Admissions
Admissions Policy 2024/2025
Parents who wish their children to attend South Green Junior School must apply in accordance with the co-ordinated admission arrangements published by Essex County Council in the Primary Education in the Essex booklet, available on the Essex website. Applications for a place at the school will be handled in accordance with the co-ordinated arrangements set out in the booklet.
Pupils will be admitted to the school without reference to ability or aptitude.
The published number to admit in each year group is 60.
Where a child has an Education Health Care Plan and South Green Junior School is the named school, then the child will be admitted.
There is no guarantee of a place for children living in the priority admission area or with a sibling attending South Green Infant School or already attending South Green Junior School.
OVER-SUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA
Where applications exceed the number of places available, and a formal application has been made, the following criteria will be applied in the order given, to decide which children to admit:
- Looked After Children and previously looked after children*.
- Children attending South Green Infant School.
- Children with a sibling ‡ attending the school or South Green Infant School at the time of entry.
- Children living in the priority admission area.
- Remaining applications, with those living closest to the school having higher priority.
* Looked After Children definition:
* Looked After Children
Looked After Children are defined as children who are (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 in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989, at the time an application for a school is made.
Previously Looked After Children
Previously Looked After Children are defined as children who were previously looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (under the Adoption Act 1976 or Adoption and Children’s Act 2002), or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order. This includes children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and have ceased to be in state care due to being adopted.
‡LA Sibling definition:
For applications made in the normal admission round: a relevant sibling is 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 preferred school or partner school in any year group excluding Year 6. Biological and adopted siblings who attend the preferred school in any year group excluding Year 6 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.
For mid-year applications, the only variation to the definition above is the child should be attending, or has been offered a place at, the preferred school at the time of application and determination and with a reasonable expectation that the sibling will be attending at the time of admission. Biological siblings who attend the preferred school will be treated as siblings irrespective of their place of residence.
OVERSUBSCRIPTION
In the event of oversubscription within any of the above criteria, priority will be determined by straight line distance from home to school with those living closest being given highest priority. Straight line distances will be calculated using address point data on a computerised Geographical Information System (GIS).
EXCEPTIONAL MEDICAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Exceptional medical reasons may override other admission criteria if supported by robust medical evidence. Details can be found in the most recent version of the Primary Education in Essex booklet.
YEAR 3 ADMISSIONS
Where a parent of a pupil from South Green Infant School intends for their child to transfer to South Green Junior School, they must apply for a Junior School place via Essex County Council school admissions. Applications are invited on-line via www.essex.gov.uk/admissions and must arrive by the closing date stated in the Primary Education in Essex booklet and below.
It is the responsibility of parents to apply for a school place at the correct times. Parents and carers do not receive any letters from Essex County Council to inform them that they must apply for their child’s Year 3 school place at South Green Junior School. The closing date for applications is that published by the Local Authority in the Primary Education in Essex booklet
Application opening, closing and offer dates are as published by the local authority.
All applications for admission into Year 3 must be made to Essex County Council to arrive by the closing date stated in the Primary Education in Essex booklet.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Applications for Year 3 places received after the published closing date will be treated as late. Late applications will normally be given a lower priority and will be dealt with after all on time applications.
Late applications for Year 3 and waiting lists will be handled in accordance with the co-ordinated admissions scheme operated by the Local Authority and published in the Primary Education in Essex booklet.
WAITING LIST
In accordance with the co-ordinated admissions scheme published by Essex County Council, in the event of oversubscription for applications for Year 3, the Local Authority will hold a waiting list for Year 3 applicants until the first day of the autumn term when they will pass it to the school.
Thereafter, the School will maintain the waiting list until the end of the academic year.
APPLICATIONS FOR PLACES OUTSIDE THE NORMAL ADMISSIONS ROUND
All mid-year applications should be made directly to the school, using the mid-year application form available on our website or the school office. Mid-year applications (sometimes called in-year applications) are any application for a school place made to a year group, apart from September admissions to Year 3.
For applications into existing year groups, a place will be offered when the number of pupils in the relevant year group is below the admission number for that year group.
Where applications for admission exceed the number of places available for the given year group, the above admissions criteria will apply.
South Green Junior School will continue to hold a waiting list. All waiting lists will be maintained in priority order of the admissions criteria as set out above.
APPEALS
If, due to over subscription, the School is unable to offer a place to a child, the parents/carers will be given information on how to appeal against that decision. Parents have the right to appeal to an independent statutory Appeals Panel.
VISITS TO THE SCHOOL
Informal visits to the school to view facilities and discuss your child’s education are welcomed