The admission criteria set out below are used to allocate places at Nottingham City community secondary schools.

In the event of oversubscription within any of the criteria listed below, preference will be given to applicants who live closest to the school, as measured in a straight line (by a computerised geographical information system) from home to school (i.e. as the crow flies).

Pupils who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs, where that school is named in the Child's Statement, will be admitted.  This will reduce the number of places available for other pupils.

1. Places will first be allocated to pupils who, at the closing date for applications, live within the catchment area, whose parents have requested a place at the school and who, at the time of admission, will have a brother or sister attending the school or Individual Needs Centre.
2. Places will then be allocated to other pupils who, at the closing date for applications, live within the catchment area and whose parents have requested a place at the school.
3. Places will then be allocated to pupils who live outside the catchment area, whose parents have requested a place at the school and who, at the time of admission, will have a brother or sister attending the school or Individual Needs Centre.
4. Places will then be allocated to other pupils who live outside the catchment area whose parents have requested a place at the school.

The above criteria (1-4) will be overriden and priority given to pupils looked after by the Local Authority (Children in Public Care), as required by the Education (Admissions of Looked After Children) (England) Regulations and in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989, and who:

(a) are looked after at the time of an application for admission to a school is made, and

(b) in relation to whom the Local Authority has confirmed that the child will still be looked after at the time when the child will be admitted to the school

The above criteria (1-4) may be overridden and priority given to an applicant who can establish any of the following:

• Pupils with Special Educational Needs that can only be met at a specific school (e.g. where the school is host to specialist provision)*
• Children of travellers, pupils with exceptional medical, mobility, or social grounds that can only be met at a specific school*

*Applications in these categories must be supported by a statement in writing from a doctor, social worker or other relevant professional. This is necessary because you will be asking the Authority to assess your child as having a stronger case than other children. Each case will be considered on its merits by the Corporate Director of Children’s Services (or her nominated representative) in consultation with the school concerned.

Please note that the Local Authority no longer operates a feeder arrangement. Attendance at a particular primary or junior school is not taken into account when places at secondary school are allocated.

Brothers or Sisters – Sibling Connection

1.  For admission purposes, Nottingham City Council considers the following as siblings:

• A brother or sister who share the same parents;
• A half brother or half sister, where two children share one common parent;
• A step brother or step sister, where two children are related by a parent’s marriage;
• Adopted or fostered children living in the same household under the terms of a Residence Order

2.  Nottingham City Council does not consider these as siblings:

• Cousins or other family relationships not included in 1 above;
• Siblings who at 1 September 2008 will not be registered pupils at the preferred school

Other admission authorities may use different definitions of a sibling connection.

Translations of a summary of Admission Criteria are available in the following languages: Arabic, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Somali, Surani, Turkish and Urdu. Click here to view the translated versions of the criteria