The Sittingbourne School

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Year 7), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1. 1Looked After Children / previously Looked After Children — Places will firstly be offered to children in Local Authority care. i.e. a child under the age of 18 years, Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children... (full definition as printed).
2. 2Sibling — A brother or sister attending the school when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, step-brothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters.
3. 3Medical, health, social and special access reasons — Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally, this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical or mental health or social needs means that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school.
4. 4Children of staff — Children of Staff: priority will next be given to children of staff at the school, in either of the following circumstances: The member of staff has been employed at the school for 2 or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, or The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
5. 5Nearness of home to school (distance) — Nearness of children's homes to school - we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address (defined in KCC’s annual admissions prospectus) and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point... A block of flats has a single address point reference, so applicants living in the same block will be regarded as living the same distance away from the school.

If two applications tie: In the unlikely event that two or more children live in the same block and in all other ways have equal eligibility for the last available place at the school, the names will be issued a number and drawn randomly to decide which child should be given the place.

Where applications for admission exceed 270 (or 285 for entry into the Year 7 cohort who started in September 2025 and 300 for September 2021, 2022 and 2023 cohorts), the above criteria apply. Before oversubscription criteria, children with an EHCP naming the school are admitted first, reducing the PAN accordingly. The document's own numbering repeats the letter 'c' for both 'Children of Staff' and 'Nearness of home' sub-criteria as printed.

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.