The following criteria confirm the priorities for admission to community and voluntary controlled schools.

On 2 March 2021 it is the national allocation day for Year 7 starters in September 2021. All parents who applied on time will receive notification of their child’s allocated school. Parents who applied online should receive an email shortly after 12am Monday 1 March 2021. 

Parents who submitted paper applications will receive a letter confirming their decision. For parents who have not been offered a higher ranked preference, they will be informed of the appeal procedure.

Please note that we expect a high volume of calls week commencing 1 March 2021. If you have problems getting through please email at ed-admissions@sheffield.gov.uk we aim to respond to all emails within 4 days.

Oversubscription criteria for secondary schools

If your enquiry relates to a specific year you will need to see the criteria for that year.

Governing Bodies for voluntary aided and foundation schools are the Admission Authority who establish admission arrangements and allocate school places.

Covid-19 (Coronavirus) School Admission Appeals for September 2021 Entry

In April 2020 emergency regulations were introduced. They temporarily amended the 2012 regulations to give admission authorities, local authorities and appeal panels additional flexibility when dealing with appeals during the outbreak. This is also to ensure that appeal timetables work in light of school closures.

The emergency regulations were due to expire on 31 January 2021. However, as coronavirus restrictions are likely to be in place longer than expected, the Government has extended these regulations until 30 September 2021.

The statutory Appeals Code has not been amended and the vast majority of its requirements remain appropriate and must still be complied with.

Key changes

The overriding principles governing all appeals are procedural fairness and natural justice.

Face-to-face appeal hearings must not take place until the government guidelines on social distancing indicate it is safe to do so. Admission authorities, clerks and panels should comply with the government guidelines applicable at the time of arranging and hearing the appeal.

Where face-to-face hearings cannot take place, hearings should be conducted by telephone or video conference. Where telephone or video conference is not possible, appeals conducted entirely on the basis of written submissions are acceptable.

New deadlines and timescales

Temporary regulations mean the local authority or admission authority must include a deadline for lodging an appeal which is at least 28 days from the date of the notification and refers to a date or calendar days, rather than making any reference to school days. This is to allow for any further school closures

Decision letters should be sent within 7 calendar days of the hearing or, in the case of an appeal, conducted on the basis of written submissions only within 7 calendar days of the appeal panel making their decision, wherever possible. Both these functions are carried out by the local authority.

If you have submitted an appeal you will receive written notice of when your appeal is scheduled and we will ask how you would prefer your appeal to be conducted. You can find more advice by contacting: 

Appeal your child's school place

You are entitled to appeal for a place at any school which your child has been refused.

In order to have your case considered by an Independent Appeal Panel you must complete a Notice of Appeal Form for each school you wish to appeal for. Your child will remain allocated to the school named in your letter unless they are offered an alternative place from the waiting list or by the appeal panel.

School appeals timescales and Process for admissions into the 2021/2022 academic year

On-time secondary admission appeal timescales 2021/2022:

  1. Secondary National Allocation Date 1 March 2021 – email notifications sent 1 March 2021
  2. deadline for lodging appeal is 29 March 2021 – 28 calendar days from the date of notification
  3. notification of appeal hearing – at least 14 calendar days’ notice
  4. all effort will be made to hear appeals as soon as reasonably practicable
  5. appeals received after 29 March 2021 – appeals to be heard as soon as reasonably practicable

On-time primary admissions appeal timescales 2021/2022:

  1. Primary National Allocation Date 16 April 2021 – email notifications sent 16 April 2021
  2. deadline for lodging appeal is 14 May 2021 – 28 calendar days from the date of notification
  3. notification of appeal hearing – at least 14 calendar days’ notice
  4. all effort will be made to hear appeals as soon as reasonably practicable
  5. appeals received after 14 May 2021 – appeals to be heard as soon as reasonably practicable

In-year admission appeal timescales 2021/2022:

  1. transfer application refused
  2. lodge appeal
  3. notification of appeal hearing – at least 14 calendar days’ notice

Appeals criteria

Priority 1 children in care (previously in care)

Pupils who are, or have previously been in care but ceased to be so because they were adopted, became subject to a child arrangement order or a special Guardianship Order immediately following being in care.

Priority 2 catchment area with sibling

Children who normally reside in the defined catchment area who also have a brother or sister at the preferred school at the point of entry will be considered next.

Priority 3 catchment area

Children who normally reside in the defined catchment area of a school.

Priority 4 brother or sisters (siblings) of children refused a place at their Sheffield catchment school

A sibling is defined as a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as:

  • a brother and/or sister (including half brothers/sisters)
  • a stepbrother and/or stepsister
  • in both cases, will attend the preferred school at point of entry

Priority 5 brothers or sisters (siblings)

A sibling is defined as a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as:

  • a brother and/or sister (including half brothers/sisters)
  • a stepbrother and/or stepsister
  • in both cases, will attend the preferred school at point of entry

Priority 6 designated feeder school

Attendance at a primary school which is officially designated as a feeder school to a secondary school, but where you live outside the catchment area.

Priority 7 other applications

Any child who does not fit into the above categories will be considered next.

Tie breakers

If the admission number is reached mid-category, there are 2 stages of further consideration carried out within the above outlined categories:

  1. Where exceptional medical, social or special educational needs are demonstrated and evidenced by a professional.
  2. If no exceptional circumstances are present; admissions are prioritised by the straight line distance from the centre of the home to the centre of the school building.

Oversubscription criteria for primary school places

The following criteria confirm the priorities for admission into Sheffield community and voluntary controlled schools.

If your enquiry relates to a specific year you will need to see the criteria for that year.

Governing Bodies for voluntary aided and foundation schools are the Admission Authority who establish admission arrangements and allocate school places.

Broomhill Infant School is the only foundation school in Sheffield. The school is independent from ourselves and the Governing Body is responsible for setting and applying their own admission criteria.

Criteria

Priority 1 children in care (previously in care)

Pupils who are, or have previously been in care but ceased to be so because they were adopted, became subject to a child arrangement order or a special Guardianship Order immediately following being in care.

Priority 2 catchment area with sibling

Children who normally reside in the defined catchment area who also have a brother or sister at the preferred school at the point of entry will be considered next.

Priority 3 catchment area

Children who normally reside in the defined catchment area of a school.

Priority 4 siblings who were refused a place at their catchment school in a previous year, where parents applied there

A sibling is defined as a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as:

  • a brother and/or sister (including half brothers/sisters)
  • a stepbrother and/or stepsister
  • in both cases, will attend the preferred school at point of entry

Priority 5 brothers or sisters siblings

A sibling is defined as a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as:

  • a brother and/or sister (including half brothers/sisters)
  • a stepbrother and/or stepsister
  • in both cases, will attend the preferred school at point of entry

Priority 7 other applications

Any child who does not fit into the above categories will be considered next.

Places are only allocated up to the published indicated admission number.

Tie breakers

If the admission number is reached mid-category, there are 2 stages of further consideration carried out within the above outlined categories:

  1. Where exceptional medical, social or special educational needs are demonstrated and evidenced by a professional.
  2. If no exceptional circumstances are present; admissions are prioritised by the straight line distance from the centre of the home to the centre of the school building.

Oversubscribed primary schools for reception and junior for year 3

If a school does not appear on the list it is because it was possible to allocate places for all those who applied expressing preference before the allocation date 16 April 2019.

The oversubscribed infant and primary school document shows:

  • the number of places at each of the oversubscribed schools
  • categories and numbers of pupils allocated
  • categories and numbers of pupils refused
  • the distance from home to school of the last child allocated

Transfer from an infant to junior school oversubscribed criteria

Below are the oversubscription criteria priorities for admissions to Sheffield community and voluntary controlled schools.

The Governing Bodies for voluntary, aided and foundation schools are the Admission Authority who establish admission arrangements and allocate schools places.

The following oversubscription criteria outline the priorities for admissions to Sheffield Community schools and Academies, except Church Schools and Academies.

Special educational needs

Any child that has a statement or EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan) that names a specific school must be given a place there.

Criteria

Priority 1 children in care (previously in care)

Pupils who are, or have previously been in care but ceased to be so because they were adopted, became subject to a child arrangement order or a special Guardianship Order immediately following being in care.

Priority 2 attendance at a linked feeder school

This category applies to the transfer from year 2 to year 3 at separate infant and junior schools.

The priority is given if the child attends a designated linked feeder school at the time of allocation.

Should there be oversubscription within this category, normal categories would be applied.

Priority 3 catchment area with sibling

Children who normally reside in the defined catchment area who also have a brother or sister at the preferred school at the point of entry will be considered next.

Priority 4 catchment area

Children who normally reside in the defined catchment area of a school.

Priority 5 siblings who were refused a place at their catchment school in a previous year, where parents applied there

A sibling is defined as a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as:

  • a brother and/or sister (including half brothers/sisters)
  • a stepbrother and/or stepsister
  • in both cases, will attend the preferred school at point of entry

Priority 6 brothers and sisters (siblings)

A sibling is defined as a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as:

  • a brother and/or sister (including half brothers/sisters)
  • a stepbrother and/or stepsister
  • in both cases, will attend the preferred school at point of entry

Priority 7 other applications

Any child who does not fit into the above categories will be considered next.

Places are only allocated up to the published indicated admission number.

Tie breakers

If the admission number is reached mid-category, there are 2 stages of further consideration carried out within the above outlined categories.

  1. Where exceptional medical, social or special educational needs are demonstrated and evidenced by a professional.
  2. If no exceptional circumstances are present; admissions are prioritised by the straight line distance from the centre of the home to the centre of the school building.

Refused a place at primary school on prejudice grounds and on class size

Refused a place at primary school

We operate a catchment area based admissions policy. Sometimes, children are refused admission to a school and placed on a waiting list. This is because there were more applications received than places available. In this instance we use our admissions policy to prioritise places.

Refused on prejudice grounds

Details of schools that were oversubscribed and refused further admission on the grounds that admission of extra pupils would prejudice the provision of efficient education, are available in the primary refusals prejudice and class size document.

Refused on grounds of class size

We must allocate up to the published admission number if there is a demand. However, by law, Infant classes (children aged 5, 6 and 7) with one teacher cannot contain more than 30 children. Once reached, The Admissions Authority cannot allocate any more children. The schools that were oversubscribed and refused further admission are available in the primary refusals prejudice and class size document.

Contact Admissions

ed-admissions@sheffield.gov.uk

0114 273 5766

Supporting information

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