Glascote Academy
2025/2026
2023/2024 & 2024/2025
Glascote Academy is in Glascote Heath, Tamworth. As an Academy Converter on 1st October 2014, currently with 272 pupils on roll, we are categorised as a below average-sized primary school (determined as 281 pupils by National Statistics, DfE, “Schools, pupils and their characteristics”.) Glascote Academy gained an “Outstanding” judgment from Ofsted in 2017 and continues to offer a broad curriculum including Forest and Farm school experiential learning.
The Governing Body act as the Academy's admission authority. The Academy takes advantage of a service level agreement and has a contract with the Local Authority (Staffordshire County Council) to administer the Academy's admission criteria on their behalf, all places will therefore be offered by the Local Authority's Admissions Team on behalf of the Governing body, within the primary co-ordinated admissions scheme.
Children are normally admitted to the Reception Class full time in September of the academic year within which the child becomes five.
Parents of children who are in nursery education either at this Academy or elsewhere still need to apply for entry according to the provisions of the agreed co-ordination scheme. There is no guaranteed admission to this Academy from any nursery establishment.
In accordance with Central Government legislation, Infant classes must not contain more than 30 pupils.
Glascote Academy’s Published Admission Number is 30.
Section 1 - Allocation of Places to Year Reception
1. Co-ordinated Admission Arrangements
If the number of pupils seeking admission to the Academy exceeds the number of places available, the Governors will use the following order of priority:
1. Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements 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. (Please refer to the Department for Education 2021 School Admissions Code)
2. Pupils who would, in the first year to which the application relates, have an older brother or sister in attendance at the Academy.
3. Children living within the defined catchment area of the Academy. For Information regarding the catchment area please contact the Academy or visit our 'on the map' page.
4. Other pupils arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the Academy determined by a straight line measurement. This measurement is undertaken on the Academy's behalf by the Local Authority (Staffordshire County Council) as part of the admissions agreement using a Geographical Information System Details on measurement can be found in the booklet, "Primary Information for parents” and on Staffordshire County Council's website.
Parents should note that in accordance with legislation, children who have a statutory statement of special educational need, or Education, Health and Care Plan that names the Academy, will be admitted prior to any other places being allocated.
2. Sibling
For admissions purposes, a sibling is a brother or sister who lives at the same address and either; have one of both natural parents in common; are related by a parents marriage; are adopted or fostered by a common parent or are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners.
3. Home Address
For the purpose of admission the home address is considered to be the child's, along with their parent’s main and genuine principal place of residence at the time of the allocation of places i.e. where they are normally and regularly living. If a child is resident with friends or relatives (for other than legal guardianship) the friends or relatives address will not be considered for allocation purposes.
Where parents have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives with both parents for part of the week then the home address will be determined as the address where the child lives for the majority of the school week (i.e. 3 out of 5 school nights). Parents will be required to provide documentary evidence to support the address they wish to be considered for allocation.
4. Distance
The Local Authority uses a Geographical Information System to calculate home to school distances in miles. The measurement is calculated using Ordnance Survey data from an applicant’s home address to the main gate of the Academy. The co-ordinates of an applicant’s home address is determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point Data.
5. Deferred entries to Reception Class
Parents may request that their child be admitted to Reception Class on a part-time basis, or that their child be admitted to school later in the same academic year until the child reaches compulsory school age (i.e. beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday). The effect is that the place will be held for the child in Reception and is not available to be offered to any other child within the same academic year in which it has been offered.
Before deciding whether to defer their child’s entry to school, parents should visit the Academy to clarify how we cater for the youngest children in Reception and how the needs of these children are met as they move up through the school
Admission Outside of the Normal Age Group
Parents may seek to apply for their child’s admission to school outside of their normal age group, for example if the child is exceptionally gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health. In addition, the parents of summer born children may choose not to send their child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted outside of their normal age group to Reception rather than Year 1.
These parents will need to make an application alongside children applying at the normal age which should explain why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside of their normal age which may include information such as professional evidence as to why this is the case and why an exception should be made in the case of the child. A decision as to whether this is an appropriate course of action will be made by the Governing Body who will take into account the circumstances of the case and views of the headteacher . Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.
The Governors will retain a place where the parents wish to defer their child’s entry to Reception Class until later in that academic year. However deferral will not be offered beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted.
The Governors will consider requests from parents who wish their child to attend a Reception Class on a part-time basis until the child reaches compulsory school age.
6. Repeat Applications
It is not the Governing Body policy to consider repeat applications in the same academic year unless there has been significant and material changes in the circumstances of the applicant.
7. Late Applications
Application forms received after the closing date will be considered alongside those applicants who applied on time where
- There were exceptional reasons, which prevented the applicant from applying by the closing date
- A family changes its address and was unable to apply within the deadline or needs to make new school preferences.
All other late applications will be considered after those which arrived before the deadline.
8. Waiting Lists
Unsuccessful applicants will be placed on a waiting list in accordance with the over subscription criteria as stated above and not based on the date their application was received. If places become available after the offer date they will be offered in according to the child at the top of the list.
Waiting lists will be kept until the end of Key Stage 1
9. Appeals
Any parent whose child is refused an Academy place for which they applied, has a statutory right of appeal.
Where a child has been refused entry to the Academy the parents will receive, in writing, full reasons why the application was unsuccessful, in light of the published admission criteria for the Academy. The letter to parents will inform them of their right of appeal, including details of how to make an appeal and the person to whom they should send their appeal notice of appeal.
Section 2 - In Year Allocation of Places
As the Academy's admission authority the Governing Body will consider applications at other times during the academic year as follows:
A formal application should be made via the Academy office.
Allocation of places will be considered against the above admission criteria. Parents will be advised of the outcome of their applications as soon as practically possible following their application.
The letter to parents will inform them of their right to appeal, including details of how to make an appeal and the person to whom they should send it.
Fraudulent Applications
If it is found that a child has been allocated a place due to misleading information having been provided, for example an incorrect address, then the offer of a place is likely to be withdrawn.
Glascote Academy is in Glascote Heath, Tamworth. As an Academy Converter on 1st October 2014, currently with 259 pupils on roll, we are slightly smaller than the average primary school of 282 pupils (National Statistics, DfE June 2019 “Schools, pupils and their characteristics”.) Glascote Academy gained an “Outstanding” judgment from Ofsted in 2017 and continues to maintain high standards in Maths, Reading and Writing whilst also offering Forest and Farm school experiential learning.
The Governing Body act as the Academy's admission authority. The Academy takes advantage of a service level agreement and has a contract with the Local Authority (Staffordshire County Council) to administer the Academy's admission criteria on their behalf, all places will therefore be offered by the Local Authority's Admissions Team on behalf of the Governing body, within the primary co-ordinated admissions scheme.
Children are normally admitted to the Reception Class full time in September of the academic year within which the child becomes five.
Parents of children who are in nursery education either at this Academy or elsewhere still need to apply for entry according to the provisions of the agreed co-ordination scheme. There is no guaranteed admission to this Academy from any nursery establishment.
In accordance with Central Government legislation, Infant classes must not contain more than 30 pupils.
The Academy’s Published Admission Number is 30.
Section 1 - Allocation of Places to Year Reception
1. Co-ordinated Admission Arrangements
If the number of pupils seeking admission to the Academy exceeds the number of places available, the Governors will use the following order of priority:
- Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements 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. (Please refer to the Department for Education 2021 School Admissions Code)
- Children of members of staff who have been employed by the Academy or Nursery for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the Academy is made, and or, the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
- Pupils who would, in the first year to which the application relates, have an older brother or sister in attendance at the Academy.
- Children living within the defined catchment area of the Academy. For Information regarding the catchment area please contact the Academy or visit our 'on the map' page.
- Other pupils arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the Academy determined by a straight line measurement. This measurement is undertaken on the Academy's behalf by the Local Authority (Staffordshire County Council) as part of the admissions agreement using a Geographical Information System Details on measurement can be found in the booklet, "Primary Information for parents” and on Staffordshire County Council's website.
Parents should note that in accordance with legislation, children who have a statutory statement of special educational need, or Education, Health and Care Plan that names the Academy, will be admitted prior to any other places being allocated.
2. Sibling
For admissions purposes, a sibling is a brother or sister who lives at the same address and either; have one of both natural parents in common; are related by a parents marriage; are adopted or fostered by a common parent or are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners.
3. Home Address
For the purpose of admission the home address is considered to be the child's, along with their parent’s main and genuine principal place of residence at the time of the allocation of places i.e. where they are normally and regularly living. If a child is resident with friends or relatives (for other than legal guardianship) the friends or relatives address will not be considered for allocation purposes.
Where parents have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives with both parents for part of the week then the home address will be determined as the address where the child lives for the majority of the school week (i.e. 3 out of 5 school nights). Parents will be required to provide documentary evidence to support the address they wish to be considered for allocation.
4. Distance
The Local Authority uses a Geographical Information System to calculate home to school distances in miles. The measurement is calculated using Ordnance Survey data from an applicant’s home address to the main gate of the Academy. The co-ordinates of an applicant’s home address is determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point Data.
5. Deferred entries to Reception Class
Parents may request that their child be admitted to Reception Class on a part-time basis, or that their child be admitted to school later in the same academic year until the child reaches compulsory school age (i.e. beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday). The effect is that the place will be held for the child in Reception and is not available to be offered to any other child within the same academic year in which it has been offered.
Before deciding whether to defer their child’s entry to school, parents should visit the Academy to clarify how we cater for the youngest children in Reception and how the needs of these children are met as they move up through the school
Admission Outside of the Normal Age Group
Parents may seek to apply for their child’s admission to school outside of their normal age group, for example if the child is exceptionally gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health. In addition, the parents of summer born children may choose not to send their child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted outside of their normal age group to Reception rather than Year 1.
These parents will need to make an application alongside children applying at the normal age which should explain why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside of their normal age which may include information such as professional evidence as to why this is the case and why an exception should be made in the case of the child. A decision as to whether this is an appropriate course of action will be made by the Governing Body who will take into account the circumstances of the case and views of the headteacher . Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.
The Governors will retain a place where the parents wish to defer their child’s entry to Reception Class until later in that academic year. However deferral will not be offered beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted.
The Governors will consider requests from parents who wish their child to attend a Reception Class on a part-time basis until the child reaches compulsory school age.
6. Repeat Applications
It is not the Governing Body policy to consider repeat applications in the same academic year unless there has been significant and material changes in the circumstances of the applicant.
7. Late Applications
Application forms received after the closing date will be considered alongside those applicants who applied on time where
- There were exceptional reasons, which prevented the applicant from applying by the closing date
- A family changes its address and was unable to apply within the deadline or needs to make new school preferences.
All other late applications will be considered after those which arrived before the deadline.
8. Waiting Lists
Unsuccessful applicants will be placed on a waiting list in accordance with the over subscription criteria as stated above and not based on the date their application was received. If places become available after the offer date they will be offered in according to the child at the top of the list.
Waiting lists will be kept until the end of Key Stage 1
9. Appeals
Any parent whose child is refused an Academy place for which they applied, has a statutory right of appeal.
Where a child has been refused entry to the Academy the parents will receive, in writing, full reasons why the application was unsuccessful, in light of the published admission criteria for the Academy. The letter to parents will inform them of their right of appeal, including details of how to make an appeal and the person to whom they should send their appeal notice of appeal.
Section 2 - In Year Allocation of Places
As the Academy's admission authority the Governing Body will consider applications at other times during the academic year as follows:
A formal application should be completed. This form is available online or from the Academy office.
Allocation of places will be considered against the above admission criteria. Parents will be advised of the outcome of their applications as soon as practically possible following their application.
The letter to parents will inform them of their right to appeal, including details of how to make an appeal and the person to whom they should send it.
Fraudulent Applications
If it is found that a child has been allocated a place due to misleading information having been provided, for example an incorrect address, then the offer of a place is likely to be withdrawn.