2023 Secondary co-ordinated admissions scheme

This scheme is formulated in accordance with the School Admissions Code which came into force on 1 September 2021.

Trafford local authority has formulated this scheme in relation to each school in the Trafford area.

The governing bodies / trusts of the following schools / academies are the admission authorities for the secondary schools to which this scheme applies:

Altrincham College
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
Ashton-on-Mersey School
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College
Broadoak School
Flixton Girls’ School
Loreto Grammar School
North Cestrian School
Sale Grammar School
Sale High School
St Ambrose College
St Antony's Catholic College
Stretford Grammar School
Stretford High School
Urmston Grammar School
Wellacre Academy
Wellington School

Trafford local authority is the admission authority for Lostock High School.

Normal admission round (transfer from primary to secondary school) September 2023

Application procedure
1. In the autumn term of the offer year all parents of Year 6 children will be invited to submit an application. Information on how to apply will be sent to all parents of pupils resident in Trafford, at their home address.
2. An advertisement will be placed in the local press inviting parents who are resident in Trafford whose children may not currently be attending a Trafford primary school to submit an application.
3. Information will be sent to all parents by 12 September in the offer year and they will be asked to submit their application by 31 October, thereby ensuring that all parents have the statutory six week period in which to express their preferences.
4. Parents can submit up to five preferences.
5. Parents will be invited to name their preferred schools, ranked in order of preference. It will be made clear that parents should express a preference for all schools, wherever they are located, where they wish their child to be considered for a place.
Exchange of data with other authorities
1. The Admission Team will process applications and, by 19 November, lists will be sent to all local authorities informing them of parents who have expressed a preference for a school in their area.
2. On 29 November lists will be sent to all academies, foundation and voluntary aided schools informing them of parents who have expressed a preference. The order of preferences will not be included in the lists sent to these schools.
3. Academies, foundation schools and voluntary aided schools will be asked to apply their own admission criteria and to send back their ranked lists by 17 December. The list will indicate the order in which all children, for whom application to the school has been made, have priority by reference to the over-subscription criteria.
4. The local authority will draw up similar lists for community secondary schools, for which it is the admission authority.
Allocation procedure
1. By 17 December the local authority will have a list for each of its schools and will compare the lists from all the schools in its area. When a child qualifies for one of the available places at more than one school, the local authority will provisionally allocate a place at the school ranked highest by the parent in their application. The local authority will also adjust the list for any other school for which a preference was expressed by that parent, moving another child who was previously not eligible to be allocated a potential place up the list to the provisional place which has been vacated.
2. By 24 January notification of determinations will be sent to other local authorities where parents resident in that local authority have expressed a preference for a place at schools in Trafford. Also by 24 January Trafford local authority will have received similar notifications from other local authorities.
3. Where a child is eligible to be granted admission to more than one school a place will be allocated at whichever of those schools is ranked highest by the parent. Where Trafford determine that a child is to be granted or refused admission to a school for which the governing body are the admission authority (see above), Trafford will notify the school’s governing body of its determination.
4. Where the child is resident in the Trafford area any determination granting or refusing admission to a school will be sent direct to the parent (such determination being sent on behalf of a school’s governing body in any case where Trafford are not the admission authority for the school).
5. Where the child is resident in a different local authority’s area, Trafford will notify that authority “the home authority” of their determination. The determination will be sent by the home authority on behalf of the school’s governing body in any case where they are the admission authority for the school.
6. Where it appears that a child resident in Trafford is eligible to be granted admission to more than one school for which application has been made a place will be allocated at whichever of those schools is ranked highest. Where that place is in the area of another local authority, Trafford will write, on behalf of the local authority or relevant admission authority.
7. Where any Trafford resident child cannot be allocated a place at a preferred school, Trafford will allocate a place at the nearest eligible school with a vacancy.
8. If no preferred school in Trafford can be offered, there will be no need to look for an alternative place if another local authority has determined to offer a place at a preferred school.
9. At this stage in the allocations process, any applications submitted after 31 October will be processed and places will be allocated in line with the published criteria.
10. On 18 February Trafford local authority sends the schools in its area the final lists of pupils to be offered places and notifies the home authorities of the determination.
11. On the national offer day for secondary school places – 1 March, where 1 March is not a working day, the prescribed day is the next working day – Trafford local authority, as the home authority, will communicate to all parents resident in its area any determination granting or refusing admission. Where the school in question is its own admission authority, the local authority will state that the offer is being made on behalf of that school’s governing body.
Review process
1. The offer letter will advise parents that they must inform Trafford local authority of their acceptance of the place by 15 March (or next working day). The acceptance of all first round offers will be co-ordinated by Trafford local authority. Parents will be invited to apply for any vacancies that may arise, by 15 March (or next working day). Lists of applicants for vacancies will be sent to other local authorities, where the school is in another area and to academies, foundation and voluntary aided schools within Trafford by 18 March. Academies, foundation and voluntary aided schools within Trafford will be asked to apply their own admission criteria and to send back their ranked lists by 28 March.
2. At this stage in the review process, any applications received after the closing date of 15 March will be considered in light of any remaining vacancies and places will be allocated in line with the published criteria.
3. By 8 April – Trafford local authority, as the home authority, will communicate to all parents resident in its area any determination granting or refusing admission. Where the school in question is its own admission authority, the local authority will state that the offer is being made on behalf of that school’s governing body. This offer letter will advise parents that they must inform Trafford local authority of their acceptance of the place by 22 April.
4. Applications for vacancies or applications received after 8 April will be considered in relation to the number of available vacancies. Where more applications have been received for the places available, the relevant admission authority will apply the admission criteria and advise the local authority where places can be offered. Where a place can be offered at more than one preferred school the highest available preference will be offered.
5. Further allocations will be made where possible on the following dates:
  
  31 May or next working day – Closing date for acceptance 14 days from date of offer
  
  21 June or next working day – Closing date for acceptance 14 days from date of offer
  
  9 July or next working day – Closing date for acceptance 14 days from date of offer
  
  Where places are offered to applicants resident in another local authority, Trafford will advise that local authority that an offer can be made.
6. Applications received after 9 July will be passed to the relevant admission authority for consideration after 1 September.
Right of appeal

Where an offer of a place at a preferred school cannot be made, parents will be advised of the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. Appeals relating to applications made in the normal admissions round must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals.
Waiting lists

Each admission authority must maintain a clear, fair and objective waiting list for at least the first term of the academic year of admission. Each added child will require the list to be ranked again in line with the published oversubscription criteria. Priority must not be given to children based on the date their application was received or their name was added to the list. Children allocated a place in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol take precedence over those on a waiting list.
In-year applications
1. For the purposes of this scheme an application is an in-year application if it is for the admission of a child to a relevant age group and it is submitted on or after 15 July in the offer year or it is for the admission of a child to an age group other than a relevant age group.
2. Parents can apply for a school place using the local authority’s on line application system. Any applications received by the local authority for “own admission authority schools” will be forwarded to the relevant admission authority for consideration ^[1].
3. Parents may submit an in-year application direct to any academy or school. Where the local authority is the admission authority (that is in community and voluntary controlled schools) the application must be passed to the local authority for consideration.
4. Where an admission authority manages its own in-year admissions, it must also notify the local authority of every application and its outcome as soon as reasonably practicable, but should aim to be within two school days, to allow the local authority to keep up to date figures on the availability of places in the area and to ensure they are aware of any children who may not have a school place. The admission authority must also inform parents of their right to appeal against the refusal of a place ^[2].

Timetable for secondary co-ordinated admissions

Closing date for submission of applications - 31 October in the offer year
Trafford sends applications to other local authorities -19 November or next working day
Trafford sends applications, including those received from other authorities, to academies/foundation/voluntary aided schools - 29 November or next working day
Academies/foundation/voluntary aided schools to return ranked data - 17 December or next working day
Trafford send other local authorities and Academies/Foundation/VA Schools a first cycle list of the places they are proposing to offer - 24 January or next working day
Trafford send other local authorities and Academies/Foundation/VA Schools a final list of the places they are proposing to offer - 18 February or next working day
Offers made to all parents by home Local Authority - 1 March or next working day

Appeals to be lodged with the appropriate admissions authority.

[1] In accordance with 2.25 of the School Admissions Code

[2] In accordance with 2.30 of the School Admissions Code