The Brakenhale School

When there are more applications than places for 2025-26 (Year 7), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1. 1Priority 1: Looked After Children — Priority for Looked After Children or children who were Previously Looked After. A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order, including those who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. 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).
2. 2Priority 2: Exceptional Medical/Social need — Priority for children who have an exceptional social and/or medical need. Students who have either medical or social grounds for admission to this school. This evidence must set out the particular reason why the student should attend this school rather than any other, and show that this is the only suitable school to meet their stated needs, why no other local school could meet those needs and what the difficulties would be if the child had to attend any other local school. Parents should complete the Trust's Social and Medical Form (in addition to the CAF). The Social and Medical Form must be supported by relevant written evidence from a registered professional(s) involved with the child.
3. 3Priority 3: Children of permanent members of staff — Priority for children of permanent members of staff of the school. Where; the member of staff has been employed at Brakenhale School for two or more consecutive years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made; or the member of staff has been recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
4. 4Priority 4: Siblings — Priority for students who will have a sibling at the school at the time of admission. Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, foster brother or sister, stepbrother or sister, or the child of the parent's partner, as well as children who are brought together as a family by a same-sex civil partnership. In every case, the child must be living in the same family unit at the same address, Monday to Friday, at the time of the application. Where a sibling is in Years 11 or 12 at the time of application to start year 7, they will be deemed as being in the school at the time of admission, unless the parent has specifically stated that they will not be continuing into the following academic year.
5. 5Priority 5: Designated Area — Priority for students living in the school's designated area. Students who live in the designated area of the school. Children must be living in the designated area at the closing date of 31 October to be considered under this criterion.
6. 6Priority 6: Distance (outside of the designated area) — Any remaining places will be offered to students living outside of the designated area based on proximity of the child's home address to the school. Distances will be measured in a straight-line distance using the computerised system as specified by Bracknell Forest Council.

If two applications tie: Where two or more applicants share priority for a place, the child to be offered a place will be selected by the drawing of lots. Lots will be drawn by a senior officer of the Greenshaw Learning Trust Shared Service who is independent of the school's admissions process.

Students with an Education Health Care Plan that names the school will be allocated a place before other applicants are considered, reducing the number of places available under the oversubscription criteria. Applications ranked in accordance to the home to school distance within each priority. Within Priority 5, the designated area is defined by maps available on the Bracknell Forest website.

Published by the admission authority. Meeting a criterion never guarantees a place — it sets the order places are offered in. Full detail, other entry points and previous years are on the Admissions tab.