Admissions


Timetable for Appeals – Primary

Your appeal will be heard at what is called a Hearing, within a time scale of 40 school days from 12th May 2023 [check LA deadline for appeals and update]. It is likely to be heard at the end of June [update or add specific date].

All other appeals known as ‘in-year’ admissions and those for Year R submitted after 12th May 2023 will be heard within 30 school working days of submitting the request.

Your appeal request should state your reasons for your request and any additional information/documentation/appendices should be submitted five days before the Hearing to allow time for it to be copied and distributed to all the interested parties. At least 10 working days before your appeal, unless you choose to waive this right, you will be sent detailed information regarding the process and also the date and names of the independent panel members who will hear the appeal.

The school is unable to guarantee that any original work/evidence/folders, submitted as part of the appeal, will be returned. Appellants may wish to submit copies in advance and then take important original documents verifying evidence to the appeal.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

SEYMOUR PRIMARY SCHOOL

ADMISSIONS POLICY SEPTEMBER 2024 ENTRY

Arrangements for applications for places in Reception at Seymour Primary Academy will be made in accordance with West Sussex’s co-ordinated admission arrangements; parents resident in West Sussex can apply online here; parents resident in other areas must apply through their home local authority. Seymour Primary Academy will use West Sussex’s timetable published online for these applications and West Sussex will make the offers of places as required by the School Admissions Code. 

Published Admission Number (PAN)

Seymour Primary Academy admits 60 pupils into Reception.  If there are fewer applicants than places available all applicants will be admitted. Children are admitted to the Reception Class in the school year in which they have their fifth birthday.   

Special Educational Needs

Any child with an Education, Health and Care Plan that names the academy will be admitted. As a result of this, the PAN will be reduced accordingly.

Oversubscription Criteria

If there are more applications than places available we will apply the oversubscription criteria listed below:

  1. Looked after children and previously looked after children. 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 (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to the school. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order). Previously looked after children also includes those who have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.  
  2. Children with an exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical need which makes the school particularly suitable for the child. Priority will be given to those children who have an essential need to attend Seymour Primary School.  Applications for priority in this criterion will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate an essential connection between the applicant’s needs and Seymour Primary School.
  3. Children living in the catchment area of the school with a sibling attending at the time of application and admission.  The catchment area is bordered to the north by Horsham Rd, to the east by Crawley Avenue, to the south by Winfield Way and Coachman’s Drive and to the west by Broadfield Place and Pelham Drive.  Brother or sister means children who live as a brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, half and stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters.
  4. Other children living in the catchment area – see definition above.
  5. Other children with brothers or sisters attending Seymour Primary Academy at the time of application and admission.  Brother or sister means children who live as a brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, half and stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters.
  6. Distance.  We use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the front gates of the school, measured in a straight-line using Ordnance Survey address point data. Priority will be given to children living closest to the school.  

Where a child lives normally during the school week with more than one parent at different addresses, the permanent home address for the purposes of school admissions will be the one where the child spends the majority of school nights Monday–Friday.  

Tie-break

If the distance criterion is not sufficient to distinguish between two or more applicants for the last remaining place then random allocation will be used.  This process will be supervised by somebody independent of the school.

Multiple Births

In the case of twins or other multiple births, where there is only one place available in the school, both will be considered together as one application. The school will be allowed to go above its admission number for this purpose.

Fraudulent or Misleading Applications

As an admission authority we have the right to investigate any concerns we may have about your application and to withdraw the offer of a place if we consider there is evidence that you have made a fraudulent claim or provided misleading information, for example a false address was given which denied a place to a child with a stronger claim.  We reserve the right to check any address and other information provided so we can apply the oversubscription criteria accurately and fairly.

Fair Access Protocol

Local Authorities are required to have Fair Access Protocols in order to make sure that unplaced, vulnerable children are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. The school will comply with West Sussex’s Fair Access Protocol.  This may mean admitting children above the PAN.

Deferred entry for Reception places

In accordance with the requirements of the Admissions Code, if your child has been offered a place: – 

  1. your child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday; 
  2. you can defer the date your child is admitted to the school until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which your child reaches compulsory school age and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which it was made; and 
  3. if you wish, your child may attend part-time until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which your child reaches compulsory school age. 

Admission of children outside their normal age group

Parents may request that their child is admitted outside their normal age group. To do so, they should include a written request with their application, setting out the year group in which they wish their child to be allocated a place and the reasons for their request. It is important for parents to note that they will have responsibility for providing evidence to support their request. When such a request is made, Seymour Primary Academy will make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case, based on their professional judgement of what is in the best interest of the child, taking account of the evidence and rationale provided by the parents.

In-year admissions

For all information regarding In-Year Admissions, including details on how parents can apply for a school place, an application form to complete, the timescale in which your application will be processed and details on the right to appeal, please visit the school website.

Waiting List

Any child refused a place at the school will automatically be put on the waiting list unless a higher preference school has been offered. A waiting list will be maintained for 1 calendar year after which it will be cleared.  If you would like your child to remain on the waiting list please contact the school in December. The waiting list is maintained in the order of the oversubscription criteria. This means that names can move down the list if, e.g. someone moves into the area and is higher placed under the oversubscription criteria.

Appeals

The parents of any child refused a place at the school have a right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. The decision of the independent appeal panel is binding on all parties.

Admissions for all pupils are dealt with and allocated by West Sussex County Council Admission Team, according to their Admissions Policy. Parents may apply online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/admissions  .

 

Before you apply, make sure you have read the information on the West Sussex County Council website to ensure you understand the admission process, rules and criteria and also the school admissions policies (linked below)  It is the responsibility of parents/carers to apply for a school place. 

If your child attends Seymour pre-school and you would like your child to attend Seymour Primary School you must apply for a place as above. Admission to Seymour Primary School is not automatic.

 

School admissions policies 

 

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2023

 

Set out in this document are the oversubscription criteria for Seymour Primary School for September 2023.     

 

The oversubscription criteria apply when the school receives more applications than its admission number of 90. 

 

The oversubscription criteria are:

 

  1. Children in public care, and those who have been in care and have been subsequently adopted or have been made subject of a residence order or special guardianship, including  those who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
  1. Children who need a place at the school on exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical grounds.

 

  1. Children who live in the catchment area with brothers or sisters already attending the school who will still be there when he/she starts. (Brothers and sisters may be half or step-siblings but must be living permanently at the same address).

 

  1. Other children who live in the catchment area.

 

  1. Children who live outside the catchment area with brothers or sisters already attending the school and who will still be there when he/she starts. (Brothers and sisters may be half or step-siblings but must be living permanently at the same address). (The catchment area is bordered to the north by Horsham Rd, east by Crawley Avenue, south by Coachman’s Drive and west by Broadfield Place.)

 

  1. Other children who live outside the catchment area.


In the case of oversubscription in any of the above categories, priority of placement is given to applicants who live nearest the school. 

 

Appeals

 

Please click on the link to find out how to make an appeal

Make an admissions appeal 

 

  1. Any child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming the school will automatically be admitted to a school, under section 324 of the Education Act 1996.

 

  1. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or a special guardianship order. For the purpose of this criterion this includes:
  • An Adoption Order – “made under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002”;
  • A Special Guardianship Order – “made under Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 (as amended by the Adoption and Children Act 2002”;
  • A Residence Order – “made under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989”.

 

  1. Parents/carers must provide written supporting evidence from an appropriately qualified person (usually a doctor or social worker) if they wish to apply under the exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical grounds. The evidence should state clearly why the school asked for is the best one to meet the child’s specific needs.  Letters from parents are not considered sufficient evidence. Letters that do not address educational provision or address why the named school is the best to meet the child’s needs are not considered sufficient evidence. 

 

The school will not contact doctors or social workers to obtain evidence relating to an application. It is parents’ responsibility to attach any evidence relating to their child to their application form.

 

A panel of West Sussex senior education officers will decide whether the reasons expressed are sufficient to override the oversubscription criteria and allow admission on exceptional and compelling grounds.

 

  1. The term ‘parent’ includes other legal guardians. 

 

  1. A catchment area is a geographical area served by a specific school and defined on a map. Parents are informed of the catchment school for their home address. Maps are available from admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk.

 

  1. Brothers or sisters may be half or step-siblings, adopted siblings or the child of the parent/carer’s partner but must be living permanently at the same address.   

 

  1. Distances are measured in a straight line from school to home using Ordnance Survey address point data from a central point in each building.

 

  1. Parents may decide to defer entry to primary school until the spring or summer term as long as their child has not reached compulsory school age (the start of the term following the child’s 5th birthday). This must be formally agreed with the school. Parents may request the child to start either full or part-time before the child reaches compulsory school age and schools must comply with this request. 

 

  1. Families who applied for a place at this school as their catchment school for their eldest child and whose application was refused will have their applications for younger children considered as if they lived in the catchment area of the school the elder child was offered, while the elder child remains at that school. It is parents’ responsibility to indicate these circumstances in their application.

 

  1. Any parent refused a place at the school has a statutory right of appeal. Appeals will be organised and heard in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code.

 

  1. Parents may request their child’s name to be added to the waiting list for the school. Waiting lists will be kept on the basis of the calendar year. If parents wish their child to remain on the waiting list, they will need to request this in December. They will not receive a reminder. Waiting lists must be kept in the order of the oversubscription criteria.

 

     In year applications/moving school

           This information only applies if you want to apply to move your child during 

           the school year. Please click on the link below and follow the guidance

            Moving school 

 

Supplementary Information Form

 

Some schools require that you fill in a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) 

for instance, church schools. These can be found on the school’s website.  

Here are links to 2 local church schools:

Supplementary Information Form (Holy Trinity Secondary School)

Supplementary Information Form (St Wilfrid’s RC Secondary School)     

 

Key information and dates for:

 

     School admissions in September 2023 – West Sussex County Council 

 

Key Dates

 

Date
26th September  Prospectus published and available for parents
15th January 2023 National closing date for applications for starting school
17th April 2023 Parents will be notified of offer made via West Sussex email

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2022/2023 

This policy was updated in July 2021 to be compliant with the Admissions Code which comes into force on September 2021 to expand upon the criteria giving priority to previously looked after children.

 

Admissions for all pupils are dealt with and allocated by West Sussex County Council Admission Team, according to their Admissions Policy. Parents may apply online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/admissions .

Before you apply, make sure you have read the information on the West Sussex County Council website to ensure you understand the admission process, rules and criteria and also the school admissions policies (linked below)  It is the responsibility of parents/carers to apply for a school place.

School admissions policies 

 

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2022

 

Set out in this document are the oversubscription criteria for Seymour Primary School for September 2022.     

 

The oversubscription criteria apply when the school receives more applications than its admission number of 90. 

 

The oversubscription criteria are:

 

  1. Children in public care, and those who have been in care and have been subsequently adopted or have been made subject of a residence order or special guardianship, including  those who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
  1. Children who need a place at the school on exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical grounds.

 

  1. Children who live in the catchment area with brothers or sisters already attending the school who will still be there when he/she starts. (Brothers and sisters may be half or step-siblings but must be living permanently at the same address).

 

  1. Other children who live in the catchment area.

 

  1. Children who live outside the catchment area with brothers or sisters already attending the school and who will still be there when he/she starts. (Brothers and sisters may be half or step-siblings but must be living permanently at the same address).

 

  1. Other children who live outside the catchment area.


In the case of oversubscription in any of the above categories, priority of placement is given to applicants who live nearest the school. 

 

Appeals

 

Please click on the link to find out how to make an appeal

Make an admissions appeal 

 

  1. Any child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming the school will automatically be admitted to a school, under section 324 of the Education Act 1996.

 

  1. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or a special guardianship order. For the purpose of this criterion this includes:
  • An Adoption Order – “made under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002”;
  • A Special Guardianship Order – “made under Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 (as amended by the Adoption and Children Act 2002”;
  • A Residence Order – “made under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989”.

 

  1. Parents/carers must provide written supporting evidence from an appropriately qualified person (usually a doctor or social worker) if they wish to apply under the exceptional and compelling social, psychological or medical grounds. The evidence should state clearly why the school asked for is the best one to meet the child’s specific needs.  Letters from parents are not considered sufficient evidence. Letters that do not address educational provision or address why the named school is the best to meet the child’s needs are not considered sufficient evidence. 

 

The school will not contact doctors or social workers to obtain evidence relating to an application. It is parents’ responsibility to attach any evidence relating to their child to their application form.

 

A panel of West Sussex senior education officers will decide whether the reasons expressed are sufficient to override the oversubscription criteria and allow admission on exceptional and compelling grounds.

 

  1. The term ‘parent’ includes other legal guardians. 

 

  1. A catchment area is a geographical area served by a specific school and defined on a map. Parents are informed of the catchment school for their home address. Maps are available from admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk.

 

  1. Brothers or sisters may be half or step-siblings, adopted siblings or the child of the parent/carer’s partner but must be living permanently at the same address.   

 

  1. Distances are measured in a straight line from school to home using Ordnance Survey address point data from a central point in each building.

 

  1. Parents may decide to defer entry to primary school until the spring or summer term as long as their child has not reached compulsory school age (the start of the term following the child’s 5th birthday). This must be formally agreed with the school. Parents may request the child to start either full or part-time before the child reaches compulsory school age and schools must comply with this request. 

 

  1. Families who applied for a place at this school as their catchment school for their eldest child and whose application was refused will have their applications for younger children considered as if they lived in the catchment area of the school the elder child was offered, while the elder child remains at that school. It is parents’ responsibility to indicate these circumstances in their application.

 

  1. Any parent refused a place at the school has a statutory right of appeal. Appeals will be organised and heard in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code.

 

  1. Parents may request their child’s name to be added to the waiting list for the school. Waiting lists will be kept on the basis of the calendar year. If parents wish their child to remain on the waiting list, they will need to request this in December. They will not receive a reminder. Waiting lists must be kept in the order of the oversubscription criteria.

 

In year applications/moving school

           This information only applies if you want to apply to move your child during 

           the school year. Please click on the link below and follow the guidance

            Moving school 

 

Supplementary Information Form

 

Some schools require that you fill in a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) 

for instance, church schools. These can be found on the school’s website.  

Here are links to 2 local church schools:

Supplementary Information Form (Holy Trinity Secondary School)

Supplementary Information Form (St Wilfrid’s RC Secondary School)     

 

Key information and dates for:

 

School admissions criteria 2022/23 

West Sussex School Admission Arrangements 2022/2023 

 

The dates for the school admission process for entry in September 2022 are: 

  • Prospectus published and available to parents by 27th September 2021 
  • Provide information for parents on West Sussex schools and how to apply Week beginning 4 th October 2021 
  • National closing date for all applications 15th January 2022 
  • Notify all parents of offer made, using email where possible 19th April 2022




Seymour Primary School are part of TKAT (The Kemnal Academies Trust). You can find out more about TKAT by visiting www.tkat.org and you can follow them on Twitter @TKATAcademies.