School Admissions Policies 2024-2025

Laughton All Saints C of E Primary School

Introduction

Laughton All Saints’ C of E Primary School is a Church of England Primary School and is part of the Diocese of Sheffield’s Academies Trust.

The school provides a distinctively Christian education for children aged 3 to 11 years.

Historically, Anglican schools were parish schools providing education for the community in accordance with the principles of the Church of England. Thus the majority of Sheffield Diocesan schools were established to provide education for the children of the parish within a Christian context. The two aims of being ‘distinctively Christian’ and ‘serving the local community’ are reflected in the school’s admission criteria.

Laughton All Saints’ is a Primary School in which the Governing Board is the Admission Authority and responsible for admissions. It is guided in that responsibility by the requirements of the law, the school trust deed, by advice from the Sheffield Diocesan Board of Education and its duty to the community.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the rest of this booklet.

The admission number for 2024-2025 is 15 and children will be admitted during the Autumn term prior to their 5th birthday. The Local Authority, Rotherham MBC, will coordinate in year transfers for our school in 2024-2025. Where parents wish to defer entry or request that the child attends part time, the request will be considered where it appears to be in the best interest of the child. All children will be admitted by the term following their 5th birthday – compulsory school age.

Please contact the school if you need help in completing the Common Application Form or Supplementary Information Form

Making an Application

Applications are made on the Common Application Form or online using the online form on the Local Authority, Rotherham MBC’s website address www.rotherham.gov.uk and following the school/education links.
To support your application to Laughton All Saints’ C of E Primary School, please complete the Supplementary Information Form. This is not an application form for admission to school but will be used by school when applying the admissions criteria.
The Common Application Form should be submitted by 15 January 2024 along with the Supplementary Information Form (if applicable)

Criteria for Admission

Children who have a statement of special educational need and the school is named as the most appropriate education setting for the child will be admitted

Oversubscription Criteria

Where there are more applications for admission than the published admission number, the Governing Board/Admissions Committee will apply the following criteria in strict order of priority:

Children in Care/Looked After Children and Children who were previously in Care/Looked After (see definition 5 – Looked after children)
Children with special medical or social circumstances where these needs can only be met at this school. This is not about educational needs. Professional supporting evidence must be provided if admission is to be made under this criterion. A professionally qualified person such as a medical doctor, psychologist or social worker must set out the particular reasons why the school is the suitable one for the child and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school
Children who have an elder brother/sister (see definition 1) attending the school at the time at the time of anticipated admission
Children of parents/carers (see definition 2) who reside in the parishes of Laughton, Dinnington or Thurcroft and regularly (see definition 3) attend the parish church of All Saints’, St Leonards or St Simon & St Jude.
Children who reside in the parishes of Laughton, Dinnington or Thurcroft and regularly attend the parish church of All Saints’, St Leonards or St Simon & St Jude.
Children of parents /carers who reside in the parishes of Laughton, Dinnington or Thurcroft and regularly attend a Christian denomination participating in ‘Churches Together in England’(see definition 4)
Children who reside in the parishes of Laughton, Dinnington or Thurcroft and regularly attend a Christian denomination participating in ‘Churches Together in England’ (see definition 4)
Children who are resident in the parishes of Laughton.
Children who are resident in the parishes of Dinnington & Thurcroft.
Children who reside outside the parishes of Laughton, Dinnington or Thurcroft and regularly attend a Christian denomination participating in ‘Churches Together in England’
Children of staff of the school (see definition 6)
All other children

Should the admission number be reached mid category, the Governing Board, as the admissions authority will make a decision based on the shortest distance between the applicant’s home and the school by the most direct route as measured by Rotherham Authority. A Geographical Information system is used which applies seed points as determined by Ordnance Survey. Measurements are taken from the seed point of the ordinary place of residence to the seed point of the school. Where the school has more than one seed point, the seed point closest to the geographical centre of the complex is used.

Tie Break

In the event of two or more children living equidistant from the school, the place will be decided by the following:

Priority will be given to a child who is currently attending Laughton All Saints’ C of E Primary School’s Foundation Stage 1 Provision over a pupil who is not.
The drawing of lots if number 1 is not applicable or there are two or more children who attend Laughton All Saints’ C of E Primary School’s Foundation Stage 1 Provision . The first name drawn will be offered the place.

Definitions

Definition 1 -Brother/Sister

Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner, and in every case, the child should be living in the same family unit at the same address

Definition 2- Parent/Carer

A parent/carer is any person who has parental responsibility or care of the child. Where admission arrangements refer to ‘parent’s attendance at church’ it is sufficient for just one parent to attend. ‘Family members’ include only parents and siblings

Definition 3-Regular Chuch Attendance

Regular attendance by parents/carers is defined as attendance at a Church of England church or another Christian denomination participating in ‘Churches Together in England’ for at least once a month over the last 12 months.

Regular attendance by children is defined as attendance at a Church of England church or another Christian denomination participating in Churches Together in England’ at least once a month over the past 6 months.

Parents/carers whose application is based on attendance at a church of Christian denomination should submit the Minister of Religion Reference Form available with the Common Application Form

In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these [admissions] arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church or alternative premises have been available for public worship.

Definition 4-Churches Together in England

Ref: www.churches-together.org.uk

Please refer to the website for an up to date list

Definition 5-Looked after children

A looked after child is a child that is in the care of a local authority, or 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 an application for admission to the school is made and who the local authority has confirmed will still be looked after at the time when he/she is admitted to the school.

A previously looked after child is a child who was adopted or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order immediately following having been looked after.

Definition 6 - Children of Staff at School

where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made and / or.
the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

Place of Residence

The child’s ordinary place of residence will normally be a residential property at which the parent or person or persons with parental responsibility for the child resides at the closing date for receiving applications for admission to the school.

Where parental responsibility is held by more than one person and those persons reside in separate properties, the child’s ordinary place of residence will normally be the property at which the child resides with the parent or person or persons with parental responsibility, for the greater part of the week.

Late Applications

Late applications will be dealt with in accordance with the Local Authority scheme.

Waiting List

Names of children will automatically be placed on the waiting list for this school when the child has been refused admission.
A vacancy only arises when the number of offers to the school falls below the admission number.
The waiting list will be established on the offer day.
The waiting list is determined according to the Governing Board’s priority of admission over-subscription criteria.
Following the offer day, should an application be received for the school where the pupil has a higher priority as determined by the admissions criteria for a place at the school, it will be placed on the list, above those with a lower priority

False Information

Where the Governing Board has made an offer of a place at this school on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent /carer which has effectively denied a place to a child with a stronger claim to a place at the school, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.
Where a child starts attending the school on the basis of fraudulent and intentionally misleading information the place may be withdrawn depending on the length of time that the child has been at the school.

Where a place or an offer has been withdrawn, the application will be re-considered and a right of independent appeal offered if the place is refused.

Applications outside normal admission rounds

Applications outside the normal admissions round will be considered in accordance with the Local Authority scheme.

Appeals against the Governing Board’s decision to refuse admission

If a place is not offered at the school parents have the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel formed in accordance with the legislation. Details of the appeals procedure will be sent to parents by the local authority.
Parents who intend to make an appeal against the Governing Board’s decision to refuse admission must submit a notice of appeal by the date set out in the decision letter. Appeals will be held within the timescales set out in the Admission Appeal Code.

Appeals should be submitted to;

The Appeal Clerk, Legal and Democratic Services

Town Hall
The Crofts
Moorgate Street
Rotherham
S60 2TH