Woodchurch High 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. 1Children who are in the care of or looked after by the Local Authority (this includes children who have been looked a… — Children who are in the care of or looked after by the Local Authority (this includes children who have been looked after or were in care overseas). This also includes children who have previously been in care but have been adopted or are subject to a residency order or special guardianship order.
2. 2Children who have an exceptional and valid medical or social reason for a specific placement — Children who have an exceptional and valid medical or social reason for a specific placement. This criterion is NOT about educational needs. Parents / carers must give details on the preference form and this may be checked by a medical officer of the Health Authority. A letter in support from a senior health care professional will be required as evidence when you submit your preference form and/or an EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan). The letter and/or EHCP is usually written following a professional medical examination of the child concerned by a health care professional, and not based simply upon an interview with the parents/carers. It needs to be made it clear why only this school is appropriate for your child’s medical needs. It is the Local Authority, acting on behalf of the school, who then make the judgement whether a child fulfils this admission criteria. Due to the high level of intervention and support these pupils require, the LA will already be aware of the child’s needs from the primary phase, as these are ‘high tariff pupils’. These pupils are allocated by the LA to schools following discussions concerning the capacity of the school to meet specific children’s need. Please note, an IHCP (Individual Health Care Plan), a PFA (Pupil Funding Agreement) or a Pupil Profile does not automatically qualify under this criterion. Please also note, this criterion is about the child’s needs, not the needs or requirements of parents / carers, such as if their physical needs makes it more difficult to transport their child to a school that is further away.
3. 3Children of UK Service Personnel and/or Crown Servants returning from overseas to live in the area — Children of UK Service Personnel and/or Crown Servants returning from overseas to live in the area. Places for these children will be allocated in advance if accompanied by an official letter with a relocation date and/or a Unit postal address or quartering postal address as per Section 2.18 of the School Admissions Code of Practice, published in February 2012. These pupils should also be admitted post-allocation, even if that takes the school above its planned admissions number.
4. 4Pupils who have a brother or sister (including half-brothers and sisters or step brothers and step sisters living in … — Pupils who have a brother or sister (including half-brothers and sisters or step brothers and step sisters living in the same household. Sibling also includes adoptive siblings and children under the same guardianship of the same parents, living at the same address) on roll at the school and of statutory school age when the child joins the school in the subsequent September. If there are more children with older brothers or sisters at the school than there are places available, we will give priority to children as the distance criterion, as set out below. NB, the school has never been in a position where the entry of siblings has also been dependent upon distance from school as, to date, there have always been enough places to accommodate siblings. Please also see the information regarding ‘Late Applications’ below. If a child is refused a place at the school and they have an existing sibling on roll, it is more than likely the application has been treated as late by the Local Authority. For clarity, children who have had siblings at school, who are not or will not be on roll when they are “due” to join in September do NOT quality under this criterion. Thus, the siblings criterion is not and never has been “historic”.
5. 5We will then take account of where your child lives — We will then take account of where your child lives. We will give priority to those children who live nearest to the school. The Local Authority use a mapping system, based on Ordnance Survey maps, to measure the distance from your home to the school gate nearest to your child’s home using the shortest road route, unless it is possible to use a footpath which they (that is, Wirral Council) consider a safe walking route. This distance is calculated using the Authority’s electronic Ordnance Survey address point-based routing system. NB, In the case of twins, triplets etc., all the multiples will be admitted to the school, even if this means that the Published Admissions number is exceeded.

following 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.