Admissions Arrangements

When deciding upon their preferred schools, parents/carers can make up to 3 preferences. We strongly advise parents/carers to use all 3 preferences when completing their application. Parents/Carers are not disadvantaged by doing this, as all preferences are given equal consideration, and we only consider other preferences if the highest preference school named cannot be offered.

When deciding on preferences, Appendix 1 of the Primary School booklet will show schools which have either been over- or under-subscribed over the past 3 years. Parents/Carers should read this to help decide on their preferred schools.

If your preferences include one or more schools which are usually over-subscribed

If parents/carers name schools which are usually oversubscribed, and do not qualify for a place, they may be offered a school which is further from their home address. This is because legally the Council has to give priority, when considering applications, to those parents/carers who have named the school as a preference. Rather than only selecting popular schools, parents/carers may therefore wish to consider naming an undersubscribed school or one where places have previously been allocated to pupils living further away from their home address (see table under Appendix 1) as one of their preferences, which will improve their chance of being allocated a place at a local school.

Should any parent/carer include on their application form a preference for an independent fee paying school, the independent school preference will be disregarded and remaining preferences for schools will be given a higher preference than that shown on the original application form.

The LA reserves the right to withdraw an offer of a school place in certain limited circumstances. Examples include the following:

• Where a parent has given fraudulent or intentionally misleading information, such as a false address
• Where a parent has not responded to an offer within the deadline set by the LA
• Where a higher preference school has been offered, or where the highest preference school on the latest application has been able to be met
• Where the offer was made as a result of an administrative error

If false information is provided on an application form before an offer of a school place is made, then the application will be void. Parents could submit a further application, if they so wished. If this application is received after the closing date, it will then be regarded as a 'late application'. If it is found that a sibling currently at the school was offered a place based on false information, then for any further application received the LA will discount the sibling connection.

Applications for all schools will be considered under an ‘equal preference’ system. All preferences (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) will initially be considered equally, regardless of ranking. 

All preferences for schools outside of Bath & North East Somerset will be sent to other LAs as appropriate by 27 January. Bath & North East Somerset will also receive details of applications from other LAs as appropriate on this date.

The LA will produce a report of all applications for Reception and Y3 places for all schools, including Academy and Voluntary Aided schools. This report will not reveal the order of the applicant’s preferences and will be sent to the appropriate Infant, Junior and Primary Schools within Bath & North East Somerset on 10 February.

In the case of applications for Reception places and for Y3 places in Junior schools, the Academy and Voluntary Aided admissions authorities within Bath & North East Somerset will then apply their admissions criteria to all applications and produce a list explaining the ranking of each applicant against the admissions criteria. This list will then be sent to the LA by 3 March. 

Bath and North East Somerset will inform other Local Authorities of the initial outcome of applications made by their residents for schools within Bath and North East Somerset by 24 March. By the same date, other LAs will also inform Bath & North East Somerset LA of the initial outcome of applications made for other LA schools by our residents.

Using all the available information, the LA will determine the highest preference which can be met for each applicant. If no preferences can be met, the LA will determine the nearest school with an available space. 

On 6 April Bath & North East Somerset will send details of final offers to be made to other LAs, as appropriate for their residents.

On 14 April, all infant and primary schools within Bath & North East Somerset will be informed of all final offers for Reception places, which will be made up to the Admissions Number for each school.  The LA will also include details of any children being refused a place at their preferred school(s). All information provided to schools at this stage will be confidential.

Where a child qualifies for a place at more than one school, the final offer will be the highest stated preference of the places available.

On 17 April, the LA will make the offer of one place at a primary or infant school to parents/carers resident within the authority who have applied for a Reception place. Parents/carers who applied online will receive an offer via email notification and need to log into their online admissions account to view details of the offer made. Parents/carers who made a paper application will receive a notification letter, posted 2nd class.

Parents/Carers who are resident in Bath & North East Somerset and have not been offered a place at their preferred school(s) will be offered a place at the nearest suitable school with a place available. Parents/carers who applied online will receive brief details of the school place offer via an email notification, but all parents (both online and paper applicants) refused a place at any preferred school will receive a notification letter, posted 2nd class. This letter will provide full details of their options at that stage, including their right to appeal. 

Parents/carers will be asked to make an initial response to the offer direct to the LA by 02 May. Parents/carers who applied online will be asked to respond via their online admissions account. If parents/carers are refused their preferred school[s], they then have until 16 May to prepare and submit their written appeal.

How we define a 'late application'

Late applicants who live in Bath & North East Somerset should complete either an online or paper common application form. Any applications submitted after the closing date of midnight on 15 January will be regarded as a ‘late application’. This includes any change of preference which is received after the closing date, even if the original application was an ‘on time’ application, unless the local authority considers that there are extenuating reasons for allowing the application to be treated as if it had arrived on time. This will only apply to late applications received before 30 January. Examples of extenuating circumstances might include a close family bereavement, or a serious illness, for which documentary evidence would be required.

After the closing date of midnight on 15 January parents/carers may make a change of school preference, or change of school preference order, on the understanding that their previous application will be withdrawn, and their child will not be considered for a school place in the first round of allocations, even if the original application was received before the closing date. The change of preference or school preference order will be considered as a completely new late application.

For over-subscribed schools, ‘late applications’ received after 15 January will be considered together with original applicants refused a preference who have lodged a formal appeal, or have asked to remain on a waiting list.

In all cases, the admissions criteria will be used to determine the allocation of any places that may become available within the school’s admission number. Any late applicants refused a preference will then be informed that they can lodge a formal appeal and remain on a waiting list or, alternatively, just go on the waiting list.

Second round of place allocations

For both over-subscribed and under-subscribed schools, late applications will not be considered until the second round of allocations takes place at the end of May.

In the case of under-subscribed schools, all late applications received since the closing date and up until 2 May will be considered together in the second round of allocations.  If the school is then oversubscribed, all late applications will be considered under the admissions criteria. If the school is still under-subscribed, all applicants will be offered places and any further late applicants dealt with on a first come, first served basis.

If any under-subscribed school becomes full, any places which subsequently become available will be offered to any late applicants by applying the admissions criteria.

Details of late applications, on-time applicants still seeking a place at their preferred schools, and of places not accepted following the initial allocations, will be exchanged with Voluntary Aided Schools, Academies and other LAs, as relevant, by 12 May, to enable a second round of allocations to take place by the end of May.

Further rounds of place allocations

The co-ordinated admissions process will continue to be operated, with application data being exchanged with Voluntary Aided Schools, Academies and other LAs as necessary, for all applications received up to 31 August.

The following information should be read in conjunction with Bath & North East Somerset’s Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme and the published primary admissions booklet. 

Allocations in the first round will only include those applications submitted by midnight on the published closing date.

 Applications for all schools will be considered under an ‘equal preference’ system. Priority is not given to first preferences. All preferences (first, second or third) will initially be considered equally, regardless of ranking.

The Special Educational Needs (SEND) Code of Practice requires the Admission Authority to admit any children with an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming that School. Children with an Educational Health and Care Plan will be dealt with through the SEND Code of Practice, and their placement is determined through the statutory assessment process or an annual review of their statement.

All schools are consulted before being named on a pupil's Educational Health and Care Plan, and schools can draw attention to any difficulties arising from oversubscribed year groups. If a school is named on an Educational Health and Care Plan, this will take priority over the Admissions Criteria, although wherever possible, the place will be offered within the Admission Number for the school.

In the event of over-subscription (that is, more applicants than available places) applications will be ranked in accordance with the following criteria, given in order of priority. 

To be considered under the criteria below, parents must have named the school as a preference. Under the criteria, all preferences are considered equally. If a child qualifies for more than one school, they will be offered their highest preference, as stated on their application form.

Priority A 

Children in Public care (Looked-After Children) or a child who was previously looked after, but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangement, or special guardianship order (including those 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).

Priority B

(The 2 categories in this criterion will be given equal consideration)

• Children who live within a 1.5-mile radius* of the school, and for whom there will be a sibling in attendance on the admission date at the preferred school. 

• Children who live outside a 1.5-mile radius* of the school, but it is their closest school, and for whom there will be a sibling in attendance on the admission date at the preferred school. 

* The 1.5-mile radius will be measured from the address point of a school, as defined by the Local Land & Property Gazetteer (LLPG). 

Priority C

A member of staff may apply for a Reception place at the school for their child. They must have been employed at the school for at least two full years at the time of application. Members of staff are full time or part time, either teaching or non-teaching staff employed at the school and who are paid through the school’s payroll system. Staff parents who apply to the Local Authority for a Reception place must also complete Supplementary Information Form C available from the school website.

a) 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

b) the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

Priority D 

Children who live closest to the school, as measured in a direct line. 

In all cases, distances will be measured in a direct line from the address point of the child’s home address to the address point of a school, as defined by the Local Land & Property Gazetteer (LLPG). Measurements will be determined using the Local Authority’s GIS computerised mapping system. 

If, under all the above criteria, any single category resulted in oversubscription, those living closer to the preferred school would receive the higher priority. Where there is more than one applicant ranked equally, according to the published admission criteria, and there are insufficient places available to allocate all the equally ranked applicants, the place(s) will be allocated by random allocation. 

Applications for twins, triplets or other multiple births will be considered as individual applications. In the event of the school being oversubscribed, the authority will breach the admission number to allow these children to be offered places where either:

• A child from a multiple birth has qualified for the last available place within the admission number, but the other child(ren) from that multiple birth have not qualified for a place.

• A child from a multiple birth has had a place named at that school as part of their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) during the normal admissions round, but the other child(ren) from that multiple birth have not qualified for a place.

In the case of schools where there would be Infant Class Size issues, such children will remain as an ‘excepted pupil’ to the class size limit for the time they are in an infant class, or until the class numbers fall back to the normal class size limit of 30. 

The child's home address is defined as the permanent address where they generally reside with their parent or guardian.

Temporary addresses cannot be used to obtain school places.

All applications received each year will be checked to confirm addresses, using for example the electoral roll, Council Tax records and, if appropriate, the school currently attended, before allocations are made. A copy of a recent utility bill may also be requested. In certain additional cases, proof of residency will also be determined by using the above methods. Once proof is obtained to the satisfaction of the local authority (LA) that the parent is resident at the address given, it will be accepted that the child is also resident at the same address. 

If parents or carers have recently moved, or plan to move, documentary evidence will be required, in order for address changes to be taken into account in the first round of allocations. The appropriate documentary evidence should be sent to the LA, and received by the closing date of 15 January. However, if details of a change of address that will occur after the closing date (and before the start of term 1) are received, with the appropriate documentary evidence by 27 January (that is, before the LA has sent details of applications to other councils), this will be considered in the first round of applications. In all cases, it is the responsibility of the applicant to make sure the LA has received the documentary evidence.

The following are examples of evidence that may be acceptable to determine a child’s address:  

• A solicitor’s letter confirming exchange of contracts and completion date for a property which is being purchased, or a property which is being sold
• A copy of a signed rental agreement, or a solicitor’s letter (if recently moved/moving to a council or rented property), and proof of your sale or Notice to Quit on your current/previous property 
• A copy of a Council Tax bill or utility bill such as water, gas or electricity in your name for your newly owned or rented property, together with proof of your sale or Notice to Quit on your current/previous property 
• Child Benefit paperwork (if in receipt) 
• If you are moving in with a relative, a letter from them will be required confirming the date you will be moving in together, with a copy of a utility bill showing their name and address. A solicitor’s letter will also be required, confirming that completion of contracts has taken place on your sale or Notice to Quit on your current/previous property 
• In the case of children of UK Service Personnel or Crown Servants returning from overseas, with a confirmed posting to the area, an official letter declaring the relocation date and a Unit postal address or quartering area address should be provided 
• In the case of children from the boating community without a permanent mooring, the parent or carer will be asked to provide details of their sorting office, post office or poste restante address and this will be used for allocation purposes. Proof in the form of a licence will also be required and must be submitted at the time of application. 

The Admissions Authority reserves the right to investigate home addresses and may ask applicants to supply further evidence of the home address. This may include Council Tax, Electoral Roll, Utility Bills, GP registration, and Child Benefit records. An application or place allocated based on fraudulent information may be withdrawn. 

While a child is below compulsory school age, the parent or carer may choose to defer their child’s entry to school until later in the school year. However, they cannot defer beyond the point at which the child reaches statutory school age, or beyond the start of the last term in the school year (the school operates on the basis of a six-term year).

The Local Authority will consider applications for delayed or accelerated entry in cases where parents would like their child to be admitted to a year group either side of their chronological age group. The reasons for the request must be fully explained and included with the application form. 

A parent (or parents) of a ‘summer born’ child entitled to start school in September may choose to delay their child's entry to school until the following September, where they consider this arrangement to be in the best educational interests of the child. They may request to apply for Reception in September, rather than Year 1. However, there is a risk attached to deciding this approach, which the parent must be clear about. Although the Local Authority may agree to a new application being submitted for a Reception place in September, there can be no indication given as to whether a place will be available until the ‘normal’ admissions round is complete.

For this type of deferred application, the following process will apply:

• The parent must submit an application to the home local authority during the ‘normal’ admission round, making it clear in the text box on the application form that they wish to request to delay the child’s entry until the following September.  Where the intention is for the child to start within the following Reception cohort, this must be clearly stated on the form.

• The Local Authority will formally note the parental instruction, and will consider the request. If a request to delay is approved, parents/carers will have their application withdrawn and effectively, the child will no longer be part of the ‘normal’ admission round. Parents will then need to make a new application as part of the main admissions round for the following year in September. 

• Where the Local Authority indicates willingness to accept an application from a child placed out of year group, this will not guarantee a place at the preferred school, as any application will have to be made with the admissions round for the year in which the child is starting school, and will be considered against the published admission criteria.

• Where a parent delays a child’s entry until the following year, and then decides that they should join Year 1 rather than Reception, they will need to make an In-Year application within six school weeks of the place being required.

Local authorities must coordinate ‘normal round’ reception applications until 31 August, for children starting school in September. However, if an application is submitted to the home local authority after the application deadline of 23.59 hours on 15 January, it will be considered as a ‘late’ application and will not be administered until all on-time applications have been processed, at which point there may no longer be a place available at the school.

Any late applicants should complete their home LA’s common application form and return it to their home LA as soon as possible. In line with agreed co-ordinated admission procedures, the school will be informed of any late applications received. 

Parents who are unsuccessful in their application for a place at the school have the right to appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel. Further information concerning how to appeal will be explained in the decision letter. The appeal form is also published on the school website and must be completed and returned to the school office within 30 days of the admission decision being issued. The admission authority will make appropriate arrangements for an appeal hearing to take place in accordance with the Appeal Timetable which is also published on the school website The Independent Appeal Panel’s decision is legally binding for all parties concerned.

Where there is concern that the appeal process has not been properly administered in accordance with the 2012 School Admission Appeals Code, a complaint may be raised with the Education and Skills Funding Agency for further consideration.

Parents or carers who make a formal appeal against their allocated school will have their child's name kept on a waiting list for any places which may become available at their preferred school. They may also ask for their child to remain on the waiting list without making a formal appeal. Any places which do become available will be re-allocated using the Admissions Criteria, considering those parents who have asked to remain on the waiting list or who have lodged a formal appeal, together with any late applications received. 

However, children who are the subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or who are allocated to a school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol must take precedence over those on a waiting list. 

Every effort will be made to contact applicants on the waiting list using the last contact details provided by the applicant, but where a response to an offer has not been received within 10 school days, the offer will be withdrawn and the available place offered to the next child on the waiting list to qualify for the available place. 

You can only make one application for a school place per child.

Where parents share parental responsibility for a child but live separately, if two applications are received from the child’s parents, the LA will ask them to determine which application it should consider, and which application should be withdrawn. This is because the LA will offer only one school place to a child at any one time.

If parents cannot agree, they should resolve the issue through the court system, for example by obtaining a ‘Specific Issues Order’ which specifies which parent has responsibility to make decisions on school preferences. However, in the absence of any Order the application received from the parent who receives Child Benefit for the child will be the only one considered. Parents may be asked to provide supporting documentation confirming receipt of Child Benefit.  Where the parents/carers are not entitled to Child Benefit, the LA will ask for proof of the child’s home address as held by the doctor’s surgery at the point of application. Bath & North East Somerset Council cannot become involved in disputes between parents or carers.