Admissions Policy

Admissions to the school are controlled by Wakefield Local Authority (the District Council). Full details of the Authority’s policy on admissions are given in the ‘Guide for Parents’. This is available from the school and from the Education Department. The policy is summarised below.

At Pinders Primary School, we have a 45 pupil intake in Reception - Year 6. This is the admission number set by the Local Authority after consultation with the Governing Body of Pinders Primary School.

If the number of preferences received for a school does not exceed the Admission Number, all preferences will be met (see Explanatory note 1).

Explanatory Notes

4.2       All applications received will be considered in the following order: 

 Applications received by the closing date in the normal admissions round for primary applications the closing date is 15 January 2023.

4.3       Applications received after these dates will be regarded as late applications and will be considered after all applications received on time.

 
4.4       If there are more applications for admission to a school than there are places available, preference will be given in the following order:
 a) Looked after Children and all previously Looked after Children;
This refers to children who are:
Subject to a care order made by the courts under section 31 of the Children Act 1989 – for the courts to grant a care order they have to be satisfied that a child is suffering or would suffer ‘significant harm’ without one;
Children who are accommodated by the Local Authority on a voluntary basis under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989; and
Children who have been adopted from Local Authority care, children who are subject to a Child Arrangements Order and those with special guardianship immediately following being Looked After will all be included within the higher priority for Looked after Children (see explanatory note 16.2)
                       
(b) (i) Children who live in the school’s catchment area, who have brothers or   sisters attending the school at the time of admission (see explanatory note 16.3);
 
(ii)  Other children who live in the school’s catchment area (see explanatory note 16.4);
 
(c) Children who have brothers or sisters in attendance at the school (see explanatory note 16.3);
 
(d) Other children, with priority being given to those living nearest to the school (see explanatory note 16.5).

In all categories, when decisions have to be made between children satisfying the same criterion, children living nearest to the school, measured as the crow flies, have priority.  Where the admission of siblings from a multiple birth (eg twins, triplets) would cause the school to rise above its Planned Admission Number (PAN), all of the children from the multiple birth will be admitted.

Only one address can be used on the application for a school place. Where shared care arrangements are in place, both parents must agree which address will be used on the application, and this should be the address where the child lives for the majority of the school week.  If no joint declaration is received by the closing date for applications, the local authority will determine which address will be used, based on where the child spends the majority of the school week.

Children will be placed in the appropriate category depending upon their circumstances at the closing date for receiving applications for admission to school. Changes in address will be accepted in accordance with the provisions of the Secondary and Primary Co-ordination Schemes. In cases where there is an anticipated change in circumstances, documentary evidence will be required.  

In the event of any category being over-subscribed, places will be offered in the order of priority (a – d) detailed above.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are dealt with under a different mechanism. Any child with a school named on their EHC Plan will automatically gain a place at the school named via the statementing process. Any child with an EHC Plan who is admitted to a mainstream community/voluntary controlled school will be counted against the school’s admission number.

If you would like your child to attend our school, please see full details of our admission arrangements below. 

Contact School Admissions Team

If you have any queries or require further information then do not hesitate to contact the School Admissions Team at:

Admissions Team
Family Services,
School Admissions,
County Hall,
Wakefield WF1 2QL

Phone: 01924 305616, 305617, 305789 and 306766

Email: admissions@wakefield.gov.uk or use the comments form below