In-year co-ordination scheme

Background

The new School Admissions Code (2021) aims to improve the operation of the admission system to ensure that vulnerable children are out of school for as short a time as possible. It is the duty of all admission authorities to act in accordance with the Code.

In-year applications

An application is an in-year application if it is for the admission of a child to a relevant age group (this refers to the age group at which pupils are or will normally be admitted to the school e.g. Reception, Year 3, Year 7 and Year 12) but it is submitted on or after the first day of the first term of the admission year; or it is for the admission of a child to an age group other than a relevant age group.

Requirements of the School Admissions Code (2021)

A parent can apply for a place for their child at any school, at any time
Local authorities (LAs) are not required to co-ordinate in-year applications for schools for which they are not the admission authority
LAs may, however, co-ordinate in-year applications for any or all own admission authority schools in their area, with the agreement of the relevant admission authorities – see below for information about the schools in the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) area, which are part of the WNC in-year co-ordination process
WNC will publish information on their website by 31 August at the latest each year to explain how in-year applications can be made and how they will be dealt with from 1 September onwards in that year
WNC will set out which schools they will co-ordinate the applications for and which schools will manage their own in-year admissions
Contact details for any admission authority that manages its own in-year admissions will be provided.

Responsibility of own admission authority schools (OAAs)

Own admission authorities must inform the local authority by 1 August at the latest each year whether they intend to be part of the local authority’s in-year co-ordination scheme for the following 1 September to 31 August (where this is offered) or whether they will be managing their own in-year admissions
WNC will provide a suitable application form for parents to complete when applying for a place for their child at a school for which the council co-ordinates in-year admissions only
Where WNC receives an in-year application for a school which manages its own in-year admissions, it will forward the application to the relevant admission authority, which must process it in accordance with its own in-year admission arrangements

Actions required by OAAs and governing bodies of schools

Own admission schools must, by 31 August at the latest each year, set out on the school’s website how in-year applications will be dealt with from the 1 September until the following 31 August
They must set out how parents can apply for a school place, and, where they manage their own in-year admissions, provide a suitable application form for parents to complete (and a supplementary information form where necessary), and set out when parents will be notified of the outcome of their application and details about the right to appeal
If the admission authority is to be a part of the local authority’s in-year co-ordination scheme, it must provide information on where parents can find details of the relevant scheme.
An admission authority, governing body or the local authority (WNC) must provide a hard copy of the information about in-year applications on request for those who do not have access to the internet
Local authorities must, on request, provide information to prospective parents about the places still available in all schools within their area. This means that admission authorities for all schools in the area must provide the local authority with details of the number of places available at their schools whenever this information is requested, to assist a parent seeking a school place. Such details should be provided no later than two school days following receipt of a request from the local authority
With the exception of designated grammar schools, all maintained schools, and academies, including schools designated with a religious character, that have places available must offer a place to every child who has applied for one, without condition or the use of any oversubscription criteria, unless admitting the child would prejudice the efficient provision of education or use of resources. For example, admission authorities must not refuse to admit a child solely because:
a)   they have applied later than other applicants
b)   they are not of the faith of the school in the case of a school designated with a religious character
c)   they have followed a different curriculum at their previous school; or
d)   information has not been received from their previous school
Where an admission authority receives an in-year application for a year group that is not the normal point of entry and it does not wish to admit the child because it has good reason to believe that the child may display challenging behaviour, it may refuse and refer the child to the Fair Access Protocol (see School Admissions Code (2021) - paragraph 3.10 and footnotes 76 , 77 and 78)
Where an admission authority is dealing with multiple in-year admissions and does not have sufficient places for every child who has applied for one, they must allocate places on the basis of the oversubscription criteria in their determined admission arrangements only
Parents must not be refused the opportunity to make an application or be told that they can only be placed on a waiting list rather than make a formal application

Timescales for in-year applications

Upon receipt of an in-year application, the admission authority, or the local authority if it is co-ordinating the admissions authority’s in-year admissions, should aim to notify the parents of the outcome of their application in writing within 10 school days, but they must be notified in writing within 15 school days
Where an application is refused, the admission authority must also set out the reason for refusal and information about the right to appeal in accordance with paragraph 2.32 of the Code
Where an admission authority manages its own in-year admissions, it must also notify the local authority of every application and its outcome as soon as reasonably practicable, but should aim to be within two school days, to allow the local authority to keep up to date figures on the availability of places in the area and to ensure they are aware of any children who may not have a school place
WNC will provide a suitable form for OAA schools to complete and return to WNC providing details of all applications and their outcomes
Where an applicant is offered a school place following an in-year application, and the offer is accepted, arrangements should be made for the child to start school as soon as possible, especially where the child is out of school (5 school days)

Right to appeal

When an admission authority informs a parent of a decision to refuse their child a place at a school for which they have applied, it must include the reason why admission was refused; information about the right to appeal; the deadline for lodging an appeal and the contact details for making an appeal. Parents must be informed that, if they wish to appeal, they must set out their grounds for appeal in writing. Admission authorities must not limit the grounds on which appeals can be made.

The In-Year Co-ordination process in West Northamptonshire

The School Admissions team will process in-year applications for school places in all community and voluntary controlled schools in the WNC local authority area
While Local authorities (LAs) are not required to co-ordinate in-year applications for schools for which they are not the admission authority, WNC co-ordinates in-year applications for the vast majority of own admission authority schools in its area
WNC does not co-ordinate in-year applications for the schools listed below – these school are responsible for conducting their own in-year admission process

School which are currently not part of the WNC In-year Co-ordination scheme

Buckton Fields Primary School
Bracken Leas Primary School
Marie Weller Primary School
Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School
Preston Hedges Primary School
Pineham Barns Primary School
Parklands Primary School
The Radstone Primary Academy
Woodland View Primary School
The Duston School
Northampton School for Boys
Silverstone UTC

WNC – In-year co-ordination Scheme

Aims

Parents seeking school places in-year within WNC will be able to access clear, simple and consistent information and advice on the In-Year application process either online or by contacting a member of the School Admissions Team via telephone or email
The School Admissions Team will respond to all parental enquiries and aim to do so within five working days
Parents will be able to access information on how to apply for an In-Year school place, by referring to the Composite Prospectus of Schools in the LA: “Applying for a Primary / Secondary School Place in WNC” published each academic year and available online. Paper copies can be made available
The School Admissions Team will provide, on request, information to parents on the availability of school places within the LA.

The in-year co-ordination scheme for West Northamptonshire Council will operate as follows:

The LA will provide a Common Application Form for in-year applications. An online form will be available on the School Admissions Website. A paper form will be available upon request from the School Admissions Team: [email protected]. The In-Year application form will be the only acceptable form of application for schools and academies taking part WNC’s in-year co-ordination scheme
The application form allows parents/carers, applying from both inside and outside the Local Authority (WNC) to express a preference for up to three WNC schools in ranked order. If parents / carers apply for more than one school, the ranked order of school preferences will remain confidential to the school prior to allocation, but the information may be made available at appeal
When the School Admissions team receives a completed in-year application form, the application will be placed on the computer database within 2 working days and the application details will be forwarded to the admission authority of the school(s) applied for
The LA aims to provide outcomes for applications within 10 school days and parents must be informed within 15 school days. Own admission authority schools must decide if they can offer places and these schools are expected to respond promptly to the LA with an outcome of the application so that the published timeframes are adhered to. Parents have a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied
In-year applications should not be made more than a month in advance of when the school place is required as the LA does NOT hold places open. In-year applications received more than four weeks in advance of when the school place is required are treated as ‘applied too early’. The School Admissions Team will contact (by email or letter) parents who apply too early, advising them to apply again within 4 weeks of the date the school place is required. The exception to this is in the case of children of UK service personnel and crown servants where the applications may be processed in advance
Families living overseas, and those living out of the WNC area, but intending to move to WNC or back to an existing WNC address, may apply for a West Northamptonshire school place on the WNC In-Year application form. However, the address used to process the application must be where the child lives at the time of application. The West Northamptonshire address will not be used until the LA or school has received proof that the child is living at that address
Children of UK service personnel or crown servants are an exception to this requirement. In these cases, WNC will allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area, provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date and a Unit postal address or quartering area address in West Northamptonshire, for consideration of the application against oversubscription criteria. If it is not possible to offer a place at a preferred school, a place will be offered at the closest school with a vacancy in the appropriate year group
If an applicant owns a property in West Northants but is not living in it, for example: because they are working abroad at the time of application, the WNC address will not be accepted for the purposes of admission until the child is living at that address
WNC parents wishing to apply for a place at a maintained school or academy in a different local authority must apply directly to the LA where the school is situated
If the School Admissions team receives an application for a school or academy which does not co-ordinate in-year applications within the WNC Co-ordination Scheme, details of the application will be forwarded directly to the school and parents will be informed. The school or academy must then notify the School Admissions team of the outcome of the application and inform the parent of their statutory right of appeal if a place is refused. The same timeframes apply to own admission authority schools as to the LA i.e. 10 days for schools to provide an outcome; however, a written outcome must be provided to parents/carers by 15 school days at the latest
All admission authorities will remain responsible for school place allocation decisions and for ranking applications and waiting lists in accordance with schools’ oversubscription criteria. Own admission authorities may ask the School Admissions team at WNC to undertake the administration of in-year applications on their behalf
The School Admissions team will offer places at community and voluntary controlled schools as well as at the other schools or academies operating within the scheme. Places will be offered to children on a waiting list, as vacancies arise. Waiting lists will be maintained in accordance with schools’ oversubscription criteria
Where the School Admissions team manages the waiting lists for schools, numbers on roll will be requested frequently (and must be provided by schools within 2 school days) and places will be offered from the waiting list when they become available

How preferences work
Parents may apply for up to 3 schools. If more than one school has a place available in the relevant year group, a place will be offered at the highest ranked school where the child qualifies for a place. When a place cannot be offered at any of their preferred schools, the following process applies:
- the School Admissions team will offer a place at the nearest school with a place available
- the School Admissions team will advise parents, on request, about place availability in other schools or academies/Free Schools
- the School Admissions team will not offer a place at an alternative school to pupils who are already on roll at a WNC school (unless the child/family has moved house)
If a place could be offered at a school within WNC’s IY Co-ordination scheme and a place has already been offered by a school outside the scheme (or vice versa), School Admission officers will contact the family to ascertain which is the preferred school
A place will be considered to be available (unless otherwise indicated) at a preferred school if the number on roll in the relevant year group does not meet or exceed the historic published admissions number (PAN) for that year group
Upon receipt of a completed application form, the LA will check its records of place availability) to confirm current numbers on roll at the preferred schools
If a parent declines the offer of a school place, the School Admissions team will inform the school concerned. Parents and carers (of children of Compulsory School Age) who refuse offers of school places, must inform the LA about how they intend their children to be educated – this will be followed up by the School Admissions Team
If parents need assistance with Transport they must contact the School Transport team

What happens after places are allocated?
Schools are expected to contact parents about a start date and to place children on roll within 5 school days of allocation. Every effort must be made by the school to contact the parent. If the parent fails to respond, the place may be withdrawn and reallocated. Schools must follow their safeguarding procedures as advised in the allocation letter.

School Appeals
Parents have a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied
In the event of a school or an academy refusing to allocate a place, the School Admissions team (for community and voluntary controlled schools and on behalf of the governing bodies of own admission schools and authorities which have opted into the IY co-ordination scheme) will include the reason for refusal; information about the right to appeal; the deadline for lodging an appeal and the contact details for making an appeal. Parents will be informed that, if they wish to appeal, they must set out their grounds for appeal in writing. The LA and other admission authorities must not limit the grounds on which appeals can be made. Schools should not refuse admission if places are available, unless paragraphs 3.10 and 3.11 of the School Admissions Code (2021) apply
Some in-year applications will be complex and may have to be referred to the Fair Access Process where different timescales apply. You can find the WNC fair access protocol on our website
The School Admissions team (and OAA schools which manage their own in-year process) will write to parents to inform them both of their statutory right of appeal and of the waiting list process should it not be possible to offer a place

Operation of Waiting lists
Waiting lists for all community and voluntary controlled schools will be held and administered centrally by the School Admissions Team for all year groups and will be ranked in accordance with the published admission criteria for the respective school
The LA administers the waiting lists at the request of some OAA schools. As in 25, above, the waiting lists will be ranked in accordance with the published admission criteria of the respective schools
Waiting lists are cleared at the end of each full term. In order for your child to remain on the waiting list you must submit your request to the School Admissions Team in writing during the Easter and Christmas Break
Applicants wishing to remain on the waiting list of a school in the following academic year must make a new application (as the application will be for a different year group)
Parents should contact OAA schools which manage their own in-year application process as the waiting list policy for these schools may differ from WNC’s process.

Looked After and Previously Looked After Children
It is the clear expectation of West Northamptonshire Council that where a school receives an In-year application for a school place for a Looked After (LAC) or Previously Looked After Child (PLAC) then that school will ensure a place is offered to that child within 5 school days
Should any school for whom the Local Authority acts as the admission authority refuse to offer a place to a LAC or PLAC or fail to do so in a timely manner, the Local Authority will direct that school to make a place available for the LAC or PLAC with immediate effect. Should any ‘Own Admission Authority’ school refuse to offer a place to a LAC or PLAC or fail to do so in a timely manner then the Local Authority will refer the matter to the Regional Schools Commissioner or Office of Schools Adjudicator as appropriate, for further action (please see sections 3.27 – 3.29 of the Code for further information on local authority’s powers of direction)
WNC will seek to comply with the following notes within the Code, footnote 63 (relating to 2.32 ‘Right to Appeal’) in the 2021 Code states:
‘Where a looked after child has been refused a school place, it is likely to be more appropriate for the local authority looking after the child to use the powers of direction set out in paragraphs 3.27 to 3.29 of the Code, than to submit an appeal.’

Last updated 05 September 2023