Admission Arrangements and Policies

Determined admission arrangements for 2013-14

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 2012 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 30 June 2012. For information about making an objection, please visit The Office of The Schools Adjudicator or write to:

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

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. The arrangements which have been consulted on and deterred for any establishment will remain in place following conversion. 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 – normal round admissions

2. Co-ordinated Admission Scheme – in-year admissions

3. Oversubscription Criteria

4. Linked Schools

5. Common Application Forms and the Note of Interest Form

6. Admissions policies for schools which are their own admissions authority

7. Planned Admission Numbers (PANs) for each school with individual school policies

8. Designated areas

9. Education Transport Policy 2012-13

10. Policies and protocols for particular circumstances

11. Further information

   

1 - Co-ordinated admissions schemes (normal round)

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. Admissions schemes apply to every maintained school and academy within the Devon LA area.

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2 - Co-ordinated admissions scheme (in-year)

Parents can apply direct to schools or, where there is local agreement, to the local authority which may operate a co-ordinated scheme for applications. The purpose of this scheme is to make arrangements to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that every parent of a child living in Devon who has applied for a school place in-year receives an offer of one, and only one, school place. Admissions schemes apply to every maintained school and academy within the Devon LA area but some schools may choose to accept applications made directly to them.

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3 - 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, see (6) below.

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4 - 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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5 - 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 (1.02MB - 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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6 - Admissions policies for schools which are their own admissions authority

The Academy Trusts of academies and Governing Bodies of voluntary aided church schools and foundation 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. There are links to the proposed policies for individual schools and academies within the lists for Planned Admission Numbers below at (7):

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7 - Planned Admission Numbers (PANs) for all schools and academies with individual school policies

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 all of Devon’s schools and academies and the policies of own admission authority schools are available at 2013 School List image - PDF icon (497KB - pdf help).

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8 - 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:

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9 - Education Transport policy 2013-14 image - PDF icon (1.39MB - pdf help)

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10 - Policies and Protocols for particular circumstances

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11 - Further information

Contact us:

You can email or write , marking the letter ‘Admission Arrangements’ to:

Strategic Support and Policy Officer, Room 120, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QG.

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