Admissions Process

For the main points of transfer (e.g., starting Reception or Year 7), there is a nationally coordinated approach to applications that all state-funded schools, including academies, participate in.

Apply to Your Home Local Authority (LA):

• Parents must apply for a school place through their own local authority (LA), where you actually live, regardless of whether our academy school is in that geographical area.
• The home LA provides a Common Application Form (CAF) that enables parents to express a preference for a place at any state-funded school. You can express a preference for at least three schools*in rank order, giving reasons for your preferences.

For our schools (with the exception of Braunstone Frith) the Local Authority is –

Leicestershire County Council this is the link to their school admissions page.

Adherence to Deadlines:

• The national closing date for secondary school applications is the 31st October or the next working day. .
• The national closing date for primary school applications is the 15th January or the next working day. .

 

National Offer Day:

• Your home local authority will make the offer of a place on National Offer Day: 1 March for secondary schools and 16 April for primary schools.
• If our school is undersubscribed, any parent who applies will be offered a place unless a child has been twice permanently excluded or whose behaviour may be classed as challenging at a mid year application point.

Right to Appeal:

• If your child is refused a place at our academy, you have an absolute right to appeal once each academic year.
• As the admission authority, our Academy Trust is responsible for arranging an Independent Appeal Panel to hear the appeal.
• The refusal notification will include the reason for refusal, information about the right to appeal, the deadline for lodging an appeal, and contact details.

An in-year admission is when a child needs to move schools outside the standard main points of transfer (e.g., during the school year). Local Authorities are not required to coordinate in-year applications for their own admission authority schools like academies.

Therefore, our Academy Trust, as the Admission Authority, manages its own in-year admissions, to contact the admissions team within the Trust and its schools please email – admissions@lifemultiacademytrust.org.uk.  

Direct Application to Academy Trust:

A parent can apply for a place at any school at any time (outside of the main point of transfer window), however only one application will be processed each academic year unless there is a significant change in circumstances. A copy of the application form is available HERE

Application Processing

Upon receipt of an in-year application, we aim to notify parents of the outcome in writing or email within 10 school days but must do so within 15 school days.

If a place is offered and accepted, we will make arrangements for your child to start school as soon as possible, especially if they are currently out of school.

We also notify the Local Authority of every in-year application and its outcome as soon as reasonably practicable, to help them maintain up-to-date figures on place availability.

Admission Criteria for In-Year

If our academy has places available, we must offer a place to every child who has applied, except a child who is twice permanently excluded or fits within the criteria of displaying challenging behaviour as set out in the School Admission Code.

If we are dealing with multiple in-year admissions and do not have sufficient places for every child, we must allocate places based on our published oversubscription criteria.

Waiting Lists

We must maintain a clear, fair, and objective waiting list for at least the first term of the academic year of admission (until at least 31 December).

Any child added to the list will require the list to be ranked again in line with our published oversubscription criteria. Looked after children and previously looked after children take precedence on waiting lists.

No Waiting list is maintained beyond 31 December for any school in the Trust.

Right to Appeal:

If your in-year application is refused, we must set out the reason for refusal and provide information about your right to appeal.

Our Academy Trust is responsible for arranging this appeal via an Independent Appeal Panel.

For further details regarding the appeals process, including information on independent appeal panels and relevant legislation, please refer to the School Admission Appeals Code guidance, which governs how appeals are heard. If you wish to appeal against the decision not to offer your child a place please complete the Appeals application HERE and return it to admissions@lifemultiacademytrust.org.uk