Admissions
We are delighted that you are either considering choosing our school for your child or have made that decision already. Choosing a school can be a difficult decision and so we hope that the information you find in our prospectus is useful and helpful.
Schools constantly change and so the finer details of who's who and what's what may alter from time to time but the main bulk of the information will remain unchanged. If you have a question that the prospectus does not answer, please do call the school office on 01487 830342 or send an email to office@holme.cambs.sch.uk who will be happy to help.
Many thanks
Mrs King, Mrs Ferrara and the Governors of Holme C of E Primary Academy
How Places Are Offered
For admission into Reception each September, the LA, on behalf of the Governing Body, will offer a set number of places. This is the Published Admission Number (PAN) for that year group.
In the event that more applications than the PAN are received, the oversubscription criteria will be applied to determine priority for places. Both preferences are treated equally, regardless of whether they are first or second preference
Over-subscription Criteria
Children who have a statement of special educational needs, whose parents/carers name the school will be admitted.
N.B. Those children with a statement of special educational needs whose parents/carers do not name a school will be referred to Student Assessment to determine an appropriate place.
Where applications exceed the number of places available at the school, referred to as the PAN the following criteria are applied in order.
* The home address is defined as the address of the adult with parental responsibility with whom the child normally lives and which applies at the time of application. Future addresses will be accepted only if the move is intended to take place within 6 teaching weeks of the application and upon confirmation of tenancy or exchange of contracts. For further details, please see the full definition in the LA admissions booklet for parents
** A sibling is defined as another child of compulsory school age living in the same family home.
PAN
- Children in Care (CIC) and Children who were previously in care (CIC) but ceased to be so by reason of adoption, a residence order (now known as a child arrangement order) or special guardianship order ;
- Children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceases to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
- Children living in the catchment area* with a sibling** at the school at the time of admission;
- Children living in the catchment area;
- Children living outside the catchment area who have a sibling at the school at the time of admission;
- Children of members of staff, providing that they have been employed for a minimum of two years and/or are recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage.
- Children who live outside the catchment area, but nearest the school as measured by a straight line.
In criteria 4 and 5, priority in a tie-break will be given to children living nearest the school according to the shortest straight line distance. The distance is measured using a straight line from the centre point of the home to the centre point of the school as determined by the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).
For all year groups, the PAN is 17. If a place becomes available it will be offered to the child at the top of the reserve list for the year group or, if no reserve list exists, the place will be offered to the first child for whom an application is received.
Reserve Lists
When an application is refused, the child’s details are automatically placed on a reserve list for the year group, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria.
As part of the co-ordinated scheme for primary admissions, the LA Admissions Team holds the initial reserve list on behalf of the governing body until the end of the first week of the autumn term in the initial year of intake.
If A Place Opens Up
Parents will be contacted immediately if a place becomes available for their child, but should be aware that their child’s place on a reserve list may change if an application is subsequently received that meets a higher criterion than their own.
The governing body then manages the reserve list until the end of the autumn term.
Mid-Phase Applications
Where mid-phase applications are received, children’s details will be automatically placed on a reserve list for the year group, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria.
Reserve lists will be held for a period of one term following the term for which the place was refused.
Appeals
The parent of any child who is refused a place at our School has a right of appeal to an independent Appeals Panel. The panel consists of three people who are independent of the school’s Governing Body and the Local Education Authority.
The panel will consider the circumstances of the case put before them and the Governing Body and parents must abide by the decision it makes.
Appeals for our School are currently arranged by the LA Admissions Team on behalf of the Governing Body. Further information and appeal forms are available from the Admissions Team.
Infant Class Size Review
Please note that where a child is refused a place in an infant class because of the requirement to limit class size to 30 children, parents have the right to have their decision reviewed. This process is very similar to an appeal, but the circumstances in which the panel can find in the parents favour are limited by law. For further information, please contact the school office or the LA Admissions Team.
Definitions
For the purpose of admission to the school, the Governing Body has adopted the LA’s definitions of parent, sibling and home address. Details of these can be found at the back of the LA’s admission booklet for parents.
Quotes from Parents
