Annex B

Primary and Infant Schools in the City of York

Local Authority area

Coordinated Admissions Scheme

Reception entry

2024 - 2025

Last Updated: August 2022

Last Approved: TBC

A Introduction

1. This coordinated scheme provides a framework for a fair and open way of determining applications to start primary or infant school in September 2024.

2. This scheme complies with the requirements of the School Admissions Code 2021 and all current legislation regarding school admissions.

3. This scheme is reviewed each year and subject to a period of consultation amongst schools, governing bodies, admission authorities, neighbouring local authorities, parent/carers and other interested parties. It is considered within this consultation alongside the admission arrangements of all state-funded schools within the City of York area.

4. This scheme applies to all state-funded primary and infant schools in the City of York area who admit children at the start of Reception as the normal year of entry. It aims to ensure that within the operation of an equal preference system:

a) each applicant only receives one offer of a school place;

b) each applicant is offered the highest ranked preference school that is available; and

c) a single offer is made for all applicants on the same day.

5. This scheme applies to applications within the primary admissions round, that is when applying for a place in Reception as the normal year of entry to start primary or infant school for the first time. It does not apply to ‘in-year’ applications for a place at primary or infant school. In-year admissions are those that are made either during the school year, or for admission into year groups other than the normal year of entry. More information on in-year admissions can be found in the City of York In-Year Admissions Policy.

6. Information regarding applying for a place at primary or infant school can be found on the City of York School Admissions website at www.york.gov.uk/admissions and in the Guide for Parents at www.york.gov.uk/guideforparents

B Making Applications

1. The standard way of making applications will be online at www.york.gov.uk/admissions where an online form (‘the form’) can be completed to apply for a school place. It is expected that most applications will be made online, but where applicants cannot apply online, they may request support from the LA, schools, or a paper application form known as the ‘School admissions application for Primary School in September 2024’.

2. The form will be used for the purpose of admitting children into the first year of primary education by making one single application.

3. The form must be used as a means of expressing one or more preferences by applicants who are parent/carers resident in the City of York Local Authority (LA) area wishing to express a preference for their child:

a) to be admitted to a school within the LA area (including Voluntary Aided Schools and Academies); and/or

b) to be admitted to a school located in another LA area (including Voluntary Aided Schools and Academies).

4. Applicants resident in other Local Authority areas should apply to the Local Authority in which they are resident and consult the coordinated admissions scheme for that Local Authority area.

5. The form will invite applicants to –

a) express in rank order up to five preferences, including Voluntary Aided schools, Academies and schools outside the City of York area;

b) give their reasons for their preference(s); and

c) provide details of their child’s home address which should be the address at which the child is ordinarily resident. Further information on the address can be found in the Guide for Parents.

6. Applicants are advised to –

a) consider their ‘catchment’ school when expressing their preferences. Catchment areas are designated by the Local Authority and are made available to applicants in the Guide for Parents, online at www.york.gov.uk, and upon request from the School Services team;

b) consider the implications of home to school transport when expressing their preferences. The City of York Home to School Transport Policy is made available to applicants online at www.york.gov.uk/schooltransport and upon request from the School Services team. Applicants from outside the City of York area are advised to contact the Local Authority in which they are resident regarding transport;

c) inform the LA if they wish to home educate their child from Reception; and

d) inform the LA if they intend to enrol their child in an independent school from Reception.

7. All preferences expressed on the form are valid applications. Voluntary Aided Schools and Academies can require applicants who nominate their school to complete a supplementary information form (SIF) or provide additional information where this is required for the admission authority to apply their oversubscription criteria to the applicant. The SIF, if required, must be returned directly to the school.

8. Where a Voluntary Aided School or Academy receives a SIF from a City of York resident it will not be regarded as a valid application unless the applicant has also completed the (LA) form and the school is listed as a preference on it.

9. If the LA receives more than one application, for example both an online and paper application, and they differ, the LA will query this with the applicant. If the LA receives an application from more than one person claiming parental responsibility for the same child, and the content of these applications differ, the LA will inform both applicants. The LA will then not process any preference(s) that differ until the applicants are either in agreement, or until one applicant can show the legal right to have their preference(s) considered over the preference(s) of the other applicant.

10. The closing date for applications is 15 January 2024. Completed forms must be returned to the LA including those applicants who indicate a school outside the City of York area. Completed forms can be returned to the LA via City of York infant or primary schools. Online applications must be submitted on or before the closing date for applications.

C Late Applications

1. Applications received after the closing date may be treated as ‘late’ applications by the coordinating LA and/or the admission authority.

2. Admission Authorities may decide to accept late applications and treat them as ‘on-time’ applications if this is accompanied by a satisfactory reason provided at the time of application.

After 1 March 2024, the LA will not accept any late applications or changes of preference or changes of circumstances and treat them as ‘on-time’ applications or preferences, as to do so later would jeopardise the process of timely LA coordination.

3. Late applications received between the closing date for applications and the date places are offered may be applied a lower priority when determining to whom places can be offered.

4. Late applications received after the offer day, but before the start of the school year will be coordinated using the same arrangements and criteria as ‘on-time’ applications, although the availability of places will depend on where places are still available as well as the preferences of applicants.

5. Late applications received after the first day of the school year may be considered as ‘in-year’ applications, although these preferences, if unsuccessful, will be held on a waiting list until the end of the first term in line with ‘on-time’ applications as set out in Section G of this scheme.

D Coordinating Applications

1. The LA will act as a clearing house for the allocation of places by the relevant admission authorities in response to preferences received via either an online application or the form.

2. Each admission authority operating within the scheme will have published and determined their own admissions policy for their school(s). All preferences expressed for a school will be determined in line with the relevant admissions policy.

3. The LA will provide information about applicants resident in the City of York area expressing preferences for schools outside the City of York area to other Local Authorities for their consideration.

4. The LA will receive information about applicants resident outside the City of York area expressing preferences for schools within the City of York area from other Local Authorities. These preferences will be processed alongside preferences from applicants from the City of York.

5. The LA will provide details of all preferences expressed for Voluntary Aided and Academy schools within the City of York area to those schools for their consideration.

6. The LA will receive completed ranked lists of all preferences from Voluntary Aided and Academy schools within the City of York area.

7. The LA will provide information on all preferences, including to whom offers can be made, to other coordinating Local Authorities for applicants resident outside the City of York area.

8. The LA will receive information on all preferences, including to whom offers can be made, from other coordinating Local Authorities for applicants resident in the City of York area.

E Decisions on Applications

1. The decision on which applicants are offered places at a school named as a preference on an application is the responsibility for the admission authority for that school.

2. The LA will only make a decision with respect to the offer or refusal of a place in response to any preference expressed on an application where:

a) it is acting in its separate capacity as an admission authority, or

b) an applicant is eligible for a place at more than one school, or

c) an applicant is not eligible for a place at any school that the applicant has named as a preference.

3. Those schools that are their own admission authority will rank all applicants according to the oversubscription criteria contained within their own admissions policies. These ranked lists will be made available to the LA for the purposes of determining where a place will be offered, and be provided in accordance with the timetable laid out in this scheme.

4. The LA will, for those schools for which the LA is also the admission authority, rank all applicants according to the oversubscription criteria for those schools.

F Allocations

1. The LA will compare the ranked lists of all schools that are named as a preference by the applicant. Where the child is eligible for a place at only one of the nominated schools, that school will be allocated to the child.

Where the child is eligible for a place at two or more of the nominated schools, they will be allocated a place at whichever of these schools is the highest ranked preference.

2. Each applicant will receive no more than one allocation of a school place. A place will be allocated at the highest ranking school named as a preference for which they are eligible for a place.

3. The LA, as the coordinating Local Authority for all applicants resident in the City of York area, will allocate school places on behalf of all admission authorities operating within the coordinated scheme.

4. The LA will provide all City of York primary and infant schools with a provisional list of the children to be allocated a place at their schools before the date on which allocations are made. This list may be amended by the LA at a later date. Schools should not contact parent/carers until after allocations have been made by the LA.

5. Allocations will be made on the National Offer Day, 16 April 2024 or the next working day, if it falls on a weekend or bank holiday.

6. If a place cannot be allocated at a school named as a preference, a place will be allocated at an alternative school where places are still available. This will be after all those preferencing a school have first been allocated a place. This may be a school some distance from the home address of the applicant.

7. No places will be held in reserve for any school.

G Waiting Lists

1. A waiting list will be compiled for all oversubscribed schools and kept until at least 31 December 2024.

2. Each waiting list will contain all the unsuccessful preferences, whether from ‘on-time’ or ‘late’ applications, and ranked in accordance with the relevant oversubscription criteria for that school according to the applicants current circumstances.

3. Applicants may request to be added to a waiting list for a school, even if they did not originally express a preference for that school. Requests should be provided in writing from the original applicant to the LA, who will communicate this to the admission authority for the school.

4. Each additional applicant, or change in circumstances of an applicant, will require the waiting list to be reordered in accordance with the relevant oversubscription criteria for that school.

5. The admission authority for each school shall, should a place become available whilst the waiting list is in operation, make available a place to the applicant on the top of the waiting list on the day the place became available.

6. The LA shall, as the coordinating Local Authority, oversee these waiting lists in partnership with schools that are their own admission authority and other Local Authorities. The LA requires other admission authorities to inform the LA when places may become available, so that a coordinated allocation may be made by the LA on behalf of all schools within this coordinated scheme, and to ensure that each child is only allocated one school place.

I Timetable

by 12 September 2023	Guide for Parents published online at www.york.gov.uk/guideforparents
by 12 September 2023	Opening date for applications. ‘School admissions application for Primary School in September 2024’ form made available and online applications start to be accepted at www.york.gov.uk/schooladmissions
by 15 November 2023	Letters sent to the home addresses of children who attend a nursery or early years provider in the City of York area and who are due to start Reception in September 2024, informing parent/carers that applications should be made online by 15 January 2024. Parent/carers without access to the internet will be informed they should contact School Services for a paper copy of the ‘School admissions application for Primary School in September 2024’ form.
15 January 2024	Closing date for ‘on-time’ applications (both online and by paper ‘School admissions application for Primary School in September 2024’ form)
from 16 January 2024	Applications received may be treated as ‘late’
by 22 January 2024	Communicate the total number of first preferences expressed to each City of York primary and infant school
by 25 January 2024	Receive information about applicants resident outside the City of York area expressing preferences for schools within the City of York area from other Local Authorities
By 25 January 2024	Provide information about applicants resident in the City of York area expressing preferences for schools outside the City of York area to other Local Authorities for their consideration.
by 29 January 2024	Provide details of all preferences expressed for Voluntary Aided and Academy schools within the City of York area to those schools for their consideration
by 19 February 2024	Receive completed ranked lists of all preferences from Voluntary Aided and Academy schools within the City of York area
by 18 February 2024	Last date by which Voluntary Aided and Academy schools can notify the Local Authority of an increase in the number of places to be allocated on National Offer Day. This is to allow the Local Authority good time to deliver its co-ordination responsibilities effectively. The number of places cannot be decreased below the PAN.
by 11 March 2024	First exchange of information, including to whom allocations can be made, to other coordinating Local Authorities for applicants resident outside the City of York area
by 11 March 2024	First exchange of information, including to whom allocations can be made, from other coordinating Local Authorities for applicants resident in the City of York area
by 25 March 2024	Final exchange of information, including to whom allocations can be made, to other coordinating Local Authorities for applicants resident outside the City of York area
by 25 March 2024	Final exchange of information, including to whom allocations can be made, from other coordinating Local Authorities for applicants resident in the City of York area
by 14 April 2024	Provide all City of York primary and infant schools with a provisional list of the children to be allocated a place at their schools.
16 April 2024 or next working day	Allocations communicated to City of York resident applicants by email and/or by letter
27 April 2024 – 31 August 2024	Communicate adjustments to allocations to schools and other admission authorities
17 May 2024	Deadline for return of appeal papers for ‘on-time’ applicants
10 June 2024 – 19 July 2024	Admissions appeals for ‘on-time’ applicants
September 2024	Start of the school year
31 December 2024	Earliest date waiting lists may close – the exact date for each admission authority may vary according to their admissions arrangements.

J Contact details for correspondence

City of York Council School Services

West Offices,

Station Rise,

York YO1 6GA

01904 551554

education@york.gov.uk

K City of York Primary and Infant Schools

Acomb Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Badger Hill Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Bishopthorpe Infant (Academy, 5-7)

Burton Green Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Carr Infant (Community, 5-7)

Clifton Green Primary (Community, 5-11)

Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Copmanthorpe Primary (Community, 5-11)

Dringhouses Primary (Community, 5-11)

Dunnington CE Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Elvington CE Primary (Voluntary Controlled, 5-11)

Fishergate Primary (Community, 5-11)

Haxby Road Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Headlands Primary (Community, 5-11)

Hempland Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Heworth CE Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Hob Moor Community Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Huntington Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Knavesmire Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Lakeside Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Lord Deramore’s CE Primary (Voluntary Controlled, 5-11)

Naburn CE Primary (Voluntary Controlled, 5-11)

New Earswick Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Osbaldwick Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs RC Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Park Grove Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Poppleton Ousebank (Academy, 5-11)

Poppleton Road Primary (Community, 5-11)

Ralph Butterfield Primary (Community, 5-11)

Robert Wilkinson Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Rufforth Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Scarcroft Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Skelton Primary (Academy, 5-11)

St Aelred’s RC Primary (Academy, 5-11)

St Barnabas’ CE Primary (Voluntary Controlled, 5-11)

St George’s RC Primary (Academy, 5-11)

St Lawrence’s CE Primary (Academy, 5-11)

St Mary’s CE Primary (Voluntary Controlled, 5-11)

St Oswald’s CE Primary (Voluntary Controlled, 5-11)

St Paul’s CE Primary (Voluntary Controlled, 5-11)

St Wilfrid’s RC Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Stockton on the Forest Primary (Community, 5-11)

Tang Hall Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Westfield Primary Community (Community, 5-11)

Wheldrake with Thorganby CE Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Wigginton Primary (Community, 5-11)

Woodthorpe Primary (Academy, 5-11)

Yearsley Grove Primary (Community, 5-11)

View school contact details

School details correct at the time of update