Barnwell Academy

Admissions

Barnwell Academy Nursery School Admissions

At Barnwell Academy we have a school nursery provision for 36 children. The places are spilt with 18 morning places for 5 days per week and 18 afternoon places for 5 days per week. Parents with children who will turn 4 between September and the following August can apply.

Places can be registered as early as possible with most families choosing to do so when their child turns 2 years old. To register and request a place visit the school office at the main school reception.

If our school nursery is oversubscribed and we can not offer a place for every child it will be necessary to consider all of the children registered against the published admissions criteria for the school.

As we also have a Daycare provision for 0-5 year olds we can also offer wraparound care and 30 hours provision between, the hours of 8am-6pm, for children who attend our school nursery.

 

If you would like your child to attend Barnwell Academy school, please see full details of our admission arrangement below.

Admissions for Sunderland Local Authority 2023-24

 

Web icon Sunderland City Council - to apply follow this link to Online School Admissions

 

Arrangements for Barnwell Academy are available in the Sunderland School Admission Primary Booklet however, you can read the extract of our Admission policy here:

 

Barnwell Academy Admissions Policy

The Trust Board of Barnwell Academy is the Admissions Authority for this Academy. The Trust Board intends to admit up to 30 pupils into Reception in September 2024.

The admissions policy is applied if the number of applications exceeds the number of places available.

Applications must be made on the Common Application Form (available from the Local Authority) 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.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan or a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming Barnwell Academy will be admitted.

We will admit up to 30 applications in accordance with the following criteria in the following order of priority:

  • Looked–after children – 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.
  • Sibling Link – A child who has an older brother/sister (including adoptive, foster or step-children) that shares the same parent/carer and lives at the same address, who will be attending the preferred school.
  • Exceptional medical or psychological reasons – You must include a medical or psychological report, prepared by a professional, to confirm information that you include in this section. This report should explain why only this school could meet your child’s medical or psychological needs. Common childhood medical conditions such as asthma or giving a child’s nervousness at starting a new school as a psychological reason for choosing a particular school are unlikely to be accepted as exceptional.
  • Children of permanent staff* employed by the school.
  • All other children.

*This is applicable to all permanent staff employed by Barnwell Primary Academy as follows:

a) where the member of staff has been employed by the school/academy for 2 or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the academy is made, and/or

b) the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

Notes

Within each of the above, places will be offered on the basis of distance from the centre of the home address to the main entrance of the school with priority being given to those living closest to the school. Distance is measured by the shortest safest walking distance, using a geographical information system (GIS). This uses Ordnance Survey maps and Land & Property Gazzetteer (LLPG), which provides   co-ordinates for every dwelling.

 At the first stage of allocations there will be no distinction between 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. 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.

 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 the end of the Summer term, 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 the School Admissions Team.

 Where a pupil has an Education, Health & Care Plan naming Barnwell Academy, a place will be offered (subject to confirmation by the SEN Unit).

 It will be possible for Infant classes to exceed the statutory limit where the 31st child is a twin or from multiple births, or of armed forces personnel.

 Parents/carers who are awarded a place for their child may request that the date their child is admitted to school is deferred until later in the year or subsequent year, for example, until the start of the term when the child reaches compulsory school age. Parents can also request that their child takes up the place part time, if it is in the interest of the child, until the child is of compulsory school age. In this instance, parents must discuss this with the Head teacher. Compulsory school age is determined as the term after the child's fifth birthday.

 It is possible for parents/carers to defer entry to Reception for summer born children until the following September, i.e. born between 1 April & 31 August). In the first instance, parents/carers should seek advice from the Local Authority.

In Year Admissions

If you are applying for an in year place at Barnwell Academy please complete the Primary School Transfer Form below.

All applications forms received will by considered by the school. Barnwell Academy has a published admission number of 30 in each class. 

Upon receipt of the transfer form the school will notify parents and carers of the decision within 10 school days and a written decision within 15 school days. 

If there are no places available and the class/year group is full you can appeal the decision. 

To receive an appeals form please contact the school office in person, via telephone on 0191 5844440 or by email: barnwell.primary@schools.sunderland.gov.uk

 Please note we do not currently hold a waiting list for in year places.