School admission arrangements 2025/2026 – consultation

This consultation has now closed.

School admission arrangements set out how schools will admit pupils.

The arrangements include:

• the published admission number (the maximum number of pupils a school can admit to a year group).
• the oversubscription criteria
• information on the school waiting lists

Admission arrangements must be determined 18 months before the September of the academic year for which they’re relevant.

All schools will determine their arrangements each year. They will only formally consult every seven years, unless changes are proposed.

Consultation on admission arrangements 2025 to 2026 for community and voluntary controlled schools

The local authority is consulting on:

• its proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for which Wakefield Council is the admissions authority
• the coordinated arrangements for schools in Wakefield

The changes to its Admissions Policy proposed by the local authority are:

• the distance from home to school will be measured in miles according to the National Land and Property Gazetteer
• the time that decisions are available to parents has changed from 00:30 to 00:00 on the respective offer day

Read the proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools 2025-2026 here.

Any comments should be emailed to KKpolicy@wakefield.gov.uk or posted to:

The School Admissions Team,
Wakefield Council,
Wakefield One,
PO Box 700,
Burton Street,
Wakefield,
WF1 2EB.

The closing date for the receipt of any comments is 19 January 2024.

Coordinated scheme for admission to school 2025/26

The Local Authority is consulting on changes to its Co-ordination Scheme.

It is proposing to end co-ordination with Kirklees School Admissions into Years 6 and 9 at a school in the Kirklees area. This proposal would bring Wakefield Local Authority in line with other neighbouring Local Authorities who have already ceased transitional co-ordination into these year groups.

This proposal would not disadvantage Wakefield parents. They will be able to apply directly to Kirklees School Admissions.

Read the co-ordinated schemes for admission to school here.

Any comments should be emailed to KKpolicy@wakefield.gov.uk or posted to:

The School Admissions Team,
Wakefield Council,
Wakefield One,
PO Box 700,
Burton Street,
Wakefield,
WF1 2EB.

The closing date for the receipt of any comments is 19 January 2024.

Relevant area for consultation on admission arrangements

The Education (Relevant Areas for Consultation on Admission Arrangements) Regulations 1999 requires all local authorities to review the relevant area which identifies all schools that must be consulted on changes to admission arrangements. This must be done every two years.

We've determined the relevant area for admission to schools as the geographical area covered by the Wakefield Council. This will be reviewed for admissions in September 2025.

Determined admission arrangements for Wakefield schools

Wakefield Council is the admission authority for all community and voluntary controlled schools in the district. We set the over-subscription criteria and make decisions about which pupils are admitted.

Governing bodies are the admission authorities for voluntary aided schools. Academy trusts/Governing Body are the admission authorities for academies. Their individual admission arrangements are shown on their websites. They can be obtained by contacting the school/academy.