School Applications and Offers

• Applying for a primary school place in Tameside
• Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs
• How school places are allocated
• The application process - what you need to do
• On-line applications
• Proof of address
• Timetable for admissions to Tameside schools
• How Late Applications Are Dealt With
• How late changes of preference are dealt with
• Important information

Applying for a primary school place in Tameside

You are legally required to educate your child from the start of the term immediately after his or her 5th birthday.

In Tameside, it is council policy to provide education from the September of the school year in which your child is 5 years old. This means that a school place is allocated for every child who will be 5 years old between 01/09/2010 and 31/08/2011. All of these children are eligible to start school in September 2010.

Should you wish to defer your child’s school start to the term after their 5th birthday, you must notify the School Admissions Team. Places can be held open for a start date in January or April only.

Tameside operates a coordinated admissions scheme for Tameside primary schools. This means that parents* only have to complete one application form to apply for a school place in Tameside, or alternatively apply online. There is coordination between the council and the governing bodies of voluntary aided schools, and every parent who lives in Tameside and applies for a school place in the borough, will receive one offer of a school place from the council.

This booklet explains about the admission arrangements, tells you how to make your application and how the allocations process will operate. It gives you information about schools in Tameside and other aspects of Services for Children and Young People.

You can get further information about individual schools by reading the school’s annual prospectus (available from the Headteacher). You can also view OFSTED reports on the OFSTED website at www.ofsted.gov.uk , and you can get information about public examination performance tables in schools, local libraries, the Tameside website, or by contacting Tameside’s Services for Children and Young People on 0161 342 3253.

Headteachers will be happy for you to visit the school to find out more: it is very important that you make an appointment first.

* Throughout this guide the term ‘parent’ includes:

• All natural parents, whether they are married or not; and
• Any person who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young person; and
• Any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of a child or young person.

Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs

If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs please refer to the Special Educational Needs section as the allocation/admission process is different from that for children without a Statement. However, please note that children going through the statutory assessment process must follow the same application process as that set out for other children.

Please contact the Assessment, Review & Monitoring Team if your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and you would like advice or assistance regarding admission to primary school.

How school places are allocated

Tameside Council operates an equal preference system for school admissions.

Parents should indicate three preferred schools on the application form, listed in order of preference. The law says that parents are entitled to express a preference for a school they wish their child to attend. Preference is not the same as choice. The law does not give parents the right to choose a particular school for their child and have their choice met.

Applications for all three preferred schools will be sent to and considered by the council or, for voluntary aided schools, the governing body of the school. If there are more applications than places available, all applications for each school will be ranked according to the oversubscription criteria, regardless of whether the school is a first, second or third preference. The full ranked lists for all schools will be processed by computer and places allocated.

If only one of your preferred schools can offer a place, that school will be offered. If more than one school can offer a place, the offer will be for whichever school is the highest preference on the application.

This may not be your first preference school.

If it is not possible to offer a place at any of your preferred schools, a place will be allocated at the nearest school to your address with places available. This may not be your nearest school.

Parents are not guaranteed a place at one of their preferred schools.

The application process - what you need to do

1. Decide which three Tameside schools you would most like your child to attend and decide your order of preference.
2. Check whether your preferred schools require you to provide additional information.
3. Complete the application form in BLOCK CAPITALS using a black ball point pen, or make an online application.
4. You must include details of any special circumstances on the Special Circumstances Form  38.78 KB  and submit it together with any other supporting documents.
5. Take your completed application form and other documents including proof of address to your preferred primary school. You will receive a receipt. Please keep this safe as it may be needed in the future. Alternatively, post your form to the Admissions Team. A receipt will be posted to you. If you do not receive a receipt, please telephone 0161 342 3208/3204.

On-line applications

You can also apply online for a school place. The Tameside online application facility is open from 19th October until the closing date of 3.00pm on 4th December 2009.

If you apply online, you must still provide proof of address, plus any additional evidence, or information required by a voluntary aided school. Please take this to your preferred school clearly marked with your child’s name, address and date of birth.

To apply online for a Tameside school, use the Primary Schools Online Application Form.

When you have completed your application, you will get an e-mail confirming that it has been received. If you make a note of your reference number you can make changes to your application and re-submit it up to the closing date. Each time you re-submit you will get an e-mail to confirm.

You can use the online system to opt to receive your school allocation by e-mail on 29th March, 2010.

If you have any difficulties in using the system, contact Paula Barnett in School Admissions on 0161 342 3208.

Proof of address

All applicants must provide two proofs of address from the following list:

• Mortgage Statement*
• Tenancy agreement or letter from landlord*
• Council Tax Statement*
• Council Tax benefit statement*
• TV licence*
• Home contents insurance certificate*
• Buildings insurance certificate*
• Recent utility bill (gas, electricity, water, land-line telephone bill but not a mobile phone bill)**
• Letter from a solicitor confirming exchange of contracts on a house**

*issued within the last 12 months
** issued within the last 3 months

You must send your proof of address with your application form. If you are applying online, you must take your proof of address to your preferred primary school by the closing date where they can be verified.

Timetable for admissions to Tameside schools

How Late Applications Are Dealt With

Late applications will only be dealt with after all of those that have been received on time. This applies even if your child has special circumstances, or has a sibling at the school. If your application is late, you may not receive an offer of a school place on offer day.

How late changes of preference are dealt with

Admission authorities will not allow preferences, ranking order or pupil details to be changed after the closing date of 4th December 2009 except in exceptional circumstances, for example, if the family has recently moved address. Evidence must be provided to support the request. No changes can be considered even where there are exceptional circumstances once information has been exchanged with the other admission bodies by the council, because the allocations process has commenced. In the case of primary schools this cut-off date is the 15th January 2010.

Important information

• Each school application should be discussed with all those with parental responsibility for the child as only one application per child can be accepted.
  
• It is very important that you consider the likelihood of your child being offered a place at your preferred schools. The information in the Allocation Statistics September 2009 section tells you how many applications were received by each school last year and the number of children the school can admit. The number of applications and furthest distance allocated varies year on year and can only serve as a guide for future years.
  
• If you put down three schools that are oversubscribed, and your child does not meet the criteria for any of them, you may not be offered a place at any of your preferred schools. The Council will offer a place at the school nearest to your home with places available.
  
• You will still need to apply for a Reception place even if your child currently attends the nursery. Having a place in the nursery class or foundation unit at any school does not guarantee a place in the Reception class.
  
• Many parents have complex childcare arrangements and these cannot be taken into account when allocating places.
  
• Putting your child’s name down at your preferred school does not guarantee a place.
  
• You should not put your child’s name down at more than one Tameside school.
  
• Only putting one preference on your application does not increase your chances of being offered a place at that school, and you may be allocated a school some distance away from your home if nearer schools receive more applications than there are places.
  
• For the same reason, there is no advantage in listing fewer than three schools or including the same school more than once.
  
• Please note that all distances are measured using a Geographical Information System based on Ordnance Survey. Other software packages may give a slightly different measurement – these will not be considered.
  
• An intention to change address cannot be considered by the council until proof is available. A solicitor’s letter confirming an exchange of contract on a property, or tenancy agreement will be accepted up to 15th January, 2010.
  
• An application form should be completed even if you wish your child to attend an independent school.
  
• Under the government’s class size legislation, no child in Key Stage 1 can be in a class of more than 30 pupils with one qualified teacher for a normal teaching session.
  
• Any fraudulent or misleading information on a school application form may result in the withdrawal of a school offer.

Distance check

If you would like us to measure the straight line distance to your preferred schools, please telephone us on 0161 342 3214.