Enquire Learning Trust Admission Arrangements

Admissions Policy

2027 - 202

Contents

Section	Title	Page
	Contents	2
	Version History	3
1	Aims	5
2	Legislation and statutory requirements	5
3	Definitions	5
4	How to apply	7
5	Requests for admission outside the normal age group	7
6	Children of UK Service personnel and crown servants	8
7	7.1 Allocation of places 7.2 Oversubscription criteria 7.3 Tie Break	8 10 11
8	In year admissions	12
9	Deferred entry or admission below compulsory school age	12
10	Waiting Lists	12
11	Flexi-schooling	12
12	Appeals	13

Version History

Approved by:	Trustees
Last reviewed:	October 2025
Next review due by:	September 2026

Date Author Vereion Comment

7/11/19 Sara Gartshore V2 Consultation on Buckingham PAN

Nov 2019 Sara Gartshore V3 References to SEN statements removed and

updated with EHCP reference

Jan 2020 Sara Gartshore V4 Updates as per LA advice on:

LAC outside England – page 7
Correct definition re staff at academy – page 4

Deferred entry or below compulsory school age – page 9

Sept 2020 Liz Thompson V5 MRPA and Hardwick Green – change to PAN

Nov 2020 Liz Thompson V6 Waiting List description added

July 2021 Liz Thompson V7 Update and review in line with the new School

Admissions Code 2021

December 2021 Liz Thompson New Admission Reduction in PAN at Southcoates

Policy 2023

October 2022 Sara Gartshore V1 of Admissions Addition of Oakdene Primary Academy

Policy 2024 Removal of “other children living permanently at the same address.

October 2023 Liz Thompson / V1 of Admissions Broughton and High Clarence Primary Academy

Sara Gartshore Policy 2025-2026 added – page 7

Updated Rules for EY, Pupil Premium and

Service Premium – page 4

Updated 7.2 Oversubscription Criteria – section 3

and Section 5 correction

November 2023 Liz Thompson / V2 (following 3. Definitions – rules for Siblings – wording

Sara Gartshore Consultation) updated to include “children of a parent’s partner”

3. Definitions – Distance – wording updated to include North Lincolnshire Schools

3. Definitions – Distance – wording updated to include Middlesbrough Schools

4. How to apply – wording updated to include North Lincolnshire Local Authority.

8. In-year admissions (paragraph 3) – wording updated regarding waiting list period to run until the end of the school year.

10. Waiting List – wording update re waiting list (as above)

December 2024 Liz Thompson / V1 of Admissions Policy reviewed.

Sara Gartshore Policy 2026-2027 Section 11 – Reference to the Trust’s Flexi

Schooling Policy added.

Section 12 – updated to advised Local Authority

to be contacted re Appeals.

October 2025 Liz Thompson Update:

Reduction in PAN at Easterside Academy
Section 4 (Page 7) added reference to ID checks.

Rewording:

Section 7.2 point 2 – wording updated for clarity re siblings being in Reception to Year 6 and re being at the point of admission

1. Aims

This policy aims to:

Explain how to apply for a place at the school
Set out the school’s arrangements for allocating places to the pupils who apply
Explain how to appeal against a decision not to offer your child a place

2. Legislation and statutory requirements

This policy is based on the following advice from the Department for Education (DfE):

As an academy, the school is required by its funding agreement to comply with these codes, and with the law relating to admissions as set out in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

This policy complies with our funding agreements and Articles of Association.

3. Definitions

The normal admissions round is the period during which parents can apply for state-funded school places at the school’s normal point of entry, using the common application form provided by their home local authority.

A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order including those who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is 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) .

A child reaches compulsory school age on the prescribed day following his or her fifth birthday (or on his or her fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day). The prescribed days are 31 December, 31 March and 31 August.

Rules for siblings

Included in this factor are step siblings, children of a parent’s partner, foster siblings and adopted siblings living at the same address at the expected time of admission.

Rules for Early Years, Pupil Premium and Service Premium

Children who are in a nursery class which is part of the academy.

Early years pupil premium is additional funding paid to support disadvantaged children receiving government – funded early education, as per Section 7 of the Childrencare Act 2006.

The pupil premium is additional funding paid annually to schools under Section 14 of the Education Act 2002 for the purposes of supporting the attainment of disadvantaged children.

The service premium is additional funding paid annually to schools under Section 14 of the Education Act 2002 for the purposes of supporting the pastoral needs of the children of Armed Services personnel.

Rules for Residence

By home we mean the address where the child lives for the majority of the school term time with a parent who has parental responsibility as defined in the Children Act 1989. Or any child in the household where an adult in the household is defined as a parent for the purposes of Section 576 of the Education Act 1996. This could include a person who is not a parent but who has responsibility for her or him. It could include a child’s guardians but will not usually include other relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles etc. unless they have all the rights, duties, powers and responsibilities and authority, which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and their property.

Where your child lives normally during the school week with more than one parent at different addresses, the home address for the purposes of school admissions will be the one where the child spends the majority of term time. If you can show that your child spends an equal amount of time at both addresses during school term time, you can choose which address to use on the application.

If you have more than one home, we will take as the home address the address where you and your child normally live for the majority of the school term time.

Children of staff at the Academy

Either:

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, or;

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

Distance

For all Hull County Council academies distance will be measured by the shortest available safe route for pedestrians along footpaths, using footpaths alongside roads marked on the current street map of the City. Front entrance of home property (residence) to main entrance of school site is used. The Authority will use Routefinder, a computer mapping system, to make measurements.

For all Lincolnshire academies distance will be measured as a straight line calculated electronically to three figures after the decimal point by Lincolnshire County Council school admissions team from the Post Office address of the home to the Post Office address point of the school.

For all Middlesbrough academies, pupils who reside closest to the school as determined by a straight line distance measurement; from the address point for the child’s home to the identified main school gate, using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

For all North East Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, and Stockton On Tees academies distance will be measure by a straight line from the from door of the child’s home address (including flats) to the main entrance of the academy, using the local authorities computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the academy receiving the higher priority.

For North Lincolnshire academies, the distance will be determined by measuring the shortest available route using the public road and path network from the pupil’s home to the main academy gate, as determined by the academy. The distance will be measured by using a computerised geographical information system (GIS). Priority will be given to those living nearest to the academy using this system. Pupils living in flats where the distance measures the same, priority will be given in ascending order of flat number/letter/floor.

For all Tameside academies distance will be measured as a straight line from the child’s home address, using the address point assigned by the National Land and Property Gazetteer, to the main gate to the school property. Measurements will be made using the local authority’s school admissions data mapping software, which uses a Geographical Information System based on Ordnance Survey.

4. How to apply

For applications in the normal admissions round you should use the application form provided by your home local authority (regardless of which local authority the schools are in). This maybe an electronic form. You can use this form to express your preference for a minimum of 3 state-funded schools (6 choices in Tameside Local Authority and in North Lincolnshire Local Authority), in rank order.

You will receive an offer for a school place directly from your local authority.

Please note, pupils already attending our nursery will not transfer automatically into the main school. A separate application must be made for a place in reception.

ID Checks must take place on ALL admissions for both child and parents / carers.

5. Requests for admission outside the normal age group

Parents are entitled to request a place for their child outside of their normal age group. Parents may request that their child is admitted to a year group outside their normal age range, for instance where the child is gifted or talented or where a child has suffered from particular social or medical issues impacting on his or her schooling.

Decisions on requests for admission outside the normal age group will be made on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. In accordance with the School Admissions Code, this will include taking account of:

Parents’ views
Information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development
Where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional
Whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group
Whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely
The Principal’s views

Wherever possible, requests for admission outside a child’s normal age group will be processed as part of the main admissions round. They will be considered on the basis of the admission arrangements laid out in this policy, including the oversubscription criteria listed in section 6. Applications will not be treated as a lower priority if parents have made a request for a child to be admitted outside the normal age group.

Parents will always be informed of the reasons for any decision on the year group a child should be admitted to. Parents do not have a right to appeal if they are offered a place at the school but it is not in their preferred age group.

ID Checks must take place on ALL admissions for both child and parents / carers.

6. Children of UK service personnel and crown servants

For families of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting to the area, or crown servants returning to live in the area from overseas, the Trustees will:

Process an application in advance of the family arriving in the area provided it is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date and a Unit postal address, intended address or quartering area address to use when considering the application against the school's oversubscription criteria.
Accept a Unit postal address or quartering area address for admissions purposes for a service child where the parent requests this
The Trustees will not refuse a service child a place solely because the family does not have an intended address or does not yet live in the area.

For late coordinated applications and mid year applications supported by the appropriate military documentation, we will aim to remove any disadvantage to UK service personnel (UK Armed Forces). The Trustees will consider whether:

An application from that address would normally succeed in an oversubscribed year.
There is any child on the waiting list with higher priority under the oversubscription criteria.
The prejudice from admitting an extra child would be excessive.

The Trustees have discretion to admit above the admission number in these circumstances if they wish, but are not obliged to do so. If a place is refused, you will be informed of your right of appeal.

7. Allocation of places

7.1 Admission number

North Yorkshire
East Whitby Primary Academy		45
Roseberry Primary Academy		30 *PAN is 30 for EYFS plus an additional 21 from Y3
Stakesby Primary Academy		30
Stokesley Primary Academy		45
Stockton on Tees
Hardwick Green Primary Academy		30
Harrow Gate Primary Academy		60
High Clarence Academy		15
Oakdene Primary Academy		45
Yarm Primary		60
Middlesbrough
Easterside Primary Academy		30
Rose Wood Primary Academy		50
Hull Council
Buckingham Primary Academy		30
Southcoates Primary Academy		45
North Lincolnshire
Broughton Primary School	60
North East Lincolnshire
Eastfield Primary Academy		30
Elliston Primary Academy		45
Enfield Primary Academy		30
Humberston Cloverfields Primary Academy		45
Laceby Acres Primary Academy		30
Middlethorpe Primary Academy		30
Springfield Primary Academy		45
Welholme Primary Academy		90
Lincolnshire
Keelby Primary Academy		30
Tameside
Bradley Green Primary Academy		30
Dowson Primary Academy		60
Endeavour Primary Academy		45
Flowery Field Primary School		90
Godley Primary Academy		30
Linden Road Primary Academy		30
Manchester Road Primary		60
Moorside Primary Academy		60
Oakfield Primary Academy		30

7.2 Oversubscription criteria

All children whose Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan names the school will be admitted before any other places are allocated.

If the school is not oversubscribed, all applicants will be offered a place.

In the event that the school receives more applications than the number of places it has available, places will be given to those children who meet any of the criteria set out below, in order until all places are filled.

A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order including those who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is 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).

Priority will next be given to children with siblings at the school (in Reception to Year 6) at the point of admission. Siblings include step siblings, foster siblings and adopted siblings living at the same address. Priority will not be given to children with siblings who are former pupils of the school at the time of admission.

Pupils who are eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium and are in a nursery class which is part of the academy. This is applicable to all academies outlined in 7.1 with the exception of Keelby and Laceby Acres Primary Academies.

Admission authorities may give priority in their oversubscription criteria to children eligible for the early years pupil premium, the pupil premium, or the service premium who:

are in a nursery class which is part of the school; or
attend a nursery that is established and run by the school. The nursery must be named in the admission arrangements and its selection must be transparent and made on reasonable grounds.

Priority will next be given to children of staff at the academy, in either of the following circumstances:

a) 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, or
b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage

Pupils whose main residence is within the catchment area. Parents can view each academy catchment area through their local authority website. NB; criterion 5 is not applicable in full to Lincolnshire or Tameside academies because they do not have catchment areas.

Distance

For all Hull County Council academies distance will be measured by the shortest available safe route for pedestrians along footpaths, using footpaths alongside roads marked on the current street map of the City. Front entrance of home property (residence) to main entrance of school site is used. The Authority will use Routefinder, a computer mapping system, to make measurements.

For all Middlesbrough academies, pupils who reside closest to the school as determined by a straight line distance measurement; from the address point for the child’s home to the identified main school gate, using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

The Enquire Learning Trust and its academies work within all Local Authority Fair Access Protocols.

7.3 Tie break

In the case of 2 or more applications that cannot be separated by the oversubscription criteria outlined above, the school will use the distance between the school and a child’s home as a tie breaker to decide between applicants. Priority will be given to children who live closest to the school. Distance will be measured as outlined above in criterion 5. A child’s home address will be considered to be where he/she is resident for the majority of nights in a normal school week.

Where the distance between 2 children’s homes and the school is the same, random allocation will be used to decide between them. This process will be independently verified.

8. In-year admissions

You can apply for a place for your child at any time outside the normal admissions round. As is the case in the normal admissions round, all children whose EHC plan names the school will be admitted.

Likewise, if there are spaces available in the year group you are applying for, your child will always be offered a place.

If there are no spaces available at the time of your application, your child’s name will be added to a waiting list for the relevant year group. When a space becomes available it will be filled by one of the pupils on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria listed in section 6.2 of this policy. Priority will not be given to children on the basis that they have been on the waiting list the longest. A waiting list will be maintained at each academy until the end of the school year of admission (August).

Applications for in-year admissions should be sent to your local authority as listed in section 4 of this policy.

9. Deferred entry or admission below compulsory school age.

Where a place has been offered and accepted:

Your child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday;
You can defer the date your child is admitted to the school until later in the school year, but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age (5) and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which it was made;
Parents can also request that their child may attend part-time until later in the school year until the child reaches compulsory school age (5).

The Admissions Board will review all requests on an individual basis and parents will be notified in writing of the outcome.

10. Waiting List

A waiting list will be maintained at each academy until the end of the school year of admission (August). Each child will be added to the list and ranked in line with the oversubscription criteria. Priority will not be given to children based on the date of their application or when their name was added to the list. Looked after children, previously looked after children, and those allocated a place at the school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol, must take precedence over those on a waiting list.

11. Flexi-schooling

All requests to be made directly to the Trust via admissions@eltacademy.org. For further details please see the Flexi-schooling Policy.

12. Appeals

If your child’s application for a place at the school is unsuccessful, you will be informed why admission was refused and given information about the process for hearing appeals.

The Trust continue to work with each Local Authority; please direct all appeals to your Local Authority within their timeframes.