Admissions
Joining Our School
September Admissions
Children are admitted to school at the beginning of the school year (September - August) in which they are 5. The online application process opens on 10th September and closes on 15th January.
If you would like to have a tour of our lovely school, please do contact the school office:
office@farcet.cambs.sch.uk to book your place.
How Places Are Offered
For admission into Reception each September, the LA, on behalf of the Governing Body, will offer places to up to 20 children. This is the Published Admission Number (PAN) for that year group.
In the event that more than 20 applications are received, the oversubscription criteria will be applied to determine priority for places. Both preferences are treated equally, regardless of whether they are first or second preference
Over-subscription Criteria
The criteria are listed in order of priority:
- Children who have a statement of special educational need which names the school. Where the statement does not name the school the STAR Team will determine an appropriate place.
- Children in local authority care - also known as 'Looked After' children and children who were looked after but ceased to be by reason of adoption, a resident order or special guardianship order.
- Children living in the catchment area with a sibling at the school at the time of admission.
- Children living in the catchment area.
- Children living outside the catchment area with a sibling at school at the time of admission.
- Children living outside the catchment area who have been unable to gain a place at their catchment school be because of over subscription.
- Children who live outside the catchment area but live closest to the school as measured by a straight line.
In cases of equal merit in each set of criteria, the priority will go to children living nearest the school as measured by a straight line. The distance, for admissions purposes, is measured using a straight line from the centre point of the home to the centre point of the school as determined by the National Property and Land Gazetter (NPLG). These distances are produced by the LA (Local Authority) Admissions Team for the school. For families living outside the catchment area covered by the Cambs mapping system, distances are determined using a combination of local maps and on-line resources.
Reserve Lists
When an application is refused, the child’s details are automatically placed on a reserve list for the year group, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria.
As part of the co-ordinated scheme for primary admissions, the LA Admissions Team holds the initial reserve list on behalf of the governing body until the end of the first week of the autumn term in the initial year of intake.
If A Place Opens Up
Parents will be contacted immediately if a place becomes available for their child, but should be aware that their child’s place on a reserve list may change if an application is subsequently received that meets a higher criterion than their own.
The governing body then manages the reserve list until the end of the autumn term.
Mid-Phase Applications
Where mid-phase applications are received, children’s details will be automatically placed on a reserve list for the year group, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria.
Reserve lists will be held for a period of one term following the term for which the place was refused.
Appeals
The parent of any child who is refused a place at a VA or F Primary School has a right of appeal to an independent Appeals Panel. The panel consists of three people who are independent of the school’s Governing Body and the Local Education Authority.
The panel will consider the circumstances of the case put before them and the Governing Body and parents must abide by the decision it makes.
Appeals for VA or F Primary School are currently arranged by the LA Admissions Team on behalf of the Governing Body. Further information and appeal forms are available from the Admissions Team.
Definitions
For the purpose of admission to the school, the Governing Body has adopted the LA’s definitions of parent, sibling and home address. Details of these can be found at the back of the LA’s admission booklet for parents.