This policy will be used during 2023-2024 for allocating places in the main admission round for entry to Year R in September 2024.  The published admission number (PAN) for Woodcroft Primary School for 2024-2025 is 30.

Hampshire County Council is the admission authority for Woodcroft Primary School. The admission arrangements are determined by the County Council, after statutory consultations.

The County Council will consider first all those applications received by the published deadline of midnight on Monday 15 January 2024. Notifications to parents offering a primary or infant school place will be sent by the County Council on 16 April 2024. Applications made after midnight on 15 January 2024 will be considered after all on-time applications have been fully processed unless exceptional circumstances merit consideration alongside on-time applications.
For the normal admission round, all on time preferences will be considered simultaneously and ranked in accordance with the admission criteria. If more than one school can offer a place, the parent’s highest stated available preference will be allocated.

A map of Woodcroft Primary School’s catchment area is available on the school’s details page of the Hampshire County Council website http://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/findaschool.

Tie-breaker
If the school is oversubscribed from within any of the above categories, straight line distance will be used to prioritise applications; applicants living nearer the school have priority. Distances will be measured from the Ordnance Survey home address point to the school address point using Hampshire County Council’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Distances to multiple dwellings will give priority to the ground floor over the first floor and so on. On individual floors, distances will be measured to the stairs leading to the communal entrance. Where two or more applicants are equidistant, random allocation will be used to allocate the place. An explanation of the random allocation procedure is available on the County website.

When does my Child start school?
Pupils born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 (inclusive) are entitled to full-time schooling from September 2024. Parents can choose to defer their child’s admission until later in the school year (but not beyond the start of the term after they reach compulsory school age). Children can also attend part-time until they reach compulsory school age. Parents must discuss their child’s starting arrangements with the school once an offer has been secured.

Children with birthdays between:
* 1 September and 31 December 2019 (inclusive) reach compulsory school age on 31 December 2024, the start of the Spring term .
* 1 January and 31 March 2020 (inclusive) reach compulsory school age on 31 March 2025, at the start of the Summer term.
* 1 April and 31 August 2020 (inclusive) reach compulsory school age on 31 August 2025, at the start of the new school year in September 2025.

Parents of summer born children (those born between 1 April and 31 August) who are particularly concerned about their child’s readiness for school can request to delay their child’s entry to Year R for an entire school year until September 2025. This is called decelerated admission. In making such a request, parents would be expected to state clearly why they felt decelerated admission to Year R was in their child’s best interests. It is recommended that parents considering such a request contact the local authority in the autumn term 2023 to ensure that an informed decision is made. Guidance on decelerated admission for summer born children, including how to make a request, is available on the County website at www.hants.gov.uk/ad-summerborn.

Admission of children outside their normal age group
Parents may request that their child is admitted outside their normal age group. To do so, parents should include a request with their application, specifying why admission outside the normal age group is being requested and which year group they wish their child to be admitted. Decisions will be made based on the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child.

Legislation
This policy takes account of all Equalities legislation, together with all relevant regulations and the School Admissions Code (published by the DfE in 2021)