In-Year 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 In-Year School Admissions. This guide is designed to help you apply for a school place for your child if they are transferring schools other than at the Normal Point of Entry.

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. 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.

All Plymouth schools are a part of the In Year Co-ordinated Admissions scheme. This means that parents can apply for more than one school on a single application form.

The information in the In-Year Admissions guide is for the academic year 2023-2024 and describes the process for parents to apply for a transfer.

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) you should discuss a school transfer with our 0-25 Special Educational Needs Team before making the application. If you would like to apply for a mainstream school for your child with an EHCP you should then make the application through the Admissions Team.

We also produce an online guide for children starting at the Normal Point of Entry. 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.

May I 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

Co-ordinated Admissions

The term ‘in-year admissions’ refers to any school admission other than at normal point of transfer, that is, other than:

• Children starting infant or primary school for the first time in the Reception year
• Children transferring from infant to junior school at Year 3
• Children transferring from primary or junior to secondary school at Year 7
• Children transferring Year 8 or 9 in a secondary school to Year 9 or 10 at Key Stage 4 entry school e.g. Scott Medical School

For admission to a nursery school or the sixth form of a secondary school, you will need to apply to the school direct as we do not administer these admission requests.

Plymouth City Council and all of the schools within Plymouth choose to offer a co-ordination scheme as this ensures that applications that are made are dealt with in a fair, consistent and transparent manner. It greatly minimises the risks of children being without a school place. Children who are missing education are at greater risk of safeguarding issues and, of course, will miss out on part of their education.

For most families, the admission arrangements will be quite simple and straightforward. The parent applies in good time and the child is introduced and admitted to their preferred school in due course. For some applicants, however, things may not run as smoothly. They may find that the place they want cannot be allocated because the school is full and they are offered a place at another school.

When a school has more applications than it has places available the published criteria is used to prioritise them, to decide the order in which applicants will be offered places. However, the oversubscription criteria only applies when there are more applications than places. If the school has a vacancy there are very limited grounds when an application can be refused. The admission criteria for every school is set by the admission authority for that school, after consultation, and will be on the school’s website.

For 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. These are known as own admission authority schools. The admission criteria for these schools will be published on their individual websites.

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

In some cases parents will need to complete an extra form. These are available on the individual schools’ websites. 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, that the child has a parent employed by the school or that they have exceptional medical reasons for needing this school. If a parent doesn’t complete a SIF, the application will still be considered but these factors will not be able to be taken into account when the application is assessed against the school’s admission criteria.

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

Parents have the right of appeal against a decision to refuse admission to a school and there will be a waiting list.

In-year transfers

Moving to a new school is an important step and should not be taken lightly. Sometimes it is necessary because of a house move to a new area. Sometimes it is a matter of parental preference for the proposed new school. 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?
• A change of school may only move the problem rather than solve it. It is therefore much better to try to sort any problems with the school before considering a transfer, particularly if your child is involved in carrying out coursework, controlled assessments or preparing for final examinations.
• If your child has siblings 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 different schools?
• Some schools in Plymouth are full and may not be able to offer you a place.
• Is your move influenced by any recent or ongoing intervention by social care of 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 parent’s guide, we advise that you discuss the situation with your child and your child’s tutor or senior/lead teacher. It may be that any difficulties perceived can be resolved, and schools will have a number of strategies that can be put into place to help a child who may have difficulty with peers or settling into school or who are experiencing other problems.
• 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 the headteacher of the current school to try and resolve the problems.

As part of the application process, the Headteacher at your child’s current school will always be notified of the request to change schools and will receive a copy of your application form and a request to submit information to help consideration of your case.

Sometimes, where a child is struggling and may be at risk of being permanently excluded, a Managed Transfer Move to another school can be helpful in securing a fresh start with additional support from the schools themselves and the local authority (LA). Further advice can be sought from the LA’s Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service (IAWS).

You must apply if you wish to transfer schools

You will need to apply for a school place to the local authority in whose area the school is situated, regardless of where you live or if the school is outside Plymouth you can contact the school direct to find out about their admission arrangements.

As a parent of a child interested in transferring to a different school in Plymouth, you can name up to three different schools on the Common Application Form (CAF) in the order you would most like your child to attend. Your most preferred school should be the school you name as your first preference on the application form. 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 order but some schools will already be full. Inevitably, some applications will be refused so we advise any parent to consider putting more than one school. To be offered a school place, you must make a formal application.

Apply online on our in-year admissions page. At the end of the application, you will have the option to print or save a copy of the application form that you are submitting. If you create an account to use the City Council’s self-service system and apply for a school place through that account, you will receive an email as confirmation of your application submission.

Steps to take to apply

1. Research
2. Read this guide
3. Read information on the individual school available through the schools website
4. Find out what the school has to offer your child
5. If possible, visit the schools you are interested in
6. Be aware of the school transport policy
7. Apply
8. Complete local authority common application form
9. Remember to complete any relevant Supplementary Information Forms (SIF) required
10. Express a preference for 1, 2 or 3 schools
11. Provide accurate and complete information
12. Apply on time
13. Don’t apply further than 6 school weeks in advance (12 school weeks if your or your partner are UK service personnel being posted into the area or your child has an EHCP)

Do

• make sure that the schools you are interested in are in Plymouth – not Devon, Cornwall or Torbay
• complete a Plymouth’s common application form
• complete any relevant supplementary Information forms (SIF)
• 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 on the application form if you have another child already at the school or recently allocated a place at 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 or will change before admission. You can easily contact us at our email address: inyear.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk.
• speak to your child’s current school before making an application especially if you are not moving house.

Don’t

• assume that because you mentioned this child on a sibling’s application that they will also be considered automatically. Every child must have their own application form.
• name the school three times – this will be considered as one preference.
• assume that if you only name one school that it will be offered, or that you will be given more priority for it.
• 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.
• name a school if you don’t want a place there.

Equal Ranked Preferences and the Application Process

The application process enables parents to express a preference for any state-funded mainstream school in Plymouth. We will do our best to meet that preference by co-ordinating applications with schools.

Each school will have a website and some 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 at www.ofsted.gov.uk.  The Department for Education publishes school achievement and attainment tables at www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance.

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 preferences, the offer will be for the school the parent ranked the highest that is able to offer a place.

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 available for the normal round intake and for the first year in school. PAN’s can be increased but not easily reduced. After the first year, they become less rigid as the Admission Number (AN) for that year group. While there is an expectation that the number of places available is the same, it can rise or fall depending on the school’s circumstances.

Admission Numbers can be reviewed at the end of each academic year or earlier if necessary and apply to individual Year Groups.

Residency

Applications are considered on the basis of where a child will actually live while attending school. This address is very important when a school is oversubscribed as a child’s priority for a place is affected by where they live.

If the child lives in more one than home for an equal amount of time then a decision will be made as to which address will be used. Factors taken into account could include where child benefit is paid, where the child is registered with a GP and so on.

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. It is important to keep us informed, including the date when you believe that you will be moving, if this changes.

How do parents apply?

Apply on our In Year admissions page. Applications will normally be accepted no more than six school weeks before the date that the school place is required and the applicant will be expected to take up the place by or on the Last Admission Date stated on the offer letter. Failure to take up the place within the expected time may lead to the withdrawal of the place offered.

• In the case of UK service personnel this application period may be extended up to twelve school weeks if the application is accompanied by an official government letter which declares a relocation date and a Unit postal address or quartering area address.
• In the case of children attending a specialist unit at a Plymouth school or a child with an EHCP, the application period will be extended to twelve school weeks to allow enhanced transition processes.
• In the case of a child currently in the care of the local authority, the application period will be extended to twelve school weeks to allow a smooth transition.

For more details, please read the In-Year coordinated scheme.

NOTE: We can only discuss your application with you or someone you write to tell us we can discuss it with.

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.

Different schools define criteria differently, so it is important to check on each school’s website separately. For example schools may define the term “sibling” differently to each other.

NOTE: Meeting certain 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. When we say Looked After Child, it has the same general meaning as a Child in Care. 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. Applications should normally be made by the person or the local authority with parental responsibility, not by a foster carer.

Exceptional need priority

For many 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 or parent’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. Only 6 of the 68 primary schools in Plymouth use catchment area as an admission criterion. The rest, including all the secondary schools, 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 Academy, 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 all 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

The definition of sibling may vary from school to school. Children may be classed as siblings if they live in the same household in a single family unit, and this may include 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. Please refer to the individual school’s admission criteria for the definition they use of sibling.

Faith priority

Voluntary aided, voluntary controlled schools and some academies have a recognised faith character and can prioritise applicants on faith grounds - this is usually 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

This does not apply for In-Year Admissions

Pupil premium priority

Schools can prioritise children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium, Service Pupil Premium or the Early Years Pupil Premium. 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. This also applies to Plymouth secondary schools, except for Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls, and Plymouth High School for Girls which admits children who have demonstrated academic ability at an entrance exam (11+, 12+ & 13+). Passing the exam does not guarantee a space to the child, as often Grammar Schools are oversubscribed, however all three schools do keep waiting lists. For further information on the 12+ & 13+ please refer to the individual grammar schools direct.

Tie breaker

Where the school becomes oversubscribed (i.e. more applicants than the admission number) in any admission criteria category, then the nearer to the school the child lives - as measured by a straight line on the map - 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/or the School Admissions Support Manager.

Other points to consider

Multiple birth siblings

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 or AN. 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 should be accompanied by an official government letter which declares a relocation date and a Unit postal or quartering area address. If the new home address is not known at the time of application the Unit address will be used in distance measurements. 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 and no particular priority can be given to them in the Fair Access Code.

Parents with shared responsibility

Only one home address will be accepted for a child and factors such as the address that the child spends most time at, where they are registered with a GP, at which address Child Benefit is received may all be taken into account if there is a query.

Very rarely a parent might object to an application to change schools by the other parent. Where disputes cannot be resolved between parent’s then mediation or a court order should be sought. Neither the Local Authority nor a school will intervene in the dispute.

Waiting List

Your child is not automatically placed on the waiting list for any school but will be added temporarily until you have received your allocation email. If you do not reply by email to say that you would like your child to join the waiting list they will be removed shortly afterwards.

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, and any applications received up to the date the vacancy occurred, in accordance with the published admission criteria.

Normal Point of entry waiting lists are recalculated on the 1 September to remove priority for children who attended a feeder school as this priority does not apply to In-Year admissions.

From time to time we may write to you via email to ask for up to date information and confirmation that you would like your child to remain on the waiting list. It is very important that you respond to us when we do, or your child will be removed from the list.

Information on the application form

It is the parent’s responsibility to provide accurate and up-to-date information on an application form. You should find out about the school that you are interested in and the information required.

Each school’s admissions policy will tell you what the oversubscription criteria are and whether you should consider completing a school Supplementary Information Form (SIF). You should tell us about brothers and sisters 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 (SIF) if you want your application to be prioritised

• on faith grounds
• because you or your partner is a member of staff at the school
• because there is an Exceptional Need to attend that school or
• if you are applying for a grammar school and are in receipt of Pupil Premium.

You may also be asked to provide additional evidence depending on your answers to questions on the Common Application Form (CAF). You should provide this evidence either by uploading the document at that stage or emailing it to us at inyear.admissiona@plymouth.gov.uk as soon as possible afterwards.

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.

When you apply 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 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 will we do with your application?

Applications for a school in Plymouth must be submitted to the local authority as they participate in the Plymouth local co-ordinated scheme. The ‘closing date’ for applications under the scheme will be midnight of each day and all applications received in Plymouth School Admissions Team by midnight on the same day will be treated equally.

We will verify the details on your application with data we already hold. If we can’t match details, we may contact you for clarification. We will inform the schools you name of the application and ask them for a decision whether a place is available unless it is clear that you will be offered a place at a school you preferred more.

Schools won’t be informed whether they were your first, second or third preference as that information is not required by them to operate their oversubscription criteria or to make a decision on whether a place is available.

We will make an offer at a school you most wanted that can offer a place or, if your application is refused, we will reach a decision under the Fair Access Protocol if your child is eligible under its terms.

Some common questions

Which schools can you apply for through this process?

Any state-funded school in Plymouth (except special schools) that is participating in the Co-ordinated scheme.

Which schools can you NOT apply for through this process?

• For a school outside of Plymouth
• For an independent (private) school.
• For sixth form and Further Education Colleges.
• Alternative Education provision

Will your preference be met?

Yes, unless meeting your preference would ‘prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources’. That is the principal legal reason to refuse an application and this generally occurs when the year group is full.

No, if the relevant year group is full and to admit the child:

• “would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources” (to quote the 1998 Education Act) or
• Would breach infant class size limits by requiring steps to be taken to comply with those limits that “would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources” or
• They fail to qualify for a grammar school place or
• You ranked the school lower than the one at which a place has been offered.

What if a school is NOT oversubscribed?

Your application should not normally be refused if a school is undersubscribed. 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.

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.

A school may also refuse your application if they think your child has “Challenging Behaviour” as defined in the Fair Access Protocol. If that is the case we will refuse a place under the In Year Admissions scheme, and refer your application to the Inclusions Manager for possible consideration by the Primary Fair Access Panel or the Secondary Fair Access Panel.

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 we aren’t able to offer any of your preferred schools?

If you are new to the area and your child does not have a suitable school place, we will allocate a place at an alternative school, usually your nearest school with a vacancy. This alternative school may not be one you had considered, or even wanted, so in order to increase your chances of being allocated a place at a school you would like, we recommend you name more than one school on the application form. We will not normally offer an alternative if your child is already on roll at a suitable school within reasonable distance from home or receiving Elective Home Education (EHE).

What if you don’t apply?

Applying for In-Year admissions is a parental responsibility. The School Admissions Team can not consider your child for admission to a school unless there is an application. Children who are missing education (CME) will come to the attention of the Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service (IAWS) who will require a parent to make arrangements for suitable education or will consider issuing a School Attendance Order naming a school.

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 and your child does not already have a suitable school place the school we offer might be one that you didn’t want. If you do not want to accept the school offered to you, you may email us and name additional schools you wish to be considered.

Where a place is offered at your request at a school further away than the nearest one available, 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. To be considered for a school transfer, we only need a completed common application form from you. If the school does provide a SIF and you don’t complete it, your child can’t be prioritised according to the relevant admission 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 by email. If you change your mind after your child has transferred, or more than 12 school weeks after your initial application, you must submit a new application.

It is very important when notifying a change of preference, to tell us if you no longer wish to be considered for a place in a school previously listed in an application. This is because your child may have been included on a waiting list for a school previously applied for.

All changes must be submitted in writing via email.

When will you know the result?

We will aim to notify you of the decision by email within 15 school days of receipt of your application form, but due to circumstances out of our control this is not always possible. We will notify you as soon as we possibly can.

What to do when you receive an offer?

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

• You can submit your response by return of email.
• If you want your child to join a waiting list for a higher ranked school, you have to tell us.
• If you reject the place allocated, it will be re-allocated to someone else
• If we do not receive your response to the allocation, the place will be withdrawn and re-allocated to someone else.
• You must immediately contact the school offered if you are accepting the offer.

What to do if your application is refused – Waiting lists and the right of appeal

A place may be allocated at an alternative school, usually the nearest school to your home with a vacancy, but only if it is not possible to allocate a place at one of the schools you applied for and only if you do not already hold an appropriate school place in Plymouth.

On your application form you will have nominated up to three schools in rank order. If you are not offered your highest ranked school, your child’s name can be placed on a waiting list for the schools that you ranked higher than the one actually offered. You will be asked to indicate which schools, if any, you would like the child’s name to be added to.

For any school that has been refused 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 of an alternative preference is not affected if you appeal. You don’t risk that place by appealing elsewhere.

In regards to Primary school appeals, the refusal of a place may be based on class size limits - a restriction which applies to “infant” classes. An infant, or Key Stage 1, class is a class where the majority of children will be age 5, 6, or 7 by the end of the academic year. The law states that an infant class may not exceed more than 30 pupils for any normal lesson with their teacher, therefore 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 applications outstanding, 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 individual 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 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

What if an offer of a place is withdrawn?

The school Admissions Code allows an offer of a school place to be withdrawn if:

• it has been offered in error or
• a parent has not responded within a reasonable period of time or
• it is established that the offer was obtained through a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application. An example of this would knowingly using an incorrect home address for a child. In these cases the application would be considered using the information that the local authority believes to be correct, for example using the home address where the local authority considers the child actually lives.

All suspected fraudulent applications will be investigated and if a case is found, it could lead to criminal prosecution.

Fair Access

Each local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol, agreed with the majority of schools in its area to ensure that - outside the normal admissions round - unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. In agreeing a protocol, the local authority must ensure that no school - including those with available places - is asked to take a disproportionate number of children who have been excluded from other schools, or who have challenging behaviour. The protocol must include how the local authority will use provision to ensure that the needs of pupils who are not ready for mainstream schooling are met through school practice and school provision being ready and available for students to access.

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 Fair Access Protocol will apply to all admission requests outside the normal admission round with the exception of:

1. a child seeking admission to a sixth form;
2. a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan) which names the school in question;
3. a looked after child or a previously looked after child.

In the case of points 2 and 3 above, paragraph 3.12 of the School Admissions Code directs that such children must be admitted to the school in question and that the principles of Fair Access do not apply to such cases.

In line with the requirements set out in paragraph 3.17 of the School Admissions Code 2021, Fair Access Protocols may only be used to place the following groups of vulnerable and/or hard to place children, where they are having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, and it can be demonstrated that reasonable measures have been taken to secure a place through the usual in-year admission procedures:

1. children either subject to a Child in Need Plan or a Child Protection Plan or having had a Child in Need Plan or a Child Protection Plan within 12 months at the point of being referred to the Protocol;
2. children living in a refuge or in other Relevant Accommodation at the point of being referred to the Protocol;
3. children from the criminal justice system;
4. children in alternative provision who need to be reintegrated into mainstream education or who have been permanently excluded but are considered to be  suitable for mainstream education by the Primary Placements Panel;
5. children with special educational needs (but without an Education, Health and Care plan), disabilities or medical conditions;
6. children who are carers;
7. children who are homeless;
8. children in formal kinship care arrangements;
9. children of, or who are, Gypsies, Roma, Travellers, refugees, and asylum seekers;
10. children who have been refused a school place on the grounds of their challenging behaviour*;
11. children for whom a place has not been sought due to exceptional circumstances;
12. children who have been out of education for four or more weeks where it can be demonstrated that there are no places available at any school within a reasonable distance of their home. This does not include circumstances where a suitable place has been offered to a child and this has not been accepted;
13. previously looked after children for whom the local authority has been unable to promptly secure a school place;

*Behaviour can be described as challenging where it would be unlikely to be responsive to the usual range of interventions to help prevent and address pupil misbehaviour or it is of such severity, frequency, or duration that it is beyond the normal range that schools can tolerate. We would expect this behaviour to significantly interfere with the pupil’s/other pupils’ education or jeopardise the right of staff and pupils to a safe and orderly environment.

A child with challenging behaviour may also be disabled as defined in the Equality Act 2010. When considering refusing admission on these grounds, admission authorities must consider their duties under that Act. Admission authorities should also consider the effect of the decision of the Upper Tribunal in C & C v The Governing Body of a School, The Secretary of State for Education (First Interested Party) and The National Autistic Society (Second Interested Party) (SEN) [2018] UKUT 269 (AAC) about the implications of the Equality Act 2010 when a pupil exhibits a tendency to physical abuse of other persons as a consequence of a disability.

Whilst it is recognised that children that fall into the categories identified above may be vulnerable, not all children meeting a particular criterion will be vulnerable and require assistance to access a school place. The majority of children will be dealt with through Standard Admission procedures. Other children not listed above may also experience difficulties in attaining a school place, the majority of whom will also be admitted through routine admissions procedures operated by admission authorities or their agents. This Protocol will work as a failsafe for a minority of children who for whatever reason may find it particularly difficult to access a school place.

The responsibility for operating the Fair Access Protocol lies with the local authority. Where a school refuses a parent’s application, it is for the local authority to decide whether the child is eligible under the protocol. Allocations need not be in accordance with parental preference and a parent may still appeal for a place at a school even if parental preference has been refused.

All schools, including those that have chosen not to participate in In-Year co-ordination must participate in the local authority’s Fair Access Protocol.

Copies of the Fair Access policy can be obtained from the Inclusion, Attendance and Welfare Service (IAWS). For further information telephone 01752 307405.

Education Health Care Plans (EHCP)

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, you can apply for a mainstream school in the usual way at www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions. However, the process of allocating a place is different. Your application will be forwarded to the 0-25 SEND Team and they will manage the process and name a school for your child.

If your child doesn’t have an EHCP but you expect one to be issued, you must make an application in the same way. Please tell us on your application that an EHCP may be issued so that the School Admissions Team can liaise with the 0-25 SEND Team.

It is important that the LA doesn’t process an application and offer a place in conflict with the EHCP process.

Please note that places in a special school will only be arranged directly by the 0-25 SEND Team. If you are applying for a special school you should not complete the In Year Application form but should talk to the 0-25 SEND Team about their procedures.

You will want to consider carefully the views of your child’s current school or setting and other professionals who work with your child. These should have been discussed at the Annual Review Meeting.

The 0-25 SEND Team will write to you to tell you which school will be named on your child’s EHCP. If this isn’t the school you wanted you will have the right of appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST).

Our advice is always to discuss your wishes with the 0-25 SEND Team if your child has an EHCP or is likely to have one issued.

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 at www.travelinesw.com. 

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.

Rising 5s and in-year admissions

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

As with normal round admissions, when you are offered a place in Reception, you have the following options:

1. full-time admission
2. part-time up to statutory school age
3. defer admission up to statutory school age  and take up your Early Years Entitlement hours in a pre-school setting
4. defer admission up to statutory school age  within the same academic year and make other arrangements such as your child remaining at home
5. 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 then be held open up to the start of the term after your child’s fifth birthday within that academic year or the start of the summer term whichever is the earlier 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 defer admission and enter school in the following September directly into Year 1. However their place at a particular school can only be held until the beginning of the Summer Term.  Parents delaying admission until the start of Year 1 must make an application from 1st May onwards and there is no guarantee there will be a place available in your preferred school. Please see the table - “When Can My Child Defer Admission?”

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.

If your child is older and has previously been educated in a year group other than the normal one for their age there is no guarantee that a new school will agree to this arrangement as well. You should make it clear on the application if you would like your child to be considered for a year group other that in which their age group is normally educated, and this request will be passed to the school for consideration. You might like to contact the school direct to discuss this too. You cannot appeal against a decision not to offer an alternative year group.

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).

The Council’s Privacy notice for this service can be found at: www.plymouth.gov.uk/aboutwebsite/privacypolicy.

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 website: Complaints

Other local authorities and independent advice

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 apply through Plymouth City Council for Plymouth schools and contact the other local authorities for advice about admissions there.

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.

If we receive an application for a school outside of Plymouth we will not be able to help you and will email you to advise that you contact the correct Local Authority.

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

Glossary and definitions

Explanation of terms used

Contact details

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

inyear.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk

school.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 Appeals Team – 01752 398164
• School Transport - 01752 308770
• Free School Meals – 01752 307410
• 1st Stop Shop – 01752 668000
• 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 (IAWS) - 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.

Supplementary information forms (SIF)

Please refer to the In-Year Transfer webpages for the following forms:

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 & 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