to offer a place
at a preferred school(s) should do so irrespective of having their child’s name
placed on the waiting list.

9 For those parents who proceed to an independent appeal, no consideration is

given to a child’s position on the waiting list.

K False Information

1 Where the Authority has made a single offer of a place at a school on the basis
of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent, which has
effectively denied a place to a child with a stronger claim to a place at the school,
the offer of a place will be withdrawn.

2 Where a child starts attending the school on the basis of fraudulent or

intentionally misleading information the place may be withdrawn depending on
the length of time that the child has been at the school. Where a place or an
offer has been withdrawn the application will be re-considered and an
independent appeal offered where the child is not re-admitted to the school.

3 Where it is established that the place was obtained on the basis of fraudulent or
intentionally misleading application and the child continues to attend the school,
the sibling criterion will cease to apply in the event of the parent making an
application to the same school on behalf of a younger child in the family.

L Appeals Against the Authority’s Decision Not to Offer

A School Place

1 Any parent whose child is not offered a school place for which they have
expressed a preference has the right to an independent appeal.

2 The right of an independent appeal applies to all preferences expressed.

3 Parents who intend to make an appeal must submit a Notice of Appeal to the
Authority within 20 school days of receiving the offer letter.

4 Normally appeal hearings will be held within 40 school days of the closing date
for receiving the notice of appeal.

5 For twice excluded pupils see section N.

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M No Common Application Form Received for Children

Resident in Barnsley

1 On 1 July 2022 the Authority will identify children for whom no common
application form has been received.

2 These parents will be contacted to determine whether they intend to apply for
a maintained school in any local education authority area.

3 Where parents inform the Authority that their child will be attending a school
not maintained by a local education authority (private/independent) no place
will be allocated to the child.

4 All other children not included under Part 3 will be allocated a place as follows:

a) where subsequently a common application form is submitted – a single offer

of a school place will be made in accordance with the admission
arrangements;

b) where no common application form is received – a place will be allocated to

the child at the nearest community and voluntary controlled school in
Barnsley with places available to their normal place of residence.

N Applications for Admission to Schools Outside the

Normal Admissions Round

1 Where applications are received for admission to school following the offer day
they will be dealt with as follows:

a) admission where the year group is below the admission number (or higher
admission limit where one has been set).

The parent will be offered a place

b) admission where the year group is above the admission number (or higher
admission limit where one has been set).

(i) where the Authority determines that there would not be prejudice to the
provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the
admission the parent will be offered a place.

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(ii) where the Authority determines that there would be prejudice to the
provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the
admission the parent will not be offered a place.

The prejudice referred to under b(ii) may arise by reason of measures required to
be taken in order to ensure compliance with the duty imposed on the Authority to
comply with the statutory limit on infant class sizes.

2 Where the admission is for Years 8-11 inclusive and the pupil is deemed to be a
pupil with challenging behaviour the Authority can determine not to offer a place
even though there may be places available in the appropriate year group
because to do so would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the
efficient use of resources.

This will be where the school to which the application is made has a particularly
high concentration of pupils with challenging behaviour and where either:

a) it is under special measures or has recently come out of them

(within the last two years); or

b) it has been identified by OFSTED as having serious weaknesses; or

c) it is subject to a formal warning notice; or

d) it is a Fresh Start school;

e) or it is a secondary school, less than 25% of whose pupils are achieving 5

or more GCSEs at grades A* - C.

3 Where a parent is not offered a place at a school outside of the normal

admission round they have the right to an independent appeal.

O Twice Excluded Pupils

1 Where a child has been permanently excluded from two or more schools parents
can express a preference for a school place, but the requirement to comply by
the Authority does not apply.

2 Where the Authority does not comply with a parent’s preference, the parent does
not have the right of an independent appeal.

3 Where a child has been permanently excluded from two or more schools this
provision applies to them during the period of two years beginning with the date
on which the latest of those exclusions took effect.

P Distance Criterion : Tie Break

1 Where the offer of the remaining place in the relevant year group could be made
to the parent of eligible multiple siblings, resident at the same address, it will be
for the parent to determine for which sibling the single offer of the school place

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will be made.

2(a) Where the offer of the remaining place in the relevant year group could be
made for a number of eligible children resident equi-distant from the school
the determination of the single offer will be by Random Allocation.

(b) The Random Allocation will:

(i) be independently supervised by a representative of the

Council Governance Department;

(ii) take place on a date and at a time notified in advance to the

participating parents so that they can attend as witnesses.

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ANNEX 1

Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools

ADMISSION
NAME OF SCHOOL NUMBER
Athersley North 40
Barugh Green 45
Birdwell 30
Birkwood 40
Brierley 30
Burton Road 45
Cawthorne 20
Cherry Dale 40
Dearne Goldthorpe 40
Gawber 30
Greenfield 40
Hoylandswaine 20
Jump 30
Joseph Locke 60
Keresforth 30
Lacewood 30
Ladywood 30
Milefield 45
Millhouse 20
Oxspring 20
Shawlands 40
Silkstone 30
Silkstone Common 20
Springvale 30
Summer Lane 40
Thurgoland 30
Thurlstone 25
Wilthorpe 60

Secondary Schools

Penistone Grammar 320

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ANNEX 2

Time table for admission to primary school

Closing date for

receiving applications 15 January 2022

Offer day 19 April 2022

Appeals completed End of Summer Term 2022

Time table for admission to secondary school

e table for admission to infant, junior and primary
Closing date for 31 October 2021
receiving applications

Offer day 1 March 2022

Appeals completed End of Summer Term 2022

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ANNEX 3

Criteria for the offer of a single place at a primary,

infant, junior or secondary school

1 A resident in Barnsley will only receive a single offer of a school place at any
primary, infant , junior or secondary school if they have completed a common
application form.

2 Parents are to express three preferences for the primary, infant or secondary
school or one preference for the junior school they wish their child to attend
and list them in rank order.

3 All three preferences will be treated equally by the Authority.

4 Where a preference meets the criteria for a school the child becomes eligible
for a potential offer.

5 Where there is only one potential offer, that will be the single offer of a school
place at a primary, infant , junior or secondary school made to the parent on
the offer day.

6 Where there are two or three potential offers, the ranking of the expressed
preferences on the common application form will be used to determine which
of those potential offers becomes the single offer of a place.

1st School A

2nd School B

3rd School C

Preferred Schools Outcomes

in rank order 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 *8
1st School A P P P P
   
2nd School B P P P P
 
3rd School C P P P P


Key Places available – child eligible for admission and therefore a

P potential offer

R School oversubscribed – child not eligible for admission

based on priority of admission criteria

Highest ranked preference available for which the single offer of a school place will be made

*See section F9

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