These Admission Arrangements comply with the requirements of the 2014 School Admissions Code and the 2012 School Admission Appeals Code issued by the Department for Education under Section 84 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and are reviewed and published annually by the North Town Academy Trust (The Admissions Authority). Should the Trust propose to alter any aspect of policy or practice, a public consultation will be conducted in accordance with the statutory requirements set out in the School Admissions Code.

In the interests of clarity, this document is set out under the following headings:

1.0 – General Information

2.0 – Starting School in September 2022 – The ‘normal’ admissions-round

3.0 – Changing School – The ‘In-Year’ application process

4.0 – The Oversubscription Criteria

5.0 – Lodging an Appeal

6.0 – Key contact details

Appendix A: Glossary and Definitions Appendix B: In-Year Application Form Appendix C: Supplementary Information Form

If you would like to discuss your particular circumstances or require further help with any aspect of the school admissions process, please contact the School Office – telephone: 01823 284676 It is recommended that you also visit the school website which provides a lot of useful information about the school community and curriculum which will be helpful when choosing a school www.northtownschool.org.uk

Any concern relating to the statutory compliance of these admission arrangements, or the fairness and equality of local policy/practice, should initially be raised with the School Office. If the concern cannot be resolved locally, a complaint may be lodged with the Office of The Schools Adjudicator.

North Town is a popular high performing Primary Academy. Admissions are prioritised

for siblings and children living nearest to the school before places are offered more widely.

For admission purposes, the Admission Authority will consider the home address to be:

The address at which the child concerned is living, at the time of application, for more than 2.5 school days per week, with the person(s) who has legal responsibility for this child. The home address should be clearly stated on the application form.

Where the child will be moving to a new home address and the parent wishes this to be taken into account, one of the following documents, depending on the circumstances of the case, must be made available at the time of application.

·       A legal ‘exchange of contract’ which confirms the purchase of the property

·       A copy of a formal tenancy agreement (minimum six month term) signed and dated by the applicant and the Landlord for the property

·       Where the child will be living at an address other than the parental family home, for more than 2.5 school days per week (for example; with an extended family member, or in emergency or other public accommodation): A formal written letter, signed and dated by the person responsible for the address in question. This must explain the living/care arrangements for the child and state how long these arrangements are expected to remain in place.

·       For Children of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting to the area or Crown servants returning from overseas: An official letter confirming a relocation date and Unit postal address or quartering area address

The oversubscription criteria set out in section 4.2 of these admission arrangements includes an admission priority for children with a sibling attending the school at the time of application who will still be on roll at the time of admission.

If a parent wishes a sibling connection to be taken into account, the sibling’s details must be provided on the admission application form and he/she must qualify as a full, half, step or adoptive brother or sister, or a child living for the majority of his/her school time (more than 2.5 school days per week) within the same family unit and at the same home address.

The Published Admission Number or admission limit will be exceeded, where necessary, in order that multiple birth siblings of the same family (twin, triplet etc.) can

all be offered places, where otherwise one or more of these children would be refused

When an admission application is refused, because the year applied for is full, the child’s name will be entered onto a waiting list for that year group, which will be maintained by the Admission Authority until the end of the school year and then shut down. Names on waiting lists are held strictly in ranked order according to the child’s compliance with the oversubscription criteria. Each time a name is added, the waiting list will be re-ranked. If a place becomes available in the appropriate year, this will be offered for the child ranked highest on the waiting list at that time. A child’s name will

be removed from the waiting list if a place is offered and accepted or offered and declined, or the parent requests, in writing, that the school removes his/her child’s name.

Should the Admission Authority become aware that a place was secured for a child at the school on the basis of misleading or false information, it will consider withdrawing the offer, or where a child has already started to attend the school may remove the child from the school roll. The circumstances of the case will be fully discussed with

the parent and, if the decision is taken to withdraw the offer of a place, the application will be considered afresh, taking account of any new information.

The PAN for Foundation (Reception) is 64. This is the number of places that can be provided within the resources available and the need to maintain the size of infant classes within the requirements of Infant Class Size legislation (30 children per teacher unless a child qualifies as a ‘permitted exception’ admission in accordance with section 2.15 of the 2014 School Admissions Code).

If 64 or fewer reception applications are received for September 2022, every applicant will be offered a place for their child, without condition. If more than 64 applications are received, the Admission Authority will apply the oversubscription criteria set out in section 4.2 in order to rank all the applications received and so identify a priority for the offer of places up to the PAN. Further places will only be offered where there is

sufficient resource available to enable this.

For a child to start school in September 2022, the parent must complete the Common Application Form (CAF) available from the home local authority.

The application will be considered as ‘on time’ providing it is submitted to the ‘home’ local authority by 23:59 hours on 15 January 2022. The CAF may be completed and submitted using the home local authority’s ‘on line’ procedure, or as a paper form. Full details about the application process and information about the schools in the local authority area are explained in the ‘Composite Prospectus’ document, which each local authority must make available on 12^th September annually.

For families living in Somerset, the home local authority is Somerset County Council www.somerset.gov.uk/admissions

If an application form is submitted to the home local authority after the application deadline of 15^th January 2022, 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 preferred school(s). Some local

authorities operate a specific ‘late’ admissions-round following which the local authority will continue to coordinate new reception applications until 31 August 2022.

A place will be made available for any child who has an EHCP (formerly a Statement of Special Educational Needs) agreed prior to application, which names North Town Primary School as the education provider. This place will be allocated within the

Published Admission Number (PAN) before the consideration of any other applications, or above the PAN if places have already been offered at that time.

A parent may apply for a child to start school for the first time in the September following his/her fourth birthday. Where a place is offered, the child may attend school on a full- time basis from day one, or on an arranged part time basis until compulsory

school age is reached during the term following the child’s fifth birthday. Children must be attending school on a full-time basis from compulsory school age onwards.

Where a place is offered and accepted for a child who has not yet reached compulsory school age, his/her parent may choose to defer the child’s entry to school until later in the school year. However, it is not permitted to defer entry beyond the point at which the child reaches compulsory school age, or beyond the start of the last term in the

school year. The school operates a three-term year.

A parent of a ‘summer born’ child who is old enough to start school in September 2022, has the lawful right to delay their child’s entry to school until September 2023, where the parent considers this arrangement to be in the best educational interests of the child concerned. In these circumstances, the parent may request a ‘retained’ place in the 2023/24 Reception year group, or choose to submit an In-Year application for a place in Year 1, the relevant age year group at that time.

It is important to note that although the Admission Authority will process a new application for a retained Reception place to be provided in September 2023, there can be no indication given as to whether a place can be made available until the September 2023 ‘normal’ admissions application-round is complete.

The following application process must be followed:

1.   The parent will be required to submit an admission application to the ‘home’ local authority during the 2022 ‘normal’ admissions-round, making it clear on the application form that he/she wishes to delay the child’s entry until September 2023. Where the intention is for the child to start with the 2023 Reception cohort, this must be clearly stated on the application form. The Admission Authority will formally note the parent(s) instruction and will not process the 2022 Admission Application Form any further. Effectively, the child concerned will no longer be part of the September 2022 ‘normal’ admissions-round.

2.   The parent must then wait and make an entirely new application as part of the September 2023 ‘normal’ admissions-round in accordance with the application process set out in the ‘home’ local authority 2023 Composite Prospectus document. This will be made available by the local authority from 12^th September 2022. The parent should also take account of the published 2023/24 Admission Arrangements which apply to the school.

3.   If the school is undersubscribed with Reception applications for September 2023, the applicant will receive the offer of a place (without condition) for his/her child on or around 16^th April 2023. If the school is oversubscribed with applications for September 2023, the published oversubscription criteria will be applied in order to rank all the applications received (including delayed entry applications) and a priority will be identified for the offer of available reception places. Whether a place can be offered will depend on the outcome of the 2023 application ranking exercise.

4.   If the September 2023 (retained) Reception application is refused, the right of appeal will apply.

5. Where a parent chooses to delay his/her child’s entry until 2023 and applies for the child to join Year 1 (the relative age group at that time) rather than reception, he/she will need to submit an In-Year application within six school-weeks of the

place being required.

The Admission Authority will set a non-statutory admission limit for each year group other than the year of entry (for years 1-6) as an indication of the number of places available. Admission limits will be set to ensure that as many places as possible can be offered without prejudicing ‘the efficient delivery of education and/or the efficient use of resources’ and that the statutory Infant Class Size limit is adhered to. In determining a suitable admission limit, the Admission Authority will take account of factors such as; school budget, accommodation, class organisation, the specific needs of the children on roll and the wellbeing of pupils and staff. Consequently, admission

limits may be varied from time to time and so the number of places that can be offered will alter accordingly.

A parent may apply for a child to join the school during the 2022/23 school year by completing the In-Year Application Form which is available to download from the school website or upon request to the school office. The completed In-Year Application Form may be returned directly to the school at any time, but applications are only administered during school term time and within six school weeks of the place being required, unless the application is for a child from a Service family or the parent is a Crown Servant returning from overseas. In these circumstances, an application will be considered further in advance providing an official letter is submitted with the application, which sets out a relocation date and confirms a Unit postal address or

quartering area address.

The In-Year Application Form will usually be submitted for the year group associated with the child’s age. However, a parent may apply for an alternative year group where he/she considers this would be in the best educational interests of the child concerned. In this case, the application must be accompanied with as much information as possible to support the case for ‘retaining’ or ‘accelerating’ the child.

The Admission Authority will then process the application and decide on a ‘case by case’ basis whether to support a request for a year group other than the relative age, taking account of the information provided and what is deemed by the Admission Authority to be in the best educational interests of the child concerned.

Where an application for a ‘retained’ or ‘accelerated’ placement is refused, the Admission Authority will further consider whether a place can be offered in the relative age year group. The applicant will have the right to appeal the decision where a place cannot be offered in the relative age year group.

‘Retained’ and ‘accelerated’ placements secured through the In-Year admissions process will be reviewed annually with the child’s parent.

Providing all the required information has been submitted and the declaration signed/accepted, the Admission Authority will process an In-Year application within 10 school days of receipt. The applicant will be notified of the admission decision by first class letter to be posted out within this timeframe.

Whether a place can be offered in the required year group will depend on the circumstances at the school at the time the application is considered. The application

will be refused where a further admission would impact negatively on the school and

Where a place is offered, it is very helpful if the applicant can confirm acceptance of the offer in writing (by letter or email) within ten school days of receipt of the offer letter although, the school place will remain available for six school weeks from the date of the decision letter. If the child concerned is not attending school with this time frame,

the Admission Authority will write to the applicant with a view to withdrawing the offer and making the place available for another child.

The Admission Authority is committed to ‘Fair Access to school for every child’. Therefore, where an application is refused and the child concerned is not on roll or attending another school, the Admission Authority will consider where the child identifies against any of the criteria set out in the Somerset County Council Fair Access Protocol (FAP), which is published on the council website. If the child concerned satisfies any of the FAP criteria, the Admission Authority will make Somerset County Council aware of the position and provide a copy of the completed In-Year Application Form. This will help the authority to decide whether it would be

appropriate to engage with the applicant as necessary to help identify a suitable educational placement without undue delay.

If a child is the subject of an EHCP (formerly a Statement of Special Educational Needs) which names a specific school, his/her parent should consult the local authority that issued the EHCP, before applying for the child to change school. This

Local Authority must be involved in the process of agreeing any change of school.

If there are more applications received at any one time than there are places available within the preferred year group (oversubscription), the Admission Authority will consider every application received at that time against the oversubscription criteria set out in section 4.2 of these Admission Arrangements. This will enable the Admission Authority to place the applications in ranked order and identify a priority for the offer of available places. The oversubscription criteria will also be applied when it

is necessary to identify a child’s position on a waiting list (ranking the waiting list).

1.     A ‘looked after child’ and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care internationally and outside of England, (from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. The School admission authority will deem a child to have been in state care if they were in the care of a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose purpose is to benefit society.

2.     Children with a sibling attending North Town Primary School at the time of application, who will still be on roll at the time of admission and who lives at the same home address

3.     Children who, at the time of application, have been assessed as eligible for an Early Years Premium, Pupil Premium or Service Premium

4.     Children of staff who have been employed by the Academy Trust on a permanent contract and have worked at the school for at least two years prior to applying for a school place, or children of newly appointed teachers where this appointment was made in order to satisfy a demonstrable skills shortage

5.     Children not satisfying a higher criterion

Notes:

·       Oversubcription criteria for ‘Looked After Children’ reflects changes brought in by the School Admissions Code 2021

·       Refer to section 1.4 of these Admission Arrangements for the definition of ‘home address’

·       Refer to section 1.5 of these Admission Arrangements for the definition of ‘sibling’

·       The Supplementary Information Form must be completed and submitted in conjunction with the school place application, where the applicant wishes the child to be considered against criterion 3 (refer to section 4.5 of these admission arrangements)

In the event of oversubscription, every application will be ranked in priority order against the oversubscription criteria until the Published Admission Number/admission limit is reached (64 places available). This limit may be reached part way through an oversubscription criterion, with some applications still left to rank. Consequently, there will be a need to further refine the order of these applications and any that fall below this ‘cut off’ criterion.

The ranked order of these applications will be determined by calculating the straight- line distance between each child’s home and the school with the shorter distance receiving the higher priority. Distances will be calculated electronically using digital mapping software and Ordnance Survey ‘National Address Base’ coordinates for North Town Primary School and the child’s home address. Measurement in miles will

be to a minimum of three decimal places accuracy. In the case of a multi-dwelling building such as a block of flats, the same distance will apply for all occupants.

Where two or more distances are the same and it proves necessary to determine a priority, the ranked order will be decided by the drawing of lots. This lottery exercise will take place at the school and be supervised by a person entirely independent of the

Admission Authority and the school.

A Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is provided on the school website (Appendix C). This is used to collect information required as evidence that a child qualifies against oversubscription criterion 3. If the applicant wishes qualifying information to be considered, the SIF must be completed and submitted in accordance with the instructions set out in Part 3 of the SIF. In some cases, a member of the Admission Authority, or an appointed agent, may need to contact the parent to discuss the

information submitted on the SIF.

The administration of school admission appeals is subject to statutory procedure set out in the 2012 School Admission Appeals Code issued by the Department for Education. Any applicant whose admission application is formally refused is legally

entitled to appeal this decision. The refusal letter issued by the Admission Authority

The Admission Authority can refuse to admit a child where a further admission would ‘prejudice the efficient delivery of education or the efficient use of resources’ or where the admission would unlawfully breach the statutory Infant Class Size (ICS) Limit, resulting in an infant class of more than 30 children per teacher for part or all of the school day.

If an appeal is lodged against a decision to refuse admission because the admission of a further child would breach the statutory Infant Class Size Limit, the grounds on which an appeal panel can uphold an appeal are very limited. Four specific considerations are set out in section 4 of the 2012 School Admission Appeals Code and these must be ‘tested’ at the appeal hearing by an independent appeal panel.

Appellants are advised to refer to this information when considering/preparing their appeal.

The Appeals Timetable is published on the school website by 28 February each year. This sets out the statutory time frame within which an appeal hearing must take place as well as the administrative timeframe within which the Admission Authority will

process any appeal lodged with the school.

The decision of an independent appeal panel is binding on all parties. However, where there is concern that the appeal process has not been administered correctly in accordance with the 2012 School Admission Appeals Code, a complaint may be raised directly with the Admission Authority via the Headteacher. Where no local resolution is available the parent may escalate the matter to the Education Funding

Agency.

North Town Primary School Staplegrove Road

Taunton Somerset TA1 1DF

School website: www.northtownschool.org.uk

Admissions contact: Mrs J Randoll – Telephone 01823 284676 School Office: Email: office@nt.huish.education

Admissions and Entitlements Team County Hall,

Taunton,

Somerset TA1 4DY

Email: schooladmissions@somerset.gov.uk Telephone: 0300 123 2224

Fax: 01823 356113

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5pm, Friday: 8:30am to 4:30pm, Saturday and Sunday closed.

The Department for Education

Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith St, London SW1P 3BT Telephone 0370 000 2288

Electronic contact form: form.education.gov.uk Website: www.education.gov.uk