Admission arrangements for 2025 – 2026

Our admissions process forms part of Solihull Council coordinated scheme.  Applications should be made to Solihull Council.

The school’s admission number is 60.  If the number of applications is lower than the school’s admission number, all applicants will be admitted.  If there are more applications than places available, then all applications will be given a priority from the oversubscription criteria and places will be offered in priority order.

Oversubscription criteria

Priority 1    Looked after children and previously looked after children who are now adopted or subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order

Priority 2    Children whose exceptional circumstances can only be met by that particular school

Priority 3       Children who normally live in the catchment area of the school

Priority 4       Children who have a brother or sister at the school at the same time

Priority 5       Other children, measured in a straight line from the child’s home

1.         Children with an Education Health and Care plan that names Smith’s Wood Primary Academy will be offered a place first.  This will reduce the number of places available.

2.         Applications with exceptional social or medical reasons must be supported by independent professional evidence.  The Cabinet Member Advisory Group for Admissions will consider applications and evidence and make recommendations to Cabinet Member, who will grant priority 1b to applications with exceptional social or medical reasons.

3.         Under priority group 4 a brother or sister must live at the same address and could be:

• A brother or sister sharing the same parents;
• a half-brother or half-sister, where two children share one parent;
• a stepbrother or stepsister, where two children are related by a parent’s marriage or civil partnership (a formal arrangement that gives same-sex couples the same legal status as married couples);
• the separate children of couples who live together; or
• an adopted or fostered brother or sister.
• Priority is not given if the brother or sister attends the nursery unit as this is non-statutory education.

4.         There is no guarantee of transfer from nursery to reception class; a further application must be made the following year.

5.         If possible, places will be offered at the same school to twins, triplets and children from other multiples births, as long as we comply with infant class size legislation.

6.         If a priority group has more applicants than places available priority will first be given to those with an older brother or sister at the school and then to those living nearest the school (measured in a straight line from home to school).

7.         Distances are measured by the Council’s admissions system.  The admissions system uses six-figure grid references provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG).  The grid references provide a unique point on each property.

8.         If two or more applications in the same priority have the same distance, but only one place can be offered, a computerised random allocation system will be used to decide which applicant has the highest priority.

9.        The home address is the place where the child is permanently resident with his or her parents. If care is shared between two parents, parents will need to provide a copy of the court order defining the arrangement.  In the absence of a court order, we will use the address of the parent who is in receipt of the child benefit.  Parents will need to send a copy of your child benefit award for the last two years.

10.       Applications received after the closing date are late and will be processed after the offer day.  Late applications will be considered when places are allocated from the waiting list.

11.       Waiting lists are produced in strict order of priority, according to the oversubscription criteria and managed by Solihull Council.  Parents must phone the council every half term to keep their child’s name on the list

12.       Applications for a school place at any time other than the normal time for admission (in-year admission) should be made to Solihull Council.  If there is a vacancy in the relevant year group a place will be offered.  If the year group is full the application will be given a priority and put on the waiting list.

13.        The Governing Body recognises its duty to comply with the Local Authority Fair Access Protocol to provide fair access to school for pupils who need a school place because they have missed, or are at risk of missing, education.

14.       Parents who wish to appeal against the decision of the Governors to refuse their child a place in the school should contact School Admissions at Solihull Council.  Appeals will be heard by an independent panel