Admissions Policy

 

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

 

St Thomas the Martyr Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

Admissions Policy 2025/26

 
   

Introduction

This document sets out the admission arrangements of St Thomas the Martyr Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School. For the purposes of this policy, the Governing Body is the admission authority.

 

Process

  1. Applications for admission to the school should be made using the Local Authority Common Application Form by the national closing date of 15th January 2025.

 

  1. The Local Authority will inform parents of the offer of a place on behalf of the Governing Body on the national offer date 16th April 2025 or the next working day.

 

  1. The St Thomas the Martyr Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School has an admission number of 30 pupils for entry into Reception. The school will accordingly admit at least 30 each year if sufficient applications are All applicants will be admitted if 30 or fewer apply. The school will admit any pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan naming the school. Priority will then be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below.

 

Oversubscription Criteria

 

  1. Looked After Children, Previously Looked After Children and Internationally Adopted Looked After Children (LAC, PLAC and IAPLAC)

 

The first oversubscription criterion must always be Looked After, Previously Looked After and Internationally Adopted Previously Looked After Children. As this is a legal requirement, it automatically appears as the first of the school's oversubscription criteria.

A “Looked After Child” (LAC) s 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) at the time of making an application to a school.

A "Previously Looked After Child" (PLAC) is a child who was looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order immediately following having been looked after.

An "Internationally Adopted Previously Looked After Child (IAPLAC) is a child who appears (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.       Social and Medical need

 

Priority will be given in exceptional circumstances to a small number of children (or in some cases a close relative of the child) whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend this school over any other.

Supporting evidence in the form of a letter from a doctor or social worker or other relevant qualified, independent professional, would be required. Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school's legal obligations and does not guarantee that a child will be given priority as each decision will be made on the merits of the individual case.

 

3.       Siblings

Siblings of pupils attending the school during the academic year to which the child would be admitted. ’Sibling’ means a natural brother or sister, a half brother or sister, a legally adopted brother or sister or half-brother or sister, a step brother or sister, or other child living in the same household who, in any of these cases, will be living with them at the same address at the date of their entry to the school.

 

4.       Faith based

  1. Regular attendance at public worship in any Church of England

Attendance will be established by information provided on the Supplementary Information Form completed by a member of the clergy or other designated church officer. For the purposes of these admission arrangements ‘regular’ means attendance at least eight times in the twelve months immediately prior to the date of application.

 

In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these admissions arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church or alternative premises have been available for public worship.

 

  1. Attendance at public worship in any other Christian

For the purposes of these admission arrangements 'other Christian church' means a church which is Designated under the Ecumenical Relations Pleasure 2018, nationally by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, or locally by the diocesan bishop, or which is a member of Churches Together in England, or affiliated to the Evangelical Alliance or a Partner Church of Affinity. The list of nationally Designated churches can be found at:

https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/list_of_designated_churches_3_oct_18.pdf

A parent or parents wishing to apply against this criterion must complete a Supplementary Application Form. Attendance at public worship (or its specified equivalent for faith bodies which are not a Christian church where that is provided for in the admissions arrangements) will be established by information provided on the Supplementary Information Form, including verification by the relevant Minister/Faith Leader or their designated officer. For the purposes of these admission arrangements ‘regular’ means attendance at least eight times in the twelve months immediately prior to the date of application.

 

  1. Other Children

 

Tie-breaker

 

Where there are more applicants for the available places within a category, then the distance between the Ordnance Survey address points for the school and the home measured in a straight line will be used as the final determining factor, nearer addresses having priority over more distant ones.  This address point is within the body of the property and usually located at its centre. Where two addresses have the same distance, or the cut-off point is for addresses within the same building, then the Local Authority's system of a random draw will determine which address(es) receive the offer(s).

 

Late applications

 

Applications received after the closing date and before the admission meeting will be placed last in the criteria in which they fall unless the local authority is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances which reasonably prevented the application from being submitted on time. Supporting evidence, including that provided by the required Supplementary Information Form, must also be supplied by the closing date for applications, unless it is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances which reasonably prevented it being submitted on time. In the absence of such supporting evidence, the allocation of places will be made on the basis of the application alone.

 

ln-Year admissions

 

In-year admission is the process of applying for a school place during the school year. Any applications for the intake made after the start of the autumn term will be treated as an in-year application.

The in-year admission process is managed by the school. Parents are required to complete the in-year application form, which is available from the school or school website.

Where a place cannot be secured, parents will be offered a legal right of appeal to an independent appeal panel.  Lancashire County Council administers the appeals process on behalf of the school. Parents can complete the school’s appeal form on Lancashire County Council’s website.

Deferred admission

 

If your child is due to start school during the next academic year, it is important that you apply for a place for September. If your child’s fifth birthday is between the months of September and December, then, if you wish it, admission may be deferred until January; if it is between January and April, then admission may be deferred until the start of the summer term though it is likely to be in your child’s interest to start no later than January. You may also request that your child attend school part time until he/she reaches his/her fifth birthday.

 

Twins etc.

Where there are twins, etc wanting admission and there is only a single place left within the admission number, then the governing body will exercise as much flexibility as possible within the requirements of infant class sizes. In exceptional circumstances cases we are now able to offer places for both twins and all triplets, even when this means breaching infant class size limits. This may also apply to siblings who are in the same year group.

 

Waiting Lists

Where the school receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate until the end of the first term on 31st December 2025. This will be maintained by the admission authority and it will be open to any parent to ask for their child's name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application. Children's position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. The waiting list will be reordered in accordance with the oversubscription criteria whenever anyone is added to or leaves it.

 

Appeals Procedure

All applicants refused a place have a right of appeal to an independent appeal panel constituted and operated in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code. Appellants should contact Carl Roscoe at St Thomas the Martyr Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School at Highgate Road, Up Holland, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 OHX within 20 days of the date of the letter refusing your child a place at the school for information on how to appeal. Information on the timetable for the appeals process is on our website at:

https://www.stthomasthemartyr.co.uk/.

 

School age

A full-time school place in the Reception class is available for children from the September following their 4th birthday, etc.

 

Deferred entry for infants

A child is entitled to a full time place in the September following their 4th birthday. Parents have the right to defer their child's entry until later in the school year, or to attend part-time until they reach compulsory school age. Places cannot be deferred to the next academic year.

 

Address definition

The address is the place where the child is permanently resident with his or her parent or parents or legal guardians. Evidence may be requested to show the address, for example: to which any Child Benefit is paid or at which the child is registered with a medical GP together with recent utilities bill, council tax bill or tenancy agreement. This evidence will be used when reaching a decision on the child's home address for admissions purposes (including where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility for each part of the week). Parents should not assume that a place will automatically be allocated to their child.

 

Enquiries

Should be to Carl Roscoe at Highgate Road, Up Holland, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 OHX.

 

THOMAS THE MARTYR C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL

Supplementary form Admission to Church of England/Methodist Schools 2025/26

 

Name of Child: Surname …………………………….    Christian names …………………………………….

Date of Birth ……………………………..                Boy     Girl

Name of parent/guardian ……………………………………………………….

Address:……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Post code ……………………

Telephone ………………………… Mobile ……………………………………………..

 

If you are applying on faith grounds, complete the following sections:

Place of worship one of parents / guardians regularly attends:

Name of place of worship ………………………………………………………………

Address ………………………………………………………………………………….

Name of vicar/priest/minister/faith leader/church officer:

…………………………………………………………………..

Address …………………………………………………………………………………

Post Code …………………………

Telephone ……………………………………..

Can you confirm the parent(s) have attended your place of worship 8 times in the last 12 months

 

Signed ……………………………………………………………………………………….

Name of vicar/priest/minister/faith leader/church officer

 

Date ……………………………………..