Admissions
Shipbourne Primary School is a school for boys and girls from 4 – 11 years of age and is maintained by Kent County Council. Our school consists of three mixed-age classes with a published admissions number (PAN) of 9 for each year of entry. Should this number be exceeded, we will follow the Local Authority (LA) set criteria for admission when offering places.
The over-subscription criteria for all Community and Voluntary Controlled primary schools are:
Before the application of oversubscription criteria, children with a statement of special educational need or Education, Health and Care Plan which names the school will be admitted. As a result of this, the published admissions number will be reduced accordingly. If the number of preferences for the school is more than the number of spaces available, places will be allocated in the following priority order:
- Children in Local Authority care or previously in Local Authority care.
- Attendance at a linked school.
- Current family association (sibling)– a brother or sister in the same school 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 – live within 2 miles of the school, or have moved to a property that is nearer to the school than the previous property. In this context 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.
- Health, social and special access reasons– medical / health and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to children under this criterion whose health or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Medical/Health and Special Access Reasons must be supported with written evidence from an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. The evidence must demonstrate a special connection between the child’s needs and the particular school.
- Nearness of children’s homes to school– we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address and the school, measured in a straight line using Ordnance Survey address point data. Distances are measured from a defined point within the child’s home to a defined point within the school as specified by Ordnance Survey. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for an oversubscribed Community or Voluntary Controlled school, these straight line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school.
The application process can be viewed on the Kent County Council website. http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/primary-school-places.
Admissions Policy
If your child has a special educational need or disability, the application process can be viewed here: https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs
Information on how to appeal a school offer
If your child is due to start Primary school in September 2025, you can appeal if you are refused a place at one of your preferred schools on National Offer Day (Wednesday 17th April 2025).). You needed to submit your appeal before Tuesday 20th May 2025 for it to be considered by Tuesday 22nd July 2025. Any appeals received after this time will be heard within 40 school days from the deadline, or where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education.
For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged where reasonably possible in line with updated guidance from the Department for Education