Minerva Primary School and Nursery is a co-educational Primary school in the town of Taunton providing education for 2 to 11 year olds.
School website: www.minervaprimaryschool.co.uk
Admissions contact: Mr Gareth Nation Tel: 01823 337051
School Office: [email protected]
Somerset Local Authority website: www.somerset.gov.uk/admissions
Minerva Primary School has an admission number of 25 for entry in the reception year in 2023.
The school will accordingly admit this number of pupils each year if there are sufficient applications. Where fewer applicants than the published admission number(s) for the relevant year group are received, the Admissions Committee will offer places at the school to all those who have applied.
Important documents published by your Local Authority are relevant to some areas of school admissions procedure. Applicants are strongly advised to contact their ‘home’ Local Authority (the area in which the child lives) or access the Local Authority website and ensure that they read and understand this information before proceeding with an application for a school place. Related documents of particular importance are:
If in categories 1-5 above a tie-break is necessary to determine which child is admitted, the child living closest to the school will be given priority for admission. Distance is measured in a straight line by a Geographical information System (GIS) method from the geocoded point of the school site to the geocoded point of the pupil’s home.
Random allocation by drawing lots supervised by someone independent of the school, will be used as a tie-break in categories 1-5 above to decide who has highest priority for admission if the distance between a child’s home and the school is equidistant in any two or more cases.
However, if children of multiple birth (twins and triplets) are tied for the final place, those siblings will be admitted over PAN as permitted by infant class size rules.
Applications must be submitted to the home LA. If this is Somerset applications can be made on-line at www.somerset.gov.uk/admissions. Paper applications are available to download from the Somerset County Council website at www.somerset.gov.uk/admissions, or upon request by telephoning Somerset Direct on 0300 123 2224.
Applications must be received by 23:59 hours on 15 January 2023, otherwise the application will be recorded as late. Late applications will be considered after those received on time. Please see the Somerset LA co-ordinated scheme for full details.
Outcomes for on time applications will be sent out by email (for online applicants) or second class post on 17 April 2023 (or next working day if this falls on a weekend or bank holiday).
In-year applications must be submitted directly to the school using the in-year application form which can be obtained on the school website or by request to the school office.
The admissions committee will consider batches of applications on a weekly basis with a 4pm deadline every Friday (term time only) for receipt of applications. If more applications are received than there are places available, the over- subscription criteria will be applied
A decision will be notified in writing to the applicant within ten school days.
Proof of address may be required to be submitted with the application. This will be either the formal ‘exchange of contracts’ letter from the solicitor for a house purchase, a recent utility bill or the signing of a minimum of a six month tenancy agreement. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to seek further documentary evidence to support a claim of residence.
Where there are more applications than places available within a particular year group, applications will be considered against the published oversubscription criteria and allocated up to the admission number/ limit.
Places will not be allocated more than six school weeks or half a term in advance of being required. The only exceptions are children of UK service personnel and other crown servants (including Diplomats) returning to the UK with a confirmed posting to the area (see Children of UK service personnel).
All applicants refused a place have a right of appeal to an independent appeal panel constituted and operated in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code.
Details of how to appeal are included in the outcome email or letter.
Information on the timetable for the appeals process is published on our website by 28 February each year.
The Admissions Committee operates waiting lists for every year group. Where a child is formally refused admission to any year group, parents may request that his/her child’s name be placed on the appropriate waiting list. Children’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. Where places become vacant they will be allocated to children on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. The waiting list will be reordered in accordance with the oversubscription criteria whenever anyone is added to or leaves the waiting list. Waiting lists will be maintained until the end of the academic year.
Parents offered a place in reception for their child have a right to defer entry, or to take the place up part-time, until the start of the term beginning immediately after their child has reached compulsory school age. However, places cannot be deferred beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which the offer was made.
Children reach compulsory school age on the prescribed day following their 5th birthday (or on their fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day). The prescribed days are 31 August, 31 December and 31 March.]
Parents have a right to a full-time place at school for their child from the September following their fourth birthday.
Parents may request that their child is admitted to a year group outside their normal age range, for instance where the child is summer-born or where the child is gifted or talented or where a child has suffered from particular social or medical issues impacting his or her schooling.
When such a request is made, the Admissions Committee will make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child concerned, taking into account the views of the headteacher and any supporting evidence provided by the parent. If a request is refused, the child will still be considered for admission to their normal age group.
The parent is required to make an on-time application for the child’s normal age group (if relevant) but can submit a request for admission out of the normal age group at the same time. The LA will ensure the parent is aware of whether the request for admission out of age group has been agreed before National Offer Day and the reason for any refusal.
Requests for admission out of the normal year group will be considered alongside other applications made at the same time. An application from a child who would ‘normally’ be a year 1 child for a reception place will be considered alongside applications for reception.
If a request for delayed admission is agreed, the school place application may be withdrawn before a place is offered and a new school place application will need to be made as part of the normal admissions round the following year.
If a request for a child to be admitted to school a year early is agreed, the school place application will be processed and an outcome will be sent on the National Offer Day.
If a request for delayed admission is refused, the parent must decide whether to accept the offer of a school place for the normal age group, or to refuse it and make an in-year application for admission to year one for the September following the child’s fifth birthday.
If a request for a child to be admitted to school a year early is refused, the school place application will not be processed and a new school place application will need to be made as part of the normal admissions round the following year.
There is no right of appeal against the decision not to allow your child to be admitted outside of their normal age group.
One admission authority cannot be required to honour a decision made by another admission authority on admission out of the normal age group. Parents, therefore, should consider whether to request admission out of the normal year group at all their preference schools, rather than just their first preference schools.
For further information and important things you should consider please visit;
http://www.somerset.gov.uk/education-learning-and-schools/choosing-a- school/starting-or-transferring-school-early-or-late/
The Admissions Committee will treat applications for children coming from overseas in accordance with European Union law or Home Office rules for non- European Economic Area nationals.
The Admissions Committee will process applications for children who are citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) and for UK citizens living abroad. If proof of the Somerset address is not available the application will be considered on the current address. The only exceptions are children of UK service personnel and other crown servants (including Diplomats) returning to the UK with a confirmed posting to the area (see Children of UK service personnel).
The Admissions Committee will not allocate a place to any non EEA citizen moving into Somerset from outside the UK prior to their arrival in the country. In such cases the LA will require copies of the passports, appropriately endorsed visas and proof of residency – see home address definition. Applicants who are citizens of countries from outside the EEA should first check that their visas will not be invalidated by taking up a maintained school or academy place before applying. If in doubt, parents should contact the Home Office.
For the purpose of school admission, the Admissions Committee definition of a sibling is a child living at the same address as a half or full brother or sister, an adoptive brother or sister, or children of the same household at the time of application and remaining so at the time of admission.
A ‘parent’ in education law includes natural parents, whether they are married or not and a person other than the natural parent(s) who has parental responsibility or care of a child or young person. Having ‘care’ of a child or young person means that person who looks after the child and with whom the child lives, irrespective of what their relationship is with the child.
For the purposes of school admission, the Admissions Committee definition of a child’s home address is considered to be where the child spends the majority of their time with the person(s) who legally have care of the child. Documentary evidence of house ownership or a minimum six-month rental agreement may be required, together with proof of the child’s residence at the property concerned. Places will not be allocated on the basis of a future house move unless this can be confirmed through the exchange of contract or the signing of a minimum six month formal lease agreement from a letting agency in place at the time of application. Please note private letting agreements may not be accepted as proof of residence. An address change due to a move to live with family or friends will not be considered until the move has taken place and suitable proof of residency has been obtained. Proof that a move from the previous address has taken place may also be required e.g. proof of exchange of contracts, a tenancy agreement showing the end date of the tenancy or a notice to quit from the landlord or repossession notice. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to seek further documentary evidence to support any claim of residence which could include contacting the estate agent, solicitor, landlord or relevant professional.
An address used for childcare arrangements cannot be used as a home address for the purpose of applying for a school place. The Admissions Committee may withdraw the offer of a school place if the child’s home address is subsequently found to be fraudulent.
Where shared residence arrangements are in place and it is necessary to determine the home address, each parent may be required to write to the Admissions Committee and inform them of the number of days each week the child spends with them. Where the child spends equal time with both parents the Admissions Committee may ask for additional information including evidence of which parent/carer is in receipt of child benefit, and/or the name of the GP surgery at which the child is registered.
The Admissions Committee will expect parents to confirm by post or email within 21 school days, their acceptance of any place offered at the school. The child must then be attending school within five weeks of the date of the original offer letter. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a place if these conditions are not met and to reallocate the place to the highest ranked child on a waiting list, or to a new applicant where no waiting list exists.
Should the Admission Authority become aware that a place was secured for a child at the school on the basis of misleading or false information, it will consider withdrawing the offer, or where a child has already started to attend the school may remove the child from the school roll. The circumstances of the case will be fully discussed with the parent and, if the decision is taken to withdraw the offer of a place, the application will be considered afresh, taking account of any new information.
A copy of the school catchment map is available to view on the school website and the Local Authority website or a copy can be made available by contacting the school office.
The Admissions Authority endeavours to ensure that their admission arrangements support the Government’s commitment to removing disadvantage for service children. In-year applications are usually considered for admission up to a maximum of half a term in advance of the place being taken up. An exception is made for children of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting to the area and crown servants returning from overseas to live in the area where a place can be made available up to a year in advance of being required providing the appropriate documentation is provided as proof of posting (an official government letter (e.g. MOD, FCO or GCHQ) declaring a relocation date and intended posting.)
Usually, a place may be allocated prior to actual residency, only on receipt of exchange of contracts or a formal signed rental agreement. An exception is made for children of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting to the area and crown servants returning from overseas to live in the area. This means that, providing the application is accompanied by an official government letter (e.g. MOD, FCO or GCHQ) declaring a relocation date and intended posting, the admissions authority will process the application. If proof of a home address is not available at this stage the admissions authority will accept a unit postal address or quartering area address.
If the parent/carer is moving to the area as a result of leaving the armed forces then no special consideration will be given to the application under the grounds of the application being made by a service family.
For further information please refer to the DfE explanatory note on Admission of Children of Crown Servants;
These Admission Arrangements reflect the statutory requirements of the Department for Education 2014 School Admissions Code and the 2012 School Admissions Appeals Code.
Please contact the school office if you have any enquiries about these Admission Arrangements.
