How many pupils attend Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School?

Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School has 257 pupils on roll.

What ages does Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School take?

Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School admits pupils aged 2 to 11.

How do I apply to Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School?

Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School is a state school. In England you apply through the council where you live, using its common application form, even if the school is in another council area. The national closing date for primary places is 15 January.

Does Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School have a religious character?

Yes — Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School has a religious character of Church of England. Faith criteria may apply to admissions; check the school's oversubscription policy for details.

How are Reception places decided at Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School?

When Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School has more applications than places for 2027-28, they are offered in a published order of priority: 1. Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children / Special medical or social circumstances — (a) Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children: This means a 'looked after child' or a child who was previously 'looked after' but ceased to be looked after because they were adopted or became subject to a 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 the local authority or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to the school. (b) Children with special medical or social circumstances affecting the child where these needs can only be met at this school. Professional supporting evidence from a professional, e.g. a doctor, psychologist, social worker, is essential if admission is to be made under the criterion for special medical or social circumstances, and such evidence must set out the particular reasons why the school in question is the only school where these needs can be met and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school. Parents must submit this evidence to the school by 15th January 2027, if they wish their application to be considered under this criterion; 2. Siblings — Children who have a sibling attending the school on the date of application and on the date of admission. Siblings include full, step, half, foster, adopted brothers and sisters and children of parent or carer's partner. In all cases both children should be living in the same family unit at the same address; 3. Children within 2.5-mile radius (with faith sub-criteria and nursery) — Children who live within a 2.5-mile radius of the school. Places will be ranked according to the straight-line distance from home to school, with nearer addresses having priority over more distance ones. (a) Children with a parent/guardian worshipping in a church in membership of Churches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance or the Northwest Gospel Partnership at least fortnightly for 2 years. (b) Children with a parent/guardian worshipping in a church in membership of Churches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance or the Northwest Gospel Partnership at least monthly for 1 year. (c) Children who attend Garstang St Thomas Nursery. (d) Other children living within 2.5 miles of the school, and 1 further criteria. Tie-break: Where there are more applicants for the available places within a category, then the distance between the Ordnance Survey address points for the school and the home measured in a straight line will be used as the final determining factor, nearer addresses having priority over more distant ones. This address point is within the body of the property and usually located at its centre. Where two addresses have the same distance, or the cut-off point is for addresses within the same building, then the Local Authority's system of a random draw will determine which address(es) receive the offer(s).

What is the largest ethnic background at Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School?

According to the DfE School Census 2025-26, 96.5% of pupils at Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School are recorded as White British. The full ethnic breakdown across all groups is available on the Pupils tab.

Garstang St Thomas' Church of England Primary School

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How places are decided at Garstang St Thomas' Church of England 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.

1Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children / Special medical or social circumstances — (a) Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children: This means a 'looked after child' or a child who was previously 'looked after' but ceased to be looked after because they were adopted or became subject to a 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 the local authority or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to the school. (b) Children with special medical or social circumstances affecting the child where these needs can only be met at this school. Professional supporting evidence from a professional, e.g. a doctor, psychologist, social worker, is essential if admission is to be made under the criterion for special medical or social circumstances, and such evidence must set out the particular reasons why the school in question is the only school where these needs can be met and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school. Parents must submit this evidence to the school by 15th January 2027, if they wish their application to be considered under this criterion.
2Siblings — Children who have a sibling attending the school on the date of application and on the date of admission. Siblings include full, step, half, foster, adopted brothers and sisters and children of parent or carer's partner. In all cases both children should be living in the same family unit at the same address.
3Children within 2.5-mile radius (with faith sub-criteria and nursery) — Children who live within a 2.5-mile radius of the school. Places will be ranked according to the straight-line distance from home to school, with nearer addresses having priority over more distance ones. (a) Children with a parent/guardian worshipping in a church in membership of Churches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance or the Northwest Gospel Partnership at least fortnightly for 2 years. (b) Children with a parent/guardian worshipping in a church in membership of Churches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance or the Northwest Gospel Partnership at least monthly for 1 year. (c) Children who attend Garstang St Thomas Nursery. (d) Other children living within 2.5 miles of the school.
4Other children — Other children.

If two applications tie: Where there are more applicants for the available places within a category, then the distance between the Ordnance Survey address points for the school and the home measured in a straight line will be used as the final determining factor, nearer addresses having priority over more distant ones. This address point is within the body of the property and usually located at its centre. Where two addresses have the same distance, or the cut-off point is for addresses within the same building, then the Local Authority's system of a random draw will determine which address(es) receive the offer(s).

Criterion 3 applies only to children within a 2.5-mile radius and contains four sub-criteria (3a faith fortnightly 2 years, 3b faith monthly 1 year, 3c Garstang St Thomas Nursery attendees, 3d other children within 2.5 miles); within criterion 3, places are ranked by straight-line distance except where faith sub-criteria apply. A Supplementary Information Form must be returned to the school by 15th January 2027 for faith criteria to be considered.

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.