The Hart School
Admission arrangements 2025/2026, 2024/2025, 2023/2024
Our School
The Hart School is a member of the Creative Education Trust. As an academy, the Trust is the admission authority and has responsibility for setting the admission arrangements and for making decisions regarding admissions applications
Published Admission Number - PAN
This is the number of places we intend to make available for our normal intake. Once we set this number, we will not refuse admission for applications below the PAN. If there is unexpectedly high demand and we believe we could admit more children, we will inform Staffordshire LA and either some children will be admitted above the PAN or we will increase the PAN.
The Year 7 PAN is 220.
For other Year Groups, the agreed admission limit will be the PAN which was determined for that cohort as it entered the School in Year 7 unless varied in response to a change in circumstances at the School. For further information, please contact the School or the School Admissions Service.
Admissions to the School
Most of the children attending The Hart School join at secondary transfer, the beginning of Year 7. This is what is called the “normal point of entry” to a secondary school. We have another normal point of entry at the beginning of Year 12 when students can also join us in our sixth form.
Other children join us “in-year” at other times, once a year group has already started. This may be because they are new to the area and need a school place or simply would like to transfer from another school.
1. Basic principles
1.1. The Hart School will comply with all relevant provisions of the statutory codes of practice (the School Admissions Code of Practice and the School Admissions Appeals Code of Practice) as they apply at any given time to maintained schools and with the law on admissions as it applies to maintained schools. Reference in the codes to admission authorities shall be deemed to be reference to the Local Governing Body of The Hart School. In particular, The Hart School will take part in any Admissions Forum set up by their Local Authority (“LA”) and have regard to its advice and any Co-ordinated Admissions System operated by the LA. Applicants will normally be required to complete the Common Application Form (CAF) to be returned to the LA the applicant resides in.
1.2. The Hart School will admit children with Statements of Special Educational Need (“SEN”) where The Hart School is named in the SEN Statement.
1.3. Where a LA proposes to name a Creative Education Trust School or Academy in a statement of SEN made in accordance with section 324 of the Education Act 1996, the Academy shall consent to being named, except where admitting the child would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for other children and where no reasonable steps may be made to secure compatibility.
1.4. In the event of any disagreement between The Hart School and the LA over the proposed naming of the School in a statement, The Hart School, through the Trust, may ask the Secretary of State to determine whether the School should be named. The Secretary of State’s determination shall be final. However, this does not affect parents’ rights to appeal against the refusal to name a Creative Education Trust School or Academy in a Statement of SEN to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. Applicants with SEN Statements naming a Creative Education Trust School or Academy will be admitted, subject to the exception regarding the provision of efficient education above.
1.5. In deciding where a child’s inclusion would be incompatible with the efficient education of other children, The Hart School shall have regard to the relevant guidance issued by the Secretary of State to maintained schools.
2. Admission arrangements – Year 7
2.1. The admission arrangements for The Hart School for the academic year 2021-22 and, subject to any changes approved by the Secretary of State, for subsequent years, are:
2.2. The Hart School has an agreed admission number of 220 students in Year 7. The School will admit the admission number of students in the relevant age group each year if sufficient applications are received. If there are more applications, the oversubscription procedure will be applied.
2.3. The Hart School may set a higher admission number than its published admission number for any specific year. Before setting an admission number higher than its agreed admission number, the Creative Education Trust will consult the Secretary of State. Students will not be admitted above the published admission number unless exceptional circumstances apply.
2.4. The Hart School will use the following timetable for applications each year (exact dates may vary from year to year):
September: The School will publish information about the arrangements for admission, including over subscription criteria, in the September for admission the following September in their prospectus. This will include details of open evenings and other opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents to visit the School. They will notify the date by which applications must be received by the Staffordshire LA under co-ordinated admission arrangements. The School will also provide information to the LA for inclusion in the LA secondary transfer booklet.
September: The Hart School will hold open evenings/opportunities for parents to visit the schools.
October: Closing date for application forms [will vary year on year]
November/December: LA sends applications to the School. School returns list of pupils to be offered places in December.
March: LA informs parents and schools about the KS3 pupil allocations for September.
2.5. The School will consider all applications for places. Where fewer than 220 applications are received, the School will offer places to all those students who have applied subject to 1.4 above.
2.6. In the event of over-subscription the following arrangements will apply:
2.6.1. 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.
2.6.2. Applicants will then be admitted according to the criteria listed below:
a. Siblings of students in attendance at The Hart School in Years 7 to 13. These include brothers and sisters, and half brothers and sisters and step brothers and sisters who share the same home. These also include adopted and foster brothers and sisters who share the same home
b. Students with special medical or social needs which The Hart School is best placed to meet (this will be supported by professional advice from the Health Authority on why the School is necessary and a statement from the parent stating “the difficulties that would be caused if their child had to attend another school”). Special medical or social needs will include priority for vulnerable groups (after students with full statements of special educational needs and those in public care, who have recently come into care or moved into the area) such as: students whose names are either on or at risk of being placed on the Child Protection Register; students whose social or personal circumstances are seriously limiting their capability to gain access to education without the support of the local authority.
c. Children who live nearest to The Hart School measured by “as the crow flies” from their normal family home to main gate of the relevant school. When dealing with multiple applications from a block of flats to the School, lower door numbers will take priority. Where a child spends time with both parents/carers in separate homes and both have parental responsibility, “their normal family home” is where the majority of school nights (Sunday to Thursday) are spent.
2.7. Notwithstanding the provisions above, the Secretary of State may direct the School to admit a named pupil to the School on application from a LA.
2.8. In the case of The Hart School, after 220 applicants have been offered a place for admission; others will be offered a place on a waiting list for the relevant band. Places for admission which are declined or otherwise become vacant will be offered, as far as possible, to those on the waiting list who are in the same band as that vacated, priority being determined by the banding rules as appropriate. There will be an independent appeals panel appointed in accordance with the provisions of the statutory Code of Practice on School Admission Appeals. Parents may also write to the Education Funding Agency (“EFA”) if their complaint is about maladministration that they consider has affected the outcome of the appeal. The procedure and a form for submitting a complaint to the EFA are available online.
2.9. Notwithstanding the provisions above, the Secretary of State may direct The Hart School to admit a pupil on an application from the LA in accordance with the terms of the Fair Access Protocol.
2.10. Late applications will be considered following the criteria set down in The Hart School’s admissions procedure, with due regard to the LA late admissions procedure.
2.11. Following the offer of a place at The Hart School, parents/carers can be asked to provide evidence of their child’s identification and main residence to comply with the School’s admissions criteria. The forms of identification may include;
a. Birth certificate - A short Birth Certificate is acceptable
b. NHS registration
c. Council tax bill
d. Two current (i.e. less than six months old) utility bills
3. Admissions
3.1. Students who leave will be replaced by those on the relevant waiting list, or by casual mid-year entry, if all waiting list demand has been met. Priority will be determined by the provisions above.
3.2. The School shall consult each year on any changes to admission arrangements. The School will take part in the local admission forum for their area.
3.3. The School shall consult following a timetable agreed with the Local Admissions Forum, with the principal LA and any other admission authorities for primary, special and secondary schools located within the relevant area for consultation set out by the LA.
3.4. Following consultation, The Hart School must consider comments made by those consulted. The School shall then determine its admission arrangements by 1 May of the relevant year and notify those consulted of the details of what has been determined.
3.5. The School will be considered to have discharged this requirement by arranging with the LA to publish this information on its behalf. In this instance the School will provide information for any LA secondary and post-16 transfer booklet.
3.6. The published arrangements will set out:
a. the name and address of the School and contact details;
b. a summary of the admissions policy, including over-subscription criteria;
c. a statement which makes clear that religious affiliation is not part of the admissions process;
d. numbers of places and applications for those places in the previous year; and arrangements for hearing appeals..
3.7. Where other admissions authorities in the relevant area make representations to the Trust about its admission arrangements, the Trust will consider such representations. Where the Trust and other admission authorities cannot reach agreement locally, any admission authority in the relevant area may make representations to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will consider the representations and in so doing will consult the Trust. Where s/he judges it appropriate, the Secretary of State may direct the Trust to amend its admission arrangements.
3.8. Other admission authorities have the right to ask the Trust to increase their proposed published admissions number for any year. Where such a request is made, but agreement cannot be reached locally, an admission authority may ask the Secretary of State to direct the Trust to increase its proposed published admissions number. The Secretary of State will consult the Trust and will then determine the published admission number.
3.9. In addition to the provisions above, the Secretary of State may direct changes to the Trust’s proposed admission arrangements and proposed published admissions number.
4. Proposed changes to admission arrangements
4.1. Once the admission arrangements have been determined and published, The Hart School should propose changes only if there is a major change of circumstances. Admission Arrangements Policy The Hart School such cases, the School must consult those consulted under paragraph 3.9 above and must then apply to the Secretary of State setting out:
a. the proposed changes;
b. reasons for wishing to make such changes;
c. any comments or objections from those entitled to object.
4.2. The Secretary of State will usually consider applications from a School to change its admission arrangements only when the said School has consulted on the proposed changes as outlined at 3.9 above.
4.3. Where the School has consulted on proposed changes and there have been no objections from other admissions authorities, the School must still secure the agreement of the Secretary of State before any such changes can be implemented. The School must seek the Secretary of State’s approval in writing, setting out the reasons for the proposed changes and forwarding any comments or objections from other admission authorities/other persons.
4.4. The Secretary of State can approve, modify or reject proposals from the School to change its admission arrangements.
4.5. Records of applications and admissions shall be kept by the Creative Education Trust for a minimum period of 10 years and shall be open for inspection.
5. Appeals
5.1. Where a child is not successful in achieving an offer of a place, the child’s parents will be told the reason why admission was refused and that they are entitled to appeal to an independent admission appeal panel within a specified amount of time under the provisions of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. The academy will provide information to parents about the appeals process and provide the parents with a named contact who can answer any enquiries they may have about the appeals process. Parents lodging an appeal must set out the grounds of the appeal in writing.
5.2. The admission appeal panel will be independent of the academy. The academy will appoint an independent appeals service to deal with the administrative side of arranging admission appeal hearings for the academy.
5.3. Parents do not have the right to a second appeal in respect of the same school for the same academic year unless, in exceptional circumstances, the Academy has accepted a second application from the appellant because of a significant and material change in the circumstances of the parent, child or school but still refused admission.
5.4. The determination of the admission appeal panel will be made in accordance with the Schools Admission Appeals Code 2012 and will be binding on all parties