Pre-School Admissions Policy 2023
BAMFORD PRE-SCHOOL
Entry to Pre-school Pufflings Unit
There are 24 Pre-school places available in Bamford Pre-school. If requests for places do not exceed this number, then all applicants will be admitted. If the number of applications exceeds this number, as has happened in previous years, then the Manager will consider applications and places will be allocated to pupils in the following order.
Admissions Policy
1. Looked After Children
Children who, at the time of admission, are in the care of a local authority or a child who was previously looked after and has since become subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order.
A looked-after child is defined in Section 22 of the Children Act 1989. An adoption order is an order under Section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
2. Children who attend Bamford Kindergarten with a sibling attending Bamford Academy
Children who attend Bamford Kindergarten with a sibling who already attends Bamford Academy. The sibling must live at the same address for whom the application is made, proof of eligibility may be required.
A sibling is defined as a brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, half-brother or half-sister or stepbrother or stepsister, living at the same address as the child for whom the application is made and who will be attending Bamford Academy at the start of the academic year for which admission is sought. No priority is given to cousins or other relatives, regardless of their address.
3. Children who attend Bamford Kindergarten.
Remaining places will be allocated firstly to children who have attended Bamford Kindergarten for
1st – Three terms – September Admission
2nd – Two Terms – January Admission
3rd – One Term – Easter Admission
Alongside this, we also consider the number of hours a child attends per week, for example a child who attends for 30 or 15 hours per week will have priority over a child who attends for less hours.
4. Children of Staff at Pre-school/Bamford Academy
To claim this priority, the member of staff must have been employed at the Pre-school/Academy for a minimum of two years at the time at which the application to Bamford Pre-school is made.
This priority may, in exceptional circumstances, also be claimed by a member of staff who is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
5. Proximity to the Pre-school
The proximity of the child’s permanent home address to the Pre-school. Those being nearest given the available places.
Proximity to Pre-school is not considered to be a simple measure of distance radiating out from the Pre-school either as the crow flies or as a walking route. Walking routes are deemed to be along recognised lit, paved routes which, in general, are overlooked by houses and are likely to be relatively safe to walk. Unlit, unmade-up short cuts are not considered when calculating walking distances, even if they are public rights of way.
The walking distances are calculated using a computerised mapping system which uses the Ordnance Survey integrated network to measure from the centre point of the child’s home to the main gate of the school. Inevitability, a decision can come down to a distance of a few metres, but this is the kind of measurement which is required to make an objective decision. Please note that Management will only consider the main entrance of the Pre-school when calculating the proximity; the alternative entrances at the rear and sides of the school are not considered.
The home address is the address of the parents/carers and their child. This is assumed to be the address at which the child spends the majority of their time, even if he or she lives at a different address for some days of the week. If child benefit is received, the home address is taken to be the address of the parent who receives this benefit
For a rented property to be considered as the child’s permanent home, a copy of the signed Tenancy Agreement should be submitted along with the application. The Tenancy Agreement should be for not less than 12 months duration and cover the date on which your child will be admitted to school (i.e., the first week of September 2020).
Note that, the Admissions Committee will only consider the child’s present address at the date of application when considering admissions. Applications cannot usually be based upon a forthcoming change of permanent address (please refer to Change of Address section below.)
For all applications, the Management may verify the address via the Electoral Register and may also require further evidence of proof of address. If a place is offered based on an address that is subsequently found to be different from the child’s normal and permanent home address, then that place is liable to be withdrawn.
6. Random Allocation
Random allocation will be used as a tie-break in category 4 above to decide who has the highest priority for admission if the distance between two children’s homes and the Pre-school is the same.
The random allocation process will be a drawn lottery and will be supervised by someone independent of the Pre-school.
Additional Information
Children with a Statement of Special Education Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan
Where a pupil has a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names Bamford Pre-school, the Management has a statutory duty to admit this child.
Children of UK Service Personnel
Families of UK service personnel are subject to frequent movement within the UK and from abroad, often at short notice. A school place can be allocated in advance of the confirmed posting, even if there is uncertainty about the exact future address. However, it will not be possible to guarantee a place at Bamford Pre-school if the school is oversubscribed and places are available at a reasonable alternative school.
Change of Address
If you change your address after submitting your application but before the 4th of March 2020, the Management will consider your new address as long as you can provide firm evidence of your change of address. In the case of a house purchase you should provide written confirmation from your solicitor that contracts have been signed and exchanged. If the contacts have not been signed and exchanged by the 4th of March 2020 it will not be possible to take your new proposed address into account.
For rented accommodation a copy of the Tenancy Agreement for not less than 12 months covering the date that your child will be admitted to school along with a utility bill, bank statement, council tax bill or child benefit entitlement form will be required.
Evidence should be provided to confirm that you have either sold your previous home or ceased a previous tenancy agreement.
The Admissions Committee will not normally expect:
- Families to retain a second residence elsewhere to increase their prospect of gaining admission and declare it to be their main residence (if the family has two residences the Management will reserve the right to make enquiries and seek additional documentation to confirm which address is the main family residence).
- Only part of the family to move unless as part of a divorce or permanent separation arrangements in which Managers will reserve the right to make enquiries and see additional documentation to verify this.
- Children to move to a residence other than that or their parents/cares unless as part of formal fostering or care arrangements approved by Social Service.
Deferred Admission
Parents need to carefully consider whether deferred/part time admission would be suitable for their child. In most circumstances the Pre-school would not recommend this approach as, during the first term, many of the initial basic skills in number, language and personal and social education are taught. If your child is not in Pre-school for these introductory sessions, they are likely to miss essential elements of the introductory curriculum. We would be pleased to discuss this with you if you require any additional information.
