Admissions-Policy-2025-26

Admissions-Policy-2024-25

Marlfields Primary Academy is an Academy Trust and the Governing Body is the Admissions Authority. The Admissions Policy has been designed to comply with the Schools Admissions Code 2021 and all relevant legislation, including that on infant class sizes, the Equality Act 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the School Standards and Framework Action 1998. The academy will also observe the timetable and procedures for admission as set out in this code and the School Admission Regulations 2012.

No child will be admitted over the PAN of 30 unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Admissions to the Reception Year

Subject to the criteria set out below, children will be admitted in the September following their fourth birthday. Marlfields Primary Academy has an agreed admission number (the published admission number or PAN) of 30 pupils for entry in Reception. Marlfields Primary School will accordingly admit up to 30 pupils.

Places will be allocated by the Governing Body on the basis of applications received through the Cheshire East admissions system. This allows parents/guardians to apply for entry to any Cheshire East Primary School by means of the Cheshire East Primary School Common Application Form (CAF) available in the ‘Applying for school Places’ document published by Cheshire East Council (CEC) and on-line via the CEC website.

The school will offer places on a full-time basis from the start of the Autumn Term.

“In-Year” Admissions

In-year admissions will be handled by Marlfields Primary Academy. No child will be admitted over the PAN of 30 unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please see Cheshire East Website for details of how to apply for an in-year place.

Oversubscription Criteria for all types of admissions.

Once children with an Educational Health Care Plan naming Marlfields Primary Academy have been admitted, the places are allocated in accordance with the order of the following oversubscription rules:

1. ‘Looked after children’ and children who were previously ‘looked after’. A ‘looked after’ is a child who is in the care of a local authority or being provided with accommodation by that local authority (as defined in section 22 of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making the application to school. Children previously ‘looked after’ are children who were looked after as defined above, but immediately after being ‘looked after’ became subject to an adoption, child arrangement, or special guardianship order. An adoption order is an order under section 46 of the Adoption and Children act 2002. A ‘child arrangements order’ is an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 amended by Children and Families Act 2014. Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 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 appear to (in the view of Cheshire East) have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2. Siblings – pupils with brothers or sisters, step-brothers or step-sisters, foster brother or sisters, half-brother or half-sisters, adopted brothers or adopted sisters living together as part of one household, already attending the preferred school (in years reception through to Year 6) and expected to continue at the school in the following school year (i.e. at the time of admission). In relation to children of multiple births, exceptionally it may be necessary to offer places over the published admission number to ensure that, as far as possible, siblings (i.e. twins, triplets or children from other multiple births) can attend the same school.
3. Children of staff – with more than two years’ service or those new members of staff recruited to meet a particular skills shortage.
4. Children resident within the designated area of the school – children will be classed within this criterion if they and their parents/carers are resident within the area served by the school.
5. Pupils living nearest to the school – measured using an Ordnance Survey address-point system which measures straight line distances in miles from the address point of the school to the address point of the place of residence.

An Admissions Panel that consists of 3 Trustees and 1 Independent person not employed by Marlfields Primary Academy will apply the oversubscription criteria.

Fair Access Protocol:

Marlfields Primary Academy participates in Cheshire East LA Fair Access protocol.  Please see the Cheshire East Website for further details.

Right of Appeal:

In the event of an unsuccessful application, parents have the right to appeal to an independent appeals panel against non-admission. Appeal forms can be requested from Marlfields Primary Academy. Where an in-year application and subsequent appeal are unsuccessful, the Admissions Authority will not consider a repeat application within the same academic year unless there has been a relevant and significant change of circumstances relating to the application, or a place has become available in school.

Marlfields Primary Academy does hold a waiting list and parents are asked to keep in touch to find out if a place has become available.

Further information can be found in the ‘Applying for school places’ document produced by Cheshire East.

For our latest Admissions policy please call 01260 633120.