Berwick Academy

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 / previously looked after children — Looked After Children (as defined by Section 22 of the Children Act 1989) including a child who was previously 'looked after' but immediately after being 'looked after' became subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order. Includes children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2. 2Catchment area — Children living within the catchment area of the school and those on whose behalf firm evidence is presented that they will be living in the catchment area by the appropriate admission date. Firm evidence includes (in the applicant's name): a recent Council Tax bill; a recent utility bill (dated within the last six months, actual not estimated); a solicitor's letter confirming exchange of contracts and completion date; or a signed and dated tenancy agreement with commencement date.
3. 3Exceptional social or medical reason — Children with an exceptional social or medical reason that means they can only attend that specific school (for example, where the child or one or both parents has a disability that means the child can only go to one school). Strong supporting evidence must be provided from a professional body independent of both family and school, specific to this school, submitted in writing to the School Admissions Team by 31 October 2026.
4. 4Sibling — Children who have a sibling who already attends the school, including sixth form, and who is expected to be on roll at the school at the time of admission. Siblings are deemed to be brothers and sisters, stepsiblings, foster siblings, adopted siblings and other children who reside permanently in the household and are treated as siblings.
5. 5Continuity within the feeder pattern — Requests on behalf of children which are based on the need to maintain continuity of educational provision within the feeder pattern of Northumberland's schools (Berwick Academy's own named feeder primary schools are listed separately in its School Details entry). This criterion does not apply to children who have entered a school in the final year before transfer.
6. 6Other children — Other children.

If two applications tie: Should it prove necessary to distinguish between children in any given category, priority will be given to those who live nearest to the school, measured in a direct line ('as the crow flies') using the LA's computerised measuring system (GIS). Where two or more distances are found to be equal, a system of random allocation will apply, independently administered.

Berwick Academy is one of three Academy/Trust/Foundation schools (with Cramlington Learning Village and Bellingham Middle School) that have decided to use the Northumberland County Council's Admissions Policy for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools for the September 2027 intake, rather than publishing bespoke oversubscription criteria of their own — though each academy still decides which children to admit in accordance with these arrangements. The 6 criteria and tie-break above are that shared Council policy (Handbook Section 4); Berwick Academy's own PAN (180) and named feeder schools are taken from its own School Details entry (Handbook Section 6), since the feeder-school table printed alongside criterion 5 in Section 4 covers only five other, differently-admission-authority'd Community/VC schools (Seaton Valley High School, Corbridge Middle School, Coquet Community School, Seaton Sluice Middle School, Whytrig Middle School), not Berwick Academy. Children with an EHCP naming the school are admitted before other places are allocated.

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.