Admissions 2025

Introduction

Tyne and Wear Learning Trust is the Admissions Authority for Marine Park Primary School.

Reception applications must be made on the Common Application Form (available from South Tyneside Local Authority- see the link below) by the determined closing date and an offer will be made by the Local Authority on behalf of the school on the National Offer date. Applications received after the closing date will only be considered after all those received by the closing date have been considered. Parents must indicate which category they are applying for and should provide supplemental evidence in support of the application. This will enable the Trust Board to make an informed decision.

Parents (a parent is determined as a person with parental responsibility) have the right to express a preference for a school of their choice. In the first instance all preferences expressed will be considered on an equal weighting basis, but where a child is eligible for more than one place it will be the highest ranked school/academy for which they are eligible that they will be offered.

Published Admission Number

The Published Admission Number (PAN) for Marine Park Primary School is 30.

Where a pupil has an Education, Health & Care Plan naming Marine Park Primary School, a place will be offered (subject to confirmation by the Local Authority).

The admission criteria within this policy are applied if the number of applications exceeds the number of places.

Admission Criteria

  1. Looked–After Child – This refers to a child that is looked after by a Local Authority in accordance with Section 22(1) of the Children’s Act 1989 and a child who was looked after, but ceased to be so, because of adoption (or become subject to a residence order or special guardianship order) and a ‘Looked-after’ child who appears to the Admission Authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as result of being adopted – a child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.

Parents are asked to send proof as supplemental information including evidence of an ‘order’ and confirmation from the Virtual School.

  1. Sibling Link – A child who has an older brother/sister (including adoptive, foster or stepchildren) that shares the same parent/carer and lives at the same address, who will be attending the preferred school.
  2. All other children

 

Tie Breaker

Where there are places for some, but not all applicants within a particular criterion priority will be given to children living closest to the school. Places will be offered on the basis of distance from the centre of the parental home residence (including flats) to the main entrance of the school as measured as a straight line using the Local Authority Geographical System (GIS) with priority being given to those living closest to the school.

At the first stage of allocations there will be no distinction between 1st, 2nd and 3rd preference applications. Therefore all applications will be considered equally against the admission criteria. If a pupil then qualifies for a place at more than one school, the parent’s highest ranked preference will be offered and any lower ranking offers will be disregarded.

In determining allocations, priority will be given to those applications where the parental preference is received by the published deadline date.

Appeals

Where it is not possible to offer a place, the child will be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list is sorted using the admission criteria and will be held until 31st December, after the children start school in September.

 Parents/carers who are refused a place have a statutory right of appeal. Further details of the appeals process will be included with the notification letter but are also available from South Tyneside School Admissions Team and the school.

Exceptional Circumstances

The school may be asked to increase its PAN (Planned Admission Number) only where:

  • An event/incident occurs in another educational establishment which could not possibly have been planned for, e.g. fire.
  • To comply with other agreed protocols, e.g. children in care, fair access, SEN.
  • A child moves into an area outside the normal admissions round and no other school/academy would provide suitable education within a reasonable distance of their home.
  • An allocations error has occurred, and a place should have been offered.
  • Multiple birth siblings would be split and therefore will be offered together.
  • Children of armed forces personnel.

Admission of Children below Compulsory School Age and Deferred Entry

A child is entitled to a full-time place in September following their fourth birthday. A request may be made for the date at which a child, below compulsory school age, is admitted to the school, to be deferred to later in the academic year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age, or beyond the beginning of the final term of the academic year. A child may take up a part-time place until the child reaches compulsory school age. Upon receipt of the offer of a place a parent should notify the school in writing, as soon as possible, that they wish to either defer their child’s entry to the school or take up a part-time place.

Admission of Children outside their Normal Age Group

A request may be made for a child to be admitted outside of their normal age group. Any such request should be made in writing to the Headteacher of the school. The committee responsible for admissions will make its decision about the request based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child. In addition to considering the views of the Headteacher who has statutory responsibility for the internal organisation, management and control of the school, the committee will consider the views of the parents and of appropriate medical and education professionals.

Summer Born Children

The parents of a summer born child, i.e. a child born between 1 April and 31 August, may request that the child be admitted out of their normal age group, to the Reception class in the September following their fifth birthday and that that the child will remain in this cohort as they progress through school. Parents who want to make this request should make an application for their child’s normal age group at the usual time. The application to the Local Authority should include this request. The Local Authority will consult with the school, and the committee responsible for deciding upon admissions will make its decision about the request based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child. In addition to considering the views of the

Headteacher, who has statutory responsibility for the internal organisation, management and control of the school, the committee will consider the views of the parents and of appropriate medical and education professionals. Parents will be informed of the outcome of the request before primary national offer day. If the request is agreed, the application for the normal age group may be withdrawn before a place is offered. If their quest is refused, the parent must decide whether to accept the offer of a place for the normal age group, or to refuse it and make an in-year application for admission to year one for the September following the child’s fifth birthday.

Where a parent’s request is agreed, they must make a new application as part of the main admissions round the following year. One admission authority cannot be required to honour a decision made by another admission authority on admission out of the normal age group. Parents, therefore, should consider whether to request admission out of the normal year group at all their preference schools, rather than just their first preference schools.

In-Year Applications

An application can be made for a place for a child at any time outside the admission round and the child will be admitted where there are places available. Applications should be made by contacting the school direct and a school transfer form must be completed. If a parent requests information from a school regarding places in year groups, this will be responded to within 2 days. Parents will be advised of the outcome of their application within 5 days upon receipt of the transfer form. They will also receive the decision in writing within 10 school days.

Nursery Class Applications

Nursery application forms are available from the school office. Staff will require evidence of your child’s birth certificate at the time of application. Applications can be received any time after the child’s first birthday for 2 year old provision and any time after the child’s second birthday for 3 year old provision. Places will be allocated using the Trust’s admission criteria by order of priority. Additional forms of identity may be required to establish eligibility.

Please note that attendance in the Nursery class does not guarantee admission to Reception year group and a separate application form for admission to Reception year group will have to be made.

Withdrawing Offers of a School Place

It should be noted that an offer of a school place may be withdrawn if information supplied by you on your application is intentionally misleading or fraudulent (for example, a false claim to residence in a catchment area). We may also withdraw places if acceptance slips are not returned by the deadline requested by South Tyneside Local Authority.

To apply for a place please follow the link: www.southtyneside.gov.uk