Admissions

Admission criteria for Bell Lane Primary School

If there are more applications than the number of places available, places
will be offered according to the following order of priority:

1. ‘Looked after’ children and children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been ‘looked after’ including those children who appear (to the
admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. (see Note 1)
2. Children whom the Director of Education and Skills accepts have an exceptional medical, social or other need that the school is particularly able to meet (see Note 2)
3. Children who, at the time of admission, have a sibling (brother or sister) living at the same address who already attends the school, or the linked school in the case of separate infant and junior schools. Siblings would include half, step, adoptive and foster siblings provided they also live at the same address as the applicant.
4. Children of teaching staff of the school where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application
for admission to the school is made and will be in employment as a teacher at the school when the child starts school.
5. Children living within the individual school’s defined area, with priority given to those who live closest to the school when measuring distance in a straight line (see Note 3)
6. Children living outside the individual school’s defined area, with priority given to those who live closest to the school when measuring distance in a straight line (see Note 3)

Note 1 - A ‘looked after’ child is a child in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by that authority in accordance with Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.
An adopted child is defined by section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society. This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see
Section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (Section 46 adoption orders).
Child arrangements orders are defined in Section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by Section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. A special guardianship order is defined by section 14A of the Children Act 1989

Note 2 - Applications made under this criterion must be supported by a current letter from a doctor, social worker or other appropriate professional. The letter must name the school and specify the reasons why the particular school
is most suitable for the child and the difficulties that would be faced if the child attends an alternative school.

Note 3 - A map showing a school’s defined area may be viewed online at www.barnet.gov.uk/admissions. Distance is measured in a straight line between the address point for the child’s home, supplied by Ordnance Survey, to the
school’s main gate (unless specified otherwise) using the Council’s computerised geographical information system.

Tie Breaker – distance will be used as a tie-breaker within each category.

Final Tie Breaker – applicants from the same block of flats, or applicants who live the same distance from the school, will be selected in random order using Barnet’s computerised system and places will be offered accordingly.

Applications made on behalf of twins or triplets – if only one place is available at the school and the next child who qualifies for a place is one of multiple birth siblings, we will ask community schools to go over their published admission number to support the family. These children will be deemed as ‘excepted’ pupils under infant class size legislation.

London Borough of Barnet School Admissions