Admissions Information 2023 – 24

 

 

Please refer to the information below or download the policy here:  Admissions Policy – July 2023

There is a co-ordinated approach for admissions to primary schools in Derbyshire. All parents in Derbyshire must apply to the Local Authority for primary school places. The Co-ordinated Scheme is an administrative process to make admission to school easier, more transparent and less stressful for parents in order to provide parents with an offer of a place in a school.

All matters pertaining to the admissions of children to Curbar Primary School will be conducted with the highest integrity. Principles of transparency, honesty and fairness will always apply.

The proposed admissions number (PAN) for the reception group is currently 10 pupils. The school will admit pupils up to the PAN in a reception year. The proposed admissions number (PAN) for all other year groups is currently 10 pupils. The school may or may not admit pupils up to the PAN in other year groups.

The Governing Body retains the right to consider applications from parents that are passed on by the Local Authority.

 

Derbyshire Coordinated Admission Scheme Intake Admissions

 

For admission to the 2023 – 24 school year, Curbar Primary School will provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday.

All applications for admissions must be made via the Derbyshire Coordinated Admission Scheme at https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/apply-for-a-school-place.aspx

Parents must complete and return the Derbyshire online forms for either a new primary school reception place or an in-year admission. Derbyshire will submit a list of potential applicants to the school following the application deadline.

 

Fair Access Protocol

 

The School Admissions Code requires that each local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol. All schools and Academies must participate in their local authorities area’s protocol in order to ensure that unplaced children, who live in the home local authority, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school in the home local authority as quickly as possible. This includes admitting children to schools that are already full.

Please find further details at: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/pdf/education/schools/school-places/admissions/2021-2022/fair-access-protocol-for-primary-schools.pdf

Children must be admitted to school for full time education by the start of the term which follows their 5th birthday. School will allow parents of children who are offered a place at the school before they are of compulsory school age to defer their child’s entry until later in the school year.  See below.

The LA will inform unsuccessful applicants of their right to appeal.

Derbyshire will use the priorities below when considering parents’ (see footnote (i)) requests for the admission of their children to the School.

1. Children with an Educational Health Care Plan.
2. Looked after children and 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).
3. Children living in the normal area* served by the school at the time of application and admission who have brothers or sisters** attending the school at the time of application and admission.
4. Children living in the normal area served by the school at the time of application and admission.

1. Children not living in the normal area served by the school but who have brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of application and admission.
2. Other children whose parents have requested a place. Where, in the case of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 above, choices have to be made between children satisfying the same criteria, those children living nearest to the school (measured by straight line)*** will be given preference.

 

Definitions

*Living in the normal area is defined as the child having settled residence in a property which is the child’s only or main residence. Documentary evidence, including proof of residence at the property concerned, may be required e.g. council tax/utility bills, sale/rental agreements. The County Council reserves the right to withdraw any offer of a school place which has been obtained as a result of misleading or fraudulent information.

 

**The term brother or sister includes:

(a) a half-brother and/or a half-sister

(b) a legally adopted child being regarded as a brother or sister

(c) a step-brother and/or step-sister residing in the same family unit

 

***Route Measurement The Children’s Services Department has a Geographic Information System

(GIS) to measure the straight line distance. It is measured by a standard straight line distance calculated to within two metres. The location of the home address is the Delivery Point Address (normally the house front door) which is sourced from the PAF (Postal Address File) component of Address Base. For schools the grid reference is taken from the postal address file and will normally be the centre of the school for primary phase schools, or the nearest gate or entrance for secondary schools.

 

Residence – in all categories

The home address used for school admission purposes is the address where the child is residing at the time of both application and admission.

Where an application includes more than one address due to shared parental responsibility, we will use the address where the child resides for the majority of the school week (where they usually or mainly sleep between Monday and Friday).

Parents and carers are required to submit full details with supporting information to enable us to determine which address to use for the purpose of admission.

Where parents provide evidence that the child resides equally at both addresses during the school week, and we are unable to reach a decision based on the information received, parents will be asked to notify the Council of the mutually agreed address to be used for the purpose of school admissions.

Where the county council has reasonable grounds for believing the home address is not the child’s only or main residence it reserves the right to carry out investigations which may include visits to the property.

 

Further information can be found at: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/pdf/education/schools/school-places/how-to-apply-for-a-primary-school-place.pdf

These are updated annually for each academic year.

 

Deferred and part-time entry

 

The school admits children to the Reception class in the September of the school year in which a child attains the age of 5 years. (The school year runs from 1 September to the 31st August.) All parents/carers are entitled to a full-time place for their child in the Reception class from September, but may defer entry until the beginning of the term after their child is five years old (i.e. when the child reaches compulsory school age) or until the beginning of the Summer term whichever is earlier. The place for that child will be held and not offered to another child. The parent would not however be able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted. Children may attend part-time until their child reaches compulsory school age. Parents/carers who have been offered a place at the school and wish to defer entry for their child and/or attend part-time must put this in writing to the Headteacher at the earliest opportunity and before the start of the autumn term.

 

Education out of normal (chronological) age group

 

Children are normally educated in school with others of their age group; however, in exceptional circumstances parents/carers may seek a place outside of their child’s normal age group. Decisions will be made on the basis of the circumstances of each case. Parents/carers must state clearly why they feel admission to a different year group is in the child’s best interests and may provide recent professional evidence to support this. Further details of how to make such a request are available from the school.

 

Derbyshire Coordinated Admission Scheme In-year Admissions

 

The school will follow Derbyshire co-ordinated arrangements for in-year admissions. If a year group is not fully subscribed pupils may be admitted. Parents are made aware by the LA of their right to appeal.

 

In year school admissions

 

Changing school at other times.

The school might be able to admit pupils other than when they are due to start school in reception.   This could be because of a change of address or because the parent would like to change the educational setting for their child.

If you want to apply for a place at the school during term time, you can do this online. https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/changing-schools/changing-schools.aspx   There is added guidance in the changing schools section to help you through the process. Applications earlier than one term in advance of when the place is required will not be accepted.

 

Appeals

 

If you are unable to obtain a place for your child in the school you wanted you can appeal against the decision.

 

Right to Appeal

 

Appeal hearings will have two distinct elements. Firstly, the panel will determine whether or not the school has acted properly in refusing to admit (i.e. that the year group is full and that over-subscription criteria have been fairly applied).

Secondly, the panel will hear evidence from the school as to why the admission of additional pupils would be prejudicial to the education of existing pupils (e.g. issues of space, staffing, resources) and from parents as the why their case for admission should override the prejudice.

The school will submit its case in writing and can be represented at the hearing. The panel will then make a binding decision and inform both parties in writing.

If the appeal is upheld, the school will make arrangements to admit the child with no undue delay.

The school maintains a waiting list for one term after the designated admission date. Any place which become available are allocated to children on the waiting list irrespective of whether or not appeals are pending.

Please find an Admissions Appeal Form at: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/pdf/education/schools/school-places/appeals/primary-school-admissions-appeal-form.pdf

 

Oversubscription criteria for community and controlled schools

 

For all community and controlled schools individual pupils who have a statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health Care plan which names the school will be admitted.

In deciding on admissions to all community and voluntary controlled schools in Derbyshire, the following order of priority will be adopted.

Please find further details at: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/pdf/education/schools/school-places/admissions/2021-2022/oversubscription-criteria-for-community-and-controlled-schools.pdf

 

Viewing the school

 

Parents are more than welcome to visit the school prior to view the school before making a decision or before the admission of their child. We invite children of prospective new reception children, with their parents, to an induction meeting during the term before they start school. The purpose is to enable children and parents to meet with staff, learn about school procedures, gain some level of familiarity with the surroundings and be provided with some key information about school and transition arrangements.

 

Information about the ‘DERBYSHIRE’S CO-ORDINATED ADMISSIONS SCHEME’ is available on the DCC website at https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/apply-for-a-school-place.aspx