The over-subscription criteria for all Community and Voluntary Controlled Infant, Junior and Primary schools are as follows.

Before the application of oversubscription criteria, children with a statement of special educational need or Education, Health and Care Plan which names the school will be admitted. As a result of this, the published admissions number will be reduced accordingly.

If the number of preferences for the school is more than the number of spaces available, places will be allocated in the following priority order:

Children in Local Authority Care or Previously in Local Authority Care – a child under the age of 18 years for whom the local authority provides accommodation by agreement with their parents/carers (Section 22 of the Children Act 1989) or who ceased to be so because they became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order under Part IV of the Act. Attendance at a linked school – where admission links have been established between the infant and junior school concerned, children attending the infant school are given priority for admission to the junior school.

Current Family Association – a brother or sister in the same school at the time of entry where the family continue to live at the same address as when the sibling was admitted – or – if they have moved – live within 2 miles of the school, or have moved to a property that is nearer to the school than the previous property as defined by the ‘Nearness’ criterion’ (Page 3). Linked infant and junior schools are considered to be the same school for this criterion. If sibling priority is lost (as above), it will not be reinstated when a child transfers from an infant school to the linked junior school.

Where a child is transferring from Year 2 and would not be attending the infant school from the start of the next academic year, but applied for the linked junior school, the sibling link would not be broken for a child applying for the infant school.

In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother and sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters, foster brothers or sisters.

Health and Special Access Reasons – Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school.

Nearness of children’s homes to school – we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point data. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for an oversubscribed Community or Voluntary Controlled school, these straight line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school.

Where new build housing development requires a new school or the significant enlargement of an existing school the ‘Nearness’ criterion will allow for a catchment area (defined by a map) to be created for the relevant school. This will be included in the Statutory Public Notice and admissions determination and will be valid for a period not exceeding three rounds of admissions.

In the event of any of the above criteria being oversubscribed, priority will be given based on distance as described above with those closest being given higher priority. In the unlikely event that two or more children in all other ways have equal eligibility for the last available place at the school, the names will be issued a number and drawn randomly to decide which child should be given the place.

If siblings from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc) apply for a school and the school would reach its Published Admission Number (PAN) after admitting one or more, but before admitting all of those siblings, the LA will offer a place to each of the siblings, even if doing so takes the school above its PAN. If the admissions are to Year R, and so result in a breach of infant class size legislation, the additional pupil(s) will be treated as “excepted” for the time they are in an infant class or until the numbers fall back to the current infant class size limit, as defined in the School Admissions Code.

Waiting list will be held for at least the first term of the academic year in oversubscription criteria order.

Where an offer has been made, the school will provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. Parents can choose to defer the date their child is admitted to the school until later in the school year, but not beyond the start of the term after their child reaches compulsory school age and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year. Where parents wish, children may attend part-time until later in the school year, but not beyond the start of the term after their child reaches compulsory school age.

Requests for admission to Reception outside of the normal age group should be made to the Headteacher of each preferred school as early as possible in the admissions round associated with that child’s date of birth. This will allow the school and admissions authority sufficient time to make a decision before the closing date. Parents are not expected to provide evidence to support their request to defer their application, however where provided it must be specific to the child in question. This might include medical or Educational Psychologist reports. There is no legal requirement for this medical or educational evidence to be secured from an appropriate professional, however, failure to provide this may impede a school’s ability to agree to deferral. Parents are required to complete an application for the normal point of entry at the same time, in case their request is declined. This application can be cancelled if the school agrees to accept a deferred application for entry into Year R the following year. Deferred applications must be made via paper RCAF to the LA, with written confirmation from each named school.attached. Deferred applications will be processed in the same way as all applications for the cohort in the following admissions round, and offers will be made in accordance with each school’s oversubscription criteria. Further advice is available at www.kent.gov.uk/primaryadmissions.