Arrangements for admission have been agreed following consultation between the governing body, the Diocesan Board of Education, Local Authorities and other admissions authorities in the area.
The number of places available for admission to the Reception class in the year 2023 will be a maximum of 45.
The governing body will not place any restrictions on admissions to the reception class unless the number of children for whom admission is sought exceeds their admission number. By law, no infant class may contain more than thirty children. The Governing Body operates a system of equal preferences under which they consider all preferences equally and the Local Authority notifies parents of the result. In the event that there are more applicants than places, after admitting all children with a statement of educational need or Educational, Health and Care Plan naming the school, the governing body will allocate places using the criteria below, which are listed in order of priority.
1 (a) Children in public care, previously looked after children and internationally adopted previously looked after children.
This includes any “looked after child”, “previously looked after children” and any child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order. This includes those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
‘Looked after’ means that the child was (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions.
1 (b) Children with special medical or social circumstances affecting the child where these needs can only be met at this school.
Professional supporting evidence from a professional, e.g. a doctor, psychologist, social worker, is essential if admission is to be made under the criterion for special medical or social circumstances, and such evidence must set out the particular reasons why the school in question is the most suitable school and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school.
- Children who have a sibling attending the school on the date of application and on the date of admission.
Siblings include step, half, foster and adopted brothers and sisters living at the same address.
- Children with a parent/guardian worshipping in the life of St Leonard’s Church, Padiham or St Margaret’s, Hapton.
‘Parental worshipping’ is normally taken to mean a minimum of monthly attendance at church at public worship for at least 12 months leading up to 1st September 2022.
In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these admissions arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church or alternative premises have been available for public worship.
The governors will request confirmation of this from the relevant member of the clergy or church officer.
- Children with a parent/guardian worshipping in the life of a church in full membership of Churches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance or the North West Partnership or a church that subscribes to the Trinitarian creeds.
‘Parental worshipping’ is normally taken to mean a minimum of monthly attendance at church at public worship for at least 12 months leading up to 1st September 2022.
In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these admissions arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church or alternative premises have been available for public worship.
The governors will request confirmation of this from the relevant member of the clergy or church officer.
The lists of Churches can be found on the Churches Together in England website at www.cte.org.uk, for the Evangelical Alliance at www.eauk.org and for the North West Partnership at www.northwestpartnership.com; lists are taken as on 1st September 2022. Churches in membership of the equivalent bodies to CTE in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are equally accepted.
- Children of staff
Children of staff at Padiham St Leonard’s CE VA School who have been employed at the school for the whole of the two years prior to the closing date for applications.
- Other children.
Tie break
Where there are more applicants for the available places within a category, then the distance between the Ordnance Survey address points for the school and the home measured in a straight line will be used as the final determining factor, nearer addresses having priority over more distant ones. This address point is within the body of the property and usually located at its centre. Where two addresses have the same distance, or the cut-off point is for addresses within the same building, then the Local Authority’s system of a random draw will determine which address(es) receive the offer(s).