Waterloo Primary School

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENT CONSULTATION FOR WATERLOO PRIMARY SCHOOL

2027/28 ACADEMIC YEAR

Detailed below is the admissions arrangement policy for Waterloo Primary School for the academic year 2027/2028. There have been no changes made to this policy with exception of the effective dates since previous admission policy published. The consultation is made under the 7-year rule to consult on admission arrangements.

Tameside Authority is coordinating the admissions on behalf of the school.

APPLYING FOR A PLACE AT WATERLOO PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR SEPTEMBER 2027

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1

These arrangements apply to the admission of children to Waterloo Primary School in the normal admissions round for the academic year 2027/28. Tameside will operate an equal preference scheme. These arrangements do not apply to those being admitted for nursery provision including nursery provision delivered in a co-located children’s centre. If you are a Tameside resident you must make your application to Tameside Authority.

1.2

Children in Tameside are eligible for a Reception place from the beginning of the school year in which they become 5 years old. However, they do not become of compulsory school age until the start of the term after their fifth birthday. Parents may therefore request that their school place be deferred until later in the school year and if they do this the place will be held for the child. However, they cannot defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year, for which the original application was accepted. Parents can also request that their child attends on a part time basis until the child reaches compulsory school age.

1.3

Parents of children who are admitted for nursery provision must still apply for a place at the school. If they want their child to transfer to the reception class; attendance at Waterloo Primary School Nursery does not guarantee admission to the school.

2 APPLYING FOR A PLACE AT WATERLOO PRIMARY SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 2027

2.1

If you are a Tameside resident you must make your application online to Tameside Local Authority. You should put your child’s name down at Waterloo Primary School by the beginning of October 2026.

2.2

It is the parent’s responsibility to apply for a school place. This is done online. Details of how to apply and where to view the Starting Out Booklet are on Tameside LA’s website All applications must be made online. Please note that only one application may be submitted for each child.

2.3

Tameside LA may verify information you provide on your application, which could involve contacting other departments of the local authority. In instances where the information provided is different from that held by them, they may use the information on the application to investigate further. If false or misleading information is given, Waterloo Primary School has the right to withdraw the offer of a school place.

2.4

If you are not a Tameside resident you must make your application to the Local Authority where you live, even if you wish your child to attend Waterloo Primary School. Please note that applications must be returned in accordance with your own local authority’s specific instructions and not to Tameside.

3 THE PROCESS

3.1

The application will invite parents to indicate a preference for up to 6 schools, and then to rank the schools in order of preference, parents will also be able to give reasons for each preference. In allocating places, Waterloo Primary School will operate an equal preference scheme.

3.2

Your application must be submitted by the closing date of 15 January 2027, with any supporting information / evidence if appropriate.

3.3

The council will follow the timetable set out in the coordinated admissions scheme. Late applications will be dealt with as late and ranked after all applications received by the deadline.

3.4

Changes to preferences, ranking order, or pupil details, will not be allowed after the closing date of 15 January 2027, except in exceptional circumstances, for example, if the family has recently moved address. Evidence must be provided to support the request. An intention to change address cannot be considered by the local authority until the move has actually taken place and proof is available, or parents may provide a solicitor’s letter confirming an exchange of contracts on a property, or a tenancy agreement and proof of disposal of current property. No changes can be considered even where there are exceptional circumstances, once information has been exchanged with other admission bodies because the allocations process has commenced. In the case of primary schools this cut-off date is the 21 January 2027.

3.5

Notification of offers of a single school place will be sent out to parents on 16 April 2027. These notifications will also inform parents of their right of appeal, and who to contact, if an application has not been successful.

3.6

Parents will not receive multiple offers.

4 THE PUBLISHED ADMISSION NUMBERS FOR WATERLOO PRIMARY SCHOOL is 60

Where applications for admission to any school exceed the number of places available, the following criteria will be applied, in the order set out below, to decide which children to admit.

5 CRITERIA FOR ALLOCATING PLACES TO OVERSUBSCRIBED SCHOOLS

Children with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) where the school is named will be allocated places before the oversubscription criteria are applied. The criteria for oversubscription for community primary schools are:

• Looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were

adopted (or became subject to a ‘child arrangements order’ or ‘special guardianship order’

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) at the time of making an application to a school. A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

6 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH EXCEPTIONAL MEDICAL AND SOCIAL NEEDS

Written evidence must be provided by a suitably qualified professional – e.g., a GP or consultant for medical needs, or a social worker for social needs – the information must confirm the exceptional medical or social need and demonstrate how the specified school is the only school that can meet the defined needs of the child. A panel of school governors, along with the head teacher, will make a decision as to whether to admit a child under this criterion, using the evidence provided. Parents/carers are responsible for providing all information in support of an application by the closing date, officers of the Council will not ask for additional information. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

7 SIBLINGS

This will apply where there are brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of application, who will still be attending at the time of admission, i.e., in the September when a pupil is admitted to Reception. Preference will be given to pupils living nearest to the school.

The sibling criterion includes; natural sisters/brothers; half-sisters/brothers; step sisters/brothers; adopted sisters/brothers; sisters/brothers of fostered children; children of the parent/carer’s partner, and in each case living at the same address. This allows for the admittance of children whose siblings will still be attending the preferred school.

8 ALL OTHER APPLICATIONS ON DISTANCE

Preference will be given to pupils living nearest to the school

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 of 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.

8.1

Where oversubscription occurs in applying either criteria 1, 2 or 3, priority will be given to those pupils living nearest the school, measured as a straight line (as above).

8.2

The address from which distance will be measured will be the permanent residential address, at the time of application, of the parent with whom the child is normally resident. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for part of a week, the home address is the address from which the child travels to school for the majority of school days per week. If the number of days is exactly equal the home address will be that of the parent who receives the Child Benefit.

8.3

In the event of distances being the same for 2 or more applications where this distance would be the last place/s to be allocated, the place will be allocated to the pupil that is nearer using walking distance as measured using the local authority’s school admissions data mapping software.

In the event of two or more applications with distances, which are exactly the same, competing for a final place, e.g., blocks of flats, the place will be decided by drawing lots. The first name drawn will be offered the place.

8.4

An adoption order is an order under section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. A ‘residence order’ is as an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).

8.5

In cases where twins, triplets, or other multiple birth siblings are split when allocations take place, they will be allocated a place over the Published Admission Number and will remain excepted pupils for the time they are in an infant class or until the class numbers fall back to the current infant class size limit.

9 ADMISSIONS OUTSIDE OF NORMAL AGE GROUP

9.1

Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group, for example, if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.

School admission authorities are required to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday, but flexibilities exist for children whose parents do not feel they are ready to begin school before they reach compulsory school age.

Summer Born (1st Entry to School), A parent who chooses not to send their summer born child (those born between 1st April and 31st August) to school until they have reached compulsory school age may request that their child is admitted outside their normal age group.

Where a parent requests their child is admitted out of their normal age group, Prestolee Multi Academy Trust is responsible for making the decision on which year group a child should be admitted to. They are required to decide based on the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child concerned.

There is no statutory barrier to children being admitted outside their normal age group, but parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular age group.

A parent who chooses not to send their summer born child to school until they have reached compulsory school age may request that their child is admitted outside their normal age group - to reception rather than year 1.

9.2

Parents should submit reasons for requesting admission for their child outside of the normal age range together with their application. The online application provides space to do this and you should also submit views of medical professionals as necessary. A decision will be made taking account of parents’ wishes, information about the child’s academic, social, and emotional development; and whether they have previously been educated outside their normal age group. Each request will be treated on an individual basis having regard to the views of an educational professional who will be involved in educating the child.

9.3

A decision will be made by Prestolee Multi Academy Trust on the parental request, using the evidence provided. Parents/carers are responsible for providing all information in support of an application by the closing date. Prestolee Multi Academy Trust will not ask for additional information. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

10. ADMISSION OF CHILDREN OF UK SERVICE PERSONNEL

The council acknowledges that service families are subject to movement within the UK and from abroad. Although the council is not able to reserve places for blocks of pupils we will consider requests, if accompanied by an official MOD letter declaring a relocation date and Unit postal address or quartering area address. For in year admissions, places will be allocated, subject to a place being available in the relevant year group, prior to moving. If we are unable to allocate a place at that time, parents will be offered the right to appeal.

11 WAITING LISTS

If Waterloo Primary School is oversubscribed the admission authority will maintain a waiting list. The waiting list will operate until the end of the relevant school year. Parents, who have expressed the school as a preference and have not been offered a place at the school, or at a higher preference school, will automatically be placed on the waiting list. All pupils on the waiting list will be ranked according to the oversubscription criteria. When a place becomes available children who have been referred under the local authority’s Fair Access protocol or who is the subject of a direction by the local authority to admit will be given precedence over any other children on the waiting list. Then any places will be offered to the highest ranked application received by the date the place becomes available. If new or late applications have a

higher priority under the oversubscription criteria, they will be ranked higher than those who have been on the list for some time. If the circumstances of children on the waiting list change (e.g., they move house) they should inform the admission authority immediately and provide appropriate supporting evidence).

14 APPEALS

14.1

Any parent who is refused admission to a Waterloo Primary School has the right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel. For pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan, (EHCP), an appeal can be made to the SEN and Disability Tribunal (details are included in the EHCP).

14.2

Parents, who wish to appeal against the decision of the local authority to refuse admission to Waterloo Primary School, should do so in writing, setting out clearly why your child should go to this particular school. Information about appeals will be sent out with the allocation letter and can also be found on the School Admissions webpage http://www.tameside.gov.uk/schools/admissions

14.3

The Appeals Panel will be independent of the school and the LA and will give the appellant, who may be accompanied by a friend or be represented, the opportunity to make oral representation.

14.4

The Local Authority will give the appellant at least ten school days’ notice of the time and place of the hearing.

14.5

The clerk will send the appeal papers to the appellant at least seven working days before the hearing.

14.6

The appeal shall be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast, the chairman of the panel having a casting vote.

14.7

The decision of the Appeals Panel and the grounds on which it was made shall be communicated by the Clerk in writing to the appellant. That decision shall be binding on all parties. Subject to the above conditions, all matters of procedure shall be determined by the local authority.

WATERLOO PRIMARY SCHOOL

Nursery Education Admissions Policy 2027–2028

1. Entitlement for Nursery Education Places

All children are entitled to a free part-time nursery education place. That entitlement is from the term after their third birthday. However, provision is made by a range of providers to provide places in the year before they enter Reception. Some places may be available for three-year-olds in the term after their 3rd birthday if there are places available.

From September 2010 each child is entitled to a maximum of 15 hours free early years education per week in the year before the child enters Reception class.

From September 2017 School also offers Extended Entitlement (a further 15 hours) for those working parents who are eligible.

2. Planned Admission Number

Each year the Governing Body states the number of pupils it plans to admit to the Nursery within the Foundation Stage. For the school year commencing September 2027, the Governing Body has retained its planned Nursery Admission Number as in previous years, at 26. These will be part time places for morning sessions commencing 8.55am to 11.55am.

Extended Entitlement for those parents who are eligible is available from 11.55 until 3.15pm.

3. Nursery Admissions Procedure

Prospective parents should contact the school as soon as possible to be included on the Interest List. An Application Form will be sent to all parents on this list, and copies of the Form will also be available at the school. Parents must complete the Application Form in full and return it to the school no later than 28 February 2027.

There is a main intake into the Nursery within the Foundation Stage in September 2027.

Parents applying for a place on the grounds of specific medical or social reasons must provide written evidence from a doctor or other agency stating that he/she has exceptional needs which means that admission to Waterloo primary School is essential. Reference may be made to the Community Health Physician, Social Services, or the Educational Psychologist as appropriate.

Admission to the Nursery will be made by the Governing Body in accordance with the criteria published in Section 4 (below), following a strict order of priority. When the number of applications exceeds the 52 places available, the Governing Body will apply the stated over-subscription criteria. No criteria other than those stated in this document will be applied. All terms are clearly defined in the relevant sections below.

Notification to parents who have applied for a place will be issued by the school, in the summer term before the child starts nursery.

Parents are required to accept or decline the allocated place using the form sent with the allocation letter. The form must be returned to the school within the specified timescales from the date of the offer letter. If the place is not accepted, the place will be offered to the next applicant on the waiting list. Given the pressure for nursery places, parents are requested to advise the school at any stage, if an application is to be withdrawn or a place is not to be accepted for any reason.

Parents do not have the right of appeal against the decision of the Governing Body to refuse admission to Nursery. Children who are not offered a place in the Nursery may ask to be entered on the Waiting List.

As part of our Induction procedures, successful applicants will be invited to visit the Nursery with their parents during the term prior to admission.

4. Nursery Admissions Criteria

Places will be allocated to Tameside residents who will be 4 years old between 1 September 2027 and 31 August 2028 in the first instance.

When school receives more applications from Tameside residents who will be 4 years old between 1 September autumn term 2027 and 31 August 2028 than there are places available the following over subscription criteria must be applied in order:

Children in Public Care (Children Looked After)
Children with Exceptional Medical Needs or Home Circumstances and / or Special

Educational Needs

Written evidence must be provided from a doctor or other agency that he/she has exceptional needs which means that admission to a particular school nursery is essential. A panel of governors will make a decision as to whether to admit a child under this criterion using the evidence provided. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. It is anticipated that the total number of children allocated places according to these criteria would form only a small proportion of the total number of children attending the Nursery.

Siblings: this will apply where the applicant is 4 years old by 31st August 2027 and has brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of application, who will still be attending at the time of admission. Within the sibling tiebreaker, preference will be given to pupils living nearest to the school. *
Age

Priority will be given to children in the following order:

Children who will be 4 years old by 31st December 2027
Children who will be 4 years old by 31st March 2028
Children who will be 4 years old by 31st August 2028

Distance
1. Where over subscription occurs in applying the above criteria, a tiebreaker will be applied to all applications remaining within the criteria. Priority will be given to applicants who live closest to the school.
2. Distance will be measured as a straight line from the child’s home address to the main gate to the school property using the LA’s school admissions data mapping software, which uses a

Geographical Information System based on Ordnance Survey. The address from which distance will be measured will be the permanent residential address, at the time of application, of the parent with whom the child lives. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for part of a

week, the home address is the address from which the child travels to school for the majority of school days per week. If the number of days is exactly equal the home address will be that of the parent who receives the Child Benefit.

In the event of distances being the same for 2 or more applications where this distance would be the last place/s to be allocated, the place will be allocated to the pupil that is nearer using walking distance as measured using the local authority’s school admissions data mapping software.

5. Allocating places to Tameside resident children applying after the main allocation procedure has been completed

When school still has nursery places available after the main allocation process has been completed, the Governing Body will offer places to subsequent applicants on a ‘first come first served bases, as long as that child is of the correct age i.e., will become 4 years old between 1st September 2027 and 31st August 2028 (and therefore born between 1st September 2023 and 31st August 2024) and lives in Tameside. Should a Tameside resident parent request a place after the allocation process and the school has places available; a place should normally be offered.

6. Waiting Lists

When school has allocated all its nursery places, it will operate a waiting list. If a place becomes available, it will be allocated to a child on the waiting list according to the over subscription criteria.

If school still has nursery places available after the summer half term 2027, the following will apply:

Offering places to children who do not live in Tameside. Where school still has nursery places available after the summer half term preceding the September that applicants wish to be admitted, these can be allocated to children who do not live in Tameside and who will become 4 years old between 1st September 2027 and 31st August 2028 (and therefore born between 1st September 2023 and 31st August 2024), according to the over subscription criteria.

When the school has allocated its entire 26 (full time equivalent) nursery places, it will operate a Waiting List. If a place does become available, this will be allocated to a child at the highest position on the Waiting List, according to the above criteria. Parents may contact the school on a regular basis to see if they wish to remain on the Waiting List. Please note that new arrivals who apply may have a higher priority under the oversubscription criteria, so they will be ranked higher than those who have been on the list for some time.

If a school still has nursery places available after the start of term in September 2027, the following may apply:

Offering places to children who will become 3 years old between 1st September 2027 and 31st December 2027 who live in Tameside. The governing body may decide that it will offer empty places to Tameside resident pupils who will become 3 years old between 1st September 2027 and 31st December 2027 if there are still places available after the start of term in September 2027. Pupils will not be able to start in the nursery until the beginning of the term after they become three i.e., 1st January 2028 (spring term) at the earliest. Pupils accepted into the nursery in this category will not be required to apply for a nursery place in September 2028, as they will automatically continue in the nursery.

Places will be offered as per the oversubscription criteria as detailed above.

9 If a school still has nursery places available after the start of term in January 2028, the following may apply:

Offering places to children who will become 3 years old between 1st January 2028 and 31st

March 2028 who live in Tameside. The governing body may decide that it will offer empty places to

Tameside resident pupils who will become 3 years old between 1st January 2028 and 31st March 2028 if there are still places available after the start of term in January 2028. Pupils will not be able to start in the nursery until the beginning of the term after they become three i.e., after Easter 2028 (summer term) at the earliest. Pupils accepted into the nursery in this category will not be required to apply for a nursery place in September 2028, as they will automatically continue in the nursery.

Places will be offered as per the oversubscription criteria as detailed above.

Proof of Address

The Application Form asks parents to provide TWO proofs of address from the following list:

Mortgage Statement* TV licence* Tenancy agreement or letter from landlord*
Home contents / Vehicle insurance certificate* Buildings insurance certificate*
Council Tax Statement* Council Tax benefit statement*
Recent utility bill (gas, electricity, water, land-line phone bill but not a mobile phone bill) **
Letter from a solicitor confirming exchange of contracts on a house** (*issued within the last 6 months; ** issued within the last 3 months)

Further evidence may be requested if needed.

Children with Exceptional Medical Needs or Home Circumstances and/or Special Educational Needs

Written evidence must be provided from a doctor or other professional agency that he/she has exceptional needs which means that admission to Waterloo Primary School is essential (not just desirable). A panel of governors will decide as to whether to admit a child under these criteria using the evidence provided. All information provided will be in the strictest confidence.

Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children

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 (under Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).

A previously Looked After Child is one who immediately moved on from that status after becoming subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order.

Additional Notes and Terminology

Home Address

Parent

Throughout this policy the term ‘parent’ includes: (if.) All natural parents, whether they are married or not; (ii.) Any person who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility for a child; and (iii.) Any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of a child or young person.

Siblings: Sisters and Brothers

For the purposes of this policy, the words “brother” and “sister” refer throughout to natural sister or natural brother, half-sister, or half-brother, adopted sister or adopted brother, step-sister or stepbrother, foster sister or foster brother, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner. The child for whom the school place is sought must be living in the same family unit and at the same permanent address as the brother or sister. This allows for the priority admittance of children whose brothers and/or sisters will still be attending the school at the time of admission.

Future Applications

Parents of children who are admitted for nursery provision must still apply for a place at the school if they want their child to transfer to the reception class; attendance at Waterloo Nursery does not guarantee admission to the school.