Bradfield Secondary School

When there are more applications than places for 2026-27 (Year 7), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1. 1Children in Public Care (Looked After) — All Admission Authorities MUST prioritise the admission of "Relevant Looked After Children" within their admission criteria. A "Relevant Looked After Child" is defined as: "a child who is looked after by a local authority in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989(b) and who (a) is looked after at the time an application for admission to a school is made and (b) in relation to whom the local authority has confirmed that the child will still be looked after at the time when the child will be admitted to the school. This includes children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care (i.e. in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, religious organisation or any other provider whose sole/main purpose is to benefit society) outside of England but ceased to be so as a result of being adopted only." The Admission Code of Practice extend this category to also include children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order. It also includes children who appear to have been looked after outside of England.
2. 2Catchment area with Sibling (11-16 Year 7-11) — Children who normally reside with a parent or person with parental responsibility in the defined catchment area and who will have a brother or sister at Bradfield School on the day of admission will be considered next. A sibling is a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as: 1. a brother and/or sister 2. a stepbrother and/or stepsister (to include half-brother/sister) and in both cases will be attending Bradfield School at the point of entry. This means that all catchment/sibling applications are prioritised before catchment applicants irrespective of distance. The normal distance tie-breaker will apply within each category.
3. 3Catchment and Attending Feeder School — Children living in the Bradfield catchment area and attending a feeder school. The designated feeder schools are Oughtibridge, Wharncliffe Side, Bradfield Dungworth, Loxley Nook Lane and Stannington Primary Schools.
4. 4Catchment Area — Children who normally reside with a parent or person with parental responsibility in the defined catchment area but will not have a sibling at Bradfield at the point of admission and do not attend a designated feeder school will be considered next.
5. 5Siblings — A non-catchment sibling is a child who permanently or usually lives at the same address as: 1. a brother and/or sister 2. a stepbrother and/or stepsister (to include half-brother/sister) and in both cases will be attending Bradfield School at the point of entry.
6. 6Contributory Feeder School — Applicants for a Year 7 place at Bradfield School whose children attend a designated feeder primary school but do not fit into any of the above categories 1, 2, 3 or 4 above will be considered next. Bradfield School's designated feeder primary schools are: Oughtibridge, Wharncliffe Side, Bradfield Dungworth, Loxley Nook Lane and Stannington Primary Schools.
7. 7All other applicants — Any applicant who does not fall into one of the above categories will be considered next.

If two applications tie: For any admission category that is oversubscribed there are two stages of further consideration: A. Exceptional medical, social or special educational needs - Where exceptional medical, social or special educational needs are demonstrated and supported by a professional, an application may be prioritised by the Admission Committee (AC) but only within its admission category. B. Distance - In circumstances where exceptional circumstances are not demonstrated, the final tiebreaker will be the distance from the home address to the school building. This is a straight-line measurement from the house to a specific point at the school building. Where the remaining place could be made for a number of children living equi-distant from the school the determination of the single offered will be made by random allocation.

Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the Governing Bodies of all maintained schools to admit a child with a statement of special educational needs (now re-named the Education and Health Care Plan) that names their school. This is not an oversubscription criterion; schools are required to admit a child in these circumstances whether they have places or not. Bradfield School complies fully with this requirement. Sheffield Local Authority co-ordinates the allocation process for the normal year of entry (Year 7) for all Sheffield residents and applies the criteria on behalf of Inova Multi Academy Trust by agreement.

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.