Co-op Academy  

Smithies Moor

2025- 2026 

Admissions Policy

Admissions 

At The Co-op Academy Smithies Moor, we still adhere to the procedures and  policies of the Local Authority ((Kirklees) in respect of admissions with the exception  that for in-year admissions to the academy, the In-year Common Application Form  (ICAF) needs to be brought to the academy for processing.  

Within the Foundation Stage and Key Stage one phases of the academy (reception,  years 1 and 2) there is a constraint of 30 pupils per class. This is a government  regulation and in order to comply with this legislation, there is no guarantee that we  can offer a place to any child.

Admission Criteria

If there are fewer applicants than there are places available, everyone who applies will be offered a place. When there are more applicants than there are places available there has to be a way of deciding which children are offered places. This is done by having admission criteria, also known as oversubscription criteria, which are considered in order.

Priority 1: children in public care (looked after children) and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be as a result of being adopted;

Priority 2: children who live in the academy’s Priority Admission Area (PAA) who have a brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission (the sibling rule);

Priority 3: children who live in the academy’s PAA. 

Priority 4: children who live outside the academy’s PAA who have a brother or sister  attending the academy from the same address at the date of admission (the sibling rule).

Priority 5: children who live outside the academy's PAA. 

The academy will admit a child with Special Educational Needs where the school is named on the Education Health and Care Plan.

If there are more applicants than places we will use the above criteria to determine  who will be offered a place.

Admission to the Foundation Stage  (nursery)

Nursery part time education is available at present for up to 26 children for either a morning, afternoon sessions or full time. We hope to offer children at least three term’s part time education before starting in full time schooling. A full 30 hour per week provision  is also available.This will depend on the demand for places. Priority admission is  normally based on the child’s date of birth but additional priority may be given to  children with special educational and social needs. Any parent who wishes to enroll  their child for a place in Foundation Stage, is very welcome to visit the academy at  any time. Staff will be pleased to talk to them and show them around. When your child  is due to start part-time education, two members of our nursery team will visit you at  home. They will also invite you to visit Foundation Stage with your child and a meeting  will be held for parents to find out what happens in Foundation Stage. How quickly  children settle varies from child to child. We may therefore ask that you, or someone  your child knows well, stay with them until he or she feels comfortable and relaxed.  This is usually a day or two, but may take longer.

Nursery Entry Dates – early entitlement

Your child may access a place from the term after their 3rd birthday.

Entitlement

If your child’s 3rd birthday falls he or she is entitled to a free place from

Admission to Reception

In Kirklees children start school according to the date of their fifth  birthday.  

Important –

Is your child at our academy nursery?

• A place in a school or academy nursery does not give you a place in the Reception class at a  school.  

• Children who attend the academy’s nursery do not receive guaranteed places or a higher priority  for places in the academy.  

You must make a separate application for a place in a reception class.  

All children can start full time school in the September following their fourth birthday: 

Children may be able to start school later in the school year, or request to attend part  time, until they reach "statutory school age" which is the beginning of the term  following their fifth birthday.

• You must apply online for a reception place by the closing date, no matter  when your child will start reception during the school year

• Once your child has been offered a place, the academy must hold the place  for your child during the same academic year and not offer it to another child

• Parents should contact their child's allocated school after places have been  allocated to discuss any requests to start later in the year or to attend on a  part time basis

• For 'Summer born' children, you may feel that your child's needs are such that  they would benefit from starting school a year later, please contact Kirklees  Admissions for further advice and guidance

Late applications

Applications received after the appropriate closing date will be regarded as late unless, in Kirklees’ judgment, there are significant and exceptional reasons for the lateness. Proof of special circumstances will be required.  Late applications are not considered until all on-time applicants have been allocated places. Forms submitted after the closing date due to a significant house move will be regarded as on-time provided that documentary evidence to confirm the move is provided by the following deadlines in time for the allocation process.

For Reception, year 3 and year 6 - It is expected that the allocation process will take place on 11 March 2025. The latest reasonable date for evidence of a significant house move will be 15 February 2025.

Waiting lists

The waiting lists will be held in admission criteria order and will close on 31 December 2025.

For in-year admissions, the waiting list will be held for the remainder of the term for which they have applied for a place.

Twins / multiple births

 A twin or sibling from a multiple birth can be admitted as an excepted pupil into an infant class, where admission of more than one of the siblings would exceed the infant class size limit of 30 pupils, such cases would be examined on an individual basis.

Flats

In the event of two or more children living equidistant from the school, eg, blocks of flats, the place will be decided by drawing lots, the first name drawn out of the bag will be offered the place. Rising five year old children

Full time places will be available from the September following a child’s fourth birthday. Parents may defer their child’s entry until later in the school year and the allocated place will be held for the child. Parents may not defer entry beyond the beginning of the term in which the child reaches their fifth birthday, nor beyond the school year for which the original application was accepted.

Parents can request that their child takes up the place part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.

Children of Service Personnel and Crown Servants

 Kirklees Council is signed up to the armed forces Community Covenant, which is a pledge made by the government to ensure that the armed forces and their families are not disadvantaged as a result of their service. As part of the co-ordinated process applications from armed forces families are reviewed on an individual basis to ensure they are not disadvantaged, and, Kirklees LA may ask schools to consider admission over PAN if this is felt to be necessary.

 Children of service personnel and crown servants returning from overseas to live within Kirklees, will be allocated a school place (as long as one is available) in advance of their arrival. The application must be accompanied by an official letter declaring the relocation date and postal address. The allocation will be based upon the address at which the child will live when applying oversubscription criteria, as long as parents provide some evidence of their intended address. Summer born children (children born between 1 April and 31 August)

 The majority of parents apply and take up a reception place in the school year in which their child will reach the age of five (rising fives). All children are entitled to a full time place in the September following their fourth birthday. However, the legal starting age for full time education is the start of the term following the child’s fifth birthday and parents may request that their child’s entry is deferred until later in the same school year or until the term in which the child reaches compulsory school age.

Kirklees Council receives a small number of enquiries from parents (whose children are ‘summer born’) to delay their entry to school until the September following their fifth birthday.

In many of these cases where a request is made for a delayed entry of a ‘summer born’ child, a place would be offered in Year 1 as this enables the child to remain within their chronological age group, however, non-statutory Department for Education (DfE) Guidance states;

 **School admission authorities are required to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday, but flexibilities exist for children whose parents do not feel they are ready to begin school at this point.

 **School admission authorities are responsible for making the decision on which year group a child should be admitted to but are required to make a decision based on the circumstances of the case.

There is no statutory barrier to children being admitted outside their normal year group.

All requests for such transfers will be explored with the parent/carer on an individual basis. ‘Advice on the Admission of Summer Born Children’ (DfE, September 2020) Parents should still apply online in the normal admission round for 2025, and also email Pupil Admissions to make their request. The request will be considered by a panel of education experts after the relevant closing date for applications and the individual case will be considered. The panel will make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child concerned, taking into account the views of the headteacher and any supporting evidence provided by the parent. ** Kirklees Council is the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled schools. The governing body is the admission authority for foundation and voluntary aided schools and the academy trust is the admission authority for academies and free schools.

In-year admissions

Kirklees residents who wish to apply for a place in the first year at a school after the first school day in September 2025, or to any other age group at any time, will apply on the In-year Common Application Form (ICAF). TAn In-year admission is when one of the following applies:

• Parents or carers who have moved into Kirklees and do not have a school  place for their child.

• Parents or carers who are moving within Kirklees and whose child already has  a school place but the current school is too far from the new home  

• Parents or carers who live in Kirklees and are not moving house but would  like to change their child's school

To make an application for an in-year admission you will need to complete the ‘In Year Common Application Form’ (ICAF). This along with other guidance can be  found on the Kirklees Council Admissions Information website. The ICAF has to be  brought to the academy for processing.  

The Kirklees In-Year Fair Access Protocol  

• All local authorities have an In-Year Fair Access Protocol, which exists to ensure  that unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a  suitable school as quickly as possible.  

• The Fair Access Protocol also ensures that all schools in the authority admit their  fair share of children with challenging behaviour. This includes admitting children  above the published admission number to schools that are already full.  

• All Kirklees schools participate in the protocol, which provides a safety net for those  children for whom the normal admission arrangements are not appropriate.

The Co-op Academy Smithies Moor Published Admissions Numbers (PAN) for 2024-25 are  

Reception 30

Year 1 30

Year 2 30

Year 3 30

Year 4 30

Year 5 30

Year 6 30

Visiting the Academy

New Entrants

The parents of new entrants of the Foundation Stage are invited to meet the  Head of Academy and/or the Pastoral team, during the term prior to admission. This  will enable discussion about the arrangements for your child’s admission.

Open evenings

Open evenings are arranged for parents three times a year to discuss the progress  of your children with their class teacher.

Meetings

Meetings for parents are held throughout the year on a variety of topics.

Informal Visits

We are happy to see parents to answer questions and supply information on life at  the academy. Any matter pertaining to the welfare and education of the children can  be discussed. If parents prefer to make an appointment at a particular time this can  be arranged. Visits around the academy can be arranged on request, however if staff  are available at the time this can be immediate.

Appeals

Please ensure any additional evidence you wish to submit in support of your appeal  is received by the Pupil Admissions Team at least four working days before your  appeal. Any material not submitted by the specified deadline may not be considered  by the Independent Appeals Panel.

You must also let us know if you intend to call any witnesses or be represented at  the appeal hearing.

Appeal hearing

The clerk of the appeal panel will write to you about the appeal hearing and explain  the procedures. An independent appeal panel hears appeals. It is made up of three  people, including:

• At least one 'lay' member (a member of the public with no specialist education  experience)

• At least one 'independent' person who has experience in education and who  is familiar with educational conditions in our area or who is a parent of a  registered pupil at a school.

•

In-year admission appeals 

Appeals against a decision in any other year groups will be heard within 30 school  days of the appeal being received by the Local Authority. 

You will receive notification in writing of the date, time and venue of your appeal 10  school days before the hearing.

You will receive full appeal papers including the admission authority case and your  submissions prior to the appeal hearing (approximately one week before). Decision letters will be sent within five school days of the hearing. School days are term time only. If an appeal is submitted in the holidays, the 30  school days starts from the beginning of a new term 

We will, however, try to hear it as soon as possible.