School Transfers

 

School Transfers – Moving School in the School Year

Tameside Council believes that it is detrimental to any child’s education to transfer schools other than going into Year 7 at a new secondary school, or joining the Reception class at a new primary school.

If your child is having difficulties, please try to work through these with the staff at their current school. If you are still considering a move, please make an appointment with the Head Teacher to discuss your concerns, and try to resolve them together.

In some circumstances, a transfer during the school year may be necessary. For example a permanent house move which makes it impossible to attend the current school.  

Please note that school place availability can change daily, therefore places cannot be guaranteed at any particular schools in advance of applications being submitted.
 

The In-Year Transfer Application Process

If you want to transfer your child to a school in Tameside, you must apply through Tameside Council, even if you live in another area. If you want to apply for a school in another area, you will need to contact that area for further details of what you need to do.

Applications for moving during the school year are made online using the Citizen Portal. 

Once the application is processed and a decision reached, you will receive an email informing you that your child’s school place details are available in the Citizen Portal. 

Before you make your application, you should discuss the impending transfer with your child’s current or previous school.

We aim to process all applications within 15 school days.
 

How are places allocated

Places in community and voluntary controlled schools are allocated using the published oversubscription criteria in the primary or secondary school's admission policy.
 
For admission to voluntary aided schools, free schools, and academies, the Admissions Team will send details of your application to the relevant school's governing body for their decision.

Some voluntary aided schools may require supplementary information. The school will contact you if this is the case. Supplementary forms are available direct from the relevant schools.

Where your child can be offered a place at one of your preferred schools, you will be asked to contact the school to arrange a suitable admission date.

Where your child has been refused a place at one of your preferred schools, you will be informed of your right of appeal. If you are moving further than two miles from your child's current school, or your child's current school is more than two miles from your current address, the school admissions team will make an alternative offer of a place at a school within two miles of your current or proposed address as applicable. You will need to inform the local authority if you do not require the alternative school offered.

 

Finding Out if Your Child Has Been Offered a School Place

You will receive an email from the School Admissions Team. This will ask you to log in to the Citizen Portal. In the Citizen Portal you will be able to view the decision against each of your preferred schools. Where you have been refused a school place you will be offered the right of appeal.

Once the local authority has informed you that you have been offered a school place, you can contact that school directly to arrange a start date.

 

What to do if Your child is refused a place

If you are not offered a place at your preferred school you will have the right to appeal against the decision.

However, the law on infant class sizes states that from 1^st September 2000, no five, six or seven year olds should be in a class of more than 30 pupils. Therefore, the circumstances where an appeal committee can uphold an appeal for these year groups are limited.

 

Adding your Child to a School Waiting List 

Your child’s name will automatically be added to relevant active waiting lists. Please let School Admissions know if you do not want your child’s name added to a community school waiting list.

Other category schools (e.g. academies, voluntary aided, free schools) may not operate in-year waiting lists. Details of in-year waiting lists at other category schools can be found within individual school admission arrangements.

If your child is refused a place at your preferred school and the alternative offered is not suitable, you will need to re-apply for a place at your preferred school if a waiting list is not in operation and you still require a place.
 

If Your Child is Transferring from Elective Home Education (EHE)

You must apply online using the Citizen Portal.  The form asks you to confirm your child’s EHE status.  In general, pupils returning to mainstream schools are allocated back to their previous school.   However, individual circumstances will be taken into account and your child’s application may be processed under the fair access protocol.

 

The Fair Access Protocol

All local authorities have a Fair Access Protocol for in-year transfers that ensures the speedy admission of pupils who may experience difficulty in being allocated a school place. For example, if they have been out of school for a long time. With specific short-term exceptions, all schools in Tameside are participants in the protocol, which may result in schools admitting pupils over their published admission number. Full details of the In Year Fair Access Protocol can be downloaded here.