Admissions

The Mercian Trust is the admission authority for Rushall Primary School and is responsible for determining the admission arrangements for the school. The Local Authority co-ordinates applications in the normal admissions round.

Rushall Primary School is part of an inter-LA Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for Primary Admissions. All dates referred to within this document are in line with this scheme

These admission arrangements have due regard to the following legislation and any regulations thereunder:

·         The School Admissions Code (2021)

·         The School Admission Appeals Code (2022)

·         The Equality Act (2010)

·         The Human Rights Act (1998)

·         The School Standards Framework Act (1998)

Further information on the regulations related to academy admissions can be found here.

All children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that specifies the academy as the placement school will be automatically admitted. Information on the academy’s local SEN offer can be found on the academy’s website.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names Rushall Primary School must be admitted. These children are admitted before the application of the oversubscription criteria.

Where fewer applications are received than the number of places available for a relevant age group (i.e., the normal age that pupils are admitted to the academy), all applicants will be offered a place.

Where there are more applications than places for a relevant age group, the oversubscription criteria detailed below will be used to determine which children are offered a place.

The Local Governing Body will monitor the implementation of these admission arrangements at school level. Formal approval, consultation and determination of the admission arrangements for Rushall Primary School sit with The Mercian Trust Board as the admission authority for the academy.

How many pupils will be admitted?

Rushall Primary School has set number of pupils who will be admitted to the entry year (Reception) during normal admissions round. This is the Published Admission Number (PAN).

If the number of applications received for the entry year exceeds the PAN the oversubscription criteria will be used to determine which pupils are allocated a place.

The PAN for Reception (entry year) is 30.

When and how to apply for a Place?

There are two points of admission into school:

·         Mid Year

·         Reception Entry

Mid Year Admission

Parents of school age children, moving into the area in the middle of the academic year, are welcome to make an application for a place Rushall Primary School, by contacting Admissions and Pupil Place Planning Team at Walsall Council on (01922) 652585 or email at midyear.admissions@walsall.gov.uk

If spaces are not currently available in the desired year group, your child’s details will be held on the waiting list for one term following the application by Walsall Admissions Team.

Further details and the online preference form can be found by selecting the following link: https://go.walsall.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-in-walsall/school-admissions/moving-to-a-different-school

Reception Entry

Applications from admission to Year Reception in September are known as ‘applications in the normal round’. Parents must complete a Common Application Form (CAF) from their child’s home Local Authority (usually on their website) and submit this and any supporting evidence.

If you live in Walsall and your child is due to start Reception, you must apply online via the Walsall Council website.

Each year in September, the Walsall Council Citizen Portal opens for parents and carers to submit Reception applications: Apply for a primary school place | Walsall Council

The Admissions and Education Sufficiency Team will also publish an ‘Information for Parents’ booklet on the Council website, which explains the admissions process. When making an application, applicants must name all schools (maximum of 3) where they wish for their child to be considered for a place. Information will also be shared with all parents of children at Rushall Primary School Nursery, encouraging them to submit their application before the closing date.

Parents of children who are in nursery provision in Walsall and are resident in Walsall must complete a Walsall preference form if they want their child to join a reception class in a Walsall primary school.

Attendance at Rushall Primary School Nursery does not guarantee a place at Rushall Primary School from Reception – Year 6.

Oversubscription Criteria

If there are more applications for places than there are places available, we will give preference to children according to the following criteria, in this order of priority:

1)   Looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children 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.

Per the School admissions Code (clause 1.7) 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 (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.

A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society. This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see Section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (see Section 46 adoption orders).

Child arrangements orders are defined in Section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by Section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order. See Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 which defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).

2)   Children whose siblings live at the same address, currently attend the academy and who will still be attending the academy at the point of admission. For the purposes of these admission arrangements a sibling is classed as children living permanently at the same address as a child already attending the academy and either have one or both parents in common, are related by a parent’s marriage or civil relationship, are adopted or fostered by a common parent, or are related to children who live at the same address whose parents live as partners. This must be the main family home and the child’s normal place of residence – not a temporary or term arrangement. If children of multiple births (twins and triplets etc.) require admission in the same year group and there is only a single place left within the PAN, the school will offer places above the PAN, as permitted by the Infant class size rules.

3)   Children whose siblings attend Oakwood Pelsall Lane Campus and live at the same address, currently attend the academy and who will still be attending the academy at the point of admission. For the purposes of these admission arrangements a sibling is classed as children living permanently at the same address as a child already attending the academy and either have one or both parents in common, are related by a parent’s marriage or civil relationship, are adopted or fostered by a common parent, or are related to children who live at the same address whose parents live as partners. This must be the main family home and the child’s normal place of residence – not a temporary or term arrangement. Where the last remaining place is offered to one child from a multiple-birth family, all siblings from that multiple birth will also be offered a place, even if this exceeds the PAN.

4)   Children of permanent teaching and support staff directly employed by Rushall Primary School or Oakwood School, Pelsall Lane Campus, who have been employed at the school for two years or more at the time of application, or who were recruited to fill a post for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage. This includes full time and part time on permanent or consecutive annual fixed term contracts who have been employed at the academy for 2 years or more at the time of application, or a member of staff who is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage at the same academy. The staff member must spend more than 50% of their normal working week during term time at the academy. Staff does not include people engaged on a contract for services.  For the purposes of this criterion “children” include a son or daughter who is biological, step, adopted, fostered, or those under special guardianship, and they must live at the same address as the employed parent. This also includes children of cohabiting partners.

5)   Medical factors

Children for whom there are exceptional medical or social reasons that make attendance at Rushall Primary School essential. Applications must be supported by professional evidence (e.g., from a doctor, social worker or other relevant professional) explaining why only this school can meet the child’s needs. Evidence will be reviewed by a panel appointed by The Mercian Trust, and decisions will be made based on the strength of the evidence provided.

Medical evidence must be submitted in writing from a medical practitioner and should state why the preferred school is the only school that can meet the child's needs.

6)   Distance

Definition: The home address of a child is considered to be the permanent residence of a child in a residential property when the place is offered. The address must be the child’s only or main residence and is either:

• Owned by the child’s parent, parents or guardian; or

• Leased to or rented by the child’s parent, parents or guardian under lease or written rental agreement of not less than six months duration.

Documentary evidence of ownership or rental agreement may be required together with proof of actual permanent residence at the property concerned. In certain circumstances the child’s current school will be asked to verify the address given.

Where parents have shared responsibility for a child and the child lives with both parents for part of the week, the main residence will be determined as the address where the child lives for the majority of the week. Parents may be requested to supply documentary evidence to support the address used for the application.

The offer of a place is based upon the address of the child when the offer is made. If a child is offered a place at an oversubscribed school the place may be withdrawn if it is found that the child moved (before the place was offered) to a new address which was further away from the school and the child would not have qualified for a place on the distance criterion.

In the event that the family moves between the application and the date of offer, the School Admissions Team must be informed as soon as possible of these circumstances.

If the home address is a flat (or apartment) and there is more than one flat at the same address, priority will be given to applications living at the lowest numbered flat and/or the flat on the lower floor.

Distance will be measured in a straight line from the centre point of the home address to the centre point of the school address using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

Tie-breaker, if two or more applications cannot be separated using the oversubscription criteria, the final tie-breaker will be distance, with the child living closest to the school being offered the place. If distances remain equal, random allocation will be used and will be supervised by an independent person.

The Trust reserves the right to withdraw an offer if it is discovered that a place was obtained on the basis of fraudulent or intentionally misleading information.

Late Application

The policy on late applications for Rushall Primary School is in line with Walsall Council arrangements.

Late applications received up to 4 weeks after the closing date

Late applications received up to four weeks after the closing date may be considered as being on time but only where there are exceptional circumstances.

·         Where the family were unable to complete the Walsall Preference application by the closing date because they moved into the Borough of Walsall after the issue of the Walsall Preference Form.

·         The family were unable to comply with the admission timetable because of exceptional circumstances which prevented the on-line form being submitted on time.

·         When a lone parent has been ill for some time.

In these cases, the circumstances must be given in writing at the time of application and attached to the Preference Form they will then be verified by the Executive Director of Children’s Services, Walsall Council.

Late applications received more than 4 weeks after the closing date

Applications for schools received more than 4 weeks after the closing date but before the Notification Date will be considered only after all other applications.

Applications received after the notification date (once places have been offered)

Parents making a late preference for a place at an undersubscribed school will be offered a place for their child.

Any late application for a place at an over-subscribed school which is received after places have been offered will be added to the school’s waiting list in admission criterion order.

Please note that any change of preference after the closing date will be regarded as a late application and will be considered under the late application policy. Any change of preference must be made in writing by parents (letter or email). Parents can only have three preferences at any one time throughout the admission process. During the admissions procedure you must notify the Admissions and Education Sufficiency Team in writing of any change of home address.

Admission Appeal Process

As an academy within The Mercian Trust, admission appeals are organised by the Trust in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code (2022).

Admission Appeals

You have a statutory right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel against the decision not to offer your child a place at Rushall Primary School. You can appeal at the standard points of admission (Reception class) or mid-year if you’ve applied to move schools at a non-standard point.  It’s important to be realistic about your reasons for appealing and the chances of being successful. An appeal can prolong the period of uncertainty for you and your child.

To make an appeal, you will have to set your case out in writing and attend an appeal hearing. If you wish to make an appeal for a place at Rushall Primary School you can contact   School via the school office, phone 01922 682300 or by email: postbox@RUS.merciantrust.org.uk 

Admission appeal timetable for Admission to Reception in September 2027

Applications from admission to Year Reception in September are known as ‘applications in the normal round’. Parents must complete a Common Application Form (CAF) from their child’s home Local Authority (usually on their website) and submit this and any supporting evidence on or before the closing date, which is 15th January 2026.

Offers of places for Reception in September 2027 will be made on ‘national offer day’ on 16th April 2027 (or next working day).  Annual Appeals for places in Reception should be submitted by 18th May 2027 for them to be considered ‘on-time’.  Annual appeals for reception places will be held within 40 school days of the deadline for submitting such appeals.

Late Annual Appeals

Late Annual Appeals for Reception places in September will be heard within 30 school days of the Appeal being received.

Mid -Year admissions appeals

Arrangements will be made for mid-year admission appeals to be heard within 30 school days of submission.

Infant class size appeals

In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, the class size is limited to 30. These Appeals are harder to ‘win’ in view of the law that there can be no more than 30 pupils per qualified teacher, except for some limited permitted exceptions (as set out in the 2021 School Admissions Code). 

GOV.UK has further information about infant class size appeals

For Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, an Appeal Panel can only uphold an appeal if it is satisfied that:

• your child would have been offered a place if the published admission arrangements had been properly implemented

or

• your child would have been offered a place if the arrangements had not been contrary to the school admissions code and the legislation

or

• the decision was not one which a reasonable admission authority would make in the circumstances of the case

Please note that while you may talk about personal factors at an infant class appeal hearing, the Appeal Panel cannot take personal factors into account unless they are relevant to one of the three points above.

Waiting Lists

Waiting lists for all Walsall schools will be maintained by Walsall Council. Parents may enquire about their child's position on the Waiting List by contacting the Admissions & Education Sufficiency Team at schooladmissionsadvice@walsall.gov.uk.

Children who are the subject of a direction by a local authority to admit to a school or who are allocated to a school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol must take preference over those children on the waiting list.

Waiting Lists are kept for all children who have been refused a place at any school which was ranked higher than the school at which they have been offered a place, for example

If a child is offered a place at the school that was ranked 2nd on the Walsall Preference application, then the child's name will only be placed on the waiting list for the school that was ranked 1st.

If a child is offered a place at their first-choice school the child's name will not be added to any waiting list kept for their other ranked schools.

After the Primary Admissions notification date, a parent may contact the Admissions and Pupil Place Planning Team to apply for a place at an oversubscribed school. Their child's name will be placed on the school's waiting list in admission criteria order. Any vacancies will be offered on the basis of the admission criteria for the school.

Deferred Entry

Children reach compulsory school age on the first day of the term following their fifth birthday. However, all Walsall primary school provide full time places for pupils in a reception class from September in the year before children reach their fifth birthday.

If parents prefer their child to start later than 1st September 2027 they have the option of deferring the child's entry until later in the 2027/2028 school year. Parents opting for this must inform Walsall Children's Services in writing of the date they wish their child to start in a reception class. Parents can request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.

Parents are not able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term following their child's fifth birthday or beyond the academic year for which admission is sought.

This is because the school place is held for that child and is not available to be offered to another child.

Admission of children outside their normal age group

Summer born children, (born between 1 April and 31 August) reach compulsory school age in the September following their fifth birthday (or on their fifth birthday if it falls on 31 August). Parents of summer born children may submit a request for their child to be admitted to a Reception class in the September following their fifth birthday, at the point at which other children in their age group are moving from the reception class to year 1.

Parents seeking a place for their child outside of their normal age group in a community of voluntary controlled primary school should make a request in writing to Walsall Council providing details of the reason for the request and supporting medical evidence or evidence from the child’s current head teacher if appropriate.

When an application for admission outside of a child’s normal age group is received, Walsall Council and Rushall Primary School will work together to make the decision on whether or not to grant the request based on the individual circumstances of each case.

Secondary School Admission

If you live in Walsall and your child is due to start Reception, you must apply online via the Walsall Council website.

Each year in September, the Walsall Council Citizen Portal opens for parents and carers to submit applications for admission into Year 7: Apply for a secondary school place | Walsall Council

The Admissions and Education Sufficiency Team also publish an ‘Information for Parents’ booklet on the Council website, which explains the secondary admissions process. When making an application, applicants must name all schools (maximum of 5) where they wish for their child to be considered for a place.

Information will also be shared with all parents of Year 6 children at Rushall Primary School, encouraging them to submit their application before the closing date. If you are a Walsall resident and wish to apply for a school outside of the borough, these schools will also need to be listed on your application.

Nursery Admissions 

Rushall Primary School Nursery Admission Number: 26

The Admission Number is the capacity of the school to admit children at the normal age of entry into the Nursery Class.

Where the number of preferences received exceeds the number of places available, the following criteria is applied.

1. Children in public care. (Looked after children)

2. Children who have an older child in attendance at the school* when the admission is made and who will be attending school at the proposed admission date.

3. Children for whom a place at the school is essential on medical or social grounds and is supported in writing by a medical practitioner or a social worker.

4. Distance will be measured in a straight line from the centre point of the home address to the centre point of the school address with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

*This does not apply to our Additionally Resourced Provision.

 Applications can be made from birth by completing an application form and presenting the child’s birth certificate and proof of address to the school office.  If the address changes before the application deadline school must be informed.

Our first round of applications will be processed during January for children who are due to start in September, and our first round of offer letters will be sent out by 1st February.   Applications after this date will be held on a waiting list and allocated should there be places available on a first come first served basis.

 September is the start of our school year where our intake begins, however if we have vacancies we will accept children throughout the year.  This mid-year admission will be based on the Nursery waiting list.

Our Nursery offer

Children are offered a place based on our admission criteria above. Additional hours are looked at separately following this process.

Children may attend our nursery from the September after they turn three years old.  They may attend for 15 hours, this is on a part time basis, five mornings a week, 8.40am – 11.40am. 

Additional option available-  30 hour offer

Children of working parents or foster carers may attend our Nursery for 30 hours on a full time basis, five days a week, 9.00am- 3.00pm if they are eligible. Please contact the School Office for further detail regarding 30 hour funding.