School Admissions - In Term Admissions (Immediate
Transfers)
In term (Immediate) Admissions
In term admissions are those that occur outside the normal
transfer round for the admission of children to school. Often
in term admission requests occur due to families moving to a new
address. Year groups in some schools maybe full and therefore
may not have places available when you move house or decide to
transfer your child from one school to another. Unfortunately
Northumberland Local Authority and schools that are their own
admission authorities cannot hold places back for parents who
decide in the future to move into the catchment area or parish of
their preferred school.
We apply the same admission policy for in term admissions as for
the normal transfer round. Admission to Northumberland schools
is dependent on the availability of places in the appropriate year
group at the time of application and will have due regard for
statutory class size legislation.
If you live in Northumberland, or have a Northumberland address
that you are moving to, and you want to arrange a transfer between
schools maintained by us (this includes Community schools,
Voluntary Aided and Voluntary Controlled Schools, as well as other
Foundation schools and Academies) you will need to complete an
application form.
If you live outside of Northumberland you must complete an
application form for the Local Authority in which you live and your
home authority will coordinate with us on your behalf.
You can approach a preferred school to make an appointment to visit
the school to make sure it is appropriate to your child’s needs.
However, the Head Teacher will not be able to tell you whether you
are likely to secure a place in the school as only the Local
Authority can allocate places. You must complete the
application form. You can access the form by
following the link In
term Admissions transfer form (please read the notes of
guidance before completing the
form). The completed form should be returned to the
Northumberland County Council School Admissions Team (return
address is on the form).
The form asks parents to indicate the preferred school(s). We
usually expect you to have discussed your plans for a school
transfer with the Head Teacher of your child’s current
school. If necessary we may also make contact with other
agencies and professional colleagues involved with your child's
education as we will want to make sure that there is a place
available in the school you want your child to go to, and that they
can provide a suitable provision for your child.
In most cases we advise parents of the outcome of their application
within 3 school weeks and we will write to them to let them know
this. If there is a place available then the admission date will be
determined by the receiving Head Teacher. Please note that
applications lodged in the last 2 weeks of the school term may not
necessarily be resolved in time for the start of a new
term. In a minority of cases the admission process may take
longer due to the circumstances of the case.
It is unwise to withdraw a child from one school before admission
to another has been agreed. It is expected therefore that your
child will continue to attend their current school during the
application process.
If we refuse you a place at your preferred school we will let you
know where there are places available at alternative schools and we
will also offer you the right of appeal. Vacant places
sometimes arise before the date of the appeal hearing. Where
this happens, and there is more than one application for the same
school, places will be offered to using the admission
criteria.
Appeal forms in respect of applications to Voluntary Aided,
Foundation and Academies Schools are available directly from the
respective school.
Northumberland County Council does not keep waiting lists for in
term admissions although some Voluntary Aided, Foundation and
Academies Schools do. You can ask to be put on the waiting
lists of these schools by contacting the Head Teacher of the school
direct.
If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs you
should contact staff within Children’s Services who will advise you
with regard to the admission process for your child’s admission to
a new school.
Pupils with Challenging Behaviour
It is normally unacceptable for schools to refuse to admit a
child on the basis of their behaviour elsewhere. If a pupil, once
admitted, is found to be seriously disruptive then the school may
consider disciplinary action, including exclusion procedures. A
child with challenging behaviour may also be disabled as defined in
the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and require reasonable
adjustments to be made for them in the school or require particular
support for any special education needs.
Exceptionally, outside the normal year of entry admission
authorities may decide to refuse to admit a child with challenging
behaviour even though there are places available, on the grounds
that admission would prejudice the provision of efficient education
or the efficient use of resources. This will normally only be
appropriate where a school has a particularly high concentration of
pupils with challenging behaviour, or previously excluded children
and one or more of the following exceptional circumstances exist,
namely that the school:
| - |
Requires special measures or has recently come
out of them (within the last 2 years)
|
| - |
Has been identified by Ofsted as having
serious weaknesses or requiring significant improvement and
therefore given “notice to improve” |
| - |
Is subject to a formal warning
notice |
| - |
Is a Fresh Start School or Academy open
for less than 2 years |
| - |
Is a secondary school where fewer than
20% of children are achieving 5 or more A*-C GCSEs including
English and mathematics, or a primary school where fewer than 55%
of pupils achieve Level 4 or above at Key Stage 2 in both English
and mathematics for four or more consecutive years. |
Fair Access Protocol
Fair Access Protocols exist to ensure that access to
education is secured for children who have no school place and
where a placement in a mainstream school or alternative provision
is appropriate and ensures that all schools admit their fair share
of students with challenging behaviour. Our approach reflects a
commitment by all schools to work in partnership with each other
and the local authority in the interests of securing the best
outcomes for young people. Further information on the council’s
Fair Access Protocol is available from Children’s Services
telephone 441670 624889.
Admissions Pages:
To navigate to the appropriate page please click on the image above
or select the appropriate link below:
For
Admission to First/Primary School please follow this
link.
For
Admission to Middle, High/Secondary School please follow this
link.
Admissions Contacts:
INORMAPS:
To access INORMAPS please click on the image above or select the
link below:
Northumberland County Council has an online system to identify
catchment schools by using the INORMAPS system you can enter your
postcode and select the appropriate First (Primary), Middle or
High (Secondary) School check boxes.
