Old Hall Drive Academy

Introduction

As the Admissions Authority for the community and voluntary controlled schools in Manchester, the Local Authority (LA) is required to draft, consult on and determine their admission arrangements. Where there are more applicants than places available the LA will apply the admission arrangements in order to decide which applicants will be offered places.

Admission arrangements for voluntary aided schools, foundation schools, free schools and academies are set by their Governing Body, who are the Admission Authority for their establishment. They are responsible for drafting, consulting on and determining their admission arrangements. Copies of admissions arrangements for these types of schools/academies in Manchester can be found on the school/academy website and the LA’s website. They are also available on request from the relevant school/academy and the LA.

Application Procedures

All parents/carers are required to apply to their home LA regardless of where the school/academy they are applying is situated. Manchester residents will apply to Manchester LA. The LA will liaise with other Admissions Authorities in Manchester and other LAs where required. Manchester LA will inform parents/carers in writing of the outcome of their application.

Application forms are available from www.manchester.gov.uk/admissions and can be requested by phone on 0161 245 7166. They should be returned to:

These admission arrangements apply to applicants seeking a place in Reception for the schools listed in appendix 1. Applications for admission to the nursery of a Manchester school/academy will be dealt with by the school/academy, not by the LA. Applicants should apply direct to the school for a nursery place.

The LA is obliged to include in these arrangements the following provisions that apply to parent/carers making applications for a place in Reception only:

• The arrangements do not apply to those being admitted for nursery provision including nursery provision delivered in a co-­located children’s centre.
• Parent/carers of children who are admitted for nursery provision must apply for a place at the school/academy if they want their child to transfer to the reception class; Attendance at the nursery or co-located children’s centre does not guarantee admission to the school/academy;
• Parent/carers can request that the date their child is admitted to the school/academy is deferred until later in the school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year. Where entry is deferred, admission authorities must hold the place for that child and not offer it 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;
• Parents of a summer born child may request that they are admitted out of their normal age group – to reception rather than year 1.
• Parents can request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.

Primary Admissions Round – Oversubscription Criteria

Category 1 - children who are looked after by a local authority and children who were previously looked after by a local authority. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order);

Category 2 - children with exceptional medical/social needs;

Category 3 - children with a sibling at the school;

Category 4 – all other children

Within each category applicants, will be prioritised according to the distance between the child’s permanent address and the school. Distance will be measured in a straight line from the centre point of the child’s permanent home address to the centre point of the school as defined by Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG), and using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving higher priority.

Notes:

Category 2 –

• A panel of Local Authority officers will consider Category 2 applications on behalf of the Director of Children’s Services.
• If a parent has chosen a particular school because the child has exceptional social or medical circumstances or the parent is disabled, this should be indicated with the reasons for choosing the school. Parents must also provide a letter from a doctor or social worker as supporting evidence. The LA will then send a category 2 application form allowing the parent to state in full the exceptional social/medical reasons why the child should attend this school
• If supporting evidence is not supplied with a category 2 application the application will be refused.

Category 3 - Sibling

• A sibling is defined as a brother or sister attending the applied for school when the applicant will take up the place and living at the same address. This includes adopted siblings, step siblings and foster children;
• Siblings who are in a nursery class of the primary school will not give the applicant a sibling priority.

Waiting Lists

Waiting lists will be held in criteria order according to the oversubscription criteria. Waiting lists will not be operated on a “first come, first served” basis. The amount of time an applicant is on a waiting list will not affect their position on it.

For the Primary Admissions Round a waiting list will be held up to the end of the autumn term. At this point applicants will be required to re-apply for the school should they wish to stay on the waiting list.

For In Year applications, waiting lists will be held for the term in which the application was made. At the end of the term all applicants will be removed from all waiting lists. The only exception to this will be if the applicant has not been offered a place. In this circumstance the applicant will be kept on the waiting list for the next term. Details of the waiting list process will be on the application forms and on the offer letters sent to applicants.