Application Procedure
The arrangements for co-ordinated admissions in Medway will be set out in detail on the Medway Council website. Children reach compulsory school age at the start of the term following their fifth birthday. Peninsula East Primary Academy will admit four year olds into its Foundation Stage Two class. The children due to be admitted during the 2025/2026 academic year are those born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021.
The Academy will admit ‘rising fives’ i.e. all children with places can be admitted to the Reception year in the September following their fourth birthday but before reaching compulsory school age.
The Academy will decide when to admit four year olds in accordance with the Medway guidelines as well as the admissions code as it stands, for intake during the 2025/2026 school year.
Parents may request that their child’s taking up of a place be deferred until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age, and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year in which the offer was made.
Note: In respect of a child born late in an academic year after 1 April, the ordinary expectation is that he or she will join Reception at the latest in the term he or she turns five and then progress to year 1 in the next academic year. If a parent/carer wants their child to join Reception in the September term after their fifth birthday, that decision is strictly subject to the discretion of the Academy.
Parents who wish to apply for admission to the Academy should do so online at the following email address: www.medway.gov.uk/onlineadmissions If parents prefer to complete a paper application form, they should contact the Student Services Admissions Team at Medway Council.
Depending on the method of application, offers of places will be emailed or posted to parents by Medway Council on behalf of the Governing Body. Parents must accept/refuse the place by the agreed date.
The planned admission number is 30 pupils per class.
Oversubscription Criteria
Following the admission of children with an SEN, Education Health Care Plan (Statement of Education), if the number of preferences received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than 30, places will be offered in the following priority order:
- Children in Public Care, Looked After Children and all children who have been previously looked after, but following being looked after became subject to an adoption order, child arrangement order or special guardianship order
1b) Children previously in Care outside of England – Children who appear to Medway Council to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society. (Parents who believe that they qualify under criterion 1B are advised to send evidence at the time of application directly to the Admissions Team, who will decide if they qualify. The local authority will then inform all preferred schools of the outcome of the decision at the same time that rank lists are made available). - Current family association – A brother or sister in the same Academy at the time of entry where the family continue to live at the same address as when the sibling was admitted – or – if they have moved – now live in a property that is nearer to the Academy than the previous property as defined by the ‘Nearness’ criterion’ (Point 4 below). For this criterion brother or sister means children who live as brother and sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters, foster brothers or sisters. Children residing in the same households as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as siblings. If siblings from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.) apply for the Academy and the Academy would reach its Published Admission Number (PAN) after admitting one or more, but before admitting all of those siblings, the Academy will offer a place to each of the siblings, even if doing so takes the Academy above its PAN. If the admissions are to Year R, and so result in a breach of class size legislation, the additional pupil(s) will be treated as “excepted” for a period of one year, in line with the School Admission Code.
- Child’s health reasons – medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason that requires a child to attend the preferred school.
- Nearness of children’s homes to the school. Distance will be measured in accordance with Medway Councils criteria. If a child has more than one permanent home address, the nearest will be used for admission purposes.
- Children of staff employed by the Academy following the criterion above, priority will be given to the child of a person who is employed by the Academy for 2 or more years at the time when an application to the academy is made and/or a member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post in the academy for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage for the requirements of the post.
Note:
If in categories 2-4 above, a tie-break is necessary to determine which child is admitted, this will be decided on random allocation.
Casual Admissions
If you wish to apply for a place at Peninsula East Primary Academy, an Application Form will need to be downloaded and completed. The completed form should either be sent via Royal Mail or scanned and sent electronically to office@pepa.org.uk or delivered in person to Mrs Fenner or Mrs Dyke in the Academy office. All in year admission enquiries should be addressed to Mrs Fenner or Mrs Dyke.
Casual Admissions when transferring schools without moving home
If a parent wishes to transfer their child from another school without moving home, the Head Teacher will contact the child’s current school to ascertain the situation so that our academy is able to offer the correct support should the child be offered a place. It is also expected that the parent/carer of the child, along with the child themselves when appropriate, visit our academy and meet with the Head Teacher before any place will be offered.
Waiting Lists
If there are no spaces in the year group requested and you wish your child to be placed on a waiting list, please download and complete the Waiting List Request Form. The completed form should either be sent via Royal Mail or scanned and sent electronically to or delivered in person to Mrs Fenner or Mrs Dyke at Peninsula East Primary Academy.
A child’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria set out above. Where places become vacant students on the waiting list will be contacted in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.
Appeals
Parents/carers have the right to appeal if a place is not offered to their child. Appeals will be handled in line with the School Admissions Appeals Code and the Governing Bodies policy on admission appeals. Class sizing in EYFS & KS1 is limited by Infant Sizing Legislation to 30 pupils per class.
If you wish to appeal a decision please download and complete the Admission Appeal Form. The completed form should either be sent via Royal Mail or scanned and sent electronically to office@pepa.org.uk or delivered in person to Mrs Fenner or Mrs Dyke at Peninsula East Primary Academy.