Admissions
Acorn Multi Academy Trust is the admissions authority for its member schools, responsible for the admissions policies and decisions on applications for admission.
We have an admissions policy for each academic year and they will be published on this page and school admissions pages when they are proposed for consultation and after they have been determined annually. They are written to comply with the School Admissions Code 2021 and School Admissions Appeals Code 2022.
The local governing bodies of each school play an active part in the admissions process. Links below will take you to the academy admissions pages.
Applying to come to our schools
Once you decide you would like a place in Reception or at any other time after this, you must make a formal application. You can do this by applying to the Local Authority and not direct to the school. For the Normal Round intake into school, children are offered places to start in Reception at the beginning of the September term after their fourth birthday. Children who are admitted to a vacancy at any time after this point are called 'In-Year' Admissions.
The Local Authority
We take part in the co-ordinated admissions schemes of Devon and Dorset County Councils. Devon and Dorset County Council publish information about admissions and their own policies to support the admissions application and appeals process. The links are at:
Devon County Council Admissions
Dorset County Council Admissions
Applications to Devon can be made online at: www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonlineoror by using the forms available at: http://devon.cc/applicationforms
Applications to Dorset can be made online at: www.dorset.go.uk/applyforaschoolplace
For questions about your child joining the school or just about the admissions process in general, please don’t hesitate to contact the school direct or contact Devon School Admissions Service on 0345 155 1019 or by email to: admissions@devon.gov.uk.
You can contact Dorset School Admissions Service on 01305 221060 or email to: admissions@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Our Admissions Policies
You can find our admissions policies below through the county council websites. We review the school policies annually and may make changes if we feel this would be in the best interests of the school and our community. Each academic year has its own policy document, with details about how to apply for a place in school from the start of Reception through to Year 6.
Devon School Admissions Policies 2022-23
See our determined policies below. If you have any comments regarding a policy, you can contact the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
The following amendments were made in August 2021 to the determined policy for 2022-23 to comply with the revised School Admissions Code 2021: priority for children adopted from state care outside England was added to oversubscription criterion 1; wording added to reflect that decisions on in-year admissions must be sent to a parent within 15 school days; provision added for Hard to Place children; advice added regarding applications for overseas.
2022 Supplementary Information Forms
Devon School admissions policies 2023 - 24
See our determined policy below. If you have any comments regarding a policy, you can contact us via the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
2023 Supplementary Information Forms
Devon school admissions policies 2024-25
See our policies below. This will be open for comment during a public consultation for all policies in Devon between 1 November 2022 and 6 January 2023 at www.devon.gov.uk/admissioarrangements If you have any comments regarding the policy, you can contact us at the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk. Proposed changes from the policy for 2023 are highlighted in red text. The policy will be determined by our admissions authority before the end of February and published here by 15 March 2023.
2024 Draft admissions policies
Dorset School Admissions Policies 2022-24
2022 admissions policies
2023 admissions policies
2024 draft admissions policies
The Admissions Appeals Timetable 2023
Appeals at the normal round of admissions will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals on 31 May 2023. Where the application was not made in time for a decision to be made on 17 April 2023, they will be heard within that 40-day period or, if that is not possible, within 30 days of the appeal being lodged. In-year admission appeals must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
DEVON ADMISSIONS APPEALS TIMETABLE
DORSET ADMISSIONS APPEALS TIMETABLE
The Admissions Appeals Timetable 2024
Appeals at the normal round of admissions will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals on 31 May 2024. Where the application was not made in time for a decision to be made on 16 April 2024, they will be heard within that 40-day period or, if that is not possible, within 30 days of the appeal being lodged. In-year admission appeals must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
Links to academy admission arrangements
Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy, Uplyme
Marshwood CofE Primary Academy
Membury Primary Academy & Little Acorns Pre-School
St Andrews CofE Primary Academy & Little Acorns Pre-School, Chardstock
Loders CofE Primary Academy & Little Acorns Pre-School
Thorncombe St Mary's CofE PrimaryAcademy