Admissions
ST JAMES CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2025-26
St James is a Church of England Primary School and part of the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust, a multi-academy trust which includes a number of Church of England schools from across the Liverpool Diocese.
Admission arrangements are determined by the Governing Body of the school in consultation with the Diocesan Board of Education, the Local Authority and other admission authorities in the relevant area.
The Admission Number for the 2025 reception year intake at St James Church of England Primary School is 30.
Making an Application
Applications for reception year in September 2025 should be made on the applicant’s home local authority common application form. Copies of St Helens Primary Education Information for Parents Booklet will be available and applications made on-line via St Helens Council’s web-site from September 2025.
Applications must be submitted by 15 January 2025.
All applications will be considered at the same time and after the closing date.
Decision letters/emails will be sent to parents on 16 April 2025.
Late Applications
Applications submitted after the closing date will only be considered alongside those who applied on time when they are received before the allocation procedures begin. However, as this date cannot be predicted, parents have no guarantee that any application received after the closing date will be included.
OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA
After the admission of pupils with Education Health Care Plans, where St James C.E. Primary School is named on the Plan and where the number of applications exceeds the number of places available the Governing Body will apply the following over-subscription criteria:
- Looked after children and children who were previously looked after but then became subject to adoption, a child arrangements order, or special guardianship order.1 This includes children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted;2
- Children who have a brother or sister at the school at the time of likely admission. This includes full, half or stepbrothers and sisters, adopted and foster brothers and sisters or a child of the parent/carer’s partner, and in every case who is living at the same address and is part of the same family unit.
- Children whose parent(s) who regularly attend a Church of England church (a parent is any person who has parental responsibility or care of the child). Regular attendance shall be defined as public worship for at least once a month and for at least 2 years immediately prior to application. This would need to be confirmed in writing by a member of the clergy or a church officer and submitted by the parent with their application form.
In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these admissions arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church or alternative premises have been available for public worship.
- Children whose parent(s) regularly attend another Christian church. Christian church means any church which is designated under the Ecumenial Relations Measure nationally by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York or locally by the diocesan bishop, or is a member of Churches Together in England, or the Evangelical Alliance, or a partner church of affinity (a parent is any person who has parental responsibility or care of the child). Regular attendance shall be defined as public worship for at least once a month and for at least 2 years immediately prior to application. This would need to be confirmed in writing by the appropriate minister of religion or religious leader and submitted by the parent with their application form.
In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these admissions arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church or alternative premises have been available for public worship.
- Children who for medical or social reasons require a place at the school. Such applications would need to be supported in writing by a registered health professional or social worker at the time of application. The supporting letter or report must set out the particular reasons why the school is the most suitable and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school.
- Other children..
1 A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority , or (b) is being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
2 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. Applications must be supported with appropriate evidence that the child has been adopted from state care.
Tie Break
In the event of any over-subscription in the number of applications made under any of the categories above then the Admissions Committee will offer places first to children whose family home is nearest the school. The measurement shall be done by the Local Authority in a straight line using a Geographical Information System (GIS) based on Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) data and the National Grid co-ordinates for the family home and the school. Where the tie break does not distinguish between applicants e.g children living in the same block of flats random allocation will be used. This will be done by drawing lots and supervised by someone independent of the school.
Special Conditions for Twins (etc.)
Where the final place is offered to one of twins or triplets etc., the Governing Body will not apply the tie-break as it will admit the other twin etc. too, even if that means going above the admission number.
Definition of Home Address
This is the confirmed address (before allocation procedures begin) where the child and parent, or person with parental responsibility, normally live. It may be necessary for the Governing Body to carry out checks to confirm that addresses given are genuine. You may, therefore, be asked to produce documentary evidence of your child’s address e.g. Council tax or utility bills
If you are separated and your child spends time at each parent’s address, the address we shall use is that of the main carer. The address which receives child benefit will normally be used but the Governing Body reserves the right to request other proofs as fit the individual circumstances.
Please note:
Any change in your home address after you have completed the application form must be notified to the Admissions Section and supported by documentary evidence.
False Information
Where the Governing Body discovers that a child has been awarded a place as a result of any false information relating to the home address, proof of date of birth or involvement in a place of worship, it will withdraw the offer and your child will lose the place.
Deferred Entry
Parents may request that their child’s entry be deferred until later in the same school year, where the child is not of statutory school age. However, they would not be able to defer entry beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted, if they did, they would need to re-apply for the following year. The application would normally then be for a place in year 1 i.e. the correct chronological age group for the child. Parents are able to submit a request, supported by evidence, for admission in the reception year. The request will be considered in line with the requirements of the School Admissions Code.
Before making the decision to defer entry parents are advised to speak to the headteacher.
Waiting List
During the normal admissions round, if a place is refused because the school is oversubscribed your child’s name will automatically be placed on the waiting list. The waiting list will be kept in priority order according to the oversubscription criteria and not on the date on which applications were received. If a place becomes available within the admission number, the child whose name is at the top of the list will be offered a place.
Children who are the subject of a direction by the local authority to admit or who are allocated to a school in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over those on the waiting list
The waiting list will close on the 31st December 2025 for the September 2025 reception year intake.
Fair Access Protocol
The Governing Body has a duty to comply with the Local Authority’s Fair Access Protocol and may have to admit above its published admission number, even if the year group concerned is full.
All schools must participate in their Local Authority’s protocol. For that reason, admission appeal panels will not view the fact that the school is obliged to admit over its admission number as an indication that it can do so for all in year transfers without causing prejudice to the efficient provision of education or efficient use of resources.
In Year Transfers
Applications for a place in reception year after the waiting list has closed or years 1 – 6 should be made on the Local Authority’s in year common application form. The application will then be processed in accordance with St Helens in year co-ordinated admission scheme.
Parents will normally receive a written response to their application within ten school days.
Appeal Procedure
Where parents are unsuccessful in applying for a school place, the decision letter will give reasons why the application was refused (in light of the published admission arrangements) notification of the right of appeal, including details of how, and to whom, to make an appeal and where to obtain further information.
Parents should be aware that legislation limits infant class sizes to 30 pupils and restricts the grounds upon which an appeal can be upheld. You would have to show that the decision was one which in the circumstances no reasonable governing body would have made, or that your child would have been offered a place if the governors’ admission arrangements had been properly implemented.
All Enquiries about school admissions should be made through the Local Authority School Admissions Section 01744 671035
https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/article/3298/School-admissions