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 into the Tameside borough, and your child is no longer able to attend their previous school, the school admissions team will make an alternative offer of a place at a school within reasonable walking distance 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.
How will I know when my 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 can I do if my child is refused a place? Can I appeal?
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 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
Can my child’s name be placed on a waiting list for a school?
Your child’s name will automatically be added to relevant active waiting lists. This includes all Tameside community schools. 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 academy, 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.