9th November 2024
ST AIDAN’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL – CONSULTATION ON ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2026/2027
Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust is the admissions authority for St Aidan’s Church of England High School and is carrying out a consultation on the school’s admissions arrangements for entry into the School from September 2026 onwards.
In accordance with the statutory duty under the Schools Admissions Code the Trust must consult publicly on the proposed arrangements. We are therefore informing you of the consultation and inviting your comments.
As a result of a review of recent application rounds by Governors and Senior Leaders of the school and members of the Trust Board, St Aidan’s Church of England School proposes:
- Renaming of the current ‘Medical/Social Need’ priority to ‘Exceptional Life Challenging Circumstances’ and reordering of its position in the priority order from five to three.
- Increasing the number of places within the ‘World Religions’ priority from five to ten and reordering of its position in the priority order from six to five.
- Revision of the priority order to reflect the changes to the priority order (above).
- Reducing the time period for the calculation of pattern of worship from three years to two years within the ‘Foundation’ and’ World Religions’ priorities.
- Adaptation of the Diocesan definition of ‘church’ within the ‘Foundation’ priority.
- Removal of the ‘Out of Area Foundation’ and ‘Out of Area Community’ priorities.
- Wording and formatting revisions throughout the document to:
- include statutory information
- simplify the content
- provide clarity for applicants for the completion of the Supplementary Information Form (SIF).
- The revision of the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to:
- reflect the proposed changes to the admissions arrangements
- to clarify that applicants are only required to complete a SIF form if they are applying under priorities three, four or five.
The proposed admissions arrangements (oversubscription criteria) can be found here: Proposed Oversubscription Criteria 2026-2027.
A copy of the current admissions arrangements (oversubscription criteria) can be found here: Oversubscription-Criteria.pdf
Should you wish to obtain paper copies of either of the above documents please contact the Admissions Team at the school on 01423 885814 (option 3) or by email to admissions@staidans.co.uk
The consultation will open on 9th December 2024 and close on the 20th January 2025. The deadline for receipt of comments is 20th January 2025.
Comments relating to the proposed changes should be addressed to admissions@staidans.co.uk or by post to Admissions Team, St Aidan’s CE High School, Oatlands Drive, Harrogate, HG2 8JR
Year 7 Admissions – September 2025
St Aidan’s Church of England High School became an Academy in August 2011 and provides an education for students aged 11-19. The foundation of the school is a Church of England one, but the school has a uniquely vibrant and diverse community. Applications are welcomed from all Christian denominations, those who are members of world faiths and those who are members of the local community.
Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust is responsible for determining the admission arrangements for the school, however in terms of procedure we closely follow the policy and timings of North Yorkshire Council. The school’s pupil admission number (PAN) is 250. If we receive more applications than 250, we will use the Oversubscription Criteria in order to allocate places, as confirmed by our Admissions Policy
In order to make an application for a place at St Aidan’s in Year 7 starting in September 2025 you will need to complete the Common Application Form (CAF) via North Yorkshire County Council. If you are applying for a Foundation Place (priority 3), Medical/Social Place (priority 5) or World Religion Place (priority 6) you will also need to complete a St Aidan’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF). If you are applying under any other priority, you do not needto complete a SIF form.
For North Yorkshire Council’s Guide to applications, including how to access and complete the CAF form, please click here The deadline for completion of the CAF is 31st October 2024.
The deadline for completed SIF forms to be returned to St Aidan’s is also the 31st October 2024. Forms can be sent by email to admissions@staidans.co.uk , posted to school or brought into the school’s Main Reception. Should you require a hard copy of the SIF form, or if you have any queries related to admissions please contact us via email to admissions@staidans.co.uk or by telephone on 01423 885814 (option 3).
Where an application does not receive the offer of a place on National Offer Day it will be automatically added to the waiting list. The waiting list will be kept in Oversubscription Criteria order until the end of the academic year to which it relates and is subject to reordering based on the receipt of further applications.
In-Year Admissions 2024/2025
We understand that sometimes children need to apply for a school place mid-year, they may be new to the area or wish to request to move to a new school. An in-year application can be made to St Aidan’s at any time of the year by completing the relevant North Yorkshire Council form alongside a St Aidan’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) if required.
Details of how to make an application with North Yorkshire Council can be found here Changing schools and in-year applications | North Yorkshire Council
St Aidan’s will notify North Yorkshire Council of the outcome of an in-year application within 15 school days of the date that the application was received. Where an application is declined the school will outline the reason for this decision to North Yorkshire Council and the applicant will be provided clear information about the right to appeal.
When an applicant is offered a school place following their application and the offer is subsequently accepted the school will make arrangements for the child to start school as soon as possible.
Waiting lists for each year group are in operation and any in-year applications that are declined are automatically added to the relevant list. Each list is kept in the priority order of our Oversubscription Criteria and is retained until the academic year to which they relate. You will need to complete a new in-year application for each academic year, to ensure that you remain on the relevant list.
If an application is being made under priority 3, 5 or 6 of the oversubscription criteria order please complete and return a St Aidan’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to school. This will ensure that the application is positioned in the correct place on the waiting list. Forms can be sent by email to admissions@staidans.co.uk , posted to school or brought into the school’s Main Reception.
Should you require a hard copy of the SIF form, or if you have any queries regarding the in-year admissions process please contact us via email to admissions@staidans.co.uk or by telephone on 01423 885814 (option 3).
Admission Arrangements 2025/26
The Governors of St Aidan’s Church of England High School have determined that St Aidan’s will continue to adopt the current Admissions Policy that is in place.
The Admissions Policy and associated Oversubscription Criteria are available to view in the ‘Year 7 Admissions – September 2024’ and ‘In-Year Admissions 2023/2024’ sections above.
Appeals
Appeals – Year 7 September 2024
Guidance regarding the appeals process is available on the North Yorkshire Council’s website: Appeal for a school place | North Yorkshire Council
The following key documents are available on the above site:
- NYC School Admission Appeal form
- Guidance on completing appeal form
- Notes on the appeals process
- Frequently asked questions
- Information about group hearings
Should you require hard copies of the forms to be posted out please contact us by telephone or email on 01423 885814 (Main School office) or admissions@staidans.co.uk
Sixth Form
Please telephone the Sixth Form Office on 01423 818516 to discuss your situation.
