Harnham Infants' School

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. 1Looked after and previously looked after children — Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children – 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.
2. 2Vulnerable children — Vulnerable children – children from families registered with the National Asylum Support Service; children or families with a serious medical, physical or psychological condition where written evidence is provided at the time of application from a senior clinical medical officer, general practitioner or specialist showing that it would be detrimental to the child or family not to be admitted to the preferred school.
3. 3Linked infant school (Year 3 transfer only) — Linked infant school (this criterion applies to infant-to-junior Year 3 transfer applications only) – children who are pupils attending Year 2 at the linked infant school as at the deadline date, irrespective of the status of the school.
4. 4Designated area and shared area siblings — Designated area siblings and shared area siblings – a sibling is attending the school (or the linked junior school in the case of applications to an infant school) at the deadline date and will continue to attend at the time of entry, and the child lives within the designated area or shared area at the same address as the sibling. Step, half and foster siblings are included.
5. 5Other children from the designated or shared area — Other children from the designated area or shared area – children resident within the designated area or shared area who do not qualify under one of the criteria above.
6. 6Other siblings — Other siblings – a sibling is attending the school at the deadline date and will continue to attend at the time of entry, and the child lives at the same address as the sibling. Step, half and foster siblings are included.
7. 7Children of staff at the school — Children of staff at the school – where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time the application is made, and/or the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. A letter from the Headteacher must be provided at the time of application.
8. 8Other children — Other children – children to whom none of the above criteria apply.

If two applications tie: If the school is oversubscribed within any of the listed categories, the straight-line distance from the child's home address to the school is the determining factor, measured from the Ordnance Survey eastings and northings for the home and the school; those living closer are given priority. If two or more children with the same priority live an indistinguishable distance from the school and cannot all be admitted, the places are decided by casting lots, conducted independently by Democratic Services, Wiltshire Council.

Wiltshire Council is the admission authority for every community and voluntary controlled school in the county and publishes one set of criteria for them all. Two of the priorities turn on the school's DESIGNATED AREA (or a SHARED AREA where two schools serve the same place), which Wiltshire publishes as a boundary and which is held on this school's page. Children with an EHCP naming the school are placed through the SEND Code of Practice, not these criteria.

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.