Admissions
Visits to our school are warmy welcomed. Please call or email [email protected]/ 01772 743321 to arrange an appointment.
We welcome applications from all members of our local community. The admission number for Penwortham Primary School is 30. If you would like to visit our school please contact the school office to make an appointment. We look forward to meeting you and your family.
When children can start primary school
Children can start reception year at primary school from the September after their fourth birthday. However, by law children don't have to start school until the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday.
Earlier starts will be considered in very exceptional cases or circumstances. Parents must provide evidence of an exceptional or substantial need for this to happen.
These are the dates that children would usually start school and when to apply for a school place:
Child born between | Starts primary school | Apply between |
---|---|---|
1 Sep 2019 - 31 Aug 2020 | Sep 2024 | Sep 2023 - Jan 2024 |
1 Sep 2020 - 31 Aug 2021 | Sep 2025 | Sep 2024 - Jan 2025 |
1 Sep 2021 - 31 Aug 2022 | Sep 2026 | Sep 2025 - Jan 2026 |
Admissions are through Lancashire County Council and this can be done via the link below:
Important dates
The arrangements for the admission of pupils to primary schools in September 2024 will, as far as possible, conform to the following timetable.
1 September 2023 - Apply from this date
School places are not allocated on a first come, first served basis. All applications received up to the closing date are given equal priority, but if you miss the deadline, a late application may reduce your chance of getting your preference of school.
14 January 2024 - National closing date for primary applications (statutory).
During this period all applications are processed and all preferences are considered against the published admissions policy. Where there are more applications than places available, decisions are made as to which children should be offered the available places. We will liaise and exchange information with all other admission authorities including neighbouring local authorities. The allocation and offer of a primary school place is finalised.
15 April 2024 - Offers issued to parents*
(The national offer date is 16 April, if this date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, offers are sent the next working day.)
26 April 2024 - Deadline for requesting:
Week commencing 1 May 2024 - Distribute appeal forms to parents
10 May 2024 - Appeal deadline for community and voluntary controlled schools**
1st round of hearings.
For voluntary aided, foundation, free and academy schools, please check with the school directly for their deadline date.
By 5 July 2024
Appeals for community and voluntary controlled schools submitted by the deadline heard by an independent appeal panel
* If you are not happy with an initial offer, the appeals period starts from your receipt of the offer. Appeal information will be issued later as this allows some time for reserve lists to operate.
Admissions criteria for Penwortham Primary School
The admission number for Penwortham Primary School is 30.
Parents are given the opportunity to express three preferences for a primary school. Published criteria are used to decide which children should be offered the available places. In primary schools, an equal preference scheme is operated to comply with the Schools Admission Code, whereby three parental preferences are given equal status and are considered equally against the admissions criteria. If a school is oversubscribed, the following criteria will be applied in priority order:
When a school is oversubscribed on parental preferences, then the following priorities apply in order:
- Looked after children and those who have been previously looked after, [including those legally adopted from overseas] (please see note x below), then
- Children for whom the Local Authority accepts that there are exceptional medical, social or welfare reasons which are directly relevant to the school concerned (see note (i) below, then
- Children with older brothers and sisters attending the school when the younger child will start, (see note (iii) below), then
- Remaining places are allocated according to where a child lives. Those living nearest to the preferred school by a straight line (radial) measure will have priority, (see note (v) below).
Notes
(i) The medical, social and welfare criterion will consider issues relevant to the child and/or the family. This category may include children without a statement who have special needs.
(ii) As required by law, all children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs/Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming a school will be admitted before the application of the over-subscription criteria. Children who have a statement for special needs/EHCP have their applications considered separately.
(iii) Brothers and sisters includes full brothers and sisters, step children, half brothers and sisters, fostered and adopted children living with the same family at the same address; and full brothers and sisters living at different addresses.
(iv) The distance criterion which will be used as the tie breaker if there is oversubscription within any of the admission criteria is a straight line (radial) measure. If the Local Authority is unable to distinguish between applicants using the published criteria, eg siblings, those living the same distance from home to school, or families residing in the same block of flats, places will be offered via a random draw.
The distance measure is a straight line (radial) measure centre of building to centre of building.
(v) A child’s permanent address is the one where he/she normally lives and sleeps and goes to school from. Proof of residence may be requested at any time throughout the admissions process, (including after a child has accessed a school place). Addresses of relatives or friends must not be used and neither should addresses of any other properties owned by applicants.
(vi) The Local Authority will keep waiting lists for all Lancashire primary schools until 31 August . These are kept in priority order using the school's published admission criteria. From 1 September 2021, waiting lists will be transferred to and retained by individual admission authorities (the Local authority for community and voluntary controlled schools and own admission authority schools will each retain their own list). To comply with the School Admissions Code the waiting lists must be retained until at least 31 December.
(vii) Children will not normally be able to start school other than at the beginning of the term unless they have moved into the area or there are exceptional circumstances.
(viii) Applications for school places which are received late will not necessarily be dealt with at the same time as those received by the set deadline. The reasons for a late application may be requested and where these are not exceptional, the relevant admission criteria will be initially applied to all others received on time. The late application will be dealt with after this process.
Application forms received after the published closing date, will only be considered at that time if the following conditions apply:
- if the number of preferences received for the school is below the published admission number or
- there are extenuating circumstances justifying a late application
These may include:
- parents moving into the County after the closing date
- parent/carer illness which required hospitalisation for the major part of the period between the publication of the composite prospectus and the closing date for applications
(ix) Where a child lives with one parent for part of the week and another for the rest of the week, only one address will be accepted for a school admission application. This will normally be the one where the child wakes up for the majority of school days (Monday to Friday).
(x) The highest priority must be given to looked after children and children who were previously looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order, child arrangement orders or special guardianship order). Further references to previously looked after children in the Code means children who were adopted (or subject to residence orders, child arrangement orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after. This includes children who are legally adopted from overseas. Relevant, legal documents must be provided to evidence the adoption.
A 'looked after child' (1) or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (2) child arrangements order (residency order) (3) or special guardianship order (4).
(1) A 'looked after child' is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (please see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.
(2) This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Childrens Act 2002 (please see section 46 adoption orders).
(3) Under the provisions of s.12 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which amend section 8 of the Children Act 1989, residence orders have now been replaced by child arrangements orders.
(4) See Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 which defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).
This includes children who are legally adopted from overseas. Relevant, legal documents must be provided to evidence the adoption.