Admissions to academies

The school admissions service is provided by the Admissions and Transport Team, part of the Children, Adults & Health department at South Gloucestershire Council. We are an experienced team who provide statutory services to support and enable academies to comply with the requirements of the school admissions code.

Where admission to academies is subject to the same oversubscription criteria as the authority’s prevailing admissions policy, the Admissions and Transport Team are able to rank and allocate places for first admission to school (year seven for secondary schools, reception for infant and primary schools) on behalf of the academies, on the basis of an annual charge.

It is important that all school applications are ranked correctly against the published admissions criteria, to limit circumstances where schools need go over their published admission number. To achieve this, we carry out the following on your behalf:

  • measuring distances from home to school
  • investigating address queries for individual children
  • checking sibling links
  • identifying children living in the relevant areas of prime responsibility
  • check Looked after, Previously looked after and Internationally adopted previously looked after status
  • identifying children that have Education Health and Care Plans (EHC plans)
  • ranking all applicants for a place, including late applications
  • maintain the waiting list for year seven (secondary schools) and reception (infant and primary schools) up to the end of August, then forward to the academy ready for 1 September.

The co-ordinated admissions process can be complicated for parents and schools. Our experienced team can also provide the following:

  • deal with queries via telephone, email and letters from parents/carers concerning the allocation of places
  • answer queries relating to waiting lists and the appeal process for admission to year seven/reception
  • on request, provide updates on the number of applications received and places allocated
  • copy relevant correspondence for the academies for admission appeals
  • provide advice on the admissions code and associated regulations and guidance
  • provide advice on the consultation process.

Why choose us?

  • We have a complete knowledge of co-ordinated admissions and how the process fits together, providing an efficient and professional service
  • We provide guidance and support with a wide range of admission queries built from years of experience
  • You can be confident your admissions criteria have been consistently followed, as well as your processes being taken care of
  • You benefit from the excellent relationships we hold with neighbouring authorities who have applied knowledge of the processes they follow and their policies, including the application process for selective schools
  • We work collaboratively with teams across the council to ensure positive outcomes for schools, students and their families.

For more information please contact Charlotte Johnston at: charlotte.johnston@southglos.gov.uk or call 01454 863295.