Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

How places are decided at Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided 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. (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.
2Sibling — 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.
3Faith - parental worship — Children with a parent worshipping at St. Bartholomew's Church, Great Harwood or a church that is a member of 'Churches Together in England', the Evangelical Alliance or the North West Gospel Partnership. Parental worshipping is normally taken to mean a minimum of monthly attendance at public worship at church for at least six months prior to 1st September in the year before admission to the school. The governors will request confirmation of this from the named representative of the church. Where a family has changed churches, then information about all of them will be required.
4Location to school — a) those living within the traditional ecclesiastical Parish of St. Bartholomew and St John, Great Harwood. A map showing the boundaries is available in school. b) those living outside the traditional ecclesiastical Parish of St. Bartholomew and St John, Great Harwood. A map of the parish boundaries is available in school. Under this criterion the governors will firstly offer places to children living within the parish and then if available to those living outside the parish.
5Other Children — Children who do not fall under any of the above criterions.

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. 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 1 combines two sub-criteria: (a) LAC/PLAC and (b) special medical or social circumstances. Criterion 4 is split into parish (4a) and outside parish (4b), with distance used within each sub-category. The Supplementary Information Form must be returned directly to 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.