Admissions
At Hovingham Primary school we aim to ensure the admissions process is a smooth one, we know and understand that transition from home to school, home country to new country, old school to new school can be a worrying and anxious time for everyone.
What do parents need to do to admit a child to Hovingham?
We are a Community school and the admission authority is Leeds City Council, who sets our admission policy every year.
How to apply for a September 2023 place
If you are applying for a reception place for September 2023, all applications are made in advance. Offers are made by the Local Authority on national offer day.
You must apply to the local authority who empties your bins. If this is Leeds, go to www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. The website is a composite prospectus for all Leeds schools and this includes:
- all of the steps you need to go through to make an application
- the key dates
- a search tool to see if your home address gives any higher priority for admission to any school(s)
- an explanation about how places are offered if there are more applications than spaces (oversubscribed)
- the online application portal - apply online and you’ll be sent your offer by email
- a summary of each school’s individual admission policy criteria
- data about who got a place in the last 3 years - this will help you work out if there is a reasonable chance of your child qualifying for a place.
- Information about applying under a specific admission criteria (such as your child being previously looked after). It is really important to ensure you submit all supporting evidence by the deadline to show you meet any such criteria.
The council’s social media pages will also tell you about any Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.
Application Timetable for September 2024 Admission to Reception
The below timetable applies to applications made to Leeds City Council. If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates.
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Primary school applications, important dates |
|
|---|---|
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1 November 2022 |
Applications open |
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15 January 2023 |
National deadline for applying |
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12 February 2023 |
Deadline for late applications and changes (for schools which follow our admissions policy) |
|
17 April 2023 |
National offer day |
In-Year Applications
If you're moving into Leeds or want to change schools in Leeds, you need to make a school transfer – often called an in-year application.
Moving schools can be a difficult experience for a child. You should always speak to your child's current school before trying to move to see what support they can offer you.
How to Apply for an In-Year Place
Leeds City Council has delegated the decision making for in-year applications to our Governing Body.
You can apply for a place online using the Leeds in-year application form at Before you move schools (leeds.gov.uk).You can apply for places at our school and any other Leeds schools who are part of the centralised Leeds in-year application scheme at the same time.
If you have moved house, please upload evidence of the house move with the online application. You can find out what you need to provide on the above website.
We have to offer places by applying our admission policy criteria to your child’s application and we will contact you with our decision about offering you a place. We will tell you our decision no later than 15 school days from when you apply.
If we cannot offer you a place, we will
- write to you to explain the reasons
- explain how you can appeal and
- add your child to our waiting list in case a place becomes free.
Our waiting lists are kept until end of each school year. You will need to make a new application if you want to be on the waiting list for the following school year.
Appeals
If we cannot offer you a place, you will have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and their decision is legally binding.
Before you appeal you:
- should accept any place that you have been offered in case your appeal is not successful
- should think about why you are appealing and check if it's likely to be successful
- could read the advice for appealing school places on GOV.UK
- could get independent advice on making an appeal from a charity
Leeds City Council arranges our appeals and you can find the appeal form at School appeals (leeds.gov.uk)
If you are applying for a reception place for September 2022, you need to submit your appeal by the deadline to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.
Appeals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – these classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. This means that appeals for these places are less likely to be successful.
If our school refuses your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you will need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education's information about infant class size appeals.
Other appeals - You can appeal because you want your child to attend a particular school. These are successful if the panel agree that the reasons for your appeal outweigh the school's decision not to admit any more children.
Wanting your child to go to a school because you think it is the best one in the area is not likely to convince the panel that your child should get a place there.
Transferring Schools
If you wish to transfer school or are applying for a school place other than starting primary or secondary school for the first time you need to approach the school you wish to apply for directly.
The school will give you a form to complete or you can complete an in-year transfer form. You need to return the completed form to the school either in person or by post.
If the school is able to offer you a place, you will receive a letter confirming this from the school.
If the school is unable to offer you a place the Admissions Team will contact you in writing to let you know about the other schools in your area and any vacancies at these schools.
You will have the right of appeal to an independent panel for the school you have been refused. If you want more information about the appeals process please go the related page Admissions Appeals.
You must apply for a school place using the address where your child lives for the majority of the time.
