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Admission Arrangements

Determined admission arrangements for 2012-13

This page provides information on arrangements for school admissions which have been determined by Devon County Council or the Governing Bodies of schools and academies which have responsibility for their own arrangements. They were determined by 15 April 2011 as required by the School Admissions Code.

If you would like this in a different format such as large print, Braille or tape, or in a different language, please contact the Council’s Information Centre on 01392 380101 or email: info@devon.gov.uk.  Where you see a link, this will take you to further information. If you are unsure of any terms or have a question about any aspect of these arrangements, please contact the Strategic Support and Policy Officer.

If you wish to object to admission arrangements

Objections to these arrangements can be made to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator by 31 July 2011.  For information about making an objection, please see Chapter 4 of the School Admissions Code 2010 “Ensuring a Fair Admissions System”. You can access further information from The Office of The Schools Adjudicator or by writing to:

The Secretary
Office of the Schools Adjudicator
Mowden Hall, Staindrop Road
Darlington
DL3 9BG

Revision of the School Admissions Code in 2011

The Department for Education consulted on a revised School Admissions Code and School Admissions Appeals Code during the summer of 2011. It is anticipated that the new Codes will come into effect in spring 2012, subject to the Parliamentary process, but will not affect the arrangements determined for 2012-13. Further information will appear here as necessary.

Conversion to Academies

A number of schools across Devon and the country are in the process of converting to Academies. Others are likely to follow during this and the following academic year. Under the School Admissions Code 2010, the arrangements which have been consulted on and deterred for any establishment will remain in place. It would be for the Governing Body of a newly converted Academy to consult on changes for future academic years.

Admission arrangements consist of:

  1. Co-ordinated Admission Schemes
  2. Oversubscription Criteria
  3. Linked Schools
  4. Common Application Forms and the Note of Interest Form
  5. Admissions policies of those schools which are their own admission authority
  6. Planned Admission Numbers (PANs) for each school
  7. Designated areas
  8. Policies and protocols for particular circumstances
  9. Further information

1 - Co-ordinated admissions schemes (primary & secondary)

Local authorities must have schemes to co-ordinate admission to schools and colleges at primary and secondary level. The purpose is to make arrangements to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that every parent of a child living in the local authority (LA) area who has applied for a school place in the ‘normal admissions round’ receives an offer of one, and only one, school place on the same day.  They also seek to make one offer of a school place for those children requesting admission after the normal admissions round. Admissions schemes apply to every maintained school and academy within the Devon LA area.

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2 - Oversubscription Criteria

Where there are more applications for admission to a school than there are available places, oversubscription criteria are used to prioritise applications in a consistent and transparent manner. Community and voluntary controlled schools all use county oversubscription criteria, which can be viewed here:

The criteria for Devon schools and academies which are their own admission authority can be viewed with their policies at (5) below.

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3 - Linked schools

Many schools and academies in Devon have a linked school, sometimes known as a contributory or a feeder school. Secondary schools have several linked schools; junior schools will have one linked infant school.

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4 - Common Application Forms

The School Admissions Code requires that all applications for school admission are made using an application form from a child’s home local authority. These forms are called common application forms and are available either online or in hard copy within booklets from the Education helpline - 0845 155 1019.

Some schools which are their own admission authority may have an additional form – a supplementary information form which enables them to prioritise children according to other criteria, such as church attendance. In all cases, a common application form must be completed. The common application forms in Devon can be viewed here:

Parents can complete a note of interest form image - PDF icon (42KB - pdf help) to indicate to a school that they may apply for a Reception place in the future. Notes of interest are not valid applications for school places.

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5 - Admissions policies for schools which are their own admissions authority

The Governing Body of academies and voluntary aided church schools, foundation and trust schools are responsible for their own admissions policy. They must consult and determine policies which comply with the School Admissions Code and work within the co-ordinated schemes of the local authority. The policies for individual schools and academies can be read here:

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6 - Planned Admission Numbers (PANs) for all schools and academies

Each school has a number of places which are available at the normal round of admissions. This is the minimum number of places which will be offered if there are sufficient requests. No request will be refused if there are remaining vacancies. PANs are determined, taking into consideration the level of demand forecast for the school, the available accommodation at the school and sensible and efficient organisation. While it is expected that PANs will follow a Year Group through the school, an agreed admission limit may be in place for other Year Groups within the school after the normal intake year (Reception, Year 3 or Year 7 depending on the school). This would take into account changes at the school since the intake year such as changes to accommodation or organisation. The PANs for Devon community and voluntary controlled schools can be viewed here:

  • Primary and secondary schools PANs image - PDF icon (80KB - pdf help)
    The PANs for Devon schools and academies which are their own admission authority can be viewed with their policies at (5) above.
  • PANs set below a school’s Indicated Admission Number

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7 - Designated areas

The designated areas for schools in Devon can be viewed at school designated area maps. They are sometimes called catchment areas. The following schools do not operate admissions designated areas:

  • Colyton Grammar School
  • Our Lady and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Teignmouth
  • Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple
  • St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School
  • St John’s Catholic Primary School, Tiverton
  • St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Exmouth
  • St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Newton Abbot
  • St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Axminster
  • St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Buckfast
  • St Nicholas’ Catholic Primary School, Exeter
  • St Peter’s CE Aided School, Exeter

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8 - Policies and Protocols for particular circumstances

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9 - Further information

Contact us:

You can email or write to:

Andrew Brent, Policy and Strategy Officer (Education), Room 142, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QG

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Devon County Council, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD

Our contact numbers | Tel: 0845 155 1015 | Fax: 0845 155 1003 | SMS: 80011 (please start all messages with the word Devon).

E-mail: customer@devon.gov.uk