Gentleshaw Primary Academy

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.

1. 1Children in care / previously in care — Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order), including those children 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.
2. 2Exceptional medical or other circumstances causing hardship — Children whose current exceptional circumstances satisfy both of the following tests: Test 1: the child is distinguished from the great majority of other applicants either on their own medical grounds which requires regular and sustained medical treatment or by other extreme exceptional circumstances. ... And Test 2: the child would suffer hardship if they were unable to attend the preferred Nursery or Reception setting.
3. 3Sibling attending the academy — Children who have an elder sibling in attendance at the preferred Academy and who will still be attending the Academy at the proposed admission date. (For the application to be prioritised under this criteria the children must be living at the same home address for the majority of the school week and either: have one or both natural parents in common; are related by a parents marriage; are adopted or fostered by a common parent or are unrelated children who live at the same address, whose parents live as partners.)
4. 4Child of staff member — Children who have a parent who has been directly employed by the preferred Academy for more than two years and for a minimum of 0.5 FTE, or who have been recruited to fill a vacant post for which there has previously been a difficulty with recruitment or retention.
5. 5Catchment area residence — Children whose home address is located within the catchment area of the preferred Academy. (see Section 7 – Additional Notes)
6. 6Nearness of home to academy (Reception) — Reception Applicants: Other children arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the preferred Academy, determined by a straight-line measurement as calculated using the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System.

If two applications tie: If there are a limited number of spaces available and we cannot distinguish between applicants using the criteria listed, such as in the case of children who live in the same block of flats or are the result of a multiple birth, then the child or children who will be offered the available spaces will be randomly selected. This process will be independently verified.

Children with an EHCP naming the academy must be admitted before oversubscription criteria are applied. Nursery arrangements use straight-line measurement via Google Maps (criterion 6a) rather than GIS (6b) used for Reception. Infant class size legislation may result in refusal of catchment or sibling applications once a class reaches 30 pupils, with exception for multiple births. CATCHMENT: Children whose home address is located within the catchment area of the preferred Academy. (see Section 7 – Additional Notes) Transcribed from the school's own determined admission arrangements as published by Staffordshire County Council. Children with an EHCP naming the school are admitted first; that is a statutory duty, not an oversubscription criterion. This document is a single trust/diocesan policy covering 2 schools; the criteria above are the ones it prints for this school.

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.