Barr Beacon School

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 and previously looked after children — Children in Public Care (looked after children) and previously looked after children. Definition: A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, 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 a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions.
2. 2Siblings currently attending the school — Where a child has an older sibling currently attending the school when the application is made and who will be still attending the school in Years 8 – 11 in September of the relevant year. Siblings of Sixth Form students DO NOT qualify for a sibling claim. Definition: a child who resides at the same address as the child for whom a place is being requested and is one of the following: • A brother or sister sharing the same parents • Half brother or sister sharing one common parent • Stepbrother or sister (i.e. related by parent’s marriage) • Any other child for whom it can be demonstrated that he or she is residing permanently at the same address (e.g. under the terms of a residency order)
3. 3Children of staff employed at the Academy — Children of Staff employed at The Academy. Where a member of staff has been employed at The Academy for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission is made/or the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. Note, this criterion does not include contract staff. If service has been ‘in house’ and is subsequently ‘contracted out’ children of staff will no longer be eligible for priority admission under this criterion.
4. 4Pupils from named feeder primary schools within 2.9 miles — Pupils from feeder Primary Schools – Meadow View JMI, Park Hall Junior Academy, Pheasey Park Farm Primary & Whitehall Junior Community School living within 2.9 miles of Barr Beacon School, as measured by a straight line. In the event of oversubscription from feeder primary schools’ students living closest to Barr Beacon School will be given priority
5. 5Proximity of home to school — Proximity of the child’s home to the school, with those living nearest being accorded the higher priority, the distance being measured in a straight line. Definition of home address: the home address of the child is considered to be the permanent residence of a child in a residential property when the place is offered. The address must be the child’s only or main residence and is either owned by the child’s parent, parents or guardian or leased to or rented by the child’s parent, parents or guardian under lease or written rental agreement of not less than six months duration. Where parents have shared responsibility for the child and the child lives with both parents for part of the week then the main residence will be determined as the address where the child lives the majority of the week. If the child equally shares living with both parents, the parents must inform the Local Authority which address should be used for admission purposes and which parent will make the application. Parents will be requested to supply documentary evidence to support the address used for the application. Distance will be measured in a straight line from the centre point of the home address to the centre point of the school, using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

If two applications tie: In a tie breaker situation where two or more applicants live the same distance from the school, then the place will be determined by random allocation that will be supervised by someone independent of the school. A fresh round of random allocation will be used for each tie breaker situation.

Any child with an Education Health & Care Plan is required to be admitted to the school that is named in the plan; this is not an oversubscription criterion. PAN is 252 for 2027. Sixth Form (Year 12) entry has a separate oversubscription policy with external PAN of 10, not included here as this entry covers Year 7. Transcribed from the school's own determined admission arrangements as published by Walsall Council. Children with an EHCP naming the school are admitted first; that is a statutory duty, not an oversubscription criterion.

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.