Swanage Primary School

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Reception), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1. 1‘Looked After Children’ or ‘Previously Looked After Children’ – see Explanatory Note 1 — ‘Looked After Children’ or ‘Previously Looked After Children’ – see Explanatory Note 1.
2. 2Children who, at the time of application, have a sibling on the roll of the school and who will continue to attend that… — Children who, at the time of application, have a sibling on the roll of the school and who will continue to attend that school the following year. In the case of applications for places at infant schools, a sibling at the linked junior school, if relevant, will count as a sibling at the infant school – see Explanatory Note 4 for sibling definition and Explanatory Note 5 for linked school information.
3. 3Children who live within the designated catchment area of the school who have a significant medical or psychological con… — Children who live within the designated catchment area of the school who have a significant medical or psychological condition - see Explanatory Note 2 for catchment definition and Explanatory Note 3 for medical/psychological condition definition.
4. 4Children who live within the designated catchment area of the school and who are children of staff employed at the schoo… — Children who live within the designated catchment area of the school and who are children of staff employed at the school for two or more years at the time of application or have been recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. See explanatory note 9.
5. 5Other children who live within the designated catchment area of the school — Other children who live within the designated catchment area of the school.
6. 6Children who are eligible for the Service Premium and who can reasonably be expected to continue to be eligible for the… — Children who are eligible for the Service Premium and who can reasonably be expected to continue to be eligible for the Service Premium the following school year. See Explanatory Note 8.
7. 7Children who live outside the designated catchment area of the school who have a significant medical or psychological co… — Children who live outside the designated catchment area of the school who have a significant medical or psychological condition – see explanatory Note 2 for catchment definition and Explanatory Note 3 for medical/psychological condition definition.
8. 8Children who live outside the designated catchment area of the school and who are children of staff employed at the scho… — Children who live outside the designated catchment area of the school and who are children of staff employed at the school for two or more years at the time of application and/or have been recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
9. 9[For schools with designated religious character in the Diocese of Salisbury only] Children who live outside the designa… — [For schools with designated religious character in the Diocese of Salisbury only] Children who live outside the designated catchment area of the school, regularly attend worship at a recognised Christian Church, and whose parents request admission on religious grounds (see Explanatory Note 6)
10. 10Other children who live outside the designated catchment area of the school — Other children who live outside the designated catchment area of the school.

If two applications tie: If the school is oversubscribed from within any of the above criteria, then distance, as defined in Explanatory Note 7, will be used to prioritise applications. Should there be two or more identical distances requiring prioritisation, this will be done by drawing lots. Lots will be drawn by an independent admissions consultant.

Coastal Learning Partnership is the admission authority for this school and determines one policy covering every school in the trust, with one ranked order for infant and primary schools and another for junior schools; Dorset Council coordinates applications. Criteria that the policy limits to named schools are printed here exactly as published, in square brackets.

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.