Where applications for places at a community or voluntary controlled school exceed the published admission number set for the school the following factors will be taken into account in priority order when deciding which pupils will be allocated places.
Children with Education Health and Care Plans
These children will be allocated places in accordance with the Code of Practice on Special Educational Needs. Where a school is named in a child’s plan the school has a duty to admit the pupil, this will reduce the number of places available.
The remaining places will be allocated in this order:
1. Looked after children and previously looked after children
A ‘looked after child’ is a child who is:
- in the care of a local authority, or
- being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions at the time of making an application to a school.
A ‘previously looked after child’ is a child who ceased to be looked after because they were:
- adopted, or
- became subject to a child arrangements order, or
- became subject to a special guardianship order,
immediately after being looked after, including those who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2. Children who live in the school’s designated catchment area
You can view the school catchment areas covering where you live by entering your postcode on our interactive map.
There is also a pdf copy of the catchment map for each school on its page on our website.
The address taken under this factor will be that on the 9 December 2021 for secondary admissions, and that on the 11 February 2022 for infant, primary and junior admissions.
Parents who move after submitting their preference must inform the Admissions Team of any change of address.
For admission purposes, the home address is where a child usually lives with their parent or carer. You must not give the address of a childminder or relative.
Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for part of the week, the Admissions Team will apply the address of the parent who claims the child’s benefit as the pupil’s address for determining this criterion.
If neither parent claims child benefit other documentary evidence (for example, a medical card) may be required.
If it is found that you have given a false address your child may lose their school place.
3. Children who will have a sibling attending the school at the time of their admission
Included in this factor are siblings who will be attending the school at the expected time of admission. Sibling means a child living as part of the same family unit at the same address. This includes natural siblings, adopted siblings, step siblings, foster siblings, and the child of a parent’s partner. For Secondary admissions the elder sibling must be in years seven to 11.
In the event of two applications for one vacancy using the above criteria, the council will apply a tie breaker decision based on geographical distance.
Siblings for the same year group (twins and multiple birth children)
Where there are twins or multiple birth children to be admitted to a school in the same year group. If there are insufficient places available for all siblings, and one can be allocated a place, the admission number will be exceeded to allow them to be placed in the same school.
This only applies to community and voluntary controlled schools within North Lincolnshire where the parents have put identical preferences for all siblings.
4. Children who live closest to the school
The distance will be determined by measuring the shortest available route using the public road and path network from the pupil’s home to the main school gate, as determined by the council.
The distance will be measured by using a computerised geographical information system (GIS).
Priority will be given to those living nearest to the school using this system.
Pupils living in flats where the distance measures the same, priority will be given in ascending order of flat number/letter/floor.
Tie breakers
Where the offer of a place would lead to oversubscription under any of the above factors, places will be allocated by reference to subsequent factors in order. In exceptional circumstances where it has not been possible to decide between applications, because they have the same distance measurements, the place will be allocated by drawing lots independently verified.