In-year school admissions guide 2023/24

Letter from Devon’s heads of education

As a parent or carer, you have an important role to play in helping your child take the various steps on their journey through education. We are keen to work with you – not only to make sure that applying for a school place is a positive experience but also to help your child achieve their full potential in a warm and caring environment in school.

We want to make sure that as many children as possible get a place at the school they want. Many schools in Devon are popular and oversubscribed at the normal round – when children can first join the school, for instance at reception or Year 7. This guide will give you all the information you need to apply for a place at a Devon school if you are moving during the academic year and require a new school place for your child. You can also apply for a new school if you feel that your child would benefit from a fresh start in another setting.

We want to make any transfer as smooth as possible for every child and for the schools themselves.

We have therefore developed arrangements for the admission of children outside the normal admission rounds. They are called in-year admissions and could be at any time after the start of September in any year group.

All mainstream state-funded schools and academies in the Devon County Council area are invited to take part in our in-year co-ordinated admissions scheme so that parents and carers can apply for admission via the local authority’s admissions service. Any schools that opt out will accept applications made direct to them.

For all transfers between schools, including at the normal round admission to primary, junior and secondary school, if your child has an EHCP (an Education, Health, and Care Plan) you should discuss transfer with our SEND Statutory Service (0-25) AND make a mainstream school preference via the Admissions Team online application system.

The information in the in-year admissions guide is for the academic year 2023/24 and describes the process for parents to apply for a transfer. You can also visit the school information database to see information about each state-funded school in Devon. Together, they form Devon’s composite prospectus for admissions. We also produce a guide to admissions at the normal round, The step-by-step guide. All three elements are provided online but paper versions can be made available on request.

This guide is written for you as parents and carers. If you have any queries about the admissions process, please contact the Education Helpline on 0345 155 1019. Colleagues in the call centre in admissions will be able to help you.

You can visit the admissions webpages or email the admissions team at admissions@devon.gov.uk.

New schools

A new free school opens in year 7 to serve south-west Exeter in September 2023. The Matford Brook Academy will be an all-through school for children aged 2 to 16 when fully open. It has been built on the edge of Exeter within the Haldon Reach site at Alphington. It is a member of the Ted Wragg Trust, whose members include other secondary and primary schools in the city and across Devon and Plymouth. Emily Simpson-Horne is the school’s headteacher.

Matford Brook Academy opened for new year 7 children, temporarily on the St Luke’s Church of England School site in east Exeter. It will expand with a reception intake, along with a further intake into year 7 in September 2024. This will be on the school’s own site. Matford Brook will grow each year as new reception and year 7 cohorts join.

Application process

In-year applications can be made for year 7 only. Applications can be made to the LA admissions team in the same way as for any other state-funded mainstream school.

If you have any questions, please email schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.

Policy changes from 2022/23

The admission arrangements for any school and the LA’s co-ordinated admissions schemes are determined or set for one year at a time. Although policies are based on the previous year’s policy, they can change from one year to the next.

You should not assume that the catchment area, the Published Admission Number (PAN), oversubscription criteria, or definitions for terms like sibling or measurement process will be the same.

The catchment areas for south Devon schools were amended for 2023/24 (and have been amended for north, east, and central Devon schools for 2024/25). These changes were so that the boundaries follow recognisable geographical features such as roads, field boundaries, and watercourses.

So that you can better understand how the arrangements work, we recommend that you review admissions policies for individual schools, either on their websites or on the Devon website. PANs, feeder links and oversubscription criteria are also published as a summary on the school information database which forms part of Devon’s composite prospectus.

There will be a public consultation on admission arrangements for 2025/26, between 1 November 2023 and 12 January 2024. Further details can be found on our arrangements and policies page.

Three steps to in-year admissions and transfers

1     Research         

We recommend that you:

• find out which school is designated for your child’s address
• read about schools: prospectus and school information
• find out what the schools have to offer your child – visit their websites, read the prospectus
• if possible, visit schools you’re interested in
• be aware of the education transport policy where your child lives
• decide on the order you most would like the schools you want – if there is more than one,
• check whether there is there a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to complete

2    Apply        

Make sure that you: 

• apply no further in advance than 8 school weeks (16 for families of UK service personnel)
• name 1, 2 or 3 different schools
• provide complete, accurate and up to date information
• consider naming your catchment school as one of your preferences
  • at admissions online
  • or on the D-CAF paper version
  • or on the school’s form if it has its own application form
  • and complete a SIF if you believe you are eligible for priority
• hand paper forms into the school you most want or send them to the admissions team
• apply for sixth forms using the D-CAF5 or the sixth form’s own form and hand it to the sixth form itself.

3    Respond     

Please respond:

• if you are offered a place, contact the school as soon as possible to accept the offer
• make arrangements for any pre-admission meeting the school suggests
• if you are refused admission, decide whether you accept any alternative offer we make
•  if you are refused admission, decide whether to appeal against the decision. You can do this
•  whether or not you accept the school that was offered

How admissions work

This guide is about admission to state-funded, mainstream school. There are different procedures for to independent (fee-paying) schools, special schools, or FE Colleges. All references to school in this guide are for state-funded, mainstream schools in England unless we say otherwise.

Admission to school is subject to the latest versions of the School Admissions Code and the School Admissions Appeals Code, publications of the Department for Education. The Codes set out the legal framework for admissions in England and give statutory guidance for admission authorities, governing bodies, local authorities (LAs), the schools’ adjudicator, and admission appeals panels.

Children are admitted to school following a formal application, made by parents, carers, or by children themselves if they have reached 16 years of age. Every school has an admissions policy, determined by its admission authority. The policy sets out how to apply and what happens if there are more applications than there are places available at the school.

There is an annual consultation on admission policies in Devon. It takes places between the start of November and the first week in January. Information is on the school admissions page. The consultation enables parents, other schools, religious authorities, and the local community to raise concerns or make their own suggestions.

Policies are determined by the end of February. They are published by 15 March and are open to objection by 15 May. Otherwise, they must be followed by the school for that year. A new admissions policy will be proposed, consulted on, and determined for the following school year.

While admission policies are based on the previous year’s policy and are very likely to be the same, any element could change and it cannot be assumed that, for example, the catchment area will be the same from one year to the next.

Most children are admitted to a school at the normal round of admissions. This is the main intake into a school at the start of:

• Reception (primary and infant schools)
• Year 3 (junior schools)
• Year 7 (secondary schools)
• Year 10 (atypical admission schools: studio schools and university technical colleges) or
• Year 12 (sixth forms)

The normal round is when applications must be made to the LA. There is a national closing date for the normal round so that all applications can be considered at the same time.

• 31 October for Years 7 and 10.
• 15 January for Reception and Year 3.
• (There is no national closing date for Year 12 admission.)

The LA then co-ordinates the applications so that every application receives an offer on the national offer date.

• 1 March for Years 7 and 10.
• 16 April for Reception and Year 3.
• (There is no national offer date for Year 12 admission.)

After the normal round, applications are for in-year admission. They can be made via the LA (although schools can opt out of that process sand accept applications direct). There is no closing date and applications can be made throughout the year.

All applications – normal round and in-year – receive a written decision to either offer the place or to refuse. Where the decision is to refuse, there will generally be a right to a place on a waiting list for vacancies and a right of appeal to an admission appeals panel that is independent of the school’s admission authority.

The information in this guide relates to children of statutory school age, to rising 5s and post-16 students. This means children and young people aged 4 to 18.

Types of school in Devon

There are several types of school in Devon. The application process is different depending on the type of school.

State-funded mainstream schools

This includes all the schools and academies available to any child living in the area, without charge to their parents or carers. They provide education to children without EHCPs (Education, Health, and Care Plan) and to those children with an EHCP that names the school.

Admission is by formal application to the Devon Admissions Team. Applications for admission to sixth forms within state-funded schools are made direct to the establishments themselves.

State-funded schools are:

• academies, free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges where an academy trust or multi-academy trust is responsible for admissions policy and decisions, the trust board is the admission authority.
• voluntary aided schools and foundation schools where the school’s governing board is the admission authority.
• voluntary controlled schools and community schools where the LA is the admission authority.

Each admission authority is responsible for setting an admissions policy and for every decision to offer a place or to refuse an application for admission.

Throughout this guide from here, when we say school, we mean a state-funded, mainstream school or academy unless otherwise stated.

When we say parent, we mean parent or carer.

Devon County Council’s Admissions Team acts for the LA as the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled schools. It also acts as the co-ordinating authority for school admissions in the county. It does this by operating co-ordinated admissions schemes for the normal round and for in-year admissions.

Academy and foundation conversions

Many Devon schools have converted to academy status; others may do so. New schools may open. Other schools have converted to become foundation schools with or without a co-operative trust. They are schools maintained by the LA but with responsibility for their own admission arrangements. All schools are legally bound to manage admissions fairly.

Independent schools

If the school you are interested in charges school fees for their pupils, you must approach that school directly. Admission to fee-paying schools is not co-ordinated by the LA.

There is an exception for children with an EHCP (an Education, Health, and Care Plan) where the LA’s 0-25 SEN Team arranges for the child to attend the school.

Special schools

A special school supports the education of children who have an EHCP. The admissions process for special schools is managed by the 0-25 SEN Team.

FE Colleges

Further Education Colleges also provide education for young people aged 16-18. Some also make provision for children from the age of 14. Admission to FE Colleges and their pre-16 settings is by direct application and is not co-ordinated by the LA.

Registering for a reminder to make an application

You are invited to register so that we will send you a reminder by email or text when the time comes to make an application at the normal round of admissions. This does not apply to in-year admission. You should make your application when you wish to do so.  

Co-ordinated admissions

Most children join a school with a normal round admission. Applications are made through the LA’s normal round co-ordinated admissions scheme and guidance is available for parents in Devon’s step by step booklet.

There are many children who start at a new school at other times. These are in-year admissions, and they can take place when children move home, or their parents want them to have a fresh start in a different school. Devon receives over 6000 in-year applications for admissions throughout the year, including during school holidays, and many more enquiries and requests for information and advice.

Devon offers an in-year co-ordinated admissions scheme for all schools. We believe this benefits parents, children, and the schools themselves. It minimises the risk of a child being without a school place. Children who are missing education are at greater risk of safeguarding issues.

Co-ordination ensures that decisions are made in a fair, consistent and transparent manner and enables parents to make a single application even if they are interested in more than one school. For schools, it avoids admission being offered to one child and another child being refused admission unnecessarily.

Schools can determine arrangements where applications are made direct to them rather than via the LA’s co-ordinated admissions scheme.

All Devon schools are participating in the LA scheme in 2023-24.

In-year applications submitted from June 2023 can be for admission before the end of term or for admission after the start of the September 2023 term.

The application process

In-year co-ordination by Devon County Council means managing admission applications to schools in the Devon County Council area, but not in the Plymouth City Council or Torbay Council areas. Parents name the schools they want to apply for on one form, no matter where the child lives. (This differs from normal round co-ordination where applications are made to the LA where the child lives. Parents should contact those LAs for advice.)

Applying for a place is also called “expressing a preference”. Parents can’t choose which school their child attends but can choose the schools they prefer.

In most cases, parents are successful, but some schools will have been filled at the normal round or later and will have no vacancies. Places are not held in reserve at the normal round for in-year applications.

When an admission application is refused, there is a right to appeal the decision to an admission appeals panel that is independent of the school’s admission authority. The admissions team supports schools at appeals where the decision to refuse is lawful and complies with the school admissions code.

For children with an EHCP, there is a separate process to challenge a decision not to name a school they have preferred. This is by appealing to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Tribunal.

When a school has more applications than it has places available it has oversubscription criteria which are used to prioritise them, to decide the order in which applicants will be offered places.

However, oversubscription criteria are only used when there are more applications than places. Oversubscription criteria are not relevant if the school has a vacancy: a child won’t be refused a vacancy at a school because, for instance, he or she doesn’t live in the school’s catchment area. There are very limited grounds when an application can be refused – generally, this is because the school is full.

You must make an application

You must apply if you would like your child to transfer in-year to another school. This makes sure that you will get a formal response in good time and, if a place can’t be offered, you will be told about your right of appeal and about a place on the school’s waiting list.

You can name up to three schools on the Devon’s common application form online or on the paper version, called the D-CAF, which can be downloaded,in the order you would most like your child to attend, with your most preferred school as Preference 1. You don’t have to name three schools.

When you apply, you are expressing a preference for the school or schools you wish your child to attend. We will try to meet your preference but where schools are full, applications may be refused. We advise you to consider naming more than one school, including the catchment school for your child’s home address.

You can tell us the reasons for your preference. This doesn’t mean the decision whether a place can be offered will be affected – there must be an exceptional need for that to happen where that is an oversubscription criterion for the school.

You must make a formal application even if:

• you have another child already at the school
• your child attended the nursery there
• you are a governor at the school
• members of your family went to the school; or
• it is your child’s catchment school
  

No places are held back in case you are refused admission elsewhere, or you change your mind, or apply later than you could have done. You shouldn’t assume there will be a place at your catchment school if you don’t apply. If you don’t apply for your catchment or a closer school and are then offered a school further away, it is likely that you will not have an entitlement to free transport.

We advise every parent to consider naming a catchment school as one of the preferences.

Equally ranked preferences

All preferences will be considered based on equal ranking. Schools will not know whether you ranked them first, second or third in your application (unless you tell them). If we could offer you a place at more than one, we will offer the school you ranked the highest that could offer a place.

It is important what order you name your preference schools – if you would really like a place at school x but you name school y (the catchment school for which your child should have a very good chance of getting a place) as your highest preference and we can offer school y then you won’t be offered school x even if there are vacancies.

Schools won’t know your order of preference. This is because they don’t need to know it to reach a decision whether a place is available. You 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 catchment school. You should apply for schools in the order you would most like a place.

The application process enables you to express preferences for schools in Devon. We try to meet your preference by co-ordinating with schools.

Application refused for a child who lives in Devon:

• we may consider your child under Devon’s hard to place or in-year fair access protocol where your child doesn’t currently have a local school place and isn’t receiving suitable home education.
• we won’t make an alternative offer where your child is already on roll at a school within a reasonable distance from home. We will assume your child will remain at that school unless you apply for other schools.
• we won’t make an alternative offer if your child is being educated at home and that education is suitable and effective. We will assume home education will continue unless you apply for other schools.

Application refused for a child who doesn’t live in Devon:

• we won’t make an alternative offer. The responsibility for providing education rests with the LA where your child lives. You can apply for other schools through Devon, and you will have the right of appeal and to a place on the waiting list.

Dos and don’ts

• Do make sure that the schools you are interested are in Devon – not Torbay or Plymouth
• Do make sure the schools you want are not special schools or independent schools
• Do apply online at admissions online or complete a Devon Common Application Form or apply using the school’s own application form if they have one
• Do name 1, 2 or 3 schools
• Do consider naming the catchment school as one of your preferences
• Do consider how you will get your child to school.
• Do tell us in writing if you have another child already at the school or new to the school.
• Do 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 your first preference school.
• Do tell us in writing if your circumstances change or will change before admission.
• Do check whether any school you are interested in asks you to complete a supplementary information form.
• Don’t assume that you won’t need to apply for your catchment school – you must tell us you want a place.
• Don’t assume that you won’t need to apply for the school where you already have other children – you must tell us you want a place.
• Don’t name the same school three times – this will be considered as one preference.
• Don’t name a school you wouldn’t want your child to attend.

Before you make an application

Moving to a new school is an important step for any child, whether it is a planned move at a normal transition point or an in-year transfer. Any move is potentially unsettling and a disruption to education.

Sometimes an in-year transfer is necessary because of a house move to a new area; sometimes it’s a matter of looking for a fresh start at another school in the same area. If your child isn’t moving house and would like to change your child’s school, you should take the following into consideration:

• Will moving schools resolve the difficulties you feel there are at the current school or simply move them elsewhere, without the existing support?
• Is your move influenced by any recent or ongoing intervention by social care or 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.
• Do you feel under pressure from the current school to remove your child?
• How will your child cope with learning new rules and having to do things differently, or possibly having missed important work?
• For secondary school children during Key Stage 4, will the new school be able to match the GCSE subjects and examination boards?
• If your child has brothers or sisters 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 schools?
• If you have children on a school waiting list and a vacancy comes up for one child, you cannot assume that a place will be made available for your other child.
• Will there be an entitlement to free school transport to a new school? If not, how will you get your child to and from school while they are there?

All school transfers are likely to disrupt a child’s education and should be avoided where possible.

In addition to reading this guide, we advise that you sit down with your child and ask them whether they want to move to a different school. If they mention that they are being bullied or not getting on with other pupils, you should speak to your child’s class teacher or headteacher first to try and resolve the situation. All schools have an ‘anti-bullying policy’ that must be followed. If you still have major concerns or are unhappy about the way the school is dealing with the situation, you can speak to the headteacher. You may also write to the chair of governors.

Nevertheless, you 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 you as the 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 any problems.

Once a place has been offered, admission to a new school should take place as quickly as possible.

Sometimes, where a child is struggling and may be at risk of being permanently excluded, a school may suggest a child is educated off site at another school ahead of a potential managed move to that school. This could help with a fresh start, with additional support from the schools themselves. Further advice can be sought from the LA’s inclusion service.

We advise you to collect information about schools to help you decide about which ones you are interested in. You should:

• be aware that if your child has an EHCP (Education, Health, and Care Plan), any application you make will be forwarded to Devon’s 0-25 SEN Team. You can simply contact this Team to discuss a school move rather than make an admissions application.
• read about schools on their websites and download or contact them to for a copy of their prospectus. You can search the internet for contact details or view the Devon Schools’ information pages.
• contact the school to arrange to visit the school during a normal school day to see how it operates
• look at the 2023-24 school catchment area maps for Devon. You will be able to see which catchment area(s) your child’s home address is in.
• look at school achievement and attainment tables
• look at reports of recent school inspections
• consider your child’s particular interests and abilities, and their views on the schools you can visit.
• consider how your child will get to and from school each day. It is your responsibility as a parent to get your child to school; that may be by using an entitlement to free transport provided by the LA where your child lives. View the education transport policy. Other LAs have their own policies.
• check whether there are vacancies at the schools you are interested in by speaking with the schools themselves or contacting the School Admissions Team at 0345 155 1019 or admissions@devon.gov.uk This information is a guide as the number of children on roll in school and whether there are vacancies can change from day to day. There is no guarantee of a place based on the information given. You should apply for any school you are interested in as a vacancy might arise when you have applied.
• look at the school’s admission policy on their website. Policies are also published by the LA. The policy will tell you what the school’s oversubscription are for this year, and this should help you to assess your prospects of being offered a place. Oversubscription criteria are also available on the Devon Schools’ information website.
• think about the reasons for making an in-year application: if it’s because your child has moved to a new area then you will need a transfer; if it’s a fresh start in a new school locally, think about the challenges and disruption this may bring for your child’s learning.
• check whether you need to complete a school Supplementary Information Form (a SIF) to provide evidence that your application should be prioritised. This could mean the difference between being offered or refused admission.
• check whether there is any other evidence or information you need to provide as part of your application.

This guide refers to where a child lives, rather than where a parent lives. That’s because applications can be made by the parent who lives with the child or by the parent who doesn’t live with the child all or part of the time. It is the child’s address that is important in the admissions process.

Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs)

Any child with an EHCP that names a school must be admitted even if the year group is full. The EHCP naming the school means that child will be admitted and there is a separate admissions process, managed by the 0-25 SEN Team.

If your child has additional needs but doesn’t currently have an EHCP, you must apply through this admissions process.

School catchment areas

Many schools have an admissions catchment area, also called a designated area. Children who live in those catchment areas have a higher priority for admission.

Most addresses in Devon have one or more catchment schools at primary and at secondary level. Your child’s home address might not be in the catchment area of the school closest to where your child lives. Catchment areas are a part of a school’s admission arrangements and can change from one year to the next. You should not assume that a school will have the same catchment area as in a previous year.

Your child does not have to live in a school’s catchment area to apply for a place or to attend the school; nor does living in the catchment area guarantee a place.

You can see the catchment areas in Devon which has links to the maps for this academic year, the next academic year (and the year afterwards, as they are proposed for consultation and, then, determined).

The use of catchment areas can be included in a school’s oversubscription criteria as can any, or all, of the criteria used by Devon schools.

Supplementary Information Forms (SIFs)

An admissions application form must be completed in all cases. Most schools have extra forms called Supplementary Information Forms for you to complete so you can provide evidence that your application is eligible for additional priority. For example, a school might prioritise admission for children of a particular religious faith or where there is an exceptional need to attend that school and only that school or children with a parent employed by the school.

You only need to complete a SIF if you are seeking the specific priority for which the SIF has been issued. Your application will still be considered without a SIF, but it wouldn’t be prioritised under the relevant oversubscription criterion.

Published Admission Numbers (PANs)

All schools must have a PAN for their normal intake year. This is the number of places the school has planned to provide. The PAN is the number of places when the school believes it is full. PANs are listed here.

The PAN is the minimum number of places available for the normal round intake and that entire academic year. If there is higher demand and a school has sufficient capacity and resource, it may reorganise or take an additional class or form of entry above the PAN. Admission numbers can be increased without consultation if circumstances allow but cannot easily reduced. After the intake year, it becomes the AN – the Admission Number – which can be increased or decreased without consultation. While there is an expectation that the number of places available is the same, the AN can rise or fall depending on the school’s circumstances. A school that had planned to operate with 3 classes in a year group may only have demand for 2 classes and so could reduce the AN.

ANs can be reviewed at the end of each academic year or earlier if necessary and apply to individual year groups.

Multiple-birth siblings

All schools will attempt to keep multiple-birth siblings together where this means admitting the children above its admission number. Multiple-birth siblings are permitted exceptions to infant class size legislation that limits the number of children in a Reception, Year 1, or year 2 class. However, it is not possible to guarantee places will be available for all multiple-birth siblings when one or more of them could be admitted.

Children of UK service personnel

Places will be allocated in advance of a UK service personnel family arriving in the area. Your application must be accompanied by an official government letter which declares a relocation date and a Unit postal or quartering area address. This will be used in considering the application against a school’s oversubscription criteria.

Please note that there is no additional priority for service children. It is unlawful to give priority based on a parent’s occupation – except for members of staff employed at a school.

In-year applications will be considered up to 16 school weeks in advance of the place being required rather than up to 8 school weeks for other children.

Parental responsibility

We expect applications to be made by people with parental responsibility (PR) for the child (or by the child where he or she will be over 16 at admission).

In school admissions, an adult who is taking care of a child can exercise PR and apply for a school place. Sometimes, this will include an adult sibling, grandparent, or family friend. We will ask for information to support the arrangement wherever an application is received that is not from a parent or from an appropriate LA officer. The applicant will be asked to explain why a parent could not apply. We may need to contact the parent.

It is possible for a parent to apply even if there are arrangements in place for the child to live elsewhere with a family member or friend.

Parents with shared responsibility

We understand that some children stay with both of their parents at different addresses. Their parents may both have parental responsibility. However, only one home address will be accepted for a child; priority for admissions school and entitlement to free transport will be based on that address.

In most cases, parents agree on what is a child’s main home address. This is where the child attends school from on most school days. We call the parent at that address the resident parent for admissions purposes, and we call the parent at the other address the non-resident parent. The admission authority for each school will decide what it accepts as the child’s main home address. Sometimes, this is clearly defined by a court order. Schools will consider all information submitted by either parent. This includes, but is not limited to, child benefit and other relevant benefits records, or where the child is registered with a GP or dentist.

Parental disputes

Ideally, there would be no disputes between parents over where a child is to be taught or whether education should be in a school at all. Very rarely, parents submit applications for different schools. This can be upsetting for children, and we strongly urge parents to reach agreement in the best interests of the child.

When there are different applications for transfer from people with parental responsibility, both will be processed unless there are legal grounds not to do so. No legitimate right to apply will be denied by the disagreement of a third party. This may result in offers for two new schools. If this happens, a place will not be held open at one school once a child has physically started at another school.

There is no requirement for both parents to complete an application form. There is no general duty for an applicant to confirm that another person with parental responsibility agrees or ‘gives their consent’.

We encourage parents to discuss schooling and to agree but recognise this is not always possible.

If you are concerned that an application has been made or an offer has been made for a school you would not want for your child, you may want to seek legal advice.

The LA will not prevent a person with parental responsibility making an application unless there are lawful grounds to do so – such as a court order.

Where a non-resident parent applies for a child to transfer schools in-year and the resident parent wants the child to stay in the current form of education, it is likely that the application will not be approved. This is on the grounds that the resident parent would apply for admission to the original school. A series of conflicting applications would not be in the child’s best interests.

We encourage all parents to try and seek an amicable resolution and to take appropriate legal advice as necessary, but we also recognise there are circumstances where it is not possible or safeguarding concerns prevent discussion.

Neither LA nor school will become involved or take sides in a parental dispute.

Queries about applications made by another parent

When a person with parental responsibility asks about an application made by someone else, we will share basic information unless there are legal grounds not to do so. This may be where there is a relevant court order in place or immediate safeguarding concerns. We may contact the person who made the application to check whether the information should be shared.

We consider application forms to be subject to data protection legislation.

Where information is shared, it will not include any reasons given for the application unless we are legally required to do so.

Oversubscription criteria used by schools

You should refer to the full admissions policy for a school to see their criteria and how they are defined if that differs from the definitions here.

Devon also publishes a summary of each school’s oversubscription criteria in the school’s information database.

Priority under any oversubscription criterion is not a guarantee of admission.

If there are more applications than there are places available at a school, they will be prioritised according to the school’s oversubscription criteria. The criteria for each school are published in their admissions policies.

It’s important to know how applications are prioritised as this can help you to assess the chances of getting a place at the school. You should think realistically about whether you would get a place before making an application.

Oversubscription criteria are numbered in priority order and can combine so that, for instance, a child living in the catchment area and with a sibling on roll at the school will have a higher priority than a child out of area who also has a sibling on roll.

Looked After Children (LAC) and Previously Looked After Children (PLAC)

Every school must include looked after children and previously looked after children as the highest priority for places. That includes:

• children who are in the care of a LA or being provided with accommodation by a LA in the exercise of their social functions in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989, at the time an application for school is made.
• children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (under the Adoption Act 1976 or Adoption and Children Act 2002) or became subject to a Child Arrangements Order or Special Guardianship Order immediately following their status as a looked after child.
• children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care because of being adopted.

Evidence that will be required:

Devon asks for applications to be made by a person with parental responsibility, not by foster carers. For children in care, this will be a social worker or another LA officer exercising corporate responsibility. You can apply if you are a parent who retains parental responsibility for a child who has been voluntarily accommodated. If so, you must provide contact details of a social worker who is able to confirm your child’s care status.

For children who were previously in care, you must provide documentary evidence or the contact details of a social worker who is able to confirm that your child was in care immediately before the adoption, child arrangements order, or special guardianship order, along with a copy of the relevant order from the following list:

• an adoption order made under the Adoption Act 1976 or Adoption and Children Act 2002; or
• a child arrangements order setting the arrangements around the person with whom the child is to live with under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 (as amended by section 12 of the Children and Families Act); or
• a special guardianship order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian(s) under section 14A of the Children Act 1989.

For children who were adopted from state care outside of England, you must provide written evidence that your child was previously looked after. The child must appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased being in state care because of being adopted. State care can be in the care of a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society. Examples of evidence include but are not limited to:

• an Article 16 Report – this applies to Hague convention adoptions and will have been issued by the Central Authority.
• information provided by an adoption agency, either in the UK or overseas.
• Information provided by an organisation that provided care for the child.
• a report or letter from another agency or organisation that has been involved with the child

Examples of evidence of adoption include, but are not limited to:

• an adoption order from a UK court.
• an adoption certificate issued by the Registrar General for England and Wales, National Records Scotland, or the General Register Office for Northern Ireland.
• an Article 23 Certificate – this applies to Hague convention adoptions, and will have been issued by a Central Authority: or
• official documentation from the relevant court or state authorities in the country of adoption, confirming that the child was adopted. In this case further information may be required including:
  • A certified document obtained from the embassy of the country of origin. A letter from the adoption agency; or
  A letter from another agency or organisation that has been involved with the child.

You don’t have to mention that your child has been adopted on an admissions application form. It would mean your application wouldn’t be prioritised on previously looked after grounds, but it is your decision. You may only want to discuss this with your child’s headteacher who will be able to support your child and access additional funds to do so.

Exceptional social or medical need

A SIF will be required for this criterion.

Most schools in Devon give priority to children where they accept that there is an exceptional need to attend that school and no other. The exceptional need could be of the child or of a parent.

All schools have experience of supporting children with different social and medical needs. It is likely that only a very small number of applications will be given this criterion in a year across the county. The threshold for acceptance is high. A crucial factor is whether the nature of the need can be supported by other schools or is it only this school that can meet it.

We don’t expect that you would seek exceptional need priority for more than one school in your application. The onus is on you as the applicant to provide supporting evidence but a key worker supporting you can assist with the application and providing evidence.

A school that does not include exceptional need as one of its oversubscription criteria cannot take individual need into account when considering your application for priority.

Evidence that will be required:

When you apply, you must also complete an Exceptional Needs Supplementary Information Form (SIF). You can view these forms in schools’ admissions policies and copies of all forms are published online.

The SIF invites you to provide supporting evidence specifically in relation to your application that sets out what the need is and what would be required at a school to meet that need. It isn’t necessary for the author of the evidence to have a close knowledge of the school itself. The evidence should be on headed paper or from an official email account of a suitably qualified professional person working with the child or family. This could be a consultant, GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker. Evidence from members of the family, friends or childminders will not be accepted.

When considering whether your child could be eligible under this criterion, you should bear in mind that the following issues will not generally be considered to constitute an exceptional need. You would need to make a compelling case that a combination of factors and / or their severity amounted to an exceptional need:

• all mainstream schools have a duty to manage the medical needs of children who can attend a mainstream school. This includes, but is not limited to, common ailments such as asthma, eczema, allergies, diabetes, or any condition just because staff in school might require training to monitor or dispense medication.
• all mainstream schools have a duty to provide for children with special educational needs, including this non-exhaustive list of conditions: autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ADD, and speech and language difficulties. You should discuss your child’s needs with Devon’s 0-25 SEN Team if you believe they can only be met by attendance at a specific school. You could then discuss the assessment process for an EHCP.
• all schools have a duty to support their pupils’ emotional and social needs and to have in place a behaviour policy to address bullying.
• your domestic arrangements, such as joint care, childcare, transport, the location of your place of work, or the need to leave or meet children at more than one school at the same time are not exceptional or unusual.
• your preference to keep your child with their current friendship group, to attend or not attend a school with a recognised religious character, for a single gender school, or for a particular subject included or not included in the curriculum are not exceptional or unusual.
• your preference for your child not to attend another school because you encounter parents of pupils there in your job. This may be a reason not to admit your child to one school but is not likely to mean there is only one school that would avoid this circumstance.

Officers of the LA may consider the case put forward by you and recommend to the school’s admission authority that it is accepted or rejected as evidencing an exceptional need to attend the school. You can provide further information for consideration if necessary. You would have the right of appeal if refused admission.

There is no guarantee that a place will be provided if exceptional need is agreed. Being eligible gives a higher priority for admission; it does not create a vacancy where the school is full.

Siblings

All schools in Devon except Colyton Grammar School give admissions priority to siblings of children at the school. Linked infant and junior schools also give priority to children with siblings at their linked school.

Sibling eligibility is for children who live in the same household as part of the same family unit, whether they are full, half, step or foster brothers or sisters.

They must be on roll or have formally been offered a place at the school when the application is made. Children who will leave at a normal transfer point – such as the end of year 6 or year 11 are eligible as siblings unless specifically excluded in the school’s admissions policy.

Children at a nursery are not counted for admission priority as siblings.

It is your responsibility to provide details of a sibling on your application or to tell us that another child should now be considered as an eligible sibling.

Evidence that will be required:

You should name the sibling but, in most cases, you will not be asked for evidence as the sibling and their address will be known to the school or the LA. It may be necessary to discuss the application with you if an address record is out of date.

Faith priority

A SIF will be required for this criterion.

There are many schools with what is called a recognised religious character. In Devon, these schools are Christian, either Catholic or Church of England. Some, but not all, give priority to children based on faith. Where there is priority, this is often on the basis that your child or a parent has attended a church service on a regular basis over a minimum period.

To be eligible for free transport to a faith school (children from low-income families), you must have applied for admission on faith grounds.  

Evidence that will be required:

You must complete a school Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to provide evidence that your child is eligible for priority on this basis. The SIF may ask you to attach a baptism or other certificate. Most SIFs require a priest or minister to confirm the details on your behalf.

Children of school staff

Most schools in Devon prioritise applications for children of a member of staff. To be eligible, the staff member must have been employed at the school for at least two years or have been recruited more recently to fill a vacancy for which there was a demonstrable staff shortage.

It is a matter for the school which members of staff are included in this provision. Generally, it will include everyone employed at the school, not just teachers. They must, however, be employed at the school and not at other schools within a federation or multi-academy trust. Some staff members have duties in more than one school: they must nominate only one school at a time for this criterion if it isn’t clear which is the main workplace.

Evidence that will be required:

You should name the member of staff but, in most cases, you will not be asked for evidence as the member of staff and their position will be known to the school.

Pupil premium

Schools can prioritise applications for children of statutory school age who are eligible for additional funding under Pupil Premium, Pupil Premium Plus or Service Pupil Premium. This funding is for the school to use to benefit the children who are eligible and to help narrow the gap between them and their classmates. This is in use in two school policies in Devon.

Evidence that will be required:

You will be asked to provide evidence the child:

• is eligible for free school meals, or has been eligible in the past 6 years (including eligible children of families with no recourse to public funds), or
• have been adopted from care or have left care, or
• is looked after by the LA, or
• has a parent serving in HM Forces, or
• has a parent who has retired on a pension from the Ministry of Defence

Catchment areas

Most Devon schools give a higher priority to children who live in their catchment area.

You will include your child’s address in your application. It will be checked to confirm whether it is in area using the mapping system named in the admissions policy and published online.

Please do not rely on third party websites which may name one or more schools as the ‘local school’.

Evidence that will be required:

We may contact you if there is a query about the address, for instance if it is a new-build property that is not on the map we use yet or if there is a conflict with information already held about your child’s living arrangements.

You may need to provide evidence that your child lives at this property.

Proximity to school

Every school gives a higher priority to children who live closer. This will be measured in a straight line as a tiebreaker within each oversubscription criterion from a point in the school building or the main entrance gate to the entrance to the building where your child lives. The closer to school, the higher is the admissions priority.

You will include your child’s address in your application. If it is necessary to apply this criterion to two or more applications, the distance will be measured using the mapping system named in the admissions policy and published online.

Please do not rely on other mapping systems. They may suggest walking or driving routes to school and straight-line distances can vary from one system to the next. Straight-line measurements for admissions and the shortest available routes for transport purposes are solely according to the Devon GIS mapping system, unless otherwise specified.

Evidence that will be required:

As with catchment area evidence above.

Selective school

All primary-phase schools are comprehensive schools so there are no admissions selection tests.

In Devon, all secondary-phase schools are comprehensive except for Colyton Grammar School. This is the only school that a selection test as part of deciding which children will be admitted. Tests enable the school to assess whether a child is of an appropriate academic standard to be able to benefit from a selective or grammar education. As an oversubscription criterion, children with higher scores are given higher priority. Just like all other schools, most admissions are at the normal round when children take the 11+ test.

Tests can be taken for in-year admission such as the 12+ test.

Evidence that will be required:

You must complete a school registration form in addition to the application form.

Feeder or linked schools

Most secondary schools and all junior schools give priority for children who are transferring from one or more linked schools. This only applies at the normal round of admissions and not for in-year admissions. There is no in-year priority for a secondary school on the grounds that your child attended a particular primary school.

From the beginning of September in year 7, secondary school waiting lists will be reviewed without feeder link priority. This could mean that your child’s position on a waiting list will go down or go up. A similar review will take place with primary, infant, and junior school waiting lists.

Nursery school priority

Some primary and infant schools give priority for children who are transferring from a school-run nursery setting. This only applies at the normal round of admissions into reception and not for in-year admissions. There is no in-year priority for a primary or infant school on the grounds that your child attended the nursery.

Children from outside England and citizens of other countries

Applications for admission to school must not ask for information about a child’s nationality or immigration status. All applications must be processed in the same way, regardless of nationality or status.

The LA’s role in this area is to advise potential applicants that they must assure themselves that their child is entitled to access education in this country. This means checking that if they are not citizens of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland that they have a right of abode, settled status or a visa that allows for a child to reside in this country and access education.

A school cannot refuse admission on the grounds of nationality or immigration status. Nor can it require a child to leave the school on these grounds. If there are concerns, the school will refer to the Home Office for investigation.

Applications from outside of England should be made to the LA where the preference school is located.

How to make an application

You can apply in one of the following ways.

1. Apply at admissions online

In recent years, over 95% of applications have been made online. An application can be changed at any time up to the closing date. If you apply online, you can view your offer online on the offer date. You can apply from home 24 hours a day and you’ll receive confirmation that your application has been received.

To apply online, you’ll be asked to create an account which is protected by a password. When you apply, we’ll acknowledge it by email. If you return to your online account to make a change, this will automatically withdraw your application. You would have to press the submit button again to ensure this new application is submitted. You’ll get another email to confirm we’ve received this new application.

2. Apply using a Devon paper copy application form by downloading the D-CAF (Devon Common application form or alternatively by calling the My Devon helpline on 0345 115 1019.

This form is returned to the LA Admissions Team.

3. apply on a school application form for those schools that have opted out of in-year co-ordination. This form should be returned to the school.

There are no schools using their own application form for 2023/24.

4. for sixth forms only, you can apply using the sixth form’s own application form or the D-CAF5. This form can be used for in-year and for normal round admissions.

Accuracy and honesty

One of the main purposes of co-ordinating in-year admissions is to ensure that applications and decisions can be made in a fair, open and transparent manner. This means that the information on an application form is accurate, up to date and honest.

Please note that we will only discuss your application with you or someone you authorise in writing. We will share the basic details of an application with another person with parental responsibility if requested to do so, unless there are lawful reasons not to.

Where a child lives

Applications are considered based on the address from which a child will attend school, not simply where the home address is now. You can apply ahead of a house move – up to 8 school weeks in advance (or 16 school weeks for UK service families).

This is very important when a school is oversubscribed as a child’s priority for a place is affected by where he or she lives.

Proof of address and residency may be required by the admission 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 with your information.

Moving house

You must inform us immediately of a change of address, even if you mentioned a potential future change on the application form. You may be required to provide supporting evidence to show the place where your child lives has changed: documents that can be used are tenancy agreements (if applicable), council tax and utility bills, tax credit or child benefit documents and any other information considered relevant to the application, including the disposal of the previous home. The decision whether a new address is accepted lies with the admission authority for the school. It is important to keep us informed, including where you believe that you will be moving.

Making an offer

You should be informed in writing about the outcome of your application within 15 school days.

As a part of co-ordination, the LA will tell you the outcome of your application. This will be an update to your online account if you applied at admissions online or by email or by a letter posted to you.

You will receive no more than one offer from the LA and, if one or more of your preferences is refused, you will be advised about your right of appeal and to a place on a waiting list if one is being kept.

Sometimes, we may tell you that your application has been refused and that your child will be considered under Devon’s hard to place or in-year fair access protocol. If we do this, you should be informed about the outcome of that process within a further 20 school days.

Responding to an offer

When we make an offer on behalf of a school or when a school makes an offer you should contact the school you have been offered as soon as possible. You can then make arrangements for a pre-admission meeting if the school suggests it and for your child to start at the school.

If you don’t respond to an offer within a reasonable time, we will try to get in touch again but if we are unable to and you haven’t responded, the offer may be withdrawn.

You don’t have to get in touch just to the admissions team you accept an offer although you can tell us that you are happy to accept this and do not wish to be on any waiting lists for other schools.

Improving an offer

If you have been refused one or more of your preferences, you may be offered another school.

We will contact you if a place comes up at a school you were refused.

Withdrawing an offer

When an offer is made for one of your preferred schools, we assume you accept the offer. The offer will only be withdrawn in limited circumstances.

If an error has been made by the LA or school

An offer may be withdrawn on this basis if we realise the error has been made soon afterwards and only if your child has not started at the school.

If you don’t respond to the offer in a reasonable period

Please make sure we have your contact details, including being able to contact you if you are away from home temporarily. We will always try to contact you more than once with an offer.

If the offer was obtained through a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application

If it is established that an offer was made that would not have been made if the application was hadn’t been fraudulent or intentionally misleading, that offer will be reviewed. Your application will be reconsidered using correct information as far as that is possible. It may be that an offer would have been made anyway. If no offer would have been made, we will reach a decision whether to withdraw the offer. We will seek a view from the school and may withdraw an offer even if your child has started at the school but not if he or she has attended the school for more than a school term – this would be for 16 school weeks.

Please be aware that if an offer for your first preference school is withdrawn, your second and third preference schools may be full. The alternative offer school may be further away from home, without an entitlement to free school transport.

Responding to a refusal

If your application is refused and an alternative school is offered, you should contact that school to make arrangements for admission unless you want to decline the offer. Please tell us or the school in writing or by email if you want to turn down an offer.

Accepting an alternative offer or applying for other schools doesn’t affect your child’s place on a waiting list or any appeal you submit.

You can apply for other schools if you wish, otherwise we will assume that your child will remain in their current form of education. You can’t make another application for the same school in the same academic year unless the school’s admission authority accepts that your child’s circumstances have significantly changed.

Waiting Lists

All schools must hold a waiting list at least up to the end of December in their intake year(s). Schools in Devon keep lists in all year groups if there is unmet demand. You will be required to reapply at the end of the academic year.

Sixth forms do not hold waiting lists after the end of the first term in year 12.

Waiting lists are kept in order according to a school’s oversubscription criteria and are not affected by the length of time a child is on the list. Your child’s place on the list may go down when a new application is received with a higher priority, or it could go up when a child higher up comes off the list for any reason.

It is possible that another child may be offered a place even though there is a waiting list. This may happen when a child’s EHCP names the school, when a child’s appeal is successful, for looked after children and previously looked after children or for children allocated a place under the Hard to Place or In-Year Fair Access Protocol.

Places are offered to children on the waiting list when there is a vacancy, not simply when a child leaves. For example, if a school is full when there are 60 children in year group 5 and a 61st child is admitted for any reason, the school is still considered to be full at 60. This is because that 61st admission will have been for a child considered vulnerable under admissions policies. That disadvantage to that child if not offered a place outweighed prejudice to efficient education or the efficient use of resources that would be caused for the school. The intention is that the number of children will fall back to 60 as children leave. When the number falls to 59, there is a vacancy that can be offered to the waiting list.

Linked school priority does not apply for in-year admissions. Waiting lists are amended at the end of the normal round.

The right of appeal

Whenever a formal application for admission to school is refused, the applicant has the right of appeal to a panel that is independent of the school’s admission authority (and of the LA).

There is no right of appeal if a place is offered in a different year group at the school. This could happen if a parent applied for a place in Year 4, out of the child’s normal age group and the school offers admission to year 5.

When you submit an appeal, it must be heard within 30 school days.

Appeals are separate from the waiting list – the panel members must not know where a child is on a waiting list. They will consider the appeal in one or two stages.

Appeals are likely to be heard remotely by video or telephone call.

Young people can appeal in their own name if they will be 16 at admission.

Who will be at an appeal?

At an appeal will be:

• three Panel members, volunteers who will have been trained to hear them and reach a decision that will be binding on the school and the person making the appeal.
• an appeal clerk who advises the Panel on the law and keeps a written record.
• a presenting officer who will defend the appeal on behalf of the school.
• the parent(s) who can ask questions of the presenting officer and put forward a case why a place should be made available.

Also:

• parents can be accompanied by a friend
• the school may provide another person to answer specific questions
• with the agreement of parent and panel, another person may attend as an observer, often for experience of the process as a potential new panel member, clerk or presenting officer

At stage one of an appeal, the presenting officer will make a case that the school has lawful admission arrangements, that they have been applied properly and that there would be a ‘prejudice to efficient education or the efficient use of resources’ if another child was admitted. This is what is meant by the school being full.  The panel and parent can ask questions to examine the case made for the school.

• If the panel doesn’t accept the school’s case, the appeal will be upheld, and one or more places will be made available at the school.
• If the panel does accept the school’s case, the appeal will move to a second stage.

At stage two of an appeal, parent will be invited to make a case that a place should be made available at the school even though the panel has accepted the school’s case. Parent must then make a case that the needs of this child outweigh prejudice to efficient education. The Panel and the presenting officer may ask questions of the parent.

• If the panel does accept the parent’s case, the appeal will be upheld, and a place will be made available at the school.
• If the panel doesn’t accept the parent’s case, the appeal will be dismissed.

Infant Class Size Legislation (ICSL) Appeals

There is a different process where an application has been refused for a place in a reception, Year 1, or Year 2 class (or a mixed year group class where most of the children are of Year 2 age).

ICSL cases are reviews of the original decision and only consider information that was available to the admission authority when the original decision was made to refuse admission. This is a more limited appeal process under which the Panel can only examine four questions:

1. Whether admission would breach the ICSL of 30 children in a class with a single teacher. This is a question of fact.
2. Whether the school has lawful admission arrangements.
3. Whether the admission arrangements (including LA co-ordination) were applied correctly.
4. Whether the decision to refuse was reasonable.

There will only be a formal second stage to an ICSL review where the Panel considers multiple cases.

There is no appeal against the decision of an Appeal Panel. There is recourse to complain about the procedure if you believe that the appeal itself was not conducted properly.

Find our more information and guidance about the appeals process.

Permitted Exceptions to ICSL

There is a legal limit of 30 children in a Key Stage One class with a single teacher: Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 or a mixed year group class where most of the children are Key Stage One age.

There are several exceptions to this limit which means that there are some Key Stage One classes in some schools across Devon with more than 30 children. The Permitted Exceptions are:

a) children admitted outside the normal admissions round with Education, Health and Care Plans specifying the school.

b) looked after children and previously looked after children admitted outside the normal admissions round.

c) children admitted after initial allocation of places, because of a procedural error made by the admission authority or local authority in the original application process.

d) children admitted after an independent appeals panel upholds an appeal.

e) children who move into the area outside the normal admissions round for whom there is no other available school within reasonable distance.

f) children of UK service personnel admitted outside the normal admissions round.

g) children whose twin or sibling from a multiple birth is admitted otherwise than as an excepted pupil.

h) children with special educational needs who are normally taught in a special educational needs unit attached to the school, or registered at a special school, who attend some infant classes within the mainstream school.

Options for reception admission

Children are entitled to start in school from the beginning of the September term after their fourth birthday but don’t have to. They are required to be in full time education from the beginning of the term following the fifth birthday when he or she will reach the compulsory school age (CSA). This is mainly an issue for normal round admissions but can affect an in-year admission request for a reception place.

For children who will still be aged 4 at admission, parents who are offered a place in-year can still either:

• take up a full-time place as soon as possible, or
• opt for the school’s part-time offer, or
• defer admission to the school.

Delayed admission

If you are a parent of a summer-born child, you can choose a start in school at CSA when your child is five rather than when he or she is four. That will be either in the chronological year group (Reception) or as a delayed admission (Year 1).

You can’t choose which year group your child will start in but can request delayed admission. The school’s admission authority will agree or refuse your request in what it sees as the best interests of your child.

Children whose first admission to school was delayed or who have been move back a year must seek agreement from the next school in their career to remain out of their chronological year group. You should raise this with any school you are interested as soon as possible.

Junior schools

Junior schools admit children from the start of Year 3 and the intention is that they provide the next school on from infant schools.

All junior schools give priority for children moving on from a named infant school. Children at primary schools can also apply for places in junior schools at the normal round.

Seeking a transfer to a junior school other than at the normal round is by in-year application in the same way as for any other school.

First, middle, and high schools

There are no first, middle, or high schools in Devon. Seeking a transfer to a first, middle or high school other than at the normal round is by in-year application in the same way as for any other school and must be to the other LA.

Independent schools

Parents who wish to make arrangements for their children to be admitted to a fee-paying, independent school must do so direct with the establishment. Applications that name a fee-paying school will be disregarded.

Schools outside England

Applications for places in schools elsewhere in the United Kingdom or overseas are not co-ordinated by the LA. Applications that name these schools will be disregarded.

Atypical admission schools

UTCs and studio schools are secondary schools for children in Key Stages 4 and 5. Seeking a transfer to an atypical school other than at the normal round is by in-year application in the same way as for any other school.

Sixth forms

Parents – and young people themselves – can apply for in-year admission to a sixth form, either in year 12 or year 13. Joining a sixth form part-way through a course can be particularly challenging and should be avoided wherever possible. Nevertheless, relocation to the area may mean that a new setting is necessary.

In-year applications are made direct to the sixth form, using the DCAF5 or the sixth form’s own application form.

All candidates are external candidates and must formally apply.

Waiting lists are not held by sixth forms after the end of the autumn term in year 12.

In-year fair access protocol

Most in-year applications for admission to schools in Devon are successful. However, some schools will be full in some or all year groups. This can change at any time as vacancies arise and as vacancies are filled. You should apply for a school if you would like a place, even if it is full when you make enquiries. Even if you are refused, you would have the right of appeal and to a place on the waiting list.

There are circumstances when you may be offered a place at a school even if it is full and there is a waiting list. This can happen for several reasons:

• Your child has an EHCP, and the school is named on the Plan. In these cases, the 0-25 SEN Team will manage the process and a place will be made available.
• Your child is in care or was in care and meets criteria to be considered as previously in care for admissions purposes. These children will have additional consideration and may be allocated places at schools which are otherwise full.
• You appeal for a place and your appeal is upheld.
• Your child meets criteria for allocation under Devon’s hard to place and fair access protocol.

All LAs are required to operate a fair access protocol for in-year admissions (IYFAP). This must be agreed by most schools in the county and will then apply to all schools.

The IYFAP is a safety net for children who risk not being able to access suitable education and are therefore considered to be vulnerable.

The categories of children considered to be vulnerable are listed in the School Admissions Code, 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:

Under the IYFAP, children will be allocated to a suitable school by a LA Panel of senior officers and school leaders. This will consider parental preference but isn’t obliged to meet that preference. A suitable school may already be full for the usual in-year admission procedures.

Linked to the IYFAP is Devon’s Hard to Place Protocol. This builds on the principles of fair access and ensures that children are not unplaced specifically because they have not yet met the four-week criterion of category l).

Fair Access has a further aim to fairly distribute vulnerable children so that no school is required to admit a disproportionate number of children because, for instance, it is the only school in an area with vacancies.

Why would a school admit a child if it is full?

In most cases, eligible children will be allocated a place at the catchment school or the nearest alternative to home, even if the school is otherwise full.

We accept that there will be a prejudice to efficient education or the efficient use of resources whenever any child is admitted to a school that is full. When a school admits a child under fair access (or a Child in Care or a child with an EHCP), there is prejudice to efficient education. Nevertheless, the LA asks the school to admit because the detriment to a vulnerable child in these circumstances outweighs the prejudice to the school.

When a school admit children under fair access, it doesn’t increase the PAN or AN at the school. A vacancy is not created the next time there is a leaver. Places will only be offered under the usual in-year admissions process when there is a vacancy. For instance:

A primary school has an AN of 30 in all year groups. It has 30 children in Year 4 and there is a waiting list of three children. A child is admitted under fair access, taking the class to 31. Those three children are still on the waiting list. Another child leaves Year 4 and the number of children in the class falls to 30. The waiting list will still have three children, no place will be offered. A second child leaves the class, and the number falls to 29. There is now a vacancy and that will be offered to the child at the top of the waiting list to take the number back up to 30.

How many children will a school admit?

All schools have a fair access threshold and will be expected to take Hard to Place and Fair Access children to this threshold.

We don’t ask a school to admit a fair access child if there is a school with a vacancy within walking distance.

In most cases, allocations outlined below will take place within the statutory 15 school day response period. If that is not possible, we will let parents know that there is a fair access referral. There is a further 20 school days for this to take place.  

Primary schools will take up to two children in any one class over and above the point at which the class is ‘full’. When we consider this, we accept that the dimensions of some classrooms in some primary schools are particularly tight, and it may only be appropriate to take one additional child.

We will also consider the effect on mixed year group classes in the following year so that the class isn’t expected to go to three over full. For instance:

A primary school mixes Years 1 and 2 in one classroom and Years 3 and 4 in another. If two children were admitted under fair access to Year 3, that classroom will have reached its fair access threshold. Next year, the current Year 3 will be the new Year 4 and will be mixed with the current Year 2. That mixed class will still have met its threshold so we would avoid requiring the current Year 2 to admit under fair access so that next year’s mixed class does not have more than its threshold.

If the catchment school is full and has reached its fair access threshold, we would look to neighbouring schools and place there so long as they are not also at their threshold. Only if there are no neighbouring schools within a reasonable distance available would we go back to the catchment school to place a third child.

We consider that children placed under this process are Permitted Exceptions to ICSL.

Secondary schools will take up to one child for every registration group in the year group. Schools operate with different sized registration groups, ranging from mid-20s to 30 or more. The fair access threshold is based on the number of groups, not their sizes.

Fair access and schools without a catchment

Not all schools have a catchment area. Those without a catchment are included in fair access. If they are the closest school – nearer to home than the catchment school – they will be considered before the catchment school.

Fair access and two catchment schools

Some addresses in Devon have more than one catchment school. Where this is the case, the closer of the two catchment schools will be considered first.

Fair access and selective schools

For Colyton Grammar School, a child would not be placed under fair access unless sit was the closest school and the child was eligible for admission, having demonstrated that he or she was of suitable academic ability to benefit from a selective school education.

Fair access and Children in Care

Children in care are not included in hard to place or fair access arrangements but that is not to their disadvantage. They will be placed at a school unless the year group could not admit any further children under any circumstances. They will take up provision that would have been used for a fair access child and they could be placed above the fair access threshold.

Children from overseas and citizens of other countries

Applications for admission to school must not ask for information about a child’s nationality or immigration status. All applications must be processed in the same way, regardless of nationality or status.

The LA’s role in this area is to advise potential applicants that they must assure themselves that their child is entitled to access education in this country. This means checking that if they are not citizens of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland that they have a right of abode, settled status or a visa that allows for a child to reside in this country and access education.

A school cannot refuse admission on the grounds of nationality or immigration status. Nor can it require a child to leave the school on these grounds. If there are concerns, the school will refer to the Home Office for investigation.

Flexi-schooling

Applications for admission to school are for children to take a full-time place. A child can be placed on a reduced or part-time timetable if there is agreement that he or she wouldn’t benefit from full-time education for medical or other reasons. Children below CSA, before the start of the term after their fifth birthday, can opt for part-time attendance.

Flexi-schooling can be agreed where a parent requests that some of the child’s education takes place away from the school, arranged by the parent. The LA supports the position of the DfE that flexi-schooling is appropriate or children to move to full-time education from no education because of ill-health.

Any variation from full-time education is a matter between the school and parents of pupils on the school roll. Parents cannot apply for admission on a part-time or flexi-school basis.  

Admissions for Children in Care

Applications for children in Care must be made by a person with parental responsibility. This will be either the parent where a child is voluntarily placed in the Care of the LA or an officer of the LA – either a social worker or other person acting for the corporate parent. Foster carers should not make the application.

For children who were previously in Care but not adopted or placed under a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order, applicants must be whomever now has parental responsibility. We ask for contact details of a social worker who can verify your child’s status to be included in the application.

To benefit from PLAC status in admissions (Previously Looked After Child), a child must have been placed on one of the qualifying Orders immediately on coming out of Care.

For children who are in Care or are PLAC, we ask schools to admit even when otherwise full.

Once a place is confirmed, the Virtual School will arrange for a Planning For Success meeting so that they, the schools, social worker, carer, any relevant professional working with the child and – where appropriate – the child can discuss any support strategies that may be required and agree on a start date in the school.

Admissions for Children in Care to Devon or into Devon schools are supported through an Admissions Lead – at:

educate.childrenincareadmissions-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

Education Transport

LAs are responsible for providing free home to school transport for eligible children. It is not a universal right for transport to be provided for every child to any school. It is important to check whether there is an entitlement for your child and, if not, consider carefully how your child is going to get to school for the whole of the time he or she is there.

Transport is provided for a single journey to and from school at the beginning and end of the school day. It is not provided for foreign exchange students, taking friends home to tea, to work experience placements and induction days.

Your child will be entitled to free transport provided by Devon County Council if he or she meets eligibility criteria set out in the 2023-26 Education Transport Policies

This includes all Devon-resident children who attend the closest school to home or a single catchment school for the main home address. There are distance criteria for this – your child will be expected to walk up to two miles to a primary school and three miles to a secondary school. There is additional entitlement for secondary school children from low-income households.

Catchment schools are also called designated schools.

Some parts of the county have more than one catchment school. The LA recognises no more than one catchment school for each property for transport eligibility purposes. There is further information about this in a list of exceptions to catchment school transport.

Catchment areas can change from one year to the next and you should ensure you check the correct map for this academic year.

LAs only provide transport for children who are resident in their area. If your child attends a Devon school but lives in Torbay, you should contact Torbay Council about transport eligibility.

How do you check if your child is eligible?

You can check your child’s catchment school here.

How are distances measured?

Walking distances are measured using the shortest available walking route. This may include roads, recognised footpaths, and bridleways. The measurement is made between the nearest entrance to your child’s home (for example, the front door) and the nearest entrance the school grounds. Private driveways in schools are not included in the measurement. Distances are measured using Devon’s geographic information system (GIS).

What if you applied for a school because of religion or belief?

If you apply for a school because of it has a recognised religious character your child will be eligible for free transport to the closest secondary school that is between 2 and 15 miles from home if he or she lives in a low-income household. You must note this reason on your admissions application form to be considered for this eligibility.

Whose responsibility is transport to school?

Yours as the parent.

You must make sure that your child gets to and from school. You meet that responsibility when you take up an entitlement to free transport. Otherwise, you will have to make your own arrangements.

You should consider the practicalities of getting to a school that is not in walking distance if it isn’t the catchment or nearest school.

Is there an appeals process?

Yes.

We operate two levels of appeals to review decisions. Firstly, a review panel consisting of senior officers of the LA will look at the case you make for free or supported transport. This panel can set aside the travel policy where a compelling need for support is demonstrated. There is a further right of appeal to a panel consisting of County Councillors. If you are unhappy with the decision about eligibility for education transport or the withdrawal of transport, please contact the Education Transport Team on 0345 155 1019 and explain the problem fully. They will advise you on your options.

Do you have to apply for school transport?

For in-year admissions, you should contact the LA on 0345 155 1019 if you believe your child may be eligible for support or wish to discuss access to a spare seat on a vehicle which is chargeable.

Are Church of England Parishes relevant?

The catchments for some faith schools include parishes which extend further than the areas which are recognised by the LA for transport purposes. There is no entitlement to free school transport on designated school grounds in these areas. If you live within such an area – that is, inside the school’s admissions catchment but outside the LA recognised designated area, you will not be entitled to free school transport on designated school grounds. It may be that there is an entitlement to free transport because the school is the nearest one available. You can see the areas we recognise for transport purposes.

You can check whether a parish overlaps with another school’s area by looking at its oversubscription criteria and any map held by the school. This applies to St Helen’s Church and to Lady Modiford’s Church of England primary schools.

Transport sustainability

It’s our vision that Devon will be the ‘greenest’ county in England and that every child will be able to travel to school as healthily, sustainably and, most of all, as safely as possible. Please consider when selecting a school for your child, the proximity and accessibility of the school to your home. Daily physical exercise in the form of walking, cycling, and walking for a bus or train are all beneficial for your child’s health, as well as being sociable, better for your pocket and better for the local and global environment. Devon works with a hierarchy of travel options giving priority to walking and cycling, then school and public transport followed lastly by taxi and car travel. For more information: stplans@devon.gov.uk

Your local school could be filled by ‘positive’ preferences. If you don’t apply for your local or catchment school on time your child may be allocated to a school further from home. There is no automatic entitlement to transport support under these circumstances and transport will be your responsibility.

Other local authority areas and transport

A primary school in another county may be closer to your child’s home than the nearest Devon school. If the school in Devon that you would like your child to go to is not your designated school, and there is a closer school across the county boundary, you may not be eligible for free school transport. If you live close to the boundary and you are thinking of applying for a school which is not the one designated for your child’s home address, please consider how your child will get to school.

Children with SEN

If your child does not have an Education, Health and Care Plan and is attending a mainstream school or if your child has special needs or medical issues that affect their ability to walk to school or to use the transport that would be provided, please contact us on 0345 155 1019 for advice.

Where there are two sites for a school, transport entitlement is measured to the nearest site appropriate for the pupil – this applies with the Upper and Lower sites of Queen Elizabeth’s in Crediton and the two sites of Witheridge Church of England Primary School.

FAQs

What does the LA do with your application?

We will verify the details on your application with data we already hold. Details of preferences for Devon VA, foundation, academy, and free schools will be passed to them to consider. We will rank preferences for Devon community and VC schools and own admission authority schools under a Traded Service agreement. Schools are not told whether they were your first, second or third preference as that information isn’t required to operate their oversubscription criteria.

We may not inform a second or third preference school of an application if it is clear to the Admissions Team that a place is available at the first preference.

We will use the responses from schools to process applications so that a place is offered for each child: at the most-preferred school able to offer a place or at an alternative if no preference can be met.

We will make an offer on behalf of the schools, available either online or by sending you an email or letter.

Which schools can you apply for through this process?

Any state-funded school in Devon (except special schools): including community, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided, foundation, academy, free, studio schools and UTCs.

You can’t apply for a school outside of England. You can’t apply for an independent (fee-paying) school. If you would like places at any school other than a Devon state-funded, mainstream school, you must contact the school or relevant body directly.

You must also apply direct to sixth forms and Further Education Colleges.

Will your preference be met?

Yes, unless meeting your preference would ‘prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources’. If there are places available at a school, preferences will be met. For many schools, more applications will be received than the number of places available. If so, applications are prioritised based on the school’s published oversubscription criteria, details of which are in the school admissions policy and on the schools information website.

You cannot apply for admission to a school from which your child has been Permanently Excluded.

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.

What if a school is oversubscribed?

If a school has more applications than places, the admission authority will operate its published oversubscription criteria to prioritise applications. Places will be offered at least up to the school’s PAN or AN.

The Admissions Team will consider whether your child is eligible for a place under fair access arrangements.

What if a school is not oversubscribed?

Schools rank their applications but if there are fewer (or the same number of) applications than places available its oversubscription criteria will not be used and no applicant requiring a place will be refused. 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.

Colyton Grammar School will refuse admission to a child who has not demonstrated the required academic ability.

What if you name a school twice?

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 could have preferred over the school you are offered. You cannot name the same school more than once on the online system.

What if you only name one school?

If you only name one school and you are refused, we may not make an alternative offer.

Naming just one won’t affect whether a place can be allocated there.

What if you just want your local school?

We can’t assume that you want a place at the catchment school for your address or the school your other children attend. You may have other plans for your child’s education or plan to move away from the area. You must make an application.

What if you don’t apply?

We cannot assume that you require a school place.

The LA may take action if your child is not receiving suitable education.

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, the school we offer might be one you didn’t want. No places are held in reserve. Where a place is offered at a school further away than could have been offered, 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 LA common application form as well. Similarly, if you complete a selection test registration form and your child sits the test – you must complete the LA 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. So long as you complete the LA form your application will be processed. If the school provides a SIF and you don’t complete it, your child can’t be prioritised according to the relevant over-subscription criterion.

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. You can amend your application with new preferences and the first application will be disregarded.

Please ensure the same person updates or signs a fresh application.

What if your application is late?

There are no late in-year applications. They will be considered when they are received so long as it is within 8 school weeks of the date when you want a place (or 16 school weeks for children of members of the UK services).

When will you know the result?

You should receive a decision within 15 school days.

If you apply online, you will receive an email. It is your responsibility to keep your email address updated. You can also log into your online account to find out which school has been offered. Only applications submitted using the online facility will receive an offer by email. We will send a letter by second class post where it is expedient to do so.

What to do when you receive an offer.

If we’ve met your preference, we assume the offer is accepted. We don’t expect you to write to tell us you accept it – you can tell the school. Your school will be in contact shortly afterwards and all future contact should be between you and the school. If you don’t wish to accept an offer, please confirm this in writing or email to the LA. This should be by the person who made the application as we will not accept that an offer has been declined by a third party.

If you don’t respond to the school when it gets in touch with you, we will also try and contact you. If we can’t then the offer may be withdrawn, and the place offered to another child. You should be aware of the offer date if you are likely to be away on holiday and unable to access your emails or post.

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

Your child’s name will be placed on a waiting list, and you will have the right of appeal to an Admissions Appeal Panel, independent of the school and of the LA. 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 is not affected if you appeal. You don’t risk that place by appealing elsewhere. If you are refused at a school in another LA area you should contact the school to find out about their appeals process.

There is no waiting list for sixth forms after the first term of Year 12.

Can I apply for other schools if I am unhappy about the offer I received?

Yes.

You can add further preferences or remove existing preferences. You can also change the order of your preferences.

Could my offer be withdrawn?

Ordinarily, no.

Your offer will remain unless

• you turn it down in writing
• the offer was made in error
• you are offered a higher preference
• if you have provided us with fraudulent or misleading information on your application form (for instance a false claim to be living at a particular address or a false claim to have a sibling link) which prevented an offer to a child who would have been given the place, we may withdraw your offer of a place.

We or the admission authority may investigate any concerns or allegations about an application and may withdraw the offer if it is considered that there is sufficient evidence that an applicant has made a fraudulent claim or provided misleading information. If a place is withdrawn, the child will be offered a place at an alternative school that still has places available. This may be further away from home than would have been offered previously.

When will I get a place if my child is on the waiting list?

You should not assume that a place will be offered to children on a waiting list. This can only happen where a vacancy arises. Neither the LA nor the school can guarantee when or if places will become available.

You should be aware that your child’s place on the waiting list may fall. This can happen where other children with a higher priority for admission make an application for the school, where a child’s priority increases because they move closer to the school or where the random allocation element of a school’s tie-breaker impacts on your child’s position on the waiting list.

Waiting lists do not operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no priority according to how long a child’s name has been on it.

Please be aware that places may be allocated ahead of children on a waiting list.

What if my child is educated out of their normal age group?

Some children are educated out of their normal age group. This could be, for example, if they have been back-yeared or if they are summer-born and had Delayed Admission into Reception. At the end of their Year 6 in primary school, they would be of Year 8 age moving into secondary school. In these circumstances, parents will need to seek agreement from the admission authorities of their preferred school(s) that they can apply for Year 7, rather than having to go straight into Year 8.

To do this, you should approach your preferred schools in advance and get their views. You should not assume that there will be agreement and simply apply out of your child’s normal age group. The decision whether to educate a child out of the chronological year group is an internal matter for the school.

Glossary and Definitions

Schools may use their own definitions for terms used in their admissions policies. The definitions below will be used unless otherwise specified in a school policy.

Academy – a state-funded school, independent of LA control. It must take part in normal round co-ordinated admissions.

All-through school – a school which admits children to primary and secondary year groups. Children in Year 6 automatically have a place in Year 7 though they can apply for another secondary school.

Catchment area – see Designated area.

Children in Care – see Looked After Children.

Children formerly Looked After or formerly in Care – children who were looked after by or provided with accommodation by Devon County Council or any other LA but were then immediately adopted or made the subject of a child arrangements order or made the subject of a special child arrangements order. It includes children who were adopted out of state care outside England. For most admissions purposes, they are considered as if they were still in Care.

Community schools – state schools in England which are wholly owned and maintained by the LA which is the admission authority with responsibility for deciding arrangements for admission.

CSA – compulsory school age. This is from the start of the term after a child’s fifth birthday. It doesn’t mean the child has to be in a state-funded school: it could be any form of full-time education, including Elective Home Education.

Designated area – also known as a catchment area. The geographical area served by a school. Children living in a school’s designated area will have a higher priority for a place. Residence “in-area” does not guarantee admission. There is an additional entitlement in Devon to free transport where a child attends a school that is designated for the home address (minimum distances apply).

Direction to admit – the LA must consider whether a school should be directed to admit a child where it believes an application has been unlawfully refused.

Education, Health, and Care Plan – a document that acknowledges and makes provision for a child’s special educational needs. A child with an EHC Plan naming a school must be admitted.

Fair Access Protocol is an admissions safety net to ensure that children who would otherwise be without access to suitable education are offered a school place. Applies to in-year admissions only, Reception up to Year 11.

Foundation schools – maintained by the LA but where the governing body is responsible for admission and appeal arrangements.

Free schools– academies governed by non-profit charitable trusts.

Home address – We will not accept more than one address as the child’s home address. Where we ask for evidence of the address from which a child would attend school, this would often be written confirmation of a house purchase or a formal tenancy agreement. We recognise that some families may be unable to provide this – for example, where a house move is at very short notice or where a family is escaping domestic violence. If you cannot provide this evidence, please contact us. We do not intend to penalise families where there is a genuine reason why the usual evidence cannot be provided. The terms of a child arrangements order may clarify the home address. Where necessary to determine which address to recognise and in the absence of a child arrangements order, the LA will consider the home address to be with the parent with primary day to day care and control of the child. Evidence may be requested to show the address to which any Child Benefit is paid and at which the child is registered with a medical GP. Any other evidence provided by parents will also be considered in reaching a decision on the home address for admissions purposes.

Infant Class Size – classes are limited to 30 children with a single teacher in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2. Where there is an appeal, the Panel can only consider the information that was known at the time the original application was made, not new information or changes in circumstance.

In-year admissions – these take place after a Year Group has begun at a school – during Years Reception to Year 6 in a primary, Years 3 to 6 in a junior school, Reception to Year 2 in an infant school, Years 7 to 11 in a secondary school or Years 10 to 11 in a studio school or UTC.

LA – local authority, eg Devon County Council.

Linked schools – also known as feeder or contributory schools. These are schools with links with a secondary school for transition and the curriculum. Brings priority – but not a guarantee – for admission to the secondary school.

Looked After Children – cared for or looked after by or provided with accommodation by Devon County Council or any other local authority. Also known as Children in Care.

Oversubscription criteria – the rules used to prioritise applications and decide who should be offered a place when there are more applications than places. They are not used where a school has fewer applications than there are places available.

Oversubscription criteria for in-year admissions will be the same as at the normal round transfer except that there will be no reference to attendance at a linked pre-school.

PAN – the Published Admission Number. The minimum number of children to be admitted to a school at the normal round of admissions where there are sufficient applications.

Parents – A parent is any person who has parental responsibility of care for the child. When we say parent, we also mean carer or guardian.

Preference – The school named in an admissions application. When we say “expressing a preference” we mean making an application that names a school.

Sibling – a brother or sister – This will be a full, adopted half or stepbrother or sister and will include a full, adopted half or stepbrother or sister living at a different address. Foster children will count assister to those living within the foster household or where appropriate, the natural parental home address.

SLA – School leaving age. This is the last Friday in June in the academic year when a child reaches the age of 16.

Supplementary Information Form (SIF) – All parents who list their preferred schools on an LA common application form are regarded as having made valid applications. An additional form may also allow applicants to be considered under faith criteria for faith schools, where there is an Exceptional Need to attend the school, because of a parent being a member of staff at the school, for boarding schools and for selective schools. In all cases, a Common Application Form must be completed. It is a parent’s responsibility to check whether a SIF is required and to provide evidence if that is necessary.

Voluntary Aided schools – these schools have a religious ethos. The governing body is responsible for admission and appeal arrangements. These schools usually prioritise children of their faith.

Voluntary Controlled schools – these are schools in England which are maintained by the local authority with a Foundation (generally religious) which appoints some of the governing body. The LA is the admission authority.

Further information and support

Independent Admissions Appeals Panels consider appeals by parents whose children have been refused admission to their preferred school. Members of the independent panels consider the cases put forward by the parents and the schools and decide whether the appeal should be upheld. Appeals for any school in Devon can be heard by the Devon Panel.

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for education and children’s services in England. The DfE is a ministerial department, supported by several agencies and public bodies.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is an executive agency of the DfE, managing funding to support all state-funded education. The ESFA has a role in dealing with complaints about academies.

A parent, LA, or other interested party can object to The Office of the Schools’ Adjudicator (OSA) against any admissions policy believed to be unfair and in breach of the School Admissions Code or other relevant legislation.

The Children’s Education Advisory Service is a service organisation funded by the Ministry of Defence. It was established to provide information and support to service families and eligible MOD civilians on all aspects of the education of their children in the UK and overseas.

Diocese Boards of Education offer specialist information, advice and support to schools, academies, trusts, and federations where schools have a recognised religious character.

• Exeter Diocese, Church of England
• Salisbury Diocese, Church of England
• Catholic Diocese of Plymouth

ACE Education Advice and Training

ACE provides independent advice and information on state education for parents and carers.

0300 0115 142

Devon Information Advice and Support (DIAS)

DiAS offers information and advice about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It supports children and young people with SEND, and their parents and carers. The service is impartial and confidential.

• https://devonias.org.uk/
• devondias@devon.gov.uk
• 01392 383080

Neighbouring LAs

The contact details for the five neighbouring LAs:

Cornwall

• 0300 123 101
• schooladmissions@cornwall.gov.uk

Dorset

• 01305 221060
• admissions@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Plymouth

• 01752 307469
• school.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk

Somerset

• 0845 456 4038
• schooladmissions@somerset.gov.uk

Torbay

• 01803 208908
• pupil.services@torbay.gov.uk

Term dates for 2023-24

These are the school terms recommended by Devon County Council, giving 197 days for the academic year. Each school should nominate 5 staff training days and 2 occasional holidays from this, giving 190 days when children are expected to attend a maintain school. Each can also choose to vary its school terms. Academies do not have the same legal requirement to deliver 190 days.