School Admissions Policies 2024-2025

Trinity Croft C of E Primary Academy

Introduction

Trinity Croft Church of England Primary Academy is a Church of England Academy in the Diocese of Sheffield and is part of the Diocese of Sheffield Academy Trust (DSAT).

The academy provides a distinctively Christian education for children aged 3+ to 11+ year.

The Church of England’s stated position that “Our schools are not faith schools for the faithful, they are Church schools for the community is the principle that admission to Trinity Croft Church of England Primary Academy is prioritised and children from the local community are all welcome. Our ethos in school is one which is wholly Christian and children are educated and expected to behave in a way that is Christian whilst experiencing a wide range of multi-cultural and religious education to have tolerance, understanding and empathy for those who are different in anyway. We aim to “offer a safe and welcoming place to all God’s children”.

The Academy’s Governing Body is the Admission Authority and is responsible for admissions.  It is guided in that responsibility by the requirements of the law, the academy trust deed, by advice from the Diocesan Board of Education and its duty to the community and Common Good.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the “Admission to Primary Education”, published by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

Admission to Foundation Stage 1 (Nursery)

The admission number for 2024/25 is 30

Children may be admitted to F1 at the start of the term after their 3rd birthday. Applications will be prioritised for children who fall into this bracket for the Autumn Term and subsequent places will be allocated on a termly basis. If there are 25 admission requests for children who will be 3 on 1st September, there will be no further admission into this cohort in the spring and summer terms. If there are spaces available, admission requests into this year group will be considered through the waiting list we hold for subsequent years. The school will contact parents who have submitted an application to the school already.

The school will offer the 30 hours entitlement for eligible families who are registered with the LA. An extended day provision may be offered to families who request it at an additional cost. This in addition to the 15 hours free education funded by the government.

Admission to Foundation Stage 2 (Reception)

The admission number for 2024/25 is 25

As requested by law the Governing Body will not admit more than 30 pupils to any one reception or infant class, except for multiple births where one of the children is the 30th child e.g. twins.

Date of admission to the school in each academic year is the 1st September

Although the law does not require children to be admitted to school until the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday, the Governing Body, being the Admissions Authority for this academy, will admit children into Foundation Stage 2 at one point during the school year as follows:

Children will be admitted during the autumn term following their 4th birthday for Foundation Stage 2.  Where parents wish to defer entry or request that the child attends part-time, the request will be considered where it appears to be in the best interest of the child. All children will be admitted by the term following their 5th birthday – compulsory school age.

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

Making an Application

  1. Applications are made on the Academy’s Application Form for Foundation Stage 1, and returned direct to academy.
  2. Applications are made on the Common Application Form for Foundation Stage 2, and returned direct to the Local Authority
  3. To support your application to Trinity Croft C of E Primary Academy, please complete the Supplementary Information Form. The Supplementary Information Form is NOT an application for admission to the academy, and its return does not guarantee a place at the academy, however it does affect the admission category your application will be placed in.
  4. The Common Application Form should be submitted by the LA’s deadline date along with the Supplementary Information Form
  5. Ministers reference to support regular church attendance. (See Definition 3)

Completion of the Supplementary Information Form will enable your application form to be placed in the correct category. Without the correct form completed, this will not be considered in the qualifying criteria.

Parental Preference

The Local Authority Common Application form provides the opportunity for parents/carers to express up to 3 choices of schools in rank order of preference.

Please note however, along with the Local Authority, we will be operating an ‘equal preference’ system.  This means that all applications for a place at Trinity Croft Primary Academy will be assessed according to the admission criteria and no priority will be given according to the ranking.

Ranking by your preference will only be used in the final allocation of a place within the LA’s co-ordinated scheme where there is more than 1 potential offer.

Co-ordinated Scheme for Admission Arrangements

The co-ordinated scheme for admissions is a mechanism that ensures that all parents who have expressed a preference for a school in this authority before the closing date will receive a single offer of a school place on the same day from the Authority.

In order to provide every parent with an offer of one single place, the Authority will be working with the Governing Bodies of Academies within the Rotherham area, including our school Trinity Croft Church of England Primary Academy.

Criteria for Admission

Please note that children who have a Statement of special educational need or an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names the academy as the most appropriate educational setting will gain a place at the academy through the Statutory Assessment process.     Evidence of the child’s statement/EHCP must be provided on application. The school will only acknowledge the Statement/EHCP where there is official evidence included with the application form.

Children of UK service personnel will be dealt with on an individual basis according to the Admission Code.

Please note if you state that your child has been baptised then a certificate will need to be enclosed with the application for it to be considered at the admissions meeting in school and as part of the selection process.

Where there are more applications for admission than the planned admission number stated, the Governing Body /Admission committee will apply the following admission criteria in strict order of priority.

Please see Definitions on page 4, Brother/Sister, Parent/Carer, Regular Church Attendance, Churches Together in England, Looked After Children to assist with your application.

  1. Children who are in Public Care (Looked After Children, and previously Looked After Children, see Definition 5) and children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – see definition on page 4.
  2. Children who will have an elder brother or sister in the school at the anticipated time of admission.
  3. Children whose reside in the ecclesiastical parish of Dalton and East Herringthorpe.
  4. Children of staff/incumbent at the academy.  Where a member of staff has been employed at the academy for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the academy is made, or when a member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.  This may include the option of extended day places if applicable.
  5. Children who regularly attend the parish church of Holy Trinity, Dalton but reside outside the ecclesiastical parish of Dalton and East Herringthorpe. (Please complete Supplementary Information form.)
  6. Children whose parents/carers reside outside the ecclesiastical parish of Dalton and East Herringthorpe and regularly attend another Church of England Church. (Please include Supplementary Information form)
  7.  All other children

Tie Break Clause

Should the admission number be reached mid-category, applications in that category will be prioritised on the shortest distance measured in a straight line from the front door of the child’s home address (including flats) to the main entrance of the academy, using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the academy receiving higher priority.

In the event of two or more children living equidistant from the academy, the place will be decided by drawing lots. The first name drawn will be offered the place.

In Year Transfers

Rotherham Local Authority will co-ordinate with the Academies Admission Committee to determine in year transfers for Trinity Croft C. of E. Primary Academy in 2024/25

Place of Residence

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

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

Definitions

The admission number has been calculated according to the net capacity of the academy, which the law defines and has been agreed with Rotherham Local Authority.

Definition 1 -Brother/Sister

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

Definition 2- Parent/Carer

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

Definition 3 – Regular Church Attendance

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

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

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

Definition 4 – Churches Together in England

Ref: Churches Together in England (cte.org.uk)

Please refer to the website for an up to date list

Definition 5 – Looked After Children

A looked after child is a child that is in the care of a local authority, or being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time an application for admission to the school is made and who the local authority has confirmed will still be looked after at the time when he/she is admitted to the academy.

Previously looked after children are children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order). All references to previously looked after children in the Code mean such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. 

Waiting Lists

  1. Names of children will automatically be placed on the waiting list for this academy, when the child has been refused admission.
  2. A vacancy only arises in the reception year when the number of offers to the academy falls below the admission number.
  3. The waiting list will be established on the offer day.
  4. The waiting list is determined according to the Governing Body’s priority of admission over-subscription criteria.
  5. Following the offer day, should an application be received for the academy where the pupil has a higher priority, as determined by the admissions criteria for a place at the school, they will be placed on the list, above those with a lower priority.
  6. The child’s name will be kept on the waiting list up to 31st December. After that time the waiting list will cease.

False Information

Where the Governing Body has made an offer of a place at this academy on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent, which has effectively denied a place to a child with a stronger claim to a place at the academy, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.

Where a child starts attending the academy on the basis of fraudulent and intentionally misleading information, the place may be withdrawn depending upon the length of time that the child has been at the academy.

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

Applications Outside of the Normal Admissions Round

1.   Foundation Stage 2 – admission number = 25

Where applications are received for admission to the academy following the offer day, these will be dealt with as follows:

Single admission to Foundation Stage 2 where the year group is below the admission number the child will be offered a place.
Single admission to Foundation Stage 2 where the year group is above the admission number:

i) Where the Governing Body determines that there would not be prejudice to the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the admission, the child will be offered a place.
ii) Where the Governing Body determines that there would be prejudice to the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the admission, the child will be refused the offer of a place.

2.   Years 1 and 2 Admission Number = 25

Single admission to years 1 and 2 where the year group is above the admission number.

i) Where the Governing Body determines that there would not be prejudice to the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the admission, the child will be offered a place.

ii) Where the Governing Body determines that there would be prejudice to the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the admission, the child will be refused the offer of a place.

The prejudice referred to under (i) and (ii) may arise by reason of measures required to be taken in order to ensure compliance with the duty imposed on the Governing Body to comply with the limit on infant class sizes of 30 (except multiple births where one of the children is the 30th child admitted e.g. twins).

Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 = 25
Single admission to years 3 to 6 where the year group is above the admission number.

i) Where the Governing Body determines that there would not be prejudice to the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the admission, the child will be offered a place.

ii) Where the Governing Body determines that there would be prejudice to the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources by the admission, the child will be refused an offer of a place.

Appeals Against the Governing Body’s Decision to Refuse Admission
If a place is not offered at the school, parents have the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel formed in accordance with the DfE Code of Practice.  Details of the appeals process will be made available to all unsuccessful applicants. >Parents who intend to make an appeal against the Governing Body’s decision to refuse admission must submit a notice of appeal within 14 days of receiving the refusal letter to:

The Appeal Clerk
Legal and Democratic Services
Town Hall
The Crofts
Moorgate Street
Rotherham 
S60 2TH

Normally, appeal hearings will be held within six weeks of the closing date for receiving the notice of appeal.

GOVERNING BODY OF TRINITY CROFT CHURCH of ENGLAND PRIMARY ACADEMY

Diocese of Sheffield, Diocese of Sheffield Academy Trust