Admissions policy and procedures

As a voluntary controlled/community school, Lancashire County Council has the overall responsibility for admissions to school and we adhere to their published arrangements. These can be found here:

Consultation on school admission policies - Lancashire County Council

The age your child will start school depends on when their birthday is. Children can start school from the September after their fourth birthday. However, by law children don't have to start school until the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday.

These are the dates that children would usually start school and when to apply for a school place:

Primary school

Child born between                        Starts primary school              Apply between

1 Sep 2019 - 31 Aug 2020                Sep 2024                                Sep 2023 - Jan 2024

1 Sep 2020 - 31 Aug 2021                Sep 2025                                Sep 2024 - Jan 2025

Summer-born deferring or delaying school entry

Please read the following document if you are considering requesting a deferment:

Summer-born children deferring or delaying school entry

Carter's Charity Primary School is a voluntary controlled primary school. The governing body is required to follow the policies of Lancashire County Council.

Admissions Information for joining our school after the start of the Reception Year.

Before you apply to change schools, you will need to speak to the current school and the school you intend to move to.

How to apply

Lancashire County Council co-ordinates in-year admissions for our schooland you will need to use the online form to apply.

Before you start

• Please ensure you have an email address to complete an online application
• Please detail school preferences in priority order
• Remember to formally submit your online application and check your email for confirmation the application has been submitted

In Year School Admissions - Information - Online Forms (achieveservice.com)

After you apply

Your application will be processed by the local area education office inline with the Admissions Code and fair access policy.

We'll acknowledge receipt of your application and then write to you with the outcome within a maximum of 15 school days (this does not include weekends or school holidays).

There is no need to contact us before the 15 days have passed.

The Pupil Access Team privacy notice tells you how we process personal data.

Receiving a school offer

If the school you request has places, your child will be offered a place at the school and you will receive your offer letter via email. You must contact the school within 5 school days of the offer date to arrange school admission. The expectation is that the child will be admitted to the school within 15 school days after the school offer notification.

If the school you request doesn’t have any places, you will be notified via email to contact the area office to be advised of local availability. You also have the right to appeal against the refusal of a place in current Reception class to current Year 11.

Children already attending a local school

Where a child is already on roll at a local school, they must continue to attend until the date of admission to the new school.

Appeals

If you are unhappy with your school offer you can appeal for any schools which at that time have no available places. Information and advice is available from the admissions team at your local area education office.

We advise you to visit the school you are offered before you go to appeal.

What to consider

Choosing your school preferences

When applying for admission to Lancashire schools you have the right to express more than one preference.

You should list your school preferences in priority order when you apply.

Research schools in your area (you can gain information from the school website and Ofsted reports).

If you need information to help with your application you can contact your local area education office for advice.

Available places

To find out whether a school has a place available, you can either contact your local area education office for community or voluntary controlled schools, or contact the school directly for schools co-ordinating their own admissions.

Application address

A child's permanent address is one where they normally, live, sleep and go to school from. Proof of residence may be requested at any time throughout the admissions process. Addresses of relatives or friends must not be used and neither should addresses of any other properties owned by applicants. For further information please see the residency for school admissions page.

Transport

Your child needs to be able to travel to school easily, safely and on-time.

For help with travel costs, the nearest school is measured by walking distance. If travel cost is an important factor in your school preference or you are in any doubt over the distance between your home and a school please check with the area education office.

GCSE years

Older children, who transfer school after exam subjects have been chosen in Year 9, may find that:

• they cannot do the same subjects in a new school
• the exam boards and courses are different
• some schools start GCSE curriculum courses in Year 9

If your child is unhappy in their current school

If your child is unhappy in their current school for whatever reason, for example alleged bullying or not getting on with a teacher, you should first contact the headteacher and discuss the problems before changing schools.

It is important that you consider whether a move is really the best option. School transfer is very disruptive for any child and it is not encouraged if the problem can be resolved by the school.

Special Needs

Applications for places for children with Special Needs are welcomed, and school works with parents and the Local Authority to ensure appropriate provision is put in place to help meet their needs. Copies of the Special Needs Policy, Disability Equality Scheme and Accessibility Scheme are available from the school office on request. Carter's Charity Primary School is a voluntary controlled primary school. The governing body is required to follow the policies of Lancashire County Council.