The Rawlett School - an AET Academy

Admission arrangements 2025/2026, 2024/2025, 2023/2024

Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) is the Admissions Authority for The Rawlett School (theAcademy).

The Rawlett School has a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 252 for entry into Year 7. The Academy will accordingly admit 252 pupils to Year 7 if sufficient applications are received. All applicants will be admitted if 252 or fewer apply.

If there are more than 252 applications, and the Academy is oversubscribed, then after applicants with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan which names the academy have been admitted, priority for any remaining places will be given to those children who meet the oversubscription criteria set out in the priority order below. 

Oversubscription Criteria

1. Looked after children and previously looked after children (please see definitions below). 
2. Children with an elder sibling (brother or sister) who will still be on roll at the Academy at the time of admission.
3. Children residing in the catchment area (broadly Clifton Campville, Coton Green Drayton Bassett, Elford, Mile Oak, Fazeley, Bonehill, Hopwas, Harlaston, Wigginton)
4. Children who attend one of the following partner (pyramid) primary schools, namely: Coton Green CP School, Flax Hill Junior Academy, Howard County Primary School, Longwood Primary School, Manor Country Primary School, Millfield Primary School, St. Andrew’s CP School, St. Elizabeth CP School, St. Leonard’s CofE Primary School and Thomas Barnes County Primary School
5. Children of staff at the Academy where the member of staff has been:
   ● employed for two or more years at the time of application
   ● recruited to fill a vacancy for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
6. Children with exceptional medical or social needs.
7. Other children.

Within each criterion priority is given in order of distance between the child’s home and school with children resident closer to the Academy having the higher priority

Final Tie-breaker: Where two or more applicants have equal priority for the last available place(except for twins and children from multiple births) the final tie-breaker will be random allocation, which will be independently verified.

Twins and Multiple Births

Where the parent has made the same preferences of school and, through the normal operation of the admission arrangements, the last available place has been allocated to one twin or child from a multiple birth, the other twin or children from the multiple birth will be offered a place at the Academy. In such circumstances the PAN would be exceeded.

Waiting list

If the Academy receives more applications than there are places available, a waiting list will be maintained by the Academy until the last school day of the summer term. Places from the waiting list will be offered in the order set out in the oversubscription criteria and not in the order that the applications were received. After each added child, the list will be ranked again in line with the published oversubscription criteria.

The Academy works in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol held by the Local Authority(Staffordshire County Council); should a vulnerable child within the protocol require a place at the Academy, they will take precedence over any child on the waiting list.

Late applications 

Application forms received after the closing date will be considered alongside those applicants who applied on time wherever possible. Where it is not practicable because places have already been allocated, or are shortly to be allocated, then late applications will be considered only after those applicants who applied by the published closing date.

In-Year Admissions

In-year admissions are applications made outside the normal round of admissions. The Academy will coordinate its own in-year admissions and an application for in-year admission should be made directly to the Academy. On receipt of an in-year application, the Academy will notify the Local Authority of both the application and its outcome, to allow the Local Authority to keep up to date with the availability of school places within the authority.

Admission outside the Normal Age Group

Parents may seek a place for their child outside their normal (chronological) age group, for example, if the child is exceptionally gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.

Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group. The Academy will admit children outside their normal age group only in exceptional circumstances. If parents wish their child to be admitted outside their normal age group they must still make their application alongside children applying at the normal age and must make their request for admission outside the normal age group clear on their Application Form to the Local Authority for a school place. At the same time, parents should also write to the Principal at the address below to request admission out of the normal age group. Parents should explain why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside 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. The decision made by AET will be based on the individual circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. In making the decision, AET will consider the views of the Principal.

The Academy can be contacted at the following address:

The Principal

The Rawlett School

Comberford Road

Tamworth

Staffordshire

B79 9AA

Tel: 01827 57178

Fax: 01827 68423

Appeals

Parents have a right to appeal the decision of the admission authority, AET, to refuse their child a place at the Academy. AET delegates the administration of appeals to the Academy. Parents who wish to appeal the decision of the admission authority to refuse their child a place at the Academy may apply in writing to the Academy at the address above. Parents have 20 school days from the date of their refusal letter to submit their written appeal and should explain clearly the reason(s) for their appeal. Appeals will be heard by an independent panel and will normally be held within 40school days of the closing date for receiving the notice of appeal.

Some Definitions

Looked after children

The highest priority in the oversubscription criteria must be given to looked after children and previously looked after children. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.

A previously looked after child is a child who was looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangement order (formerly known as a residence order) or a special guardianship order immediately following having been looked after. The admission authority may request a copy of the adoption order, child arrangement order or special guardianship order and a letter from the local authority that last looked after the child confirming that he or she was looked after immediately prior to that order being made.

A previously looked after child is a child who was looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangement order (formerly known as a residence order) or a special guardianship order immediately following having been looked after, including those who appear to the Academy to have been in state care outside England (i.e. in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, religious organisation or any other provider whose sole/main purpose is to benefit society) and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. The admission authority may request a copy of the adoption order, child arrangement order or special guardianship order and a letter from the local authority/care provider that last looked after the child confirming that he or she was looked after immediately prior to that order being made.

An adoption order is an order under Section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.  

A child arrangement order settles the arrangements as to the person with whom the child is to live under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989 as amended by Section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangement order.

Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a special guardianship order as an order which appoints one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian(s).

Exceptional Medical or Social Needs 

For an applicant to be considered under the exceptional medical or social needs criterion the parent must indicate strong reasons for the child needing to attend this particular Academy.  Applications will only be considered under this category if they are supported by a written statement from an independent professional person such as a doctor, health visitor, social worker, or Education Welfare Officer who knows about the child and supports their application to the Academy The information provided must show clearly why The Rawlett School is the only school that can meet the needs of the child and any difficulties if alternative schools were offered. The information must confirm the exceptional medical or social need and demonstrate how this particular academy is the only school that can meet the defined needs of the child. Evidence relating to the social or medical circumstances of the parent or other family member may be considered, but only if this impacts on the child and their need to attend this specific Academy. In addition to making it known on the Local Authority’s Common Application Form when requesting priority for a place under this category, parents must also submit all relevant information, including professional evidence, directly to the Academy at the address above by the published closing date for secondary school applications.

Sibling (brother or sister)

Sibling is a brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step-brother or sister, foster brother or sister or the child of the parent/carer’s partner living in the same family unit in the same family household and address who attends the Academy in any year group. Children residing in the same household as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as siblings.

Resident

The normal family home is taken as the address where the child is resident and at which the person or persons with parental responsibility for the child resides. Where parents live at separate addresses and have joint custody, the address used will be the one where the child spends the main part of the school week (e.g. Sunday night to Thursday night inclusive). Where responsibility for a child is shared evenly, the address of the person receiving Child Benefit will be used for admissions purposes. Childcare arrangements involving relatives’ addresses do not qualify as normal family addresses for this purpose unless there is a Child Arrangement Order in place.

Staff

In the context of oversubscription criterion 6, children of staff refers to children with a parent employed at the Academy, and includes teachers, non-teaching staff, full time and part time employees.

Distance

The distance measure between the applicant’s home and the Academy is provided by the Local Authority and is calculated on the basis of a straight-line measurement between the applicant’shome address and the academy. The Local Authority uses a geographical information system(GIS) to calculate home to school distances in miles. The measurement is calculated using Ordnance Survey (OS) data from an applicant's home address to the main front gate of the Academy. The coordinates of an applicant's home address are determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS address point data.

Admissions Arrangements 2019-20

Academies Enterprise Trust is the Admissions Authority for the School.

These arrangements are established in accordance with Annex 1 of the School’s Supplemental Funding Agreement.

Admission Number

The Rawlett School has an agreed Published Admission Number (PAN) of 192 for entry into Year 7. The School will accordingly admit at least 192 pupils in the relevant age group each year if sufficient applications are received. All applications will be admitted if 192 or fewer apply.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan

Any child with an Education, Health and Care Plan (“EHC”) is required to be admitted. This gives such children overall priority for admission to the named academy. This is not an over-subscription criterion.

Looked After Children

Any child that is Looked After or previously Looked After is required to be admitted to the Academy. This gives such children overall priority for admission to the named school. In the case of previously looked after children, admission authorities may request a copy of the adoption order, residence order or special guardianship order and a letter from the local authority that last looked after the child confirming that he or she was looked after immediately prior to that order being made.

Oversubscription Criteria

If the School is oversubscribed, after the admission of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (“EHC”) where the school is named in the Statement or EHC Plan. Priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below, in priority order:

1. Looked after children and previously looked after children.
2. Pupils living within the Catchment area of the school.
3. Pupils with siblings in attendance at the school.
4. Exceptional medical and social grounds.
5. Distance – using the local authority’s GIS measurement.

Operation of waiting lists

Subject to any provisions regarding waiting lists in the coordinated admission scheme, the School will operate a waiting list. Where in any year the School receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate until the end of the first school term. This will be maintained by the School and it will be open to any parent to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application. Places from the waiting list will be offered in the priority order set out above, not in order of the date applications are made.

Late applications

Application forms received after the closing date will be considered alongside those applicants who applied on time wherever possible. Where it is not practicable because places have already been allocated, or are shortly to be allocated, then late applications will be considered only after those applicants who applied by the published closing date.

Admission outside the Normal Age Group

Parents may seek to apply for their child’s admission to school outside 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 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 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 Trust (AET) as admissions authority who will take into account the circumstances of the case and views of the Principal. Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.

In Year Admissions

The School will coordinate their own in year admissions and an application made outside the normal admissions round (in-year admissions) should be made directly to the School. Parents/carers can apply for a place for their child at any time and to any school. On receipt of an in-year application, the school will notify the Local Authority of both the application and its outcome, to allow the Local Authority to keep up to date with figures on the availability of schools places within their authority.

Fair Access Protocols

The School works in accordance with the in-year Fair Access Protocols held by the Local Authority; should a vulnerable child within the protocols require a place at the School, they will take precedence over any child on the waiting list.

Tie-breaker

If it is necessary to use a tie-breaker to distinguish between two or more applications, a distance criterion will be used. We will give priority to the applicants who live nearest to the school as measured by a straight line from the front door of the home of the applicant to the front door of the main reception of the school site that was on the original application for a place.

Catchment Area

If parents applying for a place at the academy have questions about catchment areas, then these should be addressed to Staffordshire County Council’s School Admissions Team.

Appeals

Academies Enterprise Trust as the Admission Authority delegates the responsibility for appeals back to the School/Local Authority. Parents who wish to appeal the decision of the admissions authority to refuse their child a place at your Academy may apply in writing to the School where appeals will be heard by an independent panel.

The School can be contacted at the following address:

Mr Tim Bassett, Principal
The Rawlett School
Comberford Road
Tamworth
Staffordshire
B79 9AA

Tel: 01827 57178
Fax: 01827 68423

Definitions

A sibling is defined as a child who has a brother, sister, adopted brother or sister or stepbrother or stepsister living in the same family unit in the same family household and address who attends the School in any year group excluding the final year. Biological siblings who attend the School in any year group excluding the final year will also be treated as siblings irrespective of place of residence. Children residing in the same household as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as siblings.

Brothers and Sisters

Brothers and sisters include children with the same natural parents living at the same address children with the same natural parents living at different addresses (e.g. due to separation of natural parents) half-brothers /sisters living at the same address step – brothers/sisters living at the same address - children living as part of the same family unit with their parents/guardians at the same address.

Looked after child

A 'looked after child' (1) or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (2) child arrangements order (3) or special guardianship order (4).

1. A 'looked after child' is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.
2. This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).
3. Under the provisions of s.14 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which amend section 8 of the Children Act 1989, residence orders have now been replaced by child arrangements orders.
4. See Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 which defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).

Adoption Order

An adoption order is an order under Section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

Residence Order

A residence 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. 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).

Residence/resident

Residence is defined as the normal family address where the child resides. The qualifications date is the closing date for applications under the coordinated admissions scheme (where families change normal address after the closing date but before the allocation process has finished this can be considered under the review procedure). Where parents live at separate addresses and have joint custody, the address used will be the one where the child spends the main part of the school week (i.e. Sunday night to Thursday night inclusive). Childcare arrangements involving relatives’ addresses do not qualify as normal family addresses for this purpose unless there is a court Residence Order in place.

Exceptional Medical and Social Grounds

Children who the School accepts have an exceptional medical or social need for a place at one specific school. Applications will only be considered under this category if they are supported by a written statement from a doctor, social worker or other relevant independent professional. The information must confirm the exceptional medical or social need and demonstrate how the specified school is the only school that can meet the defined needs of the child. This includes children in need, as determined by Section 17(10) of the Children Act 1989.