In a meeting on Friday 14 November 2025, Councillor Wayne Briggs, Portfolio Holder for Education, approved a proposal to begin a six-week consultation on admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools, the coordinated scheme, and the in-year admissions process for the 2027/2028 academic year. The consultation aims to gather feedback on proposed changes to school admission criteria, priority areas, and processes. The results of the consultation will be used to finalise the Admission Arrangements for 2027/28 which will be approved by the Council's Cabinet in 2026.

2027/2028 Admission Arrangements Consultation

Councillor Wayne Briggs, Portfolio Holder for Education, approved the commencement of a 6-week consultation on the Admission Arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools, Coordinated Scheme and In-Year admissions process for the 2027/2028 Academic year.

The consultation will cover several proposed changes:

• Inclusion of children of staff in oversubscription criteria: The proposal suggests including children of staff at community or voluntary controlled schools in the oversubscription criteria.

• Pupil premium eligibility: The current admission arrangements prioritise children eligible for pupil premium¹. The proposal aims to ensure that the eligibility criteria for junior school applications align with those for primary and infant schools, requiring children to be eligible for pupil premium or service premium at the time of application.

• Amendment of priority areas for certain schools: The priority areas for Lighthorne Heath Primary School, Shottery St Andrews CE Primary School and Bishopton Primary School in South Warwickshire are proposed to be amended. According to the Public Reports Pack, both Shottery St Andrews and Lighthorne Heath Primary Schools are being relocated due to building developments, and the current priority areas do not include the site of the new school or the housing development they are each being built to serve. The proposed changes would expand the priority areas into areas currently served by Holy Trinity CE Primary School and Harbury Primary School, creating shared areas. The report states that:

The proposals will not affect the priority area boundaries for other schools and will instead create shared areas affording parents more choice.

• Reduction of Published Admission Number (PAN): The Published Admission Number (PAN) for Thomas Jolyffe Primary School and Water Orton Primary School are proposed to be decreased to reflect forecast data and support stability and budget planning. The report notes that a reduction to the number of places available on entry to Thomas Jolyffe to 30 would assist the school to plan for long-term stability, a consistent structure, and a sustainable financial position, and that the governing body supports the proposal. The report also notes that Water Orton Primary School had to be relocated due to the HS2² scheme requiring the land the school was located on, and that the impact of the works has had a significant negative impact on the village and the school has seen many families move away.

• Changes to the Coordinated Scheme: The proposal includes changes to the Coordinated Scheme, requiring parents to send completed Supplementary Forms directly to the school they are applying for, rather than uploading them to the parent portal. It also aims to prevent applicants from attaching evidence of future house moves/relocations to the UK as proof of address, ensuring applications are processed based on the child's current residence.

• Changes to the Coordinated In-Year Process: The proposed changes include removing the requirement for parents to register their interest to remain on a waiting list held by the Council each term. Instead, once a child is placed on a waiting list, they will remain on the list until a place is offered or until the end of the academic year. The proposal also seeks to prevent applicants from attaching evidence of future house moves/relocations to the UK as proof of address for in-year applications.