Admissions procedures

Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme

By 12 September in the offer year the primary application process will be open to all Trafford residents who wish to apply for places in state funded primary schools for following admission year. Applications can be submitted online and paper application forms can be obtained on request from the Trafford’s School Admissions Team.
An advertisement will be placed in the local press inviting parents whose children may not currently be attending a nursery class in a Trafford primary school to submit an application.
Applications must be submitted by 15 January in the offer year.
Parents can apply for up to 5 schools, ranked in order of preference. It will be made clear that parents should include preferences for any state funded school where they wish their child to be considered for a place.

Exchange of data with other authorities

The LA will process the common application form and by 7 February, lists will be sent to all LAs informing them of parents who have expressed a preference for a school in their area. Similarly Trafford will receive list of parents resident outside Trafford who have expressed a preference for a Trafford maintained school.
By 21 February Lists will be sent to all academies 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.
Academies and voluntary aided schools will be asked to apply their own admission criteria and to send back their lists by 7 March. The list will indicate the order in which all children, for whom application to the school has been made, have priority by reference to those over- subscription criteria.
The LA will draw up similar lists for the community primary schools for which it is the admission authority.

Allocation procedure

By 7 March the LA will have a list for each of its maintained 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 LA will provisionally allocate a place at the school ranked highest by the parent on the CAF.
The LA 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.
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, Trafford will notify the school’s governing body of its determination.
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).
Where any published date is not a working day, the next working day will apply
Where the child is resident in a different local education authority’s area, Trafford will notify that authority “the home authority”, by 21 March, of their determination. The home authority will send any determination granting or refusing admission to a school in a maintaining authority’s area to the parent (such determination being sent on behalf of the school’s governing body in any case where they are the admission authority for the school).
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 LA Trafford will write, on behalf of the LA or relevant admission authority.
Where any Trafford resident child cannot be allocated a place at a preferred school, Trafford will consider how to place that child in a school within the Trafford area. This will usually be the nearest school with a vacancy.
At this stage in the allocations process, any applications submitted after 15 January will be processed and places will be allocated in line with the published criteria.
By 31 March notification of final offers/refusals will be sent to and received from other LAs
By 31 March Trafford LA sends the final lists of pupils to be offered places to schools in Trafford and notifies the home authorities of the final determination.
On 16 April – Trafford LA, 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 LA will state that the offer is being made on behalf of that school’s governing body.

Review process

The offer notification will advise parents that they must inform Trafford LA of their acceptance of the place by 30 April. The acceptance of all places will be co-ordinated by Trafford LA.
Parents will be invited to apply, direct to Trafford LA, for any vacancies that may arise, by 30 April. Lists of applicants will be sent to other LAs, where the school is in another area and to voluntary aided schools within Trafford by 6 May.
Voluntary aided schools within Trafford will be asked to apply their own admission criteria and to send back their ranked lists by 13 May.
At this stage in the review process, any applications received after the closing date of 30 April will be considered in light of any remaining vacancies and places will be allocated in line with the published criteria.
On 20 May – Trafford LA, 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 LA 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 LA of their acceptance of the place by 3 June.
Applications for vacancies or applications received after 30 April will be considered in relation to the number of available vacancies. Where vacancies exist at a preferred school the highest available preference will be offered. Where more applications have been received for the places available the relevant admission authority will apply the admission criteria and advise the LA where places can be offered.
Further allocations will be made where possible on the following dates:
13 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 LA, Trafford will advise that LA that an offer can be made.
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 on time applications must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging the appeal.

Waiting lists

Admission authorities must maintain a clear, fair and objective waiting list for at least the first term of the academic year of admission. Waiting lists for Trafford’s community and voluntary controlled schools are run throughout the year for every year group.

Each added child will require the list to be ranked again in line with the published oversubscription criteria. Children allocated a place at the school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol, take precedence over those on a waiting list.

The LA will maintain waiting lists for all oversubscribed community and voluntary controlled schools.

In year applications

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.

Parents may submit an In Year application to any academy or school. Where the LA is the admission authority (that is in community and voluntary controlled schools) the application must be passed to the LA for consideration.

Where the Governing Body/Trust is the admission authority for the academy or school, the admission authority must, on receipt of an in-year application, notify the LA of both the application and its outcome, to allow the LA to keep up to date figures on the availability of places in the area. The admission authority must also inform parents of their right to appeal against the refusal of a place.

Parents can also apply for a school place using the LA’s on line application system or by completing a copy of Trafford’s In Year CAF. Any applications received by the LA for own admission authority schools will be forwarded to the relevant admission authority for consideration3.

Applications received for admission to community or voluntary controlled schools in advance for the next admission year will be considered after 6th July. Parents will be advised of the outcome of their application before the schools close for the summer break.

Applications received between the 15 July and 31 August will be considered at the beginning of the autumn term and parents will be advised of the outcome of their application after the 15 September.

Applications received for community or voluntary controlled schools after 31 August will be considered after the initial allocation and parents will be advised of the outcome by the end of September.

Next: School admission policies