Siblings
For applications made in the normal admission round a relevant sibling is a child who has a
brother, sister, adopted brother or sister or stepbrother or stepsister living in the same family
unit in the same family household and address who attends the preferred school or partner
school in any year group excluding year 6.
Biological and adopted siblings who attend the preferred school in any year group excluding the
final year will also be treated as siblings irrespective of place of residence. Children residing in
the same household as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as
siblings.
For mid-year applications a sibling is a child who has a brother, sister, adopted brother or sister
or stepbrother or stepsister living in the same family unit in the same family household and
address as a child who attends or has been offered a place at the preferred school or partner
school at the time of application and determination and with a reasonable expectation that the
sibling will be attending at the time of admission.
Priority Admission Areas
There is no guarantee of a place to children living in the priority admission area of a particular
school. Details, including maps of priority admission areas are available on request from School
Admissions.
Parents are also able to check in which school’s priority admission area their address is located
(if any) using the online ‘Priority admission (catchment) area finder on the Council’s website
www.essex.gov.uk/admissions.
Twins, Triplets etc.
For applications made in the normal admission round, if the last child to be offered a place is a
twin and their sibling cannot be offered initially, the LA will ensure both twins are offered a
place. In the case of triplets or other multiple births, if the majority of children can be offered a
place initially, the LA will offer places to the remaining children. For example, if two triplets can
be offered a place, the remaining child will also receive an offer of a place.
For mid-year applications, where a family moves into an area necessitating a change of school
for their twins (or triplets etc) and the majority can be offered a place then a place will be
offered for the remaining child(ren). However, where the family does not move but wishes to
transfer the children to another local school where there are insufficient places for all of them
then a place would not normally be offered for all.
Year 2 to Year 3 Applications
Parents of children in Year 2 of an infant school have to make an application to transfer to the
partner/co-located junior school. The closing date is 15 January 2021. Offers of places will be
made on 16 April 2021.
Where parents of children in year 2 of an infant school apply, in the normal admission round for
Year 3 junior school places, for a place in year 3 of a primary school (which does not have a
Published Admission Number for normal admission at that time) that preference will be treated
as a casual admission and a decision will not be made until after the summer half term break
when there is likely to be a clearer indication of potential places at the school in September.
Withdrawal of an offer
If a school place has been secured through false information or has been offered in error, the
offer of the place may be withdrawn.