Carleton Endowed Primary School is a Church of England Voluntary Aided School and seeks to serve the Carleton community and those who wish to apply from the surrounding area.
As a Church of England Voluntary Aided school, the school’s Governing Body is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for admissions. We are an inclusive school that welcomes children from all faiths and of all backgrounds and abilities and all applications will be treated fairly and objectively according to our admissions criteria.
The school will endeavour to accept all children where parents make an application for them to attend up to the maximum admission level. The Planned Admissions Number (PAN) is 30. If the number of applications exceeds this maximum, preference will be given in accordance with the over subscription criteria set out below.
It is the duty of the Governors to comply with class size limits at Key Stage 1. This means that the school cannot normally operate classes in KS1 of more than 30 children
Children who have a statement of special educational need or an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), which names Carleton Endowed VA Primary School, will be admitted. This is a statutory entitlement under section 324 of the Education Act 1996 and is not part of the over subscription criteria.
Where there are more applications than places available, governors will offer places, according to the following criteria in order of priority:
- Children in local authority public care (looked after children) or who have previously been a looked after child who have been adopted or are subject to a residency or special guardianship order.
- Children who have a brother or sister who attends Carleton Endowed School and who will still be on roll at the expected time of admission for the applicant. Brothers and sisters includes, blood relations, step brothers, step sisters, fostered or adopted children.
- Children living within the Parish Council boundaries of Carleton in Craven (map available to view in school, on the school website under the admissions tab and attached to this policy).
- Children whose family regularly attend worship at a Christian Church. (Note: ‘family’ includes the child or one or both parents/legal guardian; ‘regular’ attendance is deemed to be a minimum of once per month over a period of not less than 2 years; ‘Christian church’ is one which is affiliated to Churches Together in Britain and Ireland or one which is in full sympathy with its Trinitarian stance)
- Children with a medical or social need, which is supported by written verification by the appropriate professional to state that Carleton Endowed School is the most appropriate school for the child.
- Any other children
Tie Breaker:
Where there are more applications than places available within any one of the above criteria then the distance as measured in a straight line from the main entrance of school.
Admission of children below statutory school age
- Children who are offered a Reception place in the school will be able to start school in the September following their fourth birthday and take part in taster sessions in the summer term before this.
- Parents may request that the date their child is admitted to the school is deferred until later in the same school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year.
- Parents may request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age (this is outlined in our school prospectus).
- Requests for a child to start their schooling on a part-time basis or to defer the start until they reach compulsory school-age should be addressed to the Headteacher.
- Compulsory school age is the beginning of the term following the child’s fifth birthday.
Deferred entry to primary schools
Parents of children who are offered a place at the school before they are of compulsory school age may defer their child’s entry until later in the school year. Where entry is deferred, the school will hold the place for that child and not offer it to another child during the remainder of the school year for which application was made.
It should be noted, however, that such children will only be allowed to start at the beginning of a term. Parents may not defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the beginning of the summer term of the school year for which the original application was accepted.
In-year Co-ordination
An in-year common preference form, available from school or the local authority must be completed and returned to the Admissions Team for admission to the school outside the normal admission round. All requests will be considered by the Governors who will inform the local authority whether or not a place can be offered. The local authority will then send an offer letter to parents.
Waiting List
Where a child is refused an offer of a place in our school, parents may request that the child’s name be placed on the school’s waiting list. The waiting list will be maintained for the remainder of the academic year for which application was made. Waiting lists will be maintained in order of the oversubscription priorities.
We will ensure that any vacancies which arise in-year are notified promptly to the local authority, and where there is a waiting list for the relevant year group, provide the name of the child at the top of the waiting list who school will contact (on behalf of the governors) with the offer of a place.
Application procedures
All applications must be made using the Local Authority’s Common Preference Form, which should be returned to the Local Authority or via the school by the date given in the Local Authority information pack. Where the application is seeking a place under category 5, the school’s supplementary information form must also be completed and returned to the school by the same date.
Appeals
Where a child is not offered a place at the school, parents can appeal to an independent Appeals Panel. This appeal must be sent in writing to the clerk of the Governors at the school within 20 days of

The attached PDF document contains a printable copy of this policy, together with an application form for requesting supplementary information.