Poppyfield Primary Academy

Consultation 2026/2027

2024/2025 & 2025/2026

Consultation on 2026/2027 admission arrangements

Victoria Academies Trust wishes to formally consult with you regarding Poppyfield Primary Academy’s admissions arrangements for 2026/2027. 

We are proposing to change the order of priority for the oversubscription criteria. This will give more priority to children of staff who work at the school.  Your opinions are important to us and we are keen to receive your comments on the arrangements before they are formally approved.  

A full copy of the proposed admission arrangements is attached and available on our website.

The consultation will close on 29 November 2024  

Please send your comments to: (Rebecca Scordis headteacher@poppyfieldacademy.org.uk). 

Thank You 

Mrs R. Scordis

Headteacher

Proposed admission arrangements 2026/2027

Poppyfield Academy is a one form primary school, for children aged 4 to 11 years old in Hednesford in Staffordshire Local Authority and is part of Victoria Academies Trust.

Victoria Academies is an established multi academy trust created on 1 January 2014. The trust continues to build a family of like-minded schools who share our passion for real, immersive and purposeful learning. As a result, we have a proven track record for transforming our schools. Our academies are currently situated in a number of local authorities across the West Midlands including Staffordshire, Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall and Worcestershire. All of our schools are within a one hour drive of each other.

Our core purpose – our reason for being – is to make our people become the best they can be. We have an audacious and ambitious goal that drives all that we do: To be most known as a trust that transforms its academies into brilliant, pioneering schools that stand-out through innovation and social change.

Our aim is to ensure all our academies have simple, consistent admissions arrangements that focus on serving the local community, reflect our vision and values and are as easy as possible for parents/ carers of potential pupils to understand.

The published Admission number for place in Reception at Poppyfield Primary Academy in September 2023 is 30.

Where applications exceed the number of places available the following criteria will be applied in the order set put below:

1. Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order), including those children 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.
     
2. Children who have an older sibling in attendance at the school when the application is made and who will still be attending the school at the proposed admission date For the purposes of this policy a brother or sister/sibling is:

• • A brother or sister sharing the same parents
  • A half brother or half sister where two children share one common parent
  • A step brother or step sister where two children are related by marriage
  • Any other child for whom it can be demonstrated that he or she is residing permanently at the same address (e.g. under the terms of a residency order/special guardianship or adoption)

3. Children who have a parent who is a member of staff at the preferred academy
      
4. Children who reside within the Catchment Area for Poppyfield Academy – see additional map for details
      
5. Priority will next be given to children eligible for the pupil premium. Evidence of eligibility will need to be submitted with the application. See notes below on eligibility
      
6. Other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the school, determined by a straight-line measurement as calculated by the local authority’s geographical information system.

Children with Education, Health Care Plans (EHCP)

Children who have an Education Heath Care plan which names Poppyfield Primary Academy as the most suitable school will be admitted before all other applicant. 

Eligibility for Pupil Premium Guidance

Free School Meals Priority:

Those eligible for free school meals admission priority are:

• children who are currently registered as eligible for free school meals

• children who for whom their parents cannot provide evidence that their child is currently registered for free school meals but where the child or its  parents receive any of the following:

• • Universal Credit
      
  • Income Support
      
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
      
  • an income-related employment and support allowance
      
  • support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income that, from 6 April 2011, does not exceed £16,190 (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)

• where a parent is entitled to the Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

• the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Parents will be required to provide evidence of eligibility with their application. 

Pupil Premium Priority

Those eligible for Pupil Premium admission priority are:

• children who are currently registered as eligible for free school meals

• children who have been registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years

• children for whom their parents cannot provide evidence that their child is currently registered for free school meals, [or has been in the past 6 years] but where the child or its parents receive any of the following:

• Universal Credit

• Income Support

• income-based Jobseekers Allowance

• an income-related employment and support allowance

• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income that, from 6 April 2011, does not exceed £16,190 (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)

• where a parent is entitled to the Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

• the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit Parents will be required to provide evidence of eligibility with their application. 

Pupil and Service Premium Priority

Those eligible for Pupil Premium admission priority are:

• children who are currently registered as eligible for free school meals

• children for whom their parents cannot provide evidence that their child is currently registered for free school meals, [or has been in the past 6 years] but where the child or its parents receive any of the following:

• Universal Credit

• Income Support

• income-based Jobseekers Allowance

• an income-related employment and support allowance

• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income that, from 6 April 2011, does not exceed £16,190 (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)

• • where a parent is entitled to the Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

• the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Those eligible for Service Premium admission priority are:

• children whose parent(s) are serving in the regular UK armed forces

• children of ex regular UK armed forces personnel who were serving in the last 3 years

• children where at least one parent died while serving in the UK armed forces and the child is in receipt of a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme (WPS)

Parents will be required to provide evidence of eligibility with their application.

Admission arrangements 2025/2026 & 2024/2025 

The published Admission number for place in Reception at Poppyfield Primary Academy is 30. 

Where applications exceed the number of places available the following criteria will be applied in the order set put below: 

1. Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order), including those children 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.
2. Children who have an older sibling in attendance at the school when the application is made and who will still be attending the school at the proposed admission date

For the purposes of this policy a brother or sister/sibling is:

• A brother or sister sharing the same parents

• A half-brother or half-sister where two children share one common parent

• A stepbrother or stepsister where two children are related by marriage

• Any other child for whom it can be demonstrated that he or she is residing permanently at the same address (e.g. under the terms of a residency order/special guardianship or adoption)

3. Children who reside within the catchment area for Poppyfield Academy – see additional map for details (266 KB)

4. Priority will next be given to children eligible for the pupil premium. Evidence of eligibility will need to be submitted with the application. See notes below on eligibility.

5. Children who have a parent who is a member of staff at the preferred academy

6. Other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the school, determined by a straight-line measurement as calculated by the local authority’s geographical information system. 

Children with Education, Health Care Plans (EHCP)

Children who have an Education Heath Care plan which names Poppyfield Primary Academy as the most suitable school will be admitted before all other applicant. 

Eligibility for Pupil Premium Guidance

Free School Meals Priority:

Those eligible for free school meals admission priority are:

• children who are currently registered as eligible for free school meals

• children who for whom their parents cannot provide evidence that their child is currently registered for free school meals but where the child or its  parents receive any of the following:

• • Universal Credit

• Income Support

• • income-based Jobseekers Allowance

• an income-related employment and support allowance

• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income that, from 6 April 2011, does not exceed £16,190 (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)

• where a parent is entitled to the Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

• the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Parents will be required to provide evidence of eligibility with their application. 

Pupil Premium Priority

Those eligible for Pupil Premium admission priority are:

• children who are currently registered as eligible for free school meals

• children who have been registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years

• children for whom their parents cannot provide evidence that their child is currently registered for free school meals, [or has been in the past 6 years] but where the child or its parents receive any of the following:

• Universal Credit

• Income Support

• income-based Jobseekers Allowance

• an income-related employment and support allowance

• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income that, from 6 April 2011, does not exceed £16,190 (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)

• where a parent is entitled to the Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

• the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit Parents will be required to provide evidence of eligibility with their application. 

Pupil and Service Premium Priority

Those eligible for Pupil Premium admission priority are:

• children who are currently registered as eligible for free school meals

• children for whom their parents cannot provide evidence that their child is currently registered for free school meals, [or has been in the past 6 years] but where the child or its parents receive any of the following:

• Universal Credit

• Income Support

• income-based Jobseekers Allowance

• an income-related employment and support allowance

• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income that, from 6 April 2011, does not exceed £16,190 (as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)

• • where a parent is entitled to the Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

• the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Those eligible for Service Premium admission priority are:

• children whose parent(s) are serving in the regular UK armed forces

• children of ex regular UK armed forces personnel who were serving in the last 3 years

• children where at least one parent died while serving in the UK armed forces and the child is in receipt of a pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme (WPS)

Parents will be required to provide evidence of eligibility with their application.