St Bartholomew's 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 — Looked after children and all previously looked after children: previously looked after children are those who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order; and children who were previously in state care outside of England and have ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. Evidence will be required.
2. 2Students living in the catchment area — Children whose permanent home address is in St Bartholomew's School's designated catchment area (as shown in West Berkshire's Parents' Guide to Admissions). Where necessary, priority within this category will be given to siblings living in the catchment area. Where the catchment area boundary has changed, a child resident in part of the former catchment area is still considered a catchment-area student if they have a sibling who will be on the roll of St Bartholomew's at the point of admission.
3. 3Siblings — Children who have sibling(s) living in the same family unit already on roll at the school and who will continue to attend the school during the following academic year, up to and including Year 14. A child of a multiple birth will be admitted where the school has been named on a sibling's EHCP.
4. 4Children of staff at the school — Children of staff, certified by the Headteacher, where either the staff member has been employed at St Bartholomew's for two or more continuous years on a permanent contract at the time of application, or has been recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. The staff member must have parental responsibility for the child.
5. 5Strong medical and/or social grounds — Applications where St Bartholomew's is specifically recommended by an independent, relevant professional (e.g. doctor, social worker, health visitor, Education Welfare Officer). Written evidence must be provided at, or within 12 weeks before, application, confirming the medical and/or social need and demonstrating why it is essential the child attends St Bartholomew's rather than any other secondary school. Mild medical conditions and ordinary preference (aptitude, friends attending, childminding) do not qualify.
6. 6All other applicants — All other applicants who do not fall into one of the above categories.

If two applications tie: Priority will be given within any of the above oversubscription criteria to the applicant whose permanent home address is nearest to St Bartholomew's School, measured as a straight line through the West Berkshire Admissions Geographical Information System using National Land and Property Gazetteer unique property points; travelling distance is not used. In blocks of flats, priority goes to the lowest flat number. Where two applicants live the same distance from school, both will be offered places. In multiple births, if one child is admitted then all are admitted.

NUMBERING NOTE: as printed, the source lists '1. Looked after...' then a detailed, unnumbered 'Students living in the St Bartholomew's School Catchment Area' section, then resumes numbering at '2. Siblings', '3. Children of Staff', '4. Strong Medical and/or Social Grounds', '5. All other applicants' — i.e. the catchment-area category itself carries no printed number in the source. Given its length, structure and clear substantive role (address-based priority, with its own sibling and boundary-change sub-rules), it is placed above as rank 2 here; source item numbers 2-5 correspond to ranks 3-6 above. The catchment area 'shares an outer boundary' with named partner primary/junior schools (Enborne Church of England Primary School, John Rankin Community Junior School, St John and St Nicolas Schools Federation) but the document does not grant attendance at these schools its own priority (only catchment-area residence does), so they are not listed as feeder_schools. The approved admission number of 270 applies to each year group in Years 7-11, not solely to Year 7. Children with an EHC Plan naming the school are always admitted above any other child, including those on the waiting list (not itself a numbered criterion). Additional statutory provisions cover UK Service personnel/Crown servants, children from overseas, the In-Year Fair Access Protocol, and the Secretary of State's power of direction for academies.

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.