Admissions consultation

Response to admission consultation representations

*The consultation period has now closed*

Proposed changes for September 2023-24 admissions

Diverse Academies Trust (a Multi Academy Trust) operates as the admission authority for the academies within the Trust. The Board of Trustees for Diverse Academies Trust, has retained the vast majority of admissions procedures outlined by the Schools Admission Code 2021. As the admission authority, it must conduct its own consultation process on any proposed changes. 

Details of the proposed changes can be found below.

Key dates

• Consultation opens – 10 December 2021 
• Consultation closes – midday, 28 January 2022
• Trustees consider any representations made and make final decision – 3 February 2022 
• Deadline for admission arrangements to be determined – 28 February 2022 
• Deadline for admission authorities to send a copy of their full determined admission arrangements to their local authority and publish those arrangements on the schools website  – 15 March 2022

Proposed Trust policy and local academy appendices

You can find a full copy of the proposed admissions policy and academy local appendices below. If you require a paper copy of any of these policy, please email: admissionsconsultation@diverse-ac.org.uk 

Trust policy

Diverse Academies Trust – admissions policy

Primary academies

Bracken Lane Primary Academy – academy appendix

Hillocks Primary Academy – academy appendix

Thrumpton Primary Academy – academy appendix

Tuxford Primary Academy – academy appendix

Samuel Barlow Primary Academy – academy appendix

Wainwright Primary Academy – academy appendix

Secondary academies

East Leake Academy – academy appendix

Retford Oaks Academy – academy appendix

The Holgate Academy – academy appendix

Tuxford Academy – academy appendix

Queen Elizabeth’s Academy – academy appendix

Queen Elizabeth’s Academy – supplementary admissions information form

Walton Academy – academy appendix

Comments and representations on the proposals

Please note that that for this consultation process it is only the areas listed below where comments are sought. However, both the Trust and the individual academies would welcome views on all areas within the admissions policy for future consideration. 

Please indicate clearly in the comments, your role within the community from the list below: 

• Acting on behalf of a Local Authority (Please indicate which Local Authority) 
• Acting on behalf of an Admissions Authority (Please indicate which Admissions Authority)
• Teacher / Governor of a local school 
• Parent at one of the academies within the Trust 
• Parent from a school/academy that is not within Diverse Academies Trust

What happens after the consultation closes?

All responses received will be considered. Trustees make a decision on behalf of Diverse Academies Trust taking into account a range of information, including the consultation responses. They will do this based on representations that are most suitable according to the local circumstances. 

• Admission arrangements must be agreed (determined) by the Trust by 28 February 2022.
• Once we have determined our admission arrangements, they will be available on the trust and academy websites for the whole offer year (the academic year in which offers for places are made). We will do this by 15 March 2022. 

Changes being consulted upon for the 2023-24 academic year

Each academy within Diverse Academies Trust has previously had its own Admission Policy. For the 2023-24 academic year, the Trust is proposing to have an overarching Trust policy and a local academy appendix which will detail the Published Admission Number (PAN), its over-subscription criteria, its catchment area and any feeder schools. 

Several of the academies within the Trust need to consult as they have not previously consulted in the last 7 years. As the policy is changing, we are taking the opportunity to consult for this requirement of the Admissions Code at the same time. 

All applications for entry to each academy in the first instance, either for the admitting year or for in-year applications will continue to be made via Nottinghamshire Local Authority or Lincolnshire Local Authority (in the case of Walton Academy). Applications will be forwarded by the Local Authority to the academy in question and it will be a committee of local Academy Committee Governors who will approve that a place can be allocated according to the academy’s over-subscription criteria or prejudice statement. The decision will be communicated to the Local Authority who will liaise with the prospective parent. 

Tuxford Primary Academy

Tuxford Primary Academy is proposing to change its reception PAN from 45 to 30.

Tuxford Primary Academy has, for many years, had variability in class sizes and year group sizes. Over the last few years, it has admitted between 32 to 36 children in the new reception class. Reducing the PAN will assist the academy and the Trust to provide stability in its long-term planning and allow the academy to continue to secure high quality educational outcomes for the children currently on roll, while continuing to provide an appropriate number of places for future children in line with demand. The Trust and the academy will continue to look at local demand and if it feels that there is a lack of school places in the future then they would consider to increase the PAN should the need arise. 

Tuxford Primary Academy is proposing to change its age range from 2 to 11 years to 3 to 11 years.  

Data indicates that there has not been/is not the demand for a provision to include 2-year-olds within the academy’s nursery. The projected numbers suggest that the academy would continue to operate at lower than capacity in the academy’s nursery unit in the immediate future.  An increase in age range from 2 to 3 years old would enable the academy to allocate more space to 3 years old (since 2 years old entitled to more square footage) and more effectively use current staffing within the nursery/academy, thereby increasing the quality of education provided.   

East Leake Academy

Changes to the catchment schools for East Leake Academy. 

A new primary school is being built in the town which is in the Spencer Academies Trust group.  The new primary school is called Millside Spencer Academy and will be opening in a temporary building in September 2022. The initial intake will be 45 into reception and 15 in every other year group, so the next potential intake of their students will be 2023. The permanent building will be finished for September 2023 when they will then look to take in more students to a capacity of 45 students per year group.  

The school will be one of East Leake Academy’s catchment schools from the 2023-24 academic year.  

Samuel Barlow Primary Academy

Samuel Barlow Primary Academy is proposing to change its PAN from 40 to 45.

The Trust has recently completed phase one of a two phase programme of works at Samuel Barlow Primary Academy (December 2020), which essentially comprised the following: altering the internal arrangement of the building to relocate various areas, early years, resource rooms and the staff room, along with refurbishment of the majority of the main building, new heating/lighting systems, windows etc.  As a result, there has been a small increase in capacity and therefore the academy propose to increase its PAN from 40 to 45.   

Samuel Barlow Primary Academy proposes to increase its nursery numbers from 26 to 39.   

The increase in usable space has been created by internal adjustments and alterations made as part of the works already undertaken. 

Children of staff

The consultation contains a proposal to include children of staff in the oversubscription criteria, in line with paragraph 1.39 of the Admissions Code 2021. This is part of the Trust’s commitment to recruit and retain the very best staff so that we can to provide the highest quality of education for all students who attend the academies. 

Academies who will be adding this oversubscription criteria to their arrangements are: 

• Hillocks Primary Academy 
• Samuel Barlow Primary Academy
• The Holgate Academy
• Wainwright Primary Academy 

Policy changes to comply with the Admissions Code 2021 and 2022 (not for consultation)

Admission policies for all our academies for 2021-22 and 2022-23 have been amended in line with the DfE Schools Admission Code 2021.