Consultation for Changes to Admissions for 2025-2026
We are proposing to update our admissions criteria; to bring it in line with the developing needs and demographics of our community.
Click here to visit our policies page and view our Admissions policy for 2024/25
The consultation will run for six weeks from 6th November 2023 until 18th December. Please forward any comments to frichards@avonvalleyacademy.org.uk
Over-subscription Criteria
Where the number of applications for admission is greater than available places, after the admission of pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan or a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming the Academy, priority for admission will be considered by the Local Authority against the criteria set out below, in priority order:
Looked after children and previously look after children, for whom
- the school is deemed to be appropriate will take top priority. 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. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (seethe definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
- Children with a brother or sister (sibling) attending the school at the time of application with a reasonable expectation they will be attending at the time of the start of the new academic year. This includes step, foster or half and only applies to siblings who are resident at the same address.
- Children of members of staff of Avon Valley Academy and other Acorn Education Trust Schools:-
- Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for the admission to the school is made, and/or
- The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
- Proximity of the child’s home to Avon Valley Academy using a straight-line distance from the main entrance of Avon Valley Academy to the main door of the residence, with those living closest to the school being given priority. Proof of residence will be required. Where two adults have shared responsibility for their child they should submit a common application for their preferred school/s. The address used should be the one where
the child resides the majority of the school week (ie Sunday night to Thursday night).
If, in oversubscription criteria (2-4) above, a tie-break is necessary to determine which child is admitted, the child living nearest to the Academy applied for will be given priority for admission. This is called a distance tie-break. Distance will be measured using a straight line (as the crow flies) from the child’s home ‘address point’ determined by Ordnance Survey Data to the centre point of the school grounds as determined by the Local Authority using its computerised measuring system. Those living closest to the Academy applied for will be given priority. Accessibility by car or public transport will be disregarded. If applicants share the same address (for example, live in the same block of flats or shared house) priority will be given to those closest to the ground floor and then by ascending flat number. If two or more applicants with the same priority for admission live an indistinguishable distance from the preferred academy, but cannot all be admitted, then the available places will be decided by means of casting lots. The random allocation will be conducted independently by Democratic Services, Wiltshire Council as a tie- break to decide who will be admitted.
