Admissions
Last updated: 01/05/2013
Add to My Bookmarks
Subscribe
Finding the right school place for your
child is an important concern as a
parent/carer. These admissions web pages aim to provide
you with all the information you need in order to apply
for a school place quickly and easily. If you would
prefer to receive advice via telephone or email, please
contact the Admissions Team (see contact details on the right).
About schools in Cornwall
- For a list of schools in Cornwall, including contact details,
please visit the Contact
Details page. For information on pre-school and
nursery places, please visit the
- Pre-school page.
Find your designated or nearest school
To find your nearest school (which won't necessarily be the
school designated for your address) please visit the
My Area page using the link on the right and enter
your postcode when prompted.
To find information on designated schools - i.e. the
school/s that Cornwall Council has designated for your address -
and the way these are used, see the Designated Areas page.
Applying for a school place
The links below will provide you with all the information,
guidance and application forms you need to apply for a
school place in Cornwall.
Moving into or out of Cornwall? If
you are currently living outside Cornwall and want to apply for a
school place within the County, either during the school year
or at one of the standard points of entry (September into
reception, year 3 in a junior school or transferring to secondary
school), your application must be made via your home
Local Authority. However, if you have a confirmed address in
Cornwall, evidenced by either a signed rental agreement
or completed proof of purchase, you can apply direct to Cornwall
Council. Similarly, if you live in Cornwall and wish to apply
for a school within another county, your application must be
made via Cornwall Council unless you have evidence of an
address as stated above.
Need help with your application? The
Choice Advice Service (Family Information Service) is here to help
you! Further information and contact details can be viewed by
visiting the Choosing a School page.
The role of Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council and all Cornwall's schools must act
in accordance with the Department for Education's (DfE)
Admissions Code 2012. For information on the Admissions
Code and Regulations visit the
DfE Website.
In line with the Admissions Code, Cornwall Council is
responsible for producing the admissions arrangements listed
below on an annual basis. The agreed or proposed
arrangements for each year can be found by clicking the links in
the 'Apply for a school place' section above.
About admissions arrangements
Co-ordinated admissions scheme: This document
outlines the way in which applications for schools in Cornwall will
be processed and how places will be allocated, and is intended
to make the admissions process clear, fair and transparent.
This document is determined by the Local Authority and applies to
all schools including academies and free schools. Cornwall
Council's co-ordinated schemes for the relevant year can be
found via the 'Applying for a school place' link above.
Oversubscription criteria: This document
outlines the way in which applications will be prioritised when a
school has more applications than places available. Cornwall
Council sets the oversubscription criteria for community and
voluntary-controlled schools because they are the 'admission
authority' for these schools. The governing body or
academy trust of foundation, trust, voluntary-aided, academy or
free schools set their own oversubscription criteria because they
are their own admission authority. Cornwall Council's
arrangements for community and voluntary-controlled schools for the
relevant year can be found via the 'Applying for a school place'
link above and the arrangements for all other schools can be found
via their individual websites. They will also be shown on
these web pages for convenience.
Fair Access Protocol: This document, which is
prepared by the Local Authority and agreed with the majority of
schools in Cornwall, aims to ensure that children who haven't been
able to secure a school place during the school year, particularly
those who are vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school
as quickly as possible. The Protocol can be
seen here: Fair Access
Protocol.
Annual report to the Schools Adjudicator
All local authorities are required to complete a report for the
Schools Adjudicator annually which describes the effectiveness of
admissions in the previous year. The 2012 report can be seen
here: Office of the
Schools Adjudicator Report 2011/12.
The appeals process
If you are not offered a place at the school of your choice, you
may appeal this decision. When you are refused a place at
your preferred school, you will be sent details of how to
appeal if you wish to and the deadlines and relevant
timescales for this process.
For LA maintained schools, the Local Authority makes
arrangements for appeals to be heard. For academies and free
schools it is the school that are responsible for arranging
appeals. However, the academy or free school may choose
to ask Cornwall Council's Democratic Services to
arrange appeals on their behalf.
Appeals are heard by an independent panel. A decision by an
appeal panel whether or not to offer a school place is binding on
the admission authority. If your appeal is unsuccessful, you may
not appeal again for the same school within the
same academic year unless there has been a change of address
or significant material change in your circumstances.
The appeals timetable
The School Appeals Code states that admission authorities must
set a timetable for organising and hearing appeals that:
- includes a deadline for lodging appeals which allows appellants
at least 20 school days from the date of notification that their
application was unsuccessful to prepare and lodge their written
appeal;
- ensures that appellants receive at least 10 school days' notice
of their appeal hearing;
- includes reasonable deadlines for appellants to submit
additional evidence, for admission authorities to submit their
evidence, and for the clerk to send appeal papers to the panel and
parties;
- ensures that decision letters are sent within five school days
of the hearing wherever possible.
Admission authorities must ensure that appeals lodged by the
appropriate deadlines are heard within the following
timescales:
- for applications made in the normal admissions round, appeals
must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging
appeals;
- for late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school
days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or
within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged;
for applications to sixth forms:
- where the offer of a place would have been conditional upon
exam results, appeals must be heard within 30 school days of
confirmation of those results;
where the offer of a place would not have been conditional upon
exam results, appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the
deadline for lodging appeals;
- for applications for in-year admissions, appeals must be heard
within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
Any appeals submitted after the appropriate deadline must still
be heard.
The timetable for appeals can be found in the co-ordinated
schemes using the 'Applying for a school place' link above for the
relevant year. If you have any queries, please contact the
Admissions Team using the contact details on the right of this
page.