School admissions parents guide

Information regarding the number of children in a school, the number of vacancies and a child’s place on a waiting list can change at short notice. Advice about vacancies does not constitute an offer – this will only be the case where a formal offer is made in writing on behalf of the admission authority, by email or letter. If you are in doubt, please discuss this with a member of the School Admissions Team.

A letter from David Haley, director of children services

Welcome to the Parent’s Guide to School Admissions. This guide is designed to help you apply for a school place for your child if they are transferring schools in the 2024-25 academic year starting in the Reception/Foundation year of a primary school, year 3 of a junior school, year 7 of a secondary school, or year 9 of a Key Stage 4 school.

We want to make sure that as many children as possible get a place at the school they want. Plymouth works hard to make the process smooth and straightforward. For the 2023-2024 intake 97.79% of children were offered a place at one of their three ranked primary schools, with 91.96% getting their first preference. For secondary schools, 97.38% were offered one of their three ranked preferences and 91.8% got their first preference. Many schools in Plymouth are popular and oversubscribed. I advise you to consider carefully the preferences you make and visit your local schools if you can before you apply

The information in the guide is for the academic year 2024-2025 and describes the process from pre-school through primary or infant and junior schools, through the different kinds of secondary school to post-16 education. You will be able to make an application at each transfer point for a place at the next school in your child’s education career.

Please read each section as it applies to your child and be aware of the other sections as they will tell you about what lies ahead at other transfer points. We also produce an online In- Year Admissions Guide at https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions. Together, they form Plymouth City Council’s composite prospectus for school admissions. If you have any queries about the school admissions process, please contact the Admissions Team 01752 307469.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish your child every success and enjoyment in their educational journey. We are proud of our schools and the young people who attend them. Your child’s education is very important to us. Rest assured that we will be working in close partnership with schools to ensure that the admissions process is as smooth as possible.

Yours faithfully,

David Haley
Director of Children’s Services

Reminders to apply for children and young people who live in Plymouth

• For admission to a primary or infant school, details of how to apply will be sent to you during the second week in November. If you have not received this, please contact the Admissions Service.
• For admission to a junior school, details of how to apply will be sent to parents of children in Year 2 at an infant school during the second week in November. If you have not received this or your child is in Year 2 at a primary school, please contact the Admissions Service.
• For admission to a secondary school, details of how to apply will be sent to parents of children in Year 5 mid-July. A reminder letter will be sent to the parents of children in Year 6 during the first week in September. If you have not received this, please contact the Admissions Service.
• For admission to a UTC or studio school, information will be provided direct to parents during the first week in September

How the admissions system works

Every year, Plymouth City Council receives between 2,500 and 3,000 applications for children to start in Reception, 120 applications to transfer to a junior school and over 3,000 applications to transfer to a secondary school. This is in addition to the option for children to transfer to Scott Medical and Healthcare College at the beginning of Key Stage 4. Normal round applications are co-ordinated by local authorities across the country so that every child is offered a place at a school on the same day.

Co-ordination makes the system fairer and more transparent. Every child should be offered a place but none should have more than one offer as that would mean other children could be refused their application.

With co-ordinated admissions, parents name the schools they want to apply for on one form, no matter where the schools are in England. This is called expressing a preference for a school. Parents can’t choose which school their child attends, but can choose the schools they apply for.

While Plymouth City Council is responsible for co-ordinating admissions, the admissions criteria are the responsibility of the admission authority for each school.

For these own admission authority schools, academies, studio, free, foundation and voluntary aided (VA) schools and UTCs, the admission authority for the school is the governing body or the academy trust of the school itself. They’ll have their own admission policies and many will have an extra form for parents to fill in. These Supplementary Information Forms (SIFs) enable parents to provide evidence that their child should have a higher priority for admission. This is generally evidence of a religious faith, the child has a parent employed by the school or exceptional medical reasons of either the parent or the child. If a parent doesn’t complete a SIF, the application will still be considered but it won’t be assessed against all of the school’s admission criteria. The chances of that child being offered a place at the school may be reduced.

Plymouth City Council is also the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled (VC) schools. A number of own admission authority schools use the same admission criteria as Plymouth City Council’s community and VC schools. The criteria is published on the school admissions webpages.

It is important for parents to know how applications are prioritised for any school they are interested in as this can help to assess the chances of getting a place at the school. Parents should think realistically about whether they would get a place before making an application.

When a school has more applications than it has places available - that’s called being oversubscribed, the published criteria are used to prioritise them, to decide the order in which applicants will be offered places. The local authority will manage the priority lists for all schools and offer a place at the school ranked highest by the parent if any of the schools can offer a place. If none of the schools preferred by the parent can offer a place then the local authority will offer an alternative place at the nearest school with a vacancy.

Parents have the right of appeal against a decision to refuse admission to a school and there will be a waiting list at least until the end of the first term. When we say parent, we mean parent, carer or guardian: the person making an application for school admissions.

Normal round admissions

Most children are admitted at the normal point of entry for a school. This is generally the earliest point that children can enter the school: it varies according to the type of school:

• First, Infant and Primary schools – the Reception year
• Junior schools - Year 3
• Secondary schools - Year 7
• Key Stage 4 - Year 9
• Sixth Forms - Year 12

When a school is newly opened or expands, it can also have a one-off normal point of entry. For example, a new primary school might open with children just in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

This guide deals with normal round admissions and is aimed at parents of children who live in Plymouth.

Note: Parents applying for admission to year 3 of Old Priory Junior School

It is intended that this school will become part of the Church of England St Mary’s Primary School to be located on the Old Priory site with effect from 1 September 2024. If the reorganisation is approved their child will be admitted to the CE primary school. If the reorganisation is not approved, they will be admitted to the non-faith Old Priory Junior School.

Note: Parents applying for admission to Plympton St Mary’s CE Infant school’s reception class

It is intended that this school will become part of the Church of England St Mary’s Primary School – a school for children aged 3-11 - to be located on the Old Priory school site with effect from 1 September 2024. If the reorganisation is approved their child will be admitted to the primary school. If the reorganisation is not approved, they will be admitted to the infant school on its current site.

Choosing a school: choice and preference

As a parent of a child living in Plymouth, you can name up to three different schools on the common application form in the order you would most like your child to attend. Your most preferred school would be Preference one. You don’t have to name three schools. When you do this, you are expressing a preference for the school you wish your child to attend. Preference is not the same as choice: you cannot choose a particular school. We will always try to provide a place according to your preference but some schools will have more applications for admission than the number of places available. Some applications will be refused so we advise any parent to consider putting more than one school, including a local school near to your child’s home address.

Co-ordinated admissions

Local authorities are legally required to make the admissions process fairer for children and families and to make sure that every child who needs a school place for the academic year starting in September is offered one, but only one school place in response to an application. To do this, we operate a co-ordinated admissions scheme which requires all schools to work with us and enable you to apply for an appropriate school. View our scheme.

Plymouth City Council is the local authority (LA) for Plymouth and, as such, must ensure that there are enough school places available for all children in the area within reasonable travelling distance of home. By law, local authorities must coordinate applications to all schools within their area for the normal year of entry in September. This means that all applications are sent to the local authority and all decision letters come from it. Individual schools cannot consider applications nor can they offer places.

All schools in Plymouth will comply with the School Admissions Code and the School Appeals Code available to download from the Department for Education website.

Types of schools - who is responsible for admissions arrangements and decisions?

• Community - These are maintained by the local authority. The local authority admission policy is used
• Voluntary Controlled - These were originally set up by voluntary bodies such as the Church of England and are maintained by the local authority. The local authority admissions policy is used
• Voluntary Aided - These are jointly supported by Church Diocesan Boards and the local authority. These schools are responsible for their own admission arrangements
• Foundation - These are responsible for their own admission arrangements; however, they are ‘maintained’ by the local authority
• Academy - Academies are responsible for their own admission arrangements and are funded directly by central government
• Free Schools - These have the same status as Academies and the Governing Board determines admission arrangements
• Studio Schools and UTCs - These have the same status as Academies and the Governing Board determines admission arrangements
• Independent - These operate on a fee paying basis and cover a variety of age ranges. Any application for a place should be made direct to the school as the local authority has no input into the admission arrangements for these schools.

All schools operate within the terms of the law, their own published admissions policy and Plymouth City Council’s co- ordinated admissions schemes.

Three easy steps to take to apply

Research

• Read this guide
• Read information on the individual school available through the schools website
• Find out what the school has to offer your child
• If possible, visit the schools you are interested in

Apply

• Complete your home local authority common application form
• Apply on our school admissions website.
• Remember to complete any Supplementary Information Form (SIF) required
• Provide accurate and complete information
• If you don’t apply before the close date, your preferred schools may be filled

Apply on time

• The closing date for secondary year groups is 31 October
• The closing date for primary year groups is 15 January
• You can’t apply through the Citizen’s Portal after the closing date
• If your application is late, places at the schools you prefer may already have been filled – no places are held for late applications

You must apply for a school place

• Even if you have another child already on roll at the school
• Even if your child attends a nursery of other Early Years setting on the same site

No places are held in reserve in case you are not offered a place at another school, change your mind or apply late. If you aren’t successful with any application, you can’t assume that there will still be a vacancy at your local school: it may be full with children that applied for it. We advise every parent to consider naming a local school as one of the preferences.

If you don’t put a particular school on your form, it won’t be considered for you unless it is the nearest one to home with a vacancy after every application has been dealt with.

Do

• make sure that your child is resident in the Plymouth City Council’s area (pay your Council Tax to Plymouth City Council)
• complete a Plymouth’s common application form and submit it by the appropriate closing date.
• express a preference for 1, 2 or 3 schools
• consider how you will get your child to school.
• consider naming your local school as one of the preferences.
• tell us in writing if you have another child already at the school or new to the school.
• provide evidence if you feel there are exceptional reasons for your preference; why you feel a place must be made available at a specific school. We would expect this to only apply to a parent’s first preference school.
• tell us in writing if your circumstances change.
• tell us in writing if you know your child’s address is going to change before September.
• check whether any school you are interested in asks you to complete a Supplementary Information Form or provide a letter from a priest.
• return your Supplementary Information Form or letter to the school admissions team by the closing date or as soon as possible

Don’t

• assume that you don’t need to apply for a school place – you must tell us you want a place
• assume that you don’t need to apply for the school where you already have other children – you must tell us you want a place
• assume that if you attend a pre-school on a schools site that you will automatically get a place
• name the school three time – this will be considered as one preference
• assume that if you only name one school that it will be offered
• do not assume that we know what you want or that we know the reasons why you want a place at a particular school – you must tell us.

Equal ranked preferences and the application process

The application process enables parents to express a preference for any state-funded school in Plymouth or elsewhere in England. We will do our best to meet that preference by co-ordinating applications with schools. We publish information about schools to help parents in choosing their preferences.

Each school will have a website and most will have a prospectus (available direct from the school). We would advise parents to look at information for any school being considered as a preference.

There are reports of recent school inspections available on the Ofsted website. The Department for Education publishes school achievement and attainment tables.

All preferences will be considered on the basis of equal ranking. This means that the schools parents put on the application form will be considered without reference to whether they were ranked first, second or third. If a parent could be offered a place at more than one of the preference, the offer will be for the school the parent ranked the highest that is able to offer a place. The co-ordinated admissions process provides a way of ensuring that, as far as it is practical, every parent living in a local authority area who has applied on time receives a single offer of a school place on the same day.

Admission authorities will not know a parent’s order of preference. This is because they don’t need to know it to reach a decision so parents can be confident that an application for a school further away from home will not put at risk an application for another school such as the local school. Parents should apply for schools in the order they would most like a place.

Published admission number (PAN)

All schools must have a Published Admission Number (PAN) for their normal intake year. This is the number of places planned for at that school for this intake. The PAN is the number of places when the school believes it is full.

The PAN is the maximum number of places that will be allocated to the intake for September if there are enough applications. If there are more applications and the school believes it could, for instance, reorganise and admit another class, the PAN will be increased. The school must be satisfied that it has the resources to do so and inform the LA in time to amend the allocation process.

The local authority will use the PANs and the ranked list of applications for each school in the process of allocating a place for each child. If we are unable to meet any preference for a Plymouth child, we will allocate a place at the nearest school with a vacancy for the address.

If a child doesn’t live in Plymouth and we can’t meet any preferences, we will not offer an alternative school. The responsibility to do that lies with whichever is the child’s home local authority.

Residency

Applications are considered on the basis of the address from which a child will be attending school. This is very important when a school is oversubscribed as a child’s priority for a place is affected by where he or she lives.

Proof of address and residency may be required by the admissions authority for a school. Offers can be withdrawn if there has been a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application so please be honest and up to date.

Moving house

You must inform us immediately of a change of address, even if details of a future change of residency were included on the application form. You will be required to provide supporting evidence to show the place of residency has changed: documents that can be used are tenancy agreements (if applicable), council tax and utility bills, child tax credit or child benefit documents and any other information considered relevant to the application, including the disposal of the previous home. It is important to keep us informed, including when you believe that you will be moving.

How parents apply

Apply on our school admissions page. In recent years, over 98% of applications have been made online.

An application can be changed at any time up to the closing date. You can view your offer online on the offer date. You can apply from home 24 hours a day and you’ll receive confirmation that your application has been received.

To apply online, you’ll be asked to create an account which is protected by a password. When you submit an application, we’ll acknowledge it by email. If you return to your online account to make a change, this will automatically withdraw your application. You would have to press the submit button again to ensure this new application is submitted. You’ll get another email to confirm we’ve received this new application.

Please note that we’ll only discuss your application with you or someone you write to tell us we can discuss it with.

When to apply

Online applications are made into the transfer group appropriate for a child’s age. Applications open:

You can still apply after the closing date using the form available on our school admissions page. Your application will be late and considered after applications that were submitted on time unless your reason for being late is accepted. This would generally be where you were unable to apply on time or are moving house and would have had other preferences for schools elsewhere.

Priority for admission: oversubscription criteria

If a school has more applications than places, decisions have to be taken about how to prioritise them. The admissions authority for each school will have consulted on and published oversubscription criteria in advance so it is clear to everyone how the applications will be prioritised. These criteria are only used if the school is oversubscribed so, if there are spare places, it doesn’t matter if your child lives outside the school’s catchment or is not of that school’s faith.

Below are the admission criteria definitions used by the different schools within the Plymouth area. Not all apply to each school - you can see which criteria each school uses on the Agreed School Admission Arrangements web page.

Note: Meeting these criteria’s doesn’t guarantee a place, they influence how much priority a child has for a place at that school. Oversubscription criteria are reviewed annually and can change from one year to the next.

Looked After Children (LAC) And Formerly Looked After Children Priority

Every school has to have this as the number one priority. At the normal round we wouldn’t anticipate that a LAC would be refused admission because of the small number of eligible children across the city. By children who were formerly Looked After, we mean those children who were immediately adopted or made the subject of a child arrangements order or special guardianship order when they stopped being Looked After. Every state-funded school in Plymouth complies with this legal requirement. When we say Looked After Child, it has the same general meaning as a Child in Care. Applications must be made by the person or the local authority with parental responsibility, not by a foster carer. A carer’s views will be important.

Exceptional Need Priority

For most Plymouth schools, priority is given if a parent can demonstrate an exceptional need to attend that school - and only that school. This could be a need specifically of the child or a parent or both. There may be very challenging circumstances but for admissions priority, the circumstances must mean that only that school can meet the child’s needs. Every request will be considered on its own merits, however, you should be aware that a preference to attend a school because friends are expected to go there, convenience for transport arrangements or child-care are not considered to be exceptional need.

Exceptional need priority is agreed in a very small number of cases. Successful requests will have independent supporting evidence which must indicate why that school is required, not simply describe the medical or social need. Evidence provided can be in the form of a testimony from a medical practitioner, social worker or other professional who can support the application on an 'exceptional' basis. Without satisfactory supporting evidence, we will not prioritise an application as demonstrating exceptional need. It is not expected that a parent/carer would seek a claim under exceptional medical or social need for a school that is not the first ranked preference school. Where exceptional need is agreed, the application is prioritised - it isn’t a guarantee of admission.

It is your responsibility as a parent to provide supporting evidence to be considered under this criterion. You MUST complete the Exceptional Medical/Social Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

Catchment Area Priority

Children living within a school’s designated catchment area may be listed higher in the criteria for a school than children who live outside of it. None of the secondary schools within Plymouth have a catchment area and only 6 of the 68 primary schools in Plymouth has a catchment area as an admission criteria, the rest simply use the straight-line distance between an applicant’s home address and the school as a distance factor as a tie-breaker between admission categories instead. The schools who still operate a catchment area are: Oreston Community Academy, St Andrew’s CE VA Primary School, St Budeaux Foundation CE Primary School, St George’s CE Primary Academy, St Matthew's CE Primary and Nursery Academy and St Peter’s CE Primary School.

Children of Staff Priority

Children whose parent/carer is a member of staff employed on a permanent contract at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made or where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage evidenced by completion of the staff supplementary information form (SIF). (This covers staff working at the school to which the application relates but does not include staff who work on the school site for other employers).

Sibling Priority

Children with a sibling already attending this school applied for at the time of admission. Children will be classed as siblings if they live in the same household in a single family unit. This includes for example, full, half, step, or adoptive brothers or sisters. In the case of parents with children who attend infant or junior schools, where the schools are linked, a sibling connection may be considered valid if one child is at the infant, and the other at the junior school.

Faith Priority

Voluntary aided, voluntary controlled schools and some academies have a recognised faith character and can prioritise applicants on faith grounds - this is defined as regular attendance (at least monthly for a period of two years immediately prior to the point of application) with supporting evidence from parents/carers and the church minister This is verified by a school Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

Feeder School Priority

There is no automatic provision within the School Admissions Code to give priority to children who attend a nursery school. The School Admissions Code states:

1.42 Admission authorities may give priority in their oversubscription criteria to children eligible for the early years pupil premium, the pupil premium, or the service premium who:

a) are in a nursery class which is part of the school; or

b) attend a nursery that is established and run by the school. The nursery must be named in the admission arrangements and its selection must be transparent and made on reasonable grounds.

School Admissions Code

Most secondary and junior schools give priority to children who would join them from named linked or feeder schools. Junior schools name one infant school; secondary schools can name several schools. This applies only at the normal round.

Pupil Premium Priority

Schools may prioritise children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium, Service Pupil Premium or the Early Years Pupil Premium within their admission criteria. All three Plymouth Grammar schools use this as part of their admission criteria. This is verified by completion of the Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

Selective Schools

All primary schools are comprehensive which means that they don’t use selection tests. A Grammar School is a selective secondary school and admits children who have demonstrated academic ability at the 11+ entrance test. For Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls, and Plymouth High School for Girls, children will need to sit an exam before they can be considered for admission. This will either be the 11+ Test administered during year 6, or an in-year transfer test to check that the child is of grammar ability. Passing the test does not guarantee a space will be granted to the child, as often Grammar Schools are oversubscribed, however all three schools do keep waiting lists.

The 11+ examination will take place over two Saturdays within September.

• Saturday 16 September 2023
• Saturday 23 September 2023

Other

Children who do not fit into any other category will be considered as other, where applications are distinguished solely on straight-line distance between the applicant’s house and the school.

Tie Breaker

Where the school becomes oversubscribed (i.e. more applicants than the admission number) in any of categories above, then the nearer to the school the child lives - as measured by a straight line on the map using Plymouth City Council’s electronic mapping system - the higher the priority. Measurement points will be from the spatial locator for the child’s home and for the school identified by the National Land and Property Gazetteer. The spatial locator is the address point based on a general internal point. Flats are therefore taken to be the same measurement point regardless of floor of location. In the event of there still being a tie, there will be a random ballot using an electronic random number generator. If the school has delegated this to the local authority the ballot will be supervised by an Admissions Officer and School Admissions Support Manager.

Other points to consider

Address, Sibling and other changes

We will confirm when a new address has been accepted. Evidence may not be required where the school is undersubscribed or where a new address makes the child a lower priority for admission.

If you have another child who is offered a place at the school after the closing date for applications but before the processing date and you tell us about it in writing, he or she will be counted as a sibling in this application process.

Multiple birth siblings

There is a presumption in favour of admission for all if one or more can be admitted but there is no guarantee. If one twin can be offered the final place, we will try to offer the other twin but it is possible that a school may not be able to admit more than its PAN. If this is the case, it will be for you to decide whether to accept one place or to seek places for both twins elsewhere.

Children of UK service personnel

Applications for children of UK service personnel moving to an area must be accompanied by an official government letter which declares a relocation date and a Unit postal or quartering area address. This will be used in considering the application against a school’s oversubscription criteria. There is no additional priority and in accordance with the provision of the School Admissions Code, no places will be reserved for service families in case they are moved to this area.

Parents with shared responsibility

Only one home address will be accepted for a child. Each admission authority will make a decision on what it accepts as the child’s home address, if necessary, according to its own admissions policy. This may be set out by a court order. Schools will consider all information submitted by either parent.

Very rarely, two parents submit applications for different schools. This can be upsetting for children and we strongly urge parents to reach agreement in the best interests of the child. Where this does not happen and, in the absence of a court order, a place will not be held open at one school once a child has started at another school.

The appropriate forum to resolve parental disputes which cannot be resolved by agreement between parents is through mediation or court. Neither the LA nor a school will intervene in the dispute.

Waiting list

Waiting lists are kept in the order of the stated admission criteria for each school. The School Admissions Code states in respect of waiting lists:

• Each admission authority must maintain a clear, fair and objective waiting list until at least 31 December of each school year (most schools hold waiting lists for longer periods than that stated in the Code)
• Priority must not be given to children based on the date their application was received or their name was added to the list.
• Looked after children, previously looked after children, and those allocated a place at the school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol, must take precedence over those on a waiting list.

Whilst a parent may disagree with the way in which the waiting list is organised, it is so arranged in order to comply with the law.

• If a place becomes available, your application will be considered alongside others on the waiting list, any appeal cases, and any late applications, in accordance with the published admission criteria.
• If your child is eligible for a place, we will allocate that place to your child as you ranked the school higher than the one allocated. We will reallocate the place previously held to someone else regardless of whether or not you had notified your acceptance of the allocation.
• If you do not wish to remain on a waiting list, you must put this in writing to us.
• The waiting list will be maintained up until 31 August 2024. From 1 September 2024 the In-year admissions criteria will apply and parents will be invited to join the In-year waiting list if they are eligible to do so.
• In regards to secondary schools lists, they are recalculated for the autumn term to remove priority for children who attended a linked or feeder school as this is not relevant to In-Year admissions.

Information on the application form

Each school’s admissions policy will tell you what the oversubscription criteria is and whether you should consider completing a school Supplementary Information Form (SIF). You should tell us about siblings at a school where this would give priority for admission, whether your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), is Looked After by a local authority or was Looked After and any other information you want to be taken into consideration.

For some schools, you may also need to complete a Supplementary Information Form (a SIF) if you want your application to be prioritised on faith grounds or because you or your partner is a member of staff at the school or because there is an Exceptional Need to attend that school or you are applying for a grammar school and are in receipt of Pupil Premium.

The admission authority for the school will be unable to take information into account if you do not state it on the form. This is particularly important for infant and primary school Key Stage One classes which are organised with 30 children and one teacher. Any appeals for these places will be Infant Class Size reviews of the original decision. New information or changes in circumstances will not be considered by the Appeal Panel so it is important that you as a parent say everything you want to say on the original application.

You need to make sure that the information you give is complete and accurate. The offer will be withdrawn if there is clear evidence that a parent has given fraudulent or misleading information, particularly to gain an advantage over others and if the correct information would have meant they’d be refused admission. Please be aware of this when completing and signing the application form.

Places are offered on the basis of the address from which your child is to attend school. This may be different to the address your child lived at when the application was considered. If your circumstances change during the process or if you know your circumstances are going to change (for example, you move house or know you will be moving house before your child starts at the school) you must tell us in writing this can be via email. If we or the school are unable to get in touch with you, your school place may have to be offered to another child. If you decide that you no longer require a place that we have offered, please let us know in writing as soon as possible.

Information you provide on application forms will be made available to an Appeal Panel to help to understand your circumstances and preferences.

What we do with your application

We will verify the details on your application with data we already hold. We will rank preferences for Plymouth community and voluntary controlled schools and academies who have bought our services. Details of preferences for Plymouth schools that ranked their own applications will be passed to them to consider. Details of preferences for schools elsewhere in England will be passed to the local authority in those areas for consideration by the relevant admission authorities there.

Schools are not told whether they were your first, second or third preference as that information isn’t required to operate their oversubscription criteria.

We will receive ranked lists back from schools and other local authorities. We’ll use them to process applications so that a place is offered for each child: at the most-preferred school able to offer a place or at an alternative if no preference can be met.

Some common questions

Which schools can you apply for through this process?

Any state-funded school in England (except special schools): including community, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided, foundation, academy, free, studio schools and UTCs.

You can’t apply for a school outside of England. You can’t apply for an independent (private) school. If you would like places at any school other than an English state-funded school, you must contact the school or relevant body directly. You must also apply direct to sixth forms and Further Education Colleges.

Will your preference be met?

Yes, unless meeting your preference would ‘prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources’.

As long as there are places available at a school, preferences will be met. For many schools, more applications will be received than the number of places available. If so, applications are prioritised on the basis of the school’s published oversubscription criteria, details of which can be found on the school admissions web page.

What if a school is oversubscribed?

If a school has more applications than places, the admission authority will operate its published oversubscription criteria to prioritise applications. Places will be offered at least up to the school’s Published Admission Number.

What if a school is NOT oversubscribed?

If there are fewer (or the same number of) applications than places available the schools oversubscription criteria will not be used and no applicant requiring a place will be refused. You won’t be offered a place, however, if another school you ranked higher can also offer a place. If your preferred school is undersubscribed, your child’s address doesn’t matter - though of course you must be able to get your child to and from school. If your child is abroad, you must be able to demonstrate that he or she will be able to enter the country - either because there is a right of abode in the UK or there is a valid visa.

There is no obligation for a school to admit a child who has been Permanently Excluded twice, with the most recent exclusion being within the last 2 years.

What if you name a school more than once?

There is no point in writing the same school down more than once – this will count as one preference and it means you may miss out on another school you may have preferred over the school you are offered.

What if you only name one school?

If you only name one school and you are refused, we will allocate a place at the nearest school with a vacancy after other children have been allocated. This may be at a school you didn’t want so, to increase your chances of being allocated a place at a school you would like, we recommend you name more than one. Naming just one won’t affect whether a place can be allocated there. (Please bear in mind that there is no compulsion for a child to transfer from a secondary school to a Key Stage 4 school. If an application is refused, we will not look to offer an alternative).

What if you just want your local school?

We can’t assume that you want a place at the school local for your address or the school your other children have attended or are attending. You may have other plans for your child’s education or are moving away from the area. You must make an application.

What if you don’t apply?

• If you don’t make a Reception application for your child we will not allocate a place for you.
• If your child is in a secondary school and you don’t make an application for a Key Stage 4 school, we will not allocate a new school.
• If your child is in Year 2 at a state-funded infant school and you don’t make an application, we will not allocate a new school.
• If your child is in Year 6 of a state-funded primary or junior school and you don’t make an application, we will not allocate a new school

You should not rely on this process allocating the school you want without an application.

What if you don’t want a particular school?

Don’t name a school if you don’t want a place there - we will always try to meet your preference. If we can’t offer you a place at one of your preferences, the school we offer might be one you didn’t want. No places are held in reserve. Where a place is offered at a school further away than could have been offered, you may be responsible for getting your child to and from school.

What if you only complete a Supplementary Information Form (SIF)?

You won’t have made a valid application if you just complete a SIF - you must complete the common application form as well.

What if you don’t complete a SIF?

If you don’t feel your child is eligible for priority on, for example, faith grounds at that school then there is no need to complete a SIF. So long as you complete the common application form your application will be processed. If the school does provide a SIF and you don’t complete it, your child can’t be prioritised according to the relevant criteria.

What if you change your mind?

If you change your mind about the schools you prefer or the order of your preferences, let us know immediately. If it’s before the closing date, you can amend your application with new preferences and the first application will be disregarded. Please ensure the same person signs the fresh application. If it is after this, a change of preference or new request may be considered for the second round of offers. It’s likely that some schools will be full and we may not be able to offer you the place you want.

What if your application is late?

Late applications will receive the offer of a school place but not at the expense of an application which was on time or considered to be on time. Unless you can demonstrate that you were unable to apply by the closing date - you may have moved house or an illness or other circumstance prevented you from applying on time - your application will be considered as late. All children whose applications were on time will be allocated a school place before late applications. If you are late, it may be that your preferred school is full.

Application after closing date but before the processing date:

• your application will be considered to be on-time if your reason for missing the closing date is accepted by the local authority. It will be considered alongside other applications and a place offered on the offer date.
• your application is late if your reason is not accepted by the local authority. It will be considered after on-time applications.

Application after the processing date:

No further applications or changes of preference will be accepted for the first round. It may not be possible to take into account changes in circumstances. Late applications will go forward alongside all others pending to a second round of allocations on the second offer date. All outstanding applications will be considered together for the second offer date.

Application after the second processing date:

These applications will be processed as they are received. Places will be offered when there are vacancies or the child’s name will be added to the waiting list in order of the school’s own oversubscription order

Application after 31 August:

You will need to apply as an in-year admissions.

When will you know the result?

On the National Offer Date for primary and secondary places.

• Offers of secondary school places are made on the National Allocation Date (1^st March or the next working day if this falls on a weekend or public holiday) each year.
• Offers of primary school places are made on the National Allocation Date (16^th April or the next working day if this falls on a weekend or public holiday) each year.

If you apply online you will receive an email on the offer date. It is your responsibility to keep your email address updated. You can also log into your online account on the offer date to find out which school has been offered. Only applications submitted using the online facility will receive an offer by email.

What to do when you receive an offer?

You must tell us whether or not you wish to accept the place allocated within seven days of the offer.

• You can submit your response by logging back into your online account.
• If you prefer, or if you did not apply online or are a resident in another local authority, you can send your response by email.
• If you accept the place offered, your child will still be on the waiting list(s) for any schools higher ranked. If a vacancy comes up and your child is allocated to a higher ranked school, the allocation will outweigh your previous acceptance of the lower ranked school.
• If you no longer wish to be on a waiting list you must tell us in writing.
• If you reject the place allocated, it will be re-allocated to someone else
• Replying to the allocated school is not an acceptance of the offer. You must reply to the local authority
• If we do not receive your response to the allocation, the place will be withdrawn and re-allocated to someone else.

Note

Your child will still be on the waiting list(s) for any schools ranked higher than the one allocated. If a vacancy comes up and your child is allocated to a higher ranked school, the allocation will outweigh your previous acceptance of the lower ranked school. This means that when we allocate the higher ranked place, we will take away the previous school allocated and give it to someone else. If, after the initial allocation has been made, you no longer wish to be on the waiting list for a higher ranked school, you must tell us in writing, this can be done via email.

What to do if your application is refused - the right of appeal

Your child’s name will be placed on a waiting list and you will have the right of appeal to an Admissions Appeal Panel, independent of the admission authority. When we inform you of your offer, we will explain how the appeals process works. If you are refused a place, you can also make additional preferences. The offer is not affected if you appeal. You don’t risk that place by appealing elsewhere. If you are refused at a school in another local authority area you will need to contact the school to find out about their appeals process.

In regards to Primary appeals where the refusal is based on class size limits (the law requires that no Key Stage 1 (infant) class (where the majority of children will have reached the age of 5, 6 or 7 by the end of the academic year) shall be a class of more than 30 pupils for any normal lesson with their teacher), the grounds for appeal are strictly limited to:

• whether the child would have been offered a place if the admission arrangements had been properly implemented or
• whether the child would have been offered a place if the arrangements had not been contrary to mandatory provisions in the School Admissions Code and the School Standards and Framework Act 1998; and/or
• whether the decision to refuse admission was not one which a reasonable admission authority would have made in the circumstances of the case.

If a place becomes available before the appeal is heard, your case would be considered alongside any other appeals, those on the waiting list, and any late applications, in accordance with the published admission criteria. If your child is allocated to that place, your appeal will be cancelled.

Foundation, Free, Trust, and Voluntary Aided schools and Academies may have their own appeal arrangements. Further details are available direct from the school.

Each Admission Authority will set a timetable for appeal. The deadline to submit an appeal will be at least 20 school days from the date of notification that the application was unsuccessful. Appeals will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals. In the case of late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

Applying for a school place when your child has a special educational need or disability (SEND)

When your child’s needs are being met from within resources ordinarily available at the Early Years setting or school (sometimes referred to as SEND Support), you should make an application for your child to start school, or move between key phases of education via school admissions in the usual way at www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

If your child’s needs are currently being assessed through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment process carried out by the Local Authority and a final EHC Plan has not yet been issued, you should make an application for your child to start school or move between key phases of education via school admissions in the usual way using the link above. This is to make sure your child is allocated a school place whilst the process is completed. However, if an EHCP is issued for your child after you have applied or accepted a school place via school admissions, you will still have the right to express a preference for a particular school (or type of school) through the EHCP process. This process is described below. 

How to apply if your child already has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

When your child has an EHCP in place, you can make an application for a mainstream school in the usual way via school admissions. This helps us to ensure that all options are available for each child and young person ahead of transition times.

However, you do not have to follow this process to secure your child’s place. This is because the initial needs assessment and annual review processes for EHCPs enable parents to express a preference for a particular school (or type of school) and the Local Authority has a duty to name that preference unless:  

• The setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs of the child or young person; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.

This process applies for mainstream schools, support centres in mainstream schools and special schools. The 0-25 SEND Team will consult with the school of your preference along with any other school the Local Authority thinks is appropriate. If you have applied for/been allocated a school place via School Admissions, the 0-25 SEND team will also consult with that school. 

There should always be an annual review of the EHCP before your child is due to transfer to a new phase of education. EHCPs must be reviewed and amended before:

• 31 March if the transfer is from secondary school to a post-16 institution;
• 15 February in any other case, or
• If a young person is moving from one post-16 institution to another post-16 institution at any other time, at least five months before that transfer takes place.

This means that the annual review process should start in the autumn term of the year before your child is due to move settings.

As part of the annual review process, the 0-25 SEND Team will provide you with a written notice which sets out the proposed amendments to your child’s EHCP. At this stage, you will be given the chance to make representations about the proposed amendments and about the school you would like to be named in the EHCP. The 0-25 SEND Team will then work with you to identify a suitable school place. This process is followed regardless of whether you have applied through School Admissions or not.

If you make an application on the school admissions website, please make sure you indicate that your child already has an EHCP. Your application will then be forwarded to the 0-25 SEND Team and they will manage the process as described above.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact the 0-25 SEND Team at: SENAdmin@plymouth.gov.uk

School transport

At the start and end of the school day, about 20% of traffic is related to schools and colleges. The obvious effect of this is apparent every morning, increased congestion, pollution and risk to safety. Plymouth City Council promotes sustainable school travel and you can help. When making your school choices, take a moment to consider how your children will travel to school. Is there an opportunity to walk or cycle? If you live further away, could you use public transport, car share or 'Park and Stride'. Encouraging sustainable choices from an early age will have a positive effect on our health, safety and environment, with children gaining valuable life and social skills along the way. We can all have an impact on the wider environment by acting smarter and reducing our Carbon Footprint.

Children under eight years old who live more than two miles, and children of eight or older who live more than three miles, from their nearest school (or a special school or unit) are entitled to travel free to and from school. Where the nearest school is full and unable to admit a child, the local authority may nominate and provide free travel to the nearest alternative school if this is beyond the statutory walking distance. Free travel may also be provided at the local authority’s discretion for exceptional reasons, for example, on medical grounds.

Pupils who have Special Educational Needs will be assessed for free travel as above, to their nearest mainstream school or to a special school or unit if they have been placed there by the local authority. Their needs will also be considered when making the assessment for entitlement to free travel. A passenger assistant will be provided if necessary. The local authority will decide on the most suitable mode of transport. There is no entitlement to free travel if the pupil is attending a school other than the nearest school due to parental preference.

Pupils who are entitled to free school meals (on the grounds of low income) or whose parents are in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax Credit will qualify for free travel to school if they are attending their nearest primary school (or special school or unit) and the school measures more than two miles from home. This also includes pupils attending a school on the grounds of religion or belief.

Further information on entitlement to free travel and an on-line application form is available on the school transport webpage.

All major bus operators in Plymouth offer child fares, various season tickets and day rider tickets for children of statutory school age. For information on suitable bus routes to school, please contact Traveline.

Whose responsibility is transport to school?

For children receiving free school transport, parents are responsible for ensuring their child’s safety between home and the school transport picking-up and setting-down points. Where there is no entitlement to free travel, the parent is entirely responsible for making and paying for all the travel arrangements.

There is a review/appeals procedure for school transport disputes between parents and the local authority, details of which are available on the school transport webpage.

School meals

Meals are available in all Plymouth schools as are facilities for those who wish to bring sandwiches. Universal Free school meals are available to all those in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

Free school meals are available to all children of parents who receive Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, Income Support, or Income Based Job-Seekers Allowance, or Child Tax Credit with no entitlement to Working Tax Credit and an income as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed the threshold of £16,190 (up to 31 March 2020, or Guarantee element of State Pension Credit, or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance or Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999).

Further details and an application form can be downloaded from the free school meals webpage.

Further advice are also available from schools, or from the Free School Meals Team on 01752 307410.

Other local authorities and further information

If your child lives in Plymouth, near to the border of another local authority (LA) area, you may want to make a preference for a school in that area as well as, or instead of, a Plymouth school. If this is the case, you must still apply through Plymouth City Council.

If your child lives outside England and you wish to apply for a place in a Plymouth school ahead of a move to the area, you can apply through Plymouth City Council. However, if your child does not have a right of entry into the country, we will not accept an application until your child has entered this country or you can provide a valid visa permitting entry. Visas are not generally issued sufficiently far in advance for the normal round admissions scheme.

When we receive your application we will contact the neighbouring LA to tell them about the school(s) in their area for which you have expressed a preference. They will consider your application alongside the others that they receive. They will then let us know their decision.

If you don’t live in the Plymouth local authority area but you would like a place in a Plymouth school, you must complete the application form for your child’s ‘home’ LA. They will then tell us that you would like a place in a Plymouth school. In turn, we will advise your child’s home LA whether a place is available. That LA will write to tell you about the school place which is offered for your child, even if it is a school in the Plymouth local authority area.

The contact details for the three neighbouring LAs:

Cornwall

Phone: 0300 1234 101

Email: schooladmissions@cornwall.gov.uk

Website: www.cornwall.gov.uk/admissions

Devon

Phone: 0345 155 1019

Email: admissions@devon.gov.uk

Website: www.devon.gov.uk/admissions

Torbay

Phone: 01803 208908

Email: pupil.services@torbay.gov.uk

Website: www.torbay.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Admissions to any school in another LA may require the completion of a Supplementary Information Form. Please contact the school or the relevant LA for further information.

When can a child start in a primary or infant school?

Children must be in full-time education by the start of the term following their fifth birthday. They don’t have to be in education before then. This doesn’t necessarily mean being in school – you may decide to educate your child at home. Offers are for full- time admission at the start of the September term following a child’s fourth birthday.

Options for parents

When you are offered a place in Reception for September, you have the following options:

• full-time admission
• part-time up to statutory school age
• defer admission up to statutory school age and take up your Early Years Entitlement hours in a pre-school setting
• defer admission up to statutory school age within the same academic year and make other arrangements such as your child remaining at home
• decline the offer and delay admission to the next academic year

You can’t take a part-time place in Reception and free sessions in a pre-school setting. You could arrange for additional pre-school hours but you would have to pay for them. The part-time option in Reception is a parental right though parents cannot insist on a particular pattern of attendance.

Deferred admission

As a parent, you have the right to defer your child’s admission until the statutory school age: the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday. This is a decision for you as a parent to make. We would advise you to take all factors into account including the advice of the headteacher at the school, other education professionals and any health or social care professionals working with your child.

If you wish to defer admission, you must inform the headteacher of the school which has been allocated. That place will be held open up to the start of the term after your child’s fifth birthday within that academic year and will not be offered to another child. If you don’t let the headteacher know and your child doesn’t start on the date offered, the place may be withdrawn and offered to another child.

Summer-born children can’t automatically defer admission and enter school in a Reception class in the following September. Parents must make an application for a Year 1 place after the summer half-term in 2024: please see the table - “When Can My Child Defer Admission?”

It is possible that this class may have been filled during the Reception year. A place will not have been reserved.

Delayed admission for summer-born children

You may wish your child to start in Reception an academic year later than normal. Although it is not necessary, such a request is often supported with social, medical or educational evidence from a relevant professional who is independent of your family. If your request is agreed by the admission authority for the school, you must then reapply in the next normal round. A place isn’t guaranteed a year in advance as the application will be considered alongside all other applications - there is no additional priority on the grounds that the application is for a delayed place. Please contact us or the schools you are interested in for further information. It is advisable to consider more than one school in case the school you want is unable to offer a place.

There is a right to request delayed admission on any grounds you wish; there is not a right to that request being allowed by a school.

Early admission

Admission is not offered earlier than the official offer date of September, when a child would not have reached his or her fourth birthday. Parents can request admission as a three year old. The school admissions authority will say whether they agree or not. There is no right of appeal against this decision.

Class Size Limits

The law requires that no Key Stage 1 (infant) class (where the majority of children will have reached the age of five, six or seven by the end of the academic year) shall be a class of more than 30 pupils for any normal lesson with their teacher. Schools and the Council must ensure that children starting school in Plymouth do not join a class of more than 30 pupils. (Exceptions are allowed where, for example, an error has been made in implementing the admission arrangements, or the admission authority has acted “unreasonably” in refusing admission).

Who can transfer to a junior school?

Junior schools admit children from the start of Year 3 and the intention is that they provide the next school on from infant schools. When children reach the end of Year 2 at an infant school, they have to leave and join another school. To enable them to do that, we write to their parents and let them know how to apply. This takes place at the same time that we write to the parents of children known to us in pre-schools who are eligible to apply for a Reception place - at the end of October.

Although the large majority of children who start in Year 3 at junior schools are from infant schools, it is open to any Year 2 child to apply for transfer to a junior school. Those who are at a named feeder infant school will have priority for admission but any Year 2 child can apply to join a junior school as part of the normal round of admissions. To do that, parents can apply online using the common application form.

Parents of children in an infant school don’t have to apply for the feeder junior school but they do have to make arrangements for education after Year 2. This could be at a primary school. Applications to join Year 3 at a primary school are not normal round applications. Instead, the application would be for an in-year admission, made from the summer half- term of Year 2. These applications are considered alongside any other applications for a September start in Year 3. There is no additional priority for admission to a primary school for children moving from an infant school.

There are two junior schools in Plymouth. Both are located close to the infant school.

Who can transfer to a secondary school?

Secondary schools admit children from the start of Year 7 and the intention is that they provide the next stage of your child’s education. When children reach the end of Year 6 at a primary or junior school, they have to leave and join another school. To enable them to do that, we write to their parents and let them know how to apply.

There are 18 secondary schools in Plymouth: 15 non-selective and three grammar schools. Non-selective schools admit children of all abilities aged 11 to 16 or 18 without selection. Grammar schools admit children aged 11 to 18 at the top end of the academic ability range, selected by means of the 11-plus exam. Faith schools give priority to the admission of children of the relevant faith if the school is oversubscribed.

Unless your child attends an all through school (Millbay Academy) and you wish your child to continue into the secondary phase at the school or you are making alternative educational arrangements e.g. private education, you must apply for a school place.

If you do not apply for a school place on time, the schools you prefer may be filled by others who did apply for a place. No places are held in reserve for late applicants or certain categories of student. If you do not put a particular school on your application, you will not be considered for a place there unless we need to allocate a place at the nearest alternative school should we be unable to meet any of your preferred schools.

Parents of children being considered for placement in a special school or unit should also apply for a mainstream school place to secure their position in case the special placement is not forthcoming.

What about transfers to key stage 4

When young people are in the last year of Key Stage 3 at their secondary school, they are asked to think about their Options for Key stage 4. This will often be in Year 9 though a number of secondary schools operate with 3 academic years for Key Stage 4 which means Options decisions are taken in Year 8.

Options will include GCSE subjects or other, vocational courses. Until recently, these courses for 14 year olds have been made available only in secondary schools and have, almost always been an internal matter within a school. 2013-14 saw the first of the new type of schools opening in Plymouth - studio schools and university technical colleges. These are schools that take young people only from Key Stage 4 onwards and offer them general GCSE subjects and a specialism. Plymouth only has one Studio School – Scott Medical and Healthcare College.

When to apply

To apply for Scott Medical and Healthcare College, parents apply between September and October when their child is in Year 8.

Are they compulsory?

There is no requirement to transfer from secondary school to a studio school or UTC. Whether a parent or a young person applies to transfer is entirely a matter of preference. We will not assume that any individual will be seeking to transfer but will handle any applications that are made.

For most young people in Plymouth, the decision will be to stay at their current secondary school as they move from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4. As with any decision on Options, we very much encourage parents and young people to discuss the future in- school, visit other establishments if they wish and to fully consider what is available locally.

The LA does not encourage or discourage any particular educational route.

What if you don’t apply?

We will assume that there will be no transfer and that your child will stay at the current secondary school. We will not prompt any family to make an application.

What about applications for sixth form?

Young people in England reach the end of compulsory education on the last Friday in the June of the academic year of their 16th birthday. There is a requirement to remain in work-based training or education until the age of 18 but the school leaving age is 16.

For most young people, they reach the end of Key Stage 4 in Year 11 when they turn 16. The next step is to move onto post-16 education and Key Stage 5 with a choice between a school sixth form and a Further Education (FE) College.

Applications to sixth forms and FE Colleges are not managed by local authorities. Young people must apply direct to them - parents apply for education places while a child is of statutory school age, parents or the young people themselves can apply for a post-16 place.

The offer of places will be by each sixth form individually, not by the LA.

In-year admissions

You can apply through us for a place at most state-funded schools in Plymouth using our in-year common application form. This is available on the webpage.

You can apply at any time to change schools in year, whether you have moved home or have changed your preference for a local school though they not be considered further in advance than 6 school weeks - 30 school days - (12 school weeks for children from UK service personnel families).

Moving to a new school is an important step for any child. Sometimes it is necessary because of a house move to a new area. If you are not moving address and would like to change your child’s school, you should take the following into consideration:

• How will your child cope with learning new rules and having to do things differently, or possibly having missed important work?
• For secondary school children during Key Stage 4, will the new school not only be able to offer a place, will they be able to match the GCSE subjects and examination boards?
• If your child has brothers or sisters at the same school, transferring one child may affect the others. Will it be difficult for you to have children attending different schools? How will you manage if the start and finish times aren’t the same or if your children will need to be dropped off and collected at the same time from two schools? Some schools in Plymouth are full and may not be able to offer you a place.
• Will there be an entitlement to free school transport to a new school? If not, how will you get your child to and from school?
• Will moving schools resolve the difficulties you feel there are at the current school or simply move them elsewhere?
• Is your move influenced by any recent or ongoing intervention by social care or other agencies prompted by the school? Concerns are likely to be followed up at any school and this may be more effective where your child has adults around them who know them.
• In addition to reading the In-Year Admissions Guide, we advise that you sit down with your child and ask them why they want to move to a different school. If they mention that they are being bullied or not getting on with other pupils, you should speak to your child’s class teacher or headteacher first in order to try and resolve the situation. All schools have an ‘Anti-Bullying Policy’ that must be followed. If, after doing this, you still have major concerns or are unhappy about the way the school is dealing with your complaint, you should make an appointment to speak to the headteacher. You may also write to the Chair of Governors.

Nevertheless, parents have the right to transfer to a new school whether there is a house move or not. Whether a new school is in the best interests of a child is a matter for a parent to decide - we very much encourage parents to discuss any potential move with staff and head teacher of the current school to try and resolve any problems.

Admission to a new school should always take place as quickly as possible particularly where a child has moved and does not have a local school place.

In-year fair access protocol

Plymouth operates a Fair Access Protocol which provides for the in-year admission of children in certain circumstances when the school is full and the Year Group has begun. The In-Year Fair Access Protocol does not apply for normal point of entry admissions. It is not used where:

• a child already has a school place locally, and / or
• a child can be offered a place at a school to which his or her parent has applied for admission

The In-Year Fair Access Protocol is a safety net where a child would otherwise not be able to access state-funded education. The LA aims to protect schools from a disproportionate number of challenging children being admitted under the Fair Access Protocol.

Other information

The Pupil Premium

This is additional school funding for children registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years, those who have been looked after continuously for more than six months and children of service personnel. Your child doesn’t need to take free school meals for the school to receive the additional funding.

School Uniform

Most schools require pupils to wear a school uniform, with the exception of the Sixth Form. Individual school websites set out the policy on school uniform. The local authority no longer offers crisis payments for assistance in purchasing a school uniform. Parents/carers should contact the school, which may be able to assist with the cost of purchasing items of uniform.

Insurance

Plymouth City Council is insured against legal liability for any injury, loss or damage caused to pupils as a result of negligence on its part or that of its employees. Pupils are not insured for personal accident while on school premises or on work experience schemes. However, cover is provided for pupils on organised school trips and visits: head teachers and principals can provide details. Pupils are expected to accept responsibility for their personal possessions, including money. Parents may wish to consider taking out their own insurance to cover any risks.

Privacy Notice and Data Protection

The Council is collecting your personal data and school preferences for the purpose of an application for admission to a school.

All information provided for your application may be processed and kept by your current school; your preferred school(s); other local authorities/schools who may administer applications for your preferred school(s); school appeal panels and administrators in the event of refusal of a school place; other people with parental responsibility for the child to which the application relates; other departments within or outside the council who deal with matters connected to or ancillary to your child; government departments for statistical purposes and other agencies for the prevention and detection of fraud.

PCC will only keep your information until the end of the academic year that your child’s entry cohort reaches the date to cease compulsory education. We will never share or use your information for marketing purposes. Your information will be stored and processed in line with the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018. You have certain rights under the Data Protection Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which include the right to access, rectification and erasure. To enforce these rights or enquire about any other aspects of data protection, please contact the Data Protection Officer, Plymouth City Council, Ballard House, West Hoe Road, Plymouth PL1 3BJ. Email: dataprotectionofficer@plymouth.gov.uk. PCC is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner's Office (registration number: Z7262171).

Read the Council’s Privacy notice for this service.

Note

If your application is completed on behalf of someone else or personal details or contact data about a third party are provided, then it is your responsibility to make sure that you have informed the other person of what you have told the Council (not applicable for complaints or investigations).

Each individual school will have its own privacy notice and you should make sure that you are aware of their policy in this respect.

Complaints

You are entitled to submit a complaint if you are unhappy with the way in which we have handled your application. If you wish to lodge a complaint against us then please telephone our contact centre on 01752 668000 in the first instance, or go to our complaints web page.

Glossary

Explanation of terms used

Contact details for plymouth school admissions

School admissions: 01752 307469 (line open 11am to 3pm)

primary.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk

secondary.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk

If you write to the School Admissions Service, please include your child's full name and date of birth. Please note: all information received by post is scanned centrally and emailed to the Team, which can delay receipt of the information.  Wherever possible, please email the team, using the above email addresses, and we will respond back to you by email.

Further information is available at: www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Useful numbers

• School Admissions Team – 01752 307469 (line open 11am to 3pm)
• Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service – 01752 307405
• 0-25 Special Education Needs and Disability Team – EHCP enquiries - 01752 307409
• School Transport - 01752 308770
• Free School Meals – 01752 307410
• School Appeals Team – 01752 398164
• Education other than at School – 01752 307471

Other organisations:

• Parent Support Adviser (PSA) - the majority of schools within Plymouth have a Parent Support Adviser. The PSA is able to assist parents with the application process.
• Plymouth Information, Advice and Support for SEND – based at the Jan Cutting Healthy Living Centre, Beacon Park Road, Plymouth, PL2 2PQ. Telephone 01752 258933 or 0800 953 1131. PIAS provides information, advice and support relating to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for parents, carers, children and young people within the Plymouth local authority area. For further information visit www.plymouthias.org.uk.
• The Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) - This is a charity which offers information about state education in England for parents of school- age children. Information booklets can be ordered at www.ace-ed.org.uk. You can call free on 0808 800 5793, or text AskACE on 68808.
• Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service - The Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service provides support and advice on school attendance, children missing education, bullying, exclusion, alternative educational provision, child employment and entertainment performance licenses, links to other child welfare agencies, and child protection procedures. Most schools in Plymouth have a named Education Welfare Officer. For further information telephone 01752 307405 or visit the Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service webpage.
• Gov.uk website - This website provides information and links on many subjects, including school admissions.

Timeline for primary and junior

Timeline for secondary and key stage 4

Please refer to the individual schools website for the following forms:

Supplementary information forms (sif)

Faith

• SIF – Faith – Catholic Schools
• SIF – Faith – Notre Dame RC School
• SIF – Faith - St Andrew’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Faith – St Boniface RC College
• SIF – Faith – St Budeaux CE Junior School
• SIF – Faith - St George’s CE Primary Academy
• SIF – Faith - St Peter’s CE Primary School

Exceptional medical and social need

• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – Catholic Schools
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – Old Priory Junior School
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – Plympton St Mary’s CE Infant School
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – St Andrew’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – St Budeaux CE Junior School
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – St Edward’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – St George’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – St Matthew’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Exceptional Medical & Social Need – St Peter’s CE Primary School

Staff

• SIF – Staff
• SIF – Staff – Old Priory Junior School
• SIF – Staff – Plympton St Mary’s CE Infant School
• SIF – Staff – St Andrew’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Staff – St Edward’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Staff – St George’s CE Primary School
• SIF – Staff – St Matthew’s CE Primary School

Early years, pupil or service pupil premium

• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Beechwood Primary Academy
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Ernesettle Community Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Knowle Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Marine Academy Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Mayflower Primary Academy
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Mount Street Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Mount Wise Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Shakespeare Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Tor Bridge Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Weston Mill Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Woodfield Primary School
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Devonport High School for Boys
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Devonport High School for Girls
• SIF - Early Years, Pupil or Service Pupil Premium – Plymouth High School for Girls

Statistics - What happened last year

Information for Primary & Junior Schools as of the 17 April 2023 (1st round of allocations)

Primary

Junior

Information for Secondary & Key Stage 4 Schools as of the 1 March 2023 (1st round of allocations)

Secondary

Key Stage 4