Admission Criteria for Community and Voluntary Controlled Primary Schools in Wiltshire

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Primary schools

This is the priority order given to applications when there are more applications than available places in community or voluntary controlled primary schools:-

1. Children in care

• A looked after child is a child who is in care to a local authority or who is provided with accommodation by that authority (as defined in Section 22 of the Children’s Act 1989).

2. Vulnerable children

• Children from families registered with the National Asylum Support Service.
• Children with a severe medical condition (where written evidence is available from a senior medical officer or the child’s general practitioner or specialist showing it would be detrimental to the child’s health not to admit him or her to the school) or children with particular educational needs where written evidence is available from Central SEN Services to show that it would be detrimental to the child not to be admitted to the school.

3. Linked infant school

• In the case of year three applicants to junior schools only, children attending the linked infant school.

4. Designated area and shared area multiple births

• Children who are twins (or other children of multiple births) applying for places at the same time and who are living at the same address which is within the designated area or shared area of the school.

5. In-area siblings (step, half and foster/adopted brothers or sisters are also included in this category).

A child is considered under this criterion if:

• A sibling is on the roll of the preferred school as at the deadline date (providing that the sibling is not in their final year at the school); and
• the child lives within the designated area or shared area of the school at the same address as the sibling.

6. Other in-area children

• A child is considered in this category if they live within the designated (or discrete geographical area) or a shared area served by the school.

7. Twins/other multiple births

• Children who are twins (or children of other multiple births) applying for places at the same time and who live at the same address which is outside the designated or shared area for the school.

8. Out-of-area siblings (step, half and foster/adopted brothers or sisters are also included in this category).

A child is considered under this criterion if:

• a sibling is on the roll of the preferred school as at the deadline date (providing that the sibling is not in their final year at the school); and
• the child lives at the same address as the sibling.

9. Other children - children to whom none of the above criteria apply.

If there are more applications than places available within any of the criteria above then the straight-line distance from the child’s home address to the school will be used as a tie-break.

Distances will be measured using Ordnance Survey eastings and northings (which are unique for each postal address). Those living closest to the school with be given priority. When two or more children with the same priority for admission live exactly the same distance from the preferred school, the available places will be decided by random allocation (casting lots).

The final year of a primary or junior school is year six and an infant school year two.

• A sibling (i.e. brother or sister) is defined as a child who shares one natural parent, a step brother or sister, or has been legally adopted or fostered into the family.
• The address that determines a child’s designated or shared area is the place where he or she is ordinarily resident at the deadline for applications.
• There is no guarantee that a younger sibling will obtain a future place in the same school as his or her brother or sister.

Foundation and voluntary aided schools

A summary of the admission criteria for foundation and voluntary aided primary schools in Wiltshire can be found in the relevant list of primary schools below. However, for full versions of the admission policies please contact the school directly.

These lists also show how many places there are at each school, how many children can be admitted this year, how many children were admitted last year and how places were decided.

• Primary schools in north Wiltshire 383kb
• Primary schools in south Wiltshire 1009kb
• Primary schools in east Wiltshire 449kb
• Primary schools in west Wiltshire 996kb

Last updated: 25 August 2010