The Downley School

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

1. 1Looked-after and previously looked-after children — Looked-after children and children who were previously looked after, including those children who appear to have been in state care outside England, but ceased to be so as a result of being adopted. (See Note 2)
2. 2Exceptional medical or social needs — Families who have exceptional medical or social needs that make it essential that their child attends The Downley School rather than any other. These needs must be fully supported by written evidence from the appropriate professional person involved with the family. (See Note 3)
3. 3Catchment area with sibling — Children with a normal home address in the catchment area (see note 4) and with a sibling (see note 5) on the roll of the school at the time of application or whose parent has accepted an offer of a place at the school and who is expected still to be in attendance at the time of entry to the school.
4. 4Catchment area — Children with a normal home address in the catchment area.
5. 5Outside catchment with sibling — Children with a normal home address outside The Downley School's catchment area and with a sibling on the roll of the school at the time of application or whose parent has accepted an offer of a place at the school and who is expected still to be in attendance at the time of entry to the school.
6. 6Children of staff — Children of staff where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made.
7. 7Other children — Other children.

If two applications tie: Proximity of the child's home, as measured by the straight-line distance (see Note 6) between the home and the school with those living nearer being accorded the higher priority, will serve to differentiate between children in criteria 1 to 6 should the need arise. In the event that two distance measurements are identical, the school will use random allocation to decide which child should be offered the place. The process will be conducted in the presence of a person independent of the school.

How places were allocated, published by Buckinghamshire Council for the September 2025 intake (How_Places_Were_Allocated_Into_Reception_September_2025_as_at_16_April_2025_JmJ8v8o.xlsx). The council records: "All applicants offered". No cut-off distance exists for this year because every applicant could be offered a place. Infant class size note: Infant Class Size. Places still available after this round: Yes. The document contains conflicting PAN figures for Reception entry: one section states 'The Downley School has a published admission number of 60 for entry in the Reception Year', while another states 'There are 30 (the published admission number or PAN) places available' for September 2025 entry, and the multiple births section refers to 'the agreed admission number of 30 for Reception'. Due to this internal inconsistency, no single PAN figure has been extracted.

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.