Billesley Primary School

General
The Academy will comply with the Department for Education’s School Admissions Code
(“the Admissions Code”) the School Admission Appeals Code (“the Appeals Code”) and the
law relating to admissions as set in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
The Academy, through The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust (TEFAT) who are the
admission authority will consult the relevant bodies where amendments to the policy are
required or within the specified timescale as per the Admissions Code.
The Academy will participate in the co-ordinated admissions arrangements for reception
entry which will be administered Birmingham Local Authority (“the LA”)
School admissions | Birmingham City Council

Admission Numbers

Published Admission Number (PAN) – Nursery Provision

The Academy has an agreed PAN of 39 full time equivalent places.

Published Admission Number (PAN) – Reception Entry

The Academy has an agreed PAN of 90 (3 Form Entry). The Academy will accordingly admit
90 children (aged rising 5) if sufficient applications are received.
Application Process

• Nursery Admission
  Applications for a place in the nursery will be made directly to the Academy and the
  timetable will be published yearly. Applicants will be considered under the published
  admissions criteria clause 5, see nursery admission on the Academy website for further.
  The Academy does not give priority for reception places within the admissions criteria to
  children who attend the nursery. To do so would give an unfair advantage to children
  whose parents/carers are able to take advantage of a nursery place at the Academy in
  comparison to those who have to attend other providers.
  Parents/Carers will need to apply for a reception place via the process mentioned in
  clause 4 if they would like their child to be considered for a place. All applicants will be
  considered as per the admissions criteria clause 5.

Reception Admission
Applications for a reception place must be made via the online school admissions form
administered by the home local authority (the one that the parent/carer pays council tax to).
For further information on this process please visit your LA website.
The Academy will consider all applications for a reception place under the published
admissions criteria clause 5.

Admission Criteria
When the Academy is oversubscribed, after the admission of Children with an Education,
Health and Care plan (EHCP)

1 where the Academy is named, priority for admission will be

• given to those children who meet the criteria set out below:
  A ‘looked after child’ (as defined in the Children Act 1989) 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
  admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in
  state care as a result of being adopted. Details of eligibility must be supplied by the allocated
  social worker or foster carer.

  A child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became
  subject to an adoption, child arrangement order, or special guardianship order. This
  includes children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care
  outside of England and ceased to be in care as a result of being adopted. Proof of
  eligibility will be required.

• Children for whom it is essential to be admitted to the Academy because of special
  circumstances to do with significant medical or social needs, which relate to the child or
  an immediate member of the child’s family. Applications must be supported by medical
  evidence from a GP or hospital consultant, social worker, or similar professional.
  i The supporting evidence should set out the particular reason why the Academy is the
  most suitable and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend
  another school. This evidence must be sent to the Academy by the application
  closing date, for the applicant to be considered under this criterion.
• Children who, on the date of admission, will have a sibling (e.g. a natural brother or
  sister, or a half brother or sister, or a legally adopted brother or sister or half-brother or
  sister, or step-brother or sister) who will be living with them at the same address and on
  roll of the Academy. Children will be considered under this criterion if they have a sibling
  who attends the Academy and will continue to be on roll when the child joins the
  Academy.
• Children of staff, where the member of staff has been employed by the Academy for 2 or
  more years at the time of application, or the member of staff was recruited to fill a vacant
  post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
• Children living nearest the school. Distances are calculated on the basis of a straight-line
  measurement between the applicant’s home address and the school entrance on
  Trittiford Road. The LA uses a computerised system, which measures all distances in
  metres. Ordnance Survey supplies the coordinates that are used to plot an applicant’s
  home address.

Additional Information
Accessibility by car or public transport, a childminder’s or business address cannot be taken
into consideration.

• 1 An Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) is a plan made by the local authority under Section 37 of the Children and
  Families Act 2014 specifying the special education provision required for that child. This policy is not relevant to the
  process for naming the school on a child’s EHCP. There is a separate process for selecting or changing the school named
  on an EHCP which is outside of the admissions process. Please contact the child’s home LA for further details
• Children living at more than one address
  Where parents have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives with both parents for
  part of the week then the main residence will be determined as the address where the child
  lives the majority of the week. Parents will be requested to supply documentary evidence to
  support the address used.
  When a place is offered proof of eligibility will be required. The Academy will follow the
  process used by the LA to establish eligibility. If false or misleading information is used to
  gain entry to the Academy the offer of a place will be withdrawn, and the parent/carer will be
  given the right of appeal.

Tie Break
Sibling
If there are more siblings than there are places available, the places will be offered to the
siblings who meet clause 5d and 5e in this order.
Distance
In the event of a tie break under 5e random allocation will be used, which will be undertaken
by a person independent of TEFAT.

Infant Class Size Legislation
The Academy is required to comply with Infant Class Size requirement which means that it
can teach no more than 30 infants per school teacher. Our admission number, therefore,
reflects this position. However, if one child of a multiple birth can be accommodated within
the published admission number, the Academy will accommodate the other child/children as
an exception to the Infant Class Size requirement as per the School Admissions Code.

Children of Service Personnel (UK Armed Force)
The Academy will consider applications for a place from families of UK Service Personnel
(UK Armed Forces) or a Crown Servant returning from overseas as a result of a posting;
under the published admissions criteria clause 5. The distance measurement used to
consider the application will be calculated to the posting address or unit postal address,
providing proof of posting is supplied (e.g. a letter that declares the relocation date and unit
postal or quartering area address) with the application. Places can be allocated in advance
of the family arriving in the area.

Nursery
The Academy will operate a waiting list if it receives more applications than there are places
available, the list will be open for the whole academic year. Applications will be made
directly to the Academy and will be considered under the published admissions criteria
clause 5 see nursery admission on the Academy website for further details.

• Reception
  The Academy will operate a waiting list where it receives more applications than there are
  places available. A waiting list will operate from the day after national offer day until the 31
  December of the new academic year. Applicants who have not been offered a place by the
  Academy or a *higher preference from their LA online application form will be allocated a
• place on the waiting list. *Higher preference – an applicant has been offered a place at a school
  that the parent/carer placed higher on the application form than their preference of the Academy.
  b) Parents of applicants who placed the Academy as a lower preference on the application form
  and received a higher preference or wish to make a new application should contact the
  Academy.
• Parents/Carers who would like their child’s name to remain on the reception waiting list after
  the 31st December will need to reapply under the In-year waiting list process set out in
  clause 12.

In Year Admission
The Academy will operate a waiting list for applications submitted for years 1 – 6 and
reception after 31 December. Applications will be made directly to the Academy by
completing an in-year application form available from the Academy. The Academy will
consider all such applications and if the year group applied for has a place available, admit
the child unless one of the permitted reliefs applies.

If more applications are received than there are places available, the admissions criteria
clause 5 will be applied. Parents/Carers will be advised of the outcome of their application
within 10 school days. The waiting list will operate for the full academic year.

Appeals
Where an application to the Academy is declined, parents/carers have the right to appeal to
an independent appeal panel except when applying to the nursery. The Academy will
provide guidance for parents/carers on how the appeal process works and a named contact
who will be able to answer any questions or queries. A timetable for appeals will be
published by the date specified in the Appeals Code.

Reception Starting Dates
Children will qualify for admission to the reception class in the September following their
fourth birthday. Where an offer has been made:
i. the child’s parent/carer can defer the date their child is admitted to the school until
later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory

School age

3 and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for

which the offer was made; and
ii. where the parent/carer wishes, a child may attend part-time until later in the school
year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age.