Infant, Junior and Primary School admissions guide 2023 to 2024

Introduction

A school place for your child in September 2023

Starting school is an important and exciting time in a child’s life. It can be a time when both children and their parents / carers need support, advice, and information about the school admissions process.

The information in the following pages will help you make an application for an Infant, Primary or Junior school place and understand how the process works. It provides profiles of all the Infant, Primary and Junior schools in Brighton & Hove, as well as information about admission arrangements.

The easiest way to make your application is through the Brighton & Hove City Council website. It automatically acknowledges receipt of your application. You will also receive immediate notification of the decision on your application by e-mail on National Offer Day – 17 April 2023.

Please note that parents / carers cannot actually choose a school. They have the right to express preferences for up to three schools.

In instances where there are more applications for a school than there are places available, we use the admission priorities described in sections 4 and 5 of our admissions information to decide who gets offered places.

Your first, second and third school preferences will be considered together alongside everyone else’s preferences. Your child will be offered a place at the highest ranked preference available.

If we cannot offer you a place at any of your preferred schools, we will offer a place at the nearest school with places available.

We believe all children should have the opportunity, encouragement, and guidance to thrive and fulfil their true potential. The quality and diversity of our schools is something we are very proud of.

In addition to their educational offer, the city’s schools offer a wide range of activities. These include the chance to participate in musical and sporting activities, as well as opportunities to make new friends.

Whichever school you decide to apply for, please make your application through the Brighton & Hove City Council website.

If you have more questions when you have read the information in this guidance, our school admissions team can help. You can send an e-mail to schooladmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk or phone 01273 293 653.

by Deb Austin (Director Families, Children & Learning) and Councillor Hannah Clare (Chair of Children, Young People and Skills Committee).

Contact information

If you want more information about the school admissions process, or if you want to comment about this guide or the admission arrangements, please write to:

School Admissions Team Brighton & Hove City Council, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ.

If you are having difficulty accessing this information and would like a hard copy of this guidance or need it in a different format, please send an email to schooladmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk or phone the school admissions team on 01273 293 653.

Phone opening hours

The admissions team are available on the phone between 9:30am to 1:30pm, Monday to Friday

Privacy notice

Read our schools admissions privacy notice.

Closing date for applications

The closing date for applications is 15 January 2023.

We very much look forward to welcoming your child to one of the city’s schools in September 2023.

Important dates in the admissions process

September 2022 - Application process for starting in Reception or Year 3 in a junior school begins. Opportunity for parents/carers to visit individual schools (details on the school’s websites). Prospectuses available from schools.

15 January 2023 - Closing date for completed online applications or paper forms to be received by the school admissions team. We strongly recommend that you do not delay your application until the last minute in case of technical problems. If you choose to apply on a paper form it is your responsibility to ensure that the form arrives at its destination on time.

8 March 2023 - Applications received late with good reason up to this date will be considered as on time. You must provide independent supporting evidence of the good reason or your application will be treated as late.

February / March / April - Applications analysed.

17 April 2023 - National Offer Day - parents who applied online or provided an email address on their application form will be notified by email of the outcome of their application. Letters will be sent by first class post on this day to notify other parents of the outcome of their application. No decisions will be give by telephone.

April 2023 - Waiting lists established.

1 May 2023 - Closing date for parents to either accept or refuse the school place offered. If the parent does not reply, the offer may be withdrawn.

16 May 2023 – deadline for submission of appeals

June 2023 onwards - Independent appeal panels meet to consider appeals from parents/carers who are unhappy with their school allocation.

September 2023 - Children start school full or part time. If you wish, you can defer admission until your child reaches compulsory school age.

Section 1 - Before you make your application

Visit schools

Ensure that you are entirely happy with your school preferences before making an application. Visit the school’s website or call the school for details about opportunities to visit.

Look at the school’s prospectus - You can get this information from the school. It will give you an idea of the school’s ethos and character, national curriculum test results.

Look to see how many places each school has available

This is called the published admission number or PAN. This number is set to take into account the number of pupils each school site can accommodate and how many places are needed in the local area. The admission number for each school is listed against each school’s entry below.

Think about how likely it is that your child will be offered a place at your preferred schools

Read the admissions criteria for each school and look to see which criteria apply to your child. The admissions criteria for Brighton & Hove schools are listed in sections 4 and 5.

Compare this to the allocation information from previous years.

Think about how your child will travel to and from school

Go to our How do you travel to school page.

Read Ofsted reports

View reports on the Ofsted website.

Primary and infant schools in Brighton & Hove

This is a list of all infant and primary schools in the city (excluding private schools).

Details of opportunities to visit the schools and their open days are available on the school’s website or you can call the school for details of their arrangements.

Please note: there are 2 West Hove Infant schools. Please make sure you ask for the one you want.

Aldrington CE Primary

Eridge Road, Hove, BN3 7QD

Go to Aldrington CE Primary website.

Phone 01273 542 656

Headteacher - Miss V Coates.

Balfour Primary

Balfour Road, Brighton BN1 6NE

Go to Balfour Primary website.

Phone 01273 507 722

Headteacher - Mr A Gunn.

Benfield Primary

255 Old Shoreham Road, Portslade, BN41 1XS.

Phone 01273 916540

Go to Benfield Primary website.

Headteacher - Mr A Dower.

Bevendean Primary

Heath Hill Avenue, Lower Bevendean, Brighton, BN2 4JP.

Go to Bevendean website.

Phone 01273 681 292.

Acting Headteacher - Mr M Daly.

Bilingual Primary

The Droveway, Hove, BN3 7QA.

Go to Bilingual Primary website.

Phone 01273 916 212

Headteacher - Mr S King.

Brackenbury Primary

Locks Hill, Portslade, Brighton BN41 2LA.

Go to Brackenbury Primary website.

Phone 01273 418 850

Headteacher - Miss L Mullarky.

Brunswick Primary

Somerhill Road, Hove, BN3 1RP.

Go to Brunswick Primary website.

Phone 01273 711 816

Headteacher - Ms A Colbran (Acting).

Carden Primary (NC)

County Oak Avenue, Brighton, BN1 8LU.

Go to Carden Primary website.

Phone 01273 293 679

Headteacher - Mrs H Longton-Howorth.

Carlton Hill Primary

Sussex Street, Brighton. BN2 9HS.

Go to Carlton Hill Primary website.

Phone 01273 604 966.

Headteacher - Ms T Beer.

City Academy Whitehawk

Whitehawk Road, Brighton, BN2 5FL

Go to City Academy Whitehawk website.

Phone 01273 681 377

Headteacher - Mr T McMorrin.

Coldean Primary (NC)

12 Kenwards, Coldean, BN1 9EN.

Go to Coldean Primary website.

Phone 01273 294914.

Headteacher - Mr S McConnachie.

Coombe Road Primary

Milner Road, Brighton BN2 4BP .

Go to Coombe Road Primary website.

Phone 01273 291 188

Headteacher - Mr S Scrase.

Cottesmore St Mary Catholic Primary

The Upper Drive, Hove, BN3 6NB.

Go to Cottesmore St Mary Catholic Primary website.

Phone 01273 555 811

Headteacher - Mrs R Breen.

Downs Infant

Ditchling Road, Brighton BN1 6JA.

Go to Downs Infant website.

Phone 01273 099 854.

Headteacher - Dr. H Mitchell.

Elm Grove

Elm Grove Brighton BN2 3ES.

Go to Elm Grove website.

Phone 01273 708 004

Headteacher - Mrs L Willard.

Fairlight Primary (NC)

St Leonards Road Brighton BN2 3AJ

Go to Fairlight Primary website.

Phone 01273 601 270.

Headteacher - Mr D Jordan.

Goldstone Primary (NC)

Laburnum Avenue, Hove BN3 7JW.

Go to Goldstone Primary website.

Phone 01273 294 851

Headteacher - Mrs A Gibbs.

Hangleton Primary

Dale View Hove, East Sussex, BN3 8LF.

Phone 01273 916 213

Go to Hangleton Primary website.

Head of school: Miss A Keene.

Hertford Infant (NC)

Hertford Road, Brighton BN1 7GF

Go to Hertford Road website.

Phone 01273 552 931.

Headteacher - Ms Z McGuigan.

Middle Street Primary

Middle Street, Brighton, BN1 1AL.

Go to Middle Street Primary website.

Phone 01273 323 184.

Headteacher - Mr R Cooper.

Mile Oak Primary

Graham Avenue, Portslade, BN41 2WN.

Go to Mile Oak Primary website.

Phone 01273 077 114

Headteacher - Mr L Lording.

Moulsecoomb Primary (NC)

The Highway, Brighton, BN2 4PA.

Go to Moulsecoomb Primary website.

Phone 01273 605 700

Headteacher - Mr A Sutton.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary

The Green, Rottingdean, BN2 7HA.

Go to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary website.

Phone 01273 605700.

Headteacher - Mr P Beverton.

Patcham Infant (NC)

Highview Avenue South, Brighton, BN1 8WW.

Go to Patcham Infant website.

Phone 01273 509 766.

Headteacher - Mr C Taylor.

Peter Gladwin Primary

Drove Road, Portslade, BN41 2PA.

Go to Peter Gladwin Primary website.

Phone 01273 916592.

Headteacher - Ms K Harrison

Queens Park Primary

Park Street, Brighton, BN2 0BN.

Go to Queens Park Primary website.

Phone 01273 686 822.

Headteacher - Mrs A Cox

Rudyard Kipling Primary (NC)

Chalkland Rise, Woodingdean, Brighton, BN2 6RH.

Go to Rudyard Kipling Primary website.

Phone 01273 303 328

Headteacher - Mr E Hanington.

St Andrew's Primary

Belfast Street Hove BN3 3YT .

Go to St Andrew's Primary website.

Phone 01273 770 082.

Headteacher - Mrs S Thomas.

St Bartholomew's CE Primary *

Ann Street, Brighton BN1 4GP.

Go to St Bartholomew's CE Primary website.

Phone 01273 692 463.

Headteacher - Ms K Blood.

St Bernadette`s Catholic Primary

Preston Road Brighton BN1 6UT.

Go to St Bernadette's Cathlic Primary website.

Phone 01273 553813.

Headteacher - Ms C Smith.

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary

Whitehawk Hill Road, Brighton, BN2 5EE.

Go to St John the Baptist Catholic Primary website.

Phone 01273 607924.

Headteacher - Ms T Davidson.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary

Davey Drive, Brighton, BN1 7BF.

Go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary website.

Phone 01273 556607.

Headteacher - Ms G Foan (Acting)

St Luke's Primary

Queens Park Rise, Brighton, BN2 9ZF.

Go to St Luke's Primary website.

Phone 01273 675 080.

Headteacher - Ms K Watson (Acting).

St Margaret's CE Primary

Whiteway Lane, Rottingdean, Brighton BN2 7HB.

Go to St Margaret's CE Primary website.

Phone 01273 303 109.

Headteacher - Mrs R Kershaw.

St Mark's CE Primary

Manor Road, Brighton, BN2 5EA.

Go to St Mark's CE Primary website.

Phone 01273 605 588.

Headteacher - Mrs J Fendley.

St Martin's CE Primary (NC)

Hartington Road, Brighton BN2 3LJ.

St Martin's CE Primary website.

Phone 01273 707 114.

Headteacher - Mr A Wingham.

St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary (NC)

Spring Street, Brighton. BN1 3EF

St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary website.

Phone 01273 327 533.

Executive Headteacher - Mrs S Clayton.

St Mary's Catholic Primary

Church Road, Portslade, BN41 1LB

Go to St Mary's Catholic Primary website.

Phone 01273 418 416.

Headteacher - Mrs S Clayton.

St Nicolas CE Primary

Locks Hill, Portslade, BN41 2LA

Go to St Nicolas CE Primary website.

Phone 01273 418 026

Headteacher - Mr A Richbell.

St Paul's CE Primary (NC)

St Nicholas Road, Brighton. BN1 3LP.

Go to St Paul's CE Primary website.

Phone 01273 721 001.

Headteacher - Ms M Lord.

St Peter's Community Primary (NC)

St. Peter’s Road, Portslade, BN41 1LS

Go to St Peter's Community Primary website.

Phone 01273 916610.

Interim Executive Headteacher - Mrs E Lake.

Saltdean Primary

Ciltington Way, Saltdean, Brighton, BN2 8HB.

Go to Saltean Primary website.

Phone 01273 303 358.

Headteacher - Mr J Maxwell.

Stanford Infant

Highcroft Villas, Brighton, BN1 5PS.

Go to Stanford Infant website.

Phone 01273 555240

Headteacher - Miss M Denyer.

West Blatchington Primary (NC)

Hangleton Way, Hove, BN3 8BN

Go to West Blatchington Primary website.

Phone 01273 770 777.

Headteacher - Mr R Brentnall.

West Hove Infant - Holland Road

Holland Road, Hove, BN3 1JY .

Go to West Hove Infant website.

Phone 01273 733386 option 2.

Executive Headteacher - Mrs M Southern.

The infant school previously on Connaught Road moved in January 2022 to co-locate with Hove Junior school on the Holland Road site.

West Hove Infant - Portland Road

Portland Road, Hove, BN3 5JA.

Go to West Hove Infant website.

Phone 01273 733 386.

Executive Headteacher - Mrs M Southern.

Westdene Primary

Bankside, Brighton, BN1 5GN.

Go to Westdene Primary website.

Phone 01273 916 618.

Headteacher - Mrs D Crossingham.

Woodingdean Primary

Warren Road, Brighton, BN2 6BB.

Go to Woodingdean Primary website.

Phone 01273 680811.

Headteacher - Ms G Chumnansin.

Size of schools and how places were allocated last year

School	Expected number on Roll	How many place offered in each priority 2021 to 2022	Published admission number
Aldrington CE Primary	428	Information available from the school governors.	60
Balfour Primary	699	SEN 0 Priority 1: 1 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 47 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 42 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 2521.02 metres from the school	90
Benfield Primary	236	SEN 0 Priority 1: 0 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 26 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 4 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 658.3 metres from the school	30
Bevendean Primary	300	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Bilingual Primary	619	Information available from the school governors.	90
Brackenbury Primary	161	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	30
Brunswick Primary	792	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	120
Carden Primary (NC)	336	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Carlton Hill Primary	212	SEN 0 Priority 1: 0 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 9 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 21 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 604.69 metres from the school	30
City Academy Whitehawk	370	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Coldean Primary (NC)	297	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Coombe Road Primary	163	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	30
Cottesmore St Mary Catholic Primary*	420	Information available from the school governors.	60
Downs Infant	343	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	120
Elm Grove	401	SEN 0 Priority 1: 1 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 23 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 36 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 1302.43 metres from the school	60
Fairlight Primary (NC)	317	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Goldstone Primary (NC)	643	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	90
Hangleton Primary	442	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Hertford Infant (NC)	105	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Middle Street Primary	198	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	30
Mile Oak Primary	420	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Moulsecoomb Primary (NC)	169	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	30
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary	187	Information available from the school governors	30
Patcham Infant (NC)	267	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference	90
Peter Gladwin Primary	213	SEN 1 Priority 1: 1 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 13 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 15 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 771.6 metres from the school	30
Queens Park Primary	338	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Rudyard Kipling Primary (NC)	310	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
St Andrew's Primary	574	Information available from the school governors.	90
St Bartholomew's CE Primary	635	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Bernadette`s Catholic Primary	129	Information available from the school governors.	30
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary *	213	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Joseph's Catholic Primary*	199	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Lukes Primary	134	SEN 1 Priority 1: 1 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 31 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 56 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 793.83 metres from the school	90
St Margaret's CE Primary	630	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Mark's CE Primary	181	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Martin's CE Primary (NC)	161	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary (NC)	180	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Mary's Catholic Primary	158	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Nicolas CE Primary	207	Information available from the school governors.	60
St Paul's CE Primary (NC)	421	Information available from the school governors.	30
St Peter's Community Primary (NC)	177	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	30
Saltdean Primary	134	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference	90
Stanford Infant	239	SEN 0 Priority 1: 1 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 37 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 52 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 2163.47 metres from the school	90
West Blatchington Primary (NC)	214	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	30
West Hove Infant - Holland Road .	110	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
West Hove Infant -Portland Road	360	SEN 1 Priority 1: 1 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 47 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 71 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 1392.0 metres from the school	120
Westdene Primary	515	SEN 0 Priority 1: 0 Priority 2: 0 Priority 3: 34 Priority 4: N/A Priority 5: 26 Furthest child in Priority 5 lived 1995.26 metres from the school	60
Woodingdean Primary	379	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60

Junior schools in Brighton & Hove

Downs Junior

Rugby Road, BN1 6ED.

Go to Downs Junior website.

Phone 01273 558422.

Headteacher - Mr G Franceschi

Hertford Junior

Lynchet Close, Brighton. BN1 7FP

Go to Hertford Junior website.

Phone 01273 557 341.

Headteacher - Ms Z McGuigan.

Hove Junior - Holland Road

Holland Road, Hove BN3 1JY

Go to Hove Junior website.

Phone 01273 916 609, and choose option 2.

Headteacher - Mrs M Southern.

The infant school previously on Connaught Road moved in January 2022 to co-locate with Hove Junior school on the Holland Road site.

Hove Junior - Portland Road

Portland Road, Hove BN3 5JA

Go to Hove Junior website.

Phone 01273 916 609, and choose option 1.

Headteacher - Mrs M Southern.

Patcham Junior

Ladies Mile Road, Patcham BN1 8TA.

Go to Patcham Junior website.

Phone 01273 087 513.

Headteacher - Mr A Sutherland

Stanford Junior

Stanford Road, Brighton, BN1 5PR.

Go to Stanford Junior website.

Phone 01273 565570.

Headteacher - Mr P Davies

School	Expected number on Roll	How many place offered in each priority 2021 to 2022	Published admission number
Downs Junior	501	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	128
Hertford Junior	134	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	60
Hove Junior - Holland Road	206	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	90
Hove Junior - Portland Road	506	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	128
Patcham Junior	351	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	96
Stanford Junior	311	All preferences allocated unless offered a higher preference.	96

Apply for a school place

There are 2 ways to make your application for a school place if you are a Brighton & Hove resident and your child is due to start secondary school in September 2023.

You can apply:

online
by paper application, download an application or contact the schools admission team

Apply on time - The closing date is 15 January 2023

Any applications received after this date will be processed after the majority of places have been allocated unless there is a good reason for it being late such as a house move. A late application therefore means you are much less likely to get what you want.

Notifications of the places offered will be made on 17 April 2023 (unless your application is late).

Use all 3 preferences

You could disadvantage yourself if you don’t use your opportunity to express a preference for 3 different schools. Each preference is considered in its own right, so give yourself 3 separate chances. Do not list the same school 3 times because it will only be considered once. We only look at your order of preference (first, second or third) if we are able to offer you a place at more than one of your selected schools.

Select your schools wisely

Think about the school’s admission priorities as this is how places will be allocated if the school is oversubscribed and has more applications than places. Don’t assume you will be allocated a place at your closest school. If you want to be considered for a place at your closest school, you need to put it as one of your preferences. Don’t assume your child will get priority because they attend a nursery school within the area of the primary school.

If you are applying for a church voluntary aided school, most of these schools need completion of a supplementary information form (SIF). This enables governors to rank applications correctly against the school’s admissions criteria. Remember to send the SIF and any other required documents to the school by the closing date.

If you are applying to a community school but are providing supporting documents about exceptional circumstances, those documents should be submitted with your application or sent to the school admissions team (see section 4).

When should my child start school?

Children start school in the school year during which they have their fifth birthday. The school year runs from September to August, so any child who reaches their fifth birthday between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024 should start school in September 2023.

Children are allowed to start full-time in September or defer admission until they reach compulsory school age (or until the start of the summer term if this is earlier). Your child can also attend part-time initially, but you will need to discuss this with the school at which your child has been offered a place.

Your allocated school will tell you the starting date.

How do I defer admission to an infant or primary school?

If you decide to defer admission, you must inform your allocated school when you accept the place. Where a place is deferred it will not be given to another pupil, but your child must enter the school by the beginning of the school term following their fifth birthday and within the school year that the offer was made.

If your child’s fifth birthday falls between 1 September 2023 and 31 December 2023, they would normally start school in September 2023. However, you may defer until January 2024.

If your child’s fifth birthday falls between 1 January 2024 and 31 August 2024, you can ask to defer admission until the beginning of January 2024, or until the start of the summer term.

If your child’s fifth birthday falls between 1 April 2024 and 31 August 2024 and you choose not to send your child to school until the September following their fifth birthday, you will need to apply in the 2024-25 admissions round. This will normally be considered for Year 1 rather than a Reception class, however a request for admission to reception can be made.

Admission to a year group outside the normal age group (for summer born children only)

The process for requesting admission outside the normal age group for summer born pupil’s application to reception rather than Year 1 is as follows:

You should apply for the ‘normal’ year for your child’s admission by the closing date of 15 January. The ‘normal’ year for reception applications, is the academic year when your child will be five years old – between 1 September and 31 August. When you apply, you should also complete the additional form which is available on the council’s website to request that your child is educated out of year group, please also discuss your request with the headteachers of your preferred schools.

You should explain on this form why you would like your chlid admitted out of the normal year group. For summer born pupils due to start reception, this is the reasons why they should be admitted into reception rather than year 1 in the September after their fifth birthday.

You should also include any evidence to support your case.

Evidence could include:

whether your child is summer born
information about your child’s personal, social, emotional development and academic development
if relevant, medical history and views of a medical professional
whether your child was born prematurely

The council and the school, if it is its own admission authority, will consider each case on its merits. A decision will be made about whether, after reaching compulsory school age, it would be in your child’s best interest to start in reception or in year one. Where the council is the admission authority, we will consult the headteacher of each preferred school before a decision is taken.

If there are exceptional reasons why you cannot make your request by the closing date, late requests will be accepted up until 8 March, but requests made after this date will not be considered until after national offer day.

We will ensure that you are aware of whether your request for admission out of year group has been agreed before national offer day in April and the reasons for the decision will be shared with you.

If your request is agreed, by the admission authority for all of your schools of preference, your application for reception in September 2023 will be withdrawn and you will need to apply again for a reception school place in September 2024. Please note that it is the admission authority’s decision, so if you apply for different schools the following year that are their own admission authority you will need to request again for your child to be admitted out of year group.

If your request is refused by any admission authority for your preferences, we will continue with your application for a reception place in September 2023 and you will need to decide whether to accept the place (see also How to defer admission to an Infant or Primary School) or apply for a year 1 place for September 2024.

If you are applying for admission into a different year group or are requesting an accelerated admission, the same process will be applied however you should apply for a school place at the same time that other families are applying for this cohort. In considering these requests the admission authority will also take into account whether your child has previously been educated out of year group.

We do not expect that children and young people will need to repeat a school year because of Covid-19. Schools will continue to make sure all children and young people get the support they need to continue their education and to make up for any time spent out of school.

How do I get a Year 3 place for my child at a primary school?

If you want to move your child from an infant school to a primary school rather than a junior school, you will need to follow the steps below.

Apply online or complete and return a junior application form giving preferences for junior schools to your child’s current school by 15 January 2023. This will ensure that your child has a junior school place in case it is not possible to offer a place at the primary school you prefer.
If you list a preference for a primary school on your junior application, it will not be processed.
You will then be offered a junior school place in April.
You should make a new application in the second half of the summer term requesting a place at your preferred primary school(s).
We will then check whether it is possible to offer your child a place at the primary school you would like. If we can offer a place at the primary school, we will, and take away the junior school place.

Section 2 - Making an application

Always use our online form or download an application form provided by Brighton & Hove City Council if you are a resident of Brighton & Hove. If you live anywhere else, you must use the application form, or the online admissions system provided by your local council even if you would like your child to attend a school in Brighton & Hove.

The closing date for applications is midnight on 15 January and online applications can be changed and resubmitted up until this date. The last application submitted, or form received by the closing date will be taken as your final selection of preferences.

Decide which schools you prefer

You should decide which schools you would prefer your child to attend and then complete an online application (or paper form) listing up to 3 different preferences.

You do not have to express 3 preferences but if you only give one preference and are not offered a place at that school, you will be offered a place at the nearest school with an available space after everyone else’s 3 preferences have been considered. This may mean that by the time we look at allocating a place for your child, your local schools may be full, and your child may have to travel some distance to get to school.

Please remember that each of your preferences will be considered equally and separately. Listing second and third preferences will not affect your chance of being offered your first preference school.

Your first preference will only be considered above your second or third preference if we can offer your child a place at more than one of your selected schools. In this case we will offer you the highest ranked preference we can. Please make sure you like your first preference more than your second preference and your second preference more than your third.

The following examples are provided to show what may happen.

Please note: these are only made-up examples. They are in no way a guide to oversubscription levels. Please do not assume that if your situation is the same as one of these examples, your application will have the same outcome.

Example 1

Mohammed lives in Hangleton

His parents are keen for him to attend a local school. They express the following preferences:

Goldstone Primary
West Blatchington Primary
Hangleton Primary

Goldstone is oversubscribed with first, second and third preferences. Mohammed does not live close enough to Goldstone to be offered a place there. However, he can be offered a place at both West Blatchington and Hangleton.

Because West Blatchington was higher on his preference list than Hangleton he is offered a place at West Blatchington.

Example 2

Agatha lives in central Brighton

Her parents express the following preferences:

Middle Street Primary
St Paul’s CE Primary
St Mary Magdalen Catholic Primary

All 3 schools are oversubscribed. Agatha lives further away from Middle Street than the 30th child who could be given a place at the school so she cannot be offered a place at Middle Street.

Although Agatha does not meet the religious priorities for either St Paul’s or St Mary Magdalen she is considered by the governors under their other children criteria.

Agatha does not live close enough to St Paul’s to be offered a place, but the governors of St Mary Magdalen do have a space for Agatha.

Agatha’s parents receive an offer of a place at St Mary Magdalen.

Example 3

Elijah lives in Hanover

His parents are not sure whether they live nearer to St Luke’s Primary or Elm Grove Primary, but they would like him to attend Elm Grove as his cousins go to this school. They list the following preferences:

Elm Grove Primary
Fairlight Primary
St Luke’s Primary

All 3 schools are oversubscribed. Although Elijah lives closer to Elm Grove than St Luke’s he still lives further away than 60 of the other children whose parents have applied for a place there, so it is not possible to offer Elijah a place at Elm Grove.

However, he does live close enough to St Luke’s to be offered a place, even though it is slightly further from his home than Elm Grove. Elijah also lives close enough to Fairlight to be offered a place at this school.

Elijah is allocated a place at Fairlight because his parents have ranked Fairlight higher than St Luke’s on their application.

Coordinated admissions

With schools that are their own admission authority

The council coordinates admissions with church voluntary aided schools, free schools and academies in the city by using the same application form for these schools as for the community schools. Church voluntary aided schools, free schools and academies are still responsible for offering places in their schools (see Section 5 to find out how they will make decisions about this). City Academy Whitehawk and Mouslecoomb Primary School both use the Brighton & Hove admission priorities in Section 4.

The council will let parents know the schools’ decisions. If your child is not offered a place at your preferred school, the council will offer an alternative place, where possible using your other listed preferences.

The council values this joint working with own-admission-authority schools. It means that all parents will receive one offer of a school place because information about applications is shared.

How do I apply to own-admission-authority schools?

Church voluntary aided, free schools and academies have their own admission priorities. Church voluntary aided schools often give higher priority to children of the faith. These are set out in Section 5. You should check with the school to see if you fulfil their priorities if you are not sure. If applying to a church voluntary aided, free school or academy you must still apply online to the council or use a paper application form.

Most church voluntary aided school will also need you to complete a supplementary information form (SIF) or provide other information.

When you are required to complete a supplementary information form or provide other information to a church voluntary aided or free school, you should provide it to the school by the closing date of 15 January.

With other local authority areas

We also share admissions information with neighbouring local authorities.

If you are a Brighton & Hove resident you are entitled to apply to schools in other local authority areas, but you must do this through Brighton & Hove City Council and include the out of city schools in your 3 preferences.

How do I apply for a school place in another local authority area?

If you apply to schools in other local authorities, you must do so on your Brighton & Hove application. We will then forward your application to that admission authority for a decision and will let you know along with all the other parents who have applied for Brighton & Hove schools.

If you are applying online, you should use the Brighton & Hove online facility if you live within Brighton & Hove even if you are applying for schools outside the city. We will ensure that your application is sent to the relevant admission authority.

If you apply to an ‘out-of-city’ school that has been oversubscribed, the further away you live the less likely you are to obtain a place. Check this with the relevant admission authority before applying.

If you are resident in the city and do not apply online or return a paper application form to Brighton & Hove City Council, you will not be allocated a place at a city school. If you are not sure whether you live within the boundary of Brighton & Hove City Council, please contact the school admissions team to check.

The addresses of the local authorities adjoining Brighton & Hove are:

West Sussex County Council, County Hall, West Street, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1RF

Phone 033301 42903

East Sussex County Council, Admissions and Transport team, County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes,

East Sussex, BN7 1UE

Phone 0300 330 9472

Special educational needs or Disability (SEND)

A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

In most cases support for special educational needs can be met in mainstream schools. Brighton & Hove City Council is committed to this approach wherever it is practical. Many children have difficulties at some stage in their school career, and often the problem is temporary and can be dealt with by the school.

If you think your child may have special educational needs, please speak with your child’s current school/nursery and the schools you are considering.

You can get information about support for children with a special educational need or disability on Brighton & Hove’s SEND Local Offer.

If you need to contact someone in the Local Authority about special educational needs, please get in touch with the council’s special educational needs team. Send an email to SEN.Team@brighton-hove.gov.uk or phone 01273 293552.

What do I do with my completed application?

Apply online or return the paper application form to your first preference school by 15 January.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your application arrives on time.

Please remember that proof of posting is not proof of delivery. In all cases, if you return the form to the school, please hand it to a member of staff. If you need a receipt, please ask for one at the time.

We strongly recommend that forms are completed online, returned to schools, or delivered by hand to Hove Town Hall wherever possible.

What happens if my application is late?

If your online application or paper application form is received after the closing date without good reason it will be considered after all the on-time preferences have been dealt with and school places allocated to them.

This means there is a much greater chance that you will not get a place at your preferred school as the places may already have been given to other children. It will also mean our response to you is delayed. This is the case even if you already have older children attending the school.

If you have a good reason for your application being late, like you have just moved to Brighton & Hove, your application will be considered if it is received by 8 March. You must supply independent supporting evidence of why it is late (for example solicitor’s letter confirming exchange of contracts or a tenancy agreement signed by both parties). This evidence must also be received by 8 March.

If we agree that this is late with good reason your application will be treated as if it were submitted on time. If we do not agree, it will be a late application.

If we receive no independent supporting evidence with the application, we will assume that you do not have a good reason and your application will be treated as late. If you are moving within Brighton & Hove, you must still make your application by 15 January and then provide your revised application and proof of your new address by 8 March.

Not knowing about the closing date, forgetting to hand the form in or leaving it in the wrong place are not good reasons for your application being late. Even if your child has a sibling at the school you need to complete an application in the usual way.

Please note: Church voluntary aided, free schools and out-of-city schools may not accept these applications as on time. Please check with the school concerned.

Repeat applications

Applications submitted after the closing date listing revised preferences will only be considered from July 2023 onwards unless there has been a house move or other change of circumstances. This is to make sure that parents and carers who do this do not gain an unfair advantage over others by having the opportunity to list more than three preferences.

When repeat applications are considered, they will be taken as replacing the first application and the first set of preferences will be withdrawn.

Section 3 - How your application is processed

Preferences considered equally

On-time applications will be dealt with using the published admission priorities listed in section 4. Where a church voluntary aided, academy or free school is listed as a preference, it will be considered by the governors who will apply that school’s admission priorities listed in section 5.

Late applications with good reason received by 8 March will be treated in the same way.

Late applications without good reason will be dealt with using the published admission priorities after the on-time preferences have been processed.

If we receive more than one application for the same child before the closing date, we will use the one which was submitted most recently. If they appear to have been submitted by different people, we will check which one is correct before deciding which one to use.

All preferences will be considered equally regardless of whether you have listed them as first, second or third. If we can offer you a place at more than one of your preferred schools, we will offer a place at the one which features highest in your list of preferences.

Sometimes we will not be able to offer a place at any of your preferred schools. If this happens, we will offer a place at the nearest school to your home that has a place available.

If the nearest school to your home address is a church voluntary aided school, academy, or free school we may contact its governors to see whether they have places available. If you do not want us to consider allocating a particular type of school, you should let us know on your application. Please bear in mind that this may mean your child has to travel further to attend school.

If you are unhappy with your allocated school or with the preferences you listed on your original application, you can submit a revised application listing different schools. Revised applications will only be considered from July onwards, unless there has been a house move. This is to ensure that parents who change their minds are not given an unfair advantage by being allowed to list more than three preferences.

Priority for on-time applications will cease after the initial allocation of school places has been made. Late applications for schools which are full will be added to the waiting list.

School Admissions computer allocation process

People have rights about automated decision making under the 2018 EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The use of a computer allocation system could be an example of automated decision making as school allocation decisions are made using a computer algorithm.

Below is an explanation about how this process works:

Applications are submitted online, or paper forms are received and imported into the admissions computer system. The computer system will then calculate the home to school distance from every pupil’s address to each of the three preference schools. Admission officers then manually assess all applications and set the correct admission priority for each pupil based upon the council’s admission arrangements (Section 4).

The computer will list all preferences for each school in admission priority order and within each priority it uses the distance to order the list of pupils (closest at the top, furthest at the bottom).

For schools that have their own admission arrangements (see Section 5), it is the school governors who list the pupils according to that school’s admission arrangements and this is replicated on the council’s admissions computer system.

The allocation algorithm works down every school list simultaneously, offering places until the admission number for each school is met or there are no more un-allocated preferences.
The computer then finds every pupil with more than one school offer and withdraws the offer for the lower ranked preference.
Processes 1 and 2 are repeated until every pupil who could be offered a school of preference has only one school place allocated.

The final part of the automated allocation process involves pupils who could not be offered any of their school preferences. For these pupils, the computer calculates the distance from each address to all the schools that still have available space. The computer then allocates the nearest pupils to each of these schools until all pupils have been given a school place.

Following this automated process, admission officers perform a number of checks on a random sample of pupils to ensure that school places have been allocated correctly.

Section 4 - Admission priorities for community schools

Please read the following information carefully. It will help you to decide whether your child has a good chance of being offered a place at your preferred school.

Where there are more applications received for a community school than there are places available, we will use the 5 admission priorities listed below to decide who will be given a place.

The council does not use catchment areas for infant, junior or primary schools.

Children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) will be entitled to a place at the school named in the EHCP. If the child for whom you are responsible has an EHCP, please ensure that you indicate on your application that this is the case.

We do not take into account your child’s nursery place or current school place (except for junior school applications), your childminding arrangements or workplace address. We do not consider a child’s academic achievements or abilities. The council may contact you at any stage in the process to request proof of your address. All allocations to community schools are based on the following priorities.

Priority 1. Looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the council) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

Previously looked after children are such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and 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. 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.

You will need to supply proof of your child’s status. This could be a copy of the original adoption certificate or order. A letter from the local authority, agency or department that last looked after the child confirming the he or she was looked after immediately prior to the adoption or order being made. If you are not sure what to provide, please contact the school admissions team.

Priority 2. Compelling medical or other exceptional reasons to attend the school

This priority applies to pupils with a specific need that can only be met by one school rather than any other. If there are medical reasons or other diagnosed conditions that make it essential for your child to attend a particular school, you must provide supporting information from a doctor or other professional together with any other supporting information when you make your application. This must make a compelling case as to why your child’s needs can only be met at the preferred school, as a medical condition or diagnosis in itself will not automatically result in priority being given.

If you want a place at a specific school for other exceptional reasons, you must provide independent evidence from a professional who is supporting your family. This should also demonstrate that it is essential for your child to attend the preferred school and no other.

For this reason, allocations against this priority are rare. It is not essential for the supporting information to name the school in question, but the evidence should explain exactly what your child’s needs are and what specialist support and/or facilities your child requires. Advice may be sought from the community consultant paediatrician or other relevant professionals where necessary to determine whether or not the evidence you have provided is sufficiently compelling to qualify under this category.

The supporting evidence you provide needs to set out the reasons why the school in question is the most suitable, and the difficulties that would be caused if your child had to attend another school. It is not essential for the professionals supporting your family to have in depth knowledge of your preferred school, but the evidence should explain exactly what your child needs and what specialist support and/or facilities your child requires.

It is vital that you supply any supporting evidence for compelling medical or other exceptional reasons for admission by the closing date. It is up to you to provide this evidence.

The school admissions team will not seek information about your child or telephone people on your behalf. The decision will be based solely on the information you send in.

If the evidence you supply is not considered compelling enough to be included in this priority, your application will be considered under priority 3, 4 or 5 as appropriate.

Online applicants can upload supporting documents through the online admissions system. Alternatively email documents to the school admissions team giving your child’s full name and date of birth. You could also attach supporting documents to your paper application.

If we do not receive this information by the closing date, 15 January, we will not be able to consider your child under this priority. If there has been a change of circumstances (such as a new diagnosis) which has occurred since the closing date, information will be considered if it is received by 8 March.

All correspondence will be treated as private and confidential.

Priority 3. Sibling link - this will apply if there is another child living in the same household as your child who in September 2023 will be attending your preferred school.

Where separate junior and infant schools are linked (see priority 4), the sibling may be at either school and may be older or younger.

If you have two children, of whom one is due to start junior school and the other infant school in September 2023, the junior school child’s allocation will be done first, and a sibling link will count for the infant child.

A sibling link is only taken into account if children live at the same main address and the sibling has been allocated a place at the school by 8 March. Twins or multiple births do not qualify for the sibling link unless one child has already been offered a place.

Where a sibling attends a nursery class on the same school site, it will not be counted as a link for admissions purposes.

You may be asked to supply proof that your child has a sibling at the same address who attends the school.

Priority 4. Children transferring between a linked infant and junior school (see list)

Children who are attending or have been offered a place at an infant school in the list below will have priority for places at the linked junior school providing the allocation took place by 8 March 2023.

Downs Infant is linked to Downs Junior
Hertford Infant is linked to Hertford Junior
Patcham Infant is linked to Patcham Junior
Stanford Infant is linked to Stanford Junior
West Hove Infant (Portland Road) is linked to Hove Junior (Portland Road)
West Hove Infant (Holland Road) is linked to Hove Junior (Holland Road)

Please note there is no link between West Hove Infant Holland Road and Hove Junior Portland Road, or between West Hove Infant Portland Road and Hove Junior Holland Road.

Priority 5. Other children

Once all the children in priorities 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been offered places at the school, the remaining places (up to the admission number) will be offered to other children.

Tie-break

If there are more children applying than places available in any given priority, the available places will be offered to those children living closest to the school up to the published admission number. Home to school distance will be measured by the shortest route from the child’s home to the nearest of the school’s gates.

This will be measured by specialist computer software based on Ordnance Survey data. It measures using the road network supplied by Ordnance Survey and some other public rights of way which are paved and lit.

You can check your home to school distance measurement and the route used.

If you would like us to consider adding a footpath or would like to query a route you will need to request this by emailing the school admissions team before the closing date. Late requests for footpaths will not be accepted.

Routes across public parks or open spaces will not be accepted.

When using roads for measurement purposes the computer measures along the middle of the road. It measures from the address point in your property to the nearest point on the road network and from there to the nearest of the school’s gates to the child’s home. No other measurement systems will be used for school admissions decisions.

Where the home addresses of two or more children are an equal distance from the school (eg. two children living in the same block of flats) and only one place remains available at the school in question, the place will be allocated randomly to one of these children.

Children who live on boats / Traveller children

If you and your child live on a boat or a Traveller site and there is no Ordnance Survey / postal address data for your home, we will measure the distance to the site or marina.

Children of Crown Servants and Service personnel

No special priority is given to these children however families of service personnel with a confirmed posting, or for crown servants returning from overseas, the council will use a future address and allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area. This is provided that the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date and some evidence of the intended address.

Twins / multiple births (or siblings within the same year group applying for the same school)

No special priority is given for the admission of these children. If it is possible to offer a place at the preferred school to one of the children because it is the last place remaining, both (or all) children will be offered a place. Please indicate clearly on each child’s application if they have a twin or other same year sibling also applying.

Home addresses

The school admissions team will allocate school places using the address at which a child lives on the closing date for applications (15 January) although late changes of address will be considered if we receive proof of address by 8 March.

The admissions team can only use one address for admission purposes. If your child regularly stays with another parent or relative and therefore has more than one address, the school place will be allocated based on the address at which your child is registered with a doctor – so this is the address that you should use on your application.

We may ask for evidence to confirm the address given.

Please note: it is an offence to give a false address. If we offer your child a school place based on information which then turns out to be false or misleading, we reserve the right to withdraw the offer and your application will be re-considered based on the correct facts. This may apply even if your child has started at the school offered.

Proof of address

To ensure that offers of school places are made fairly, the council is committed to following strict address verification procedures.

The address on your online or paper application will be checked against council tax records.

After the closing date, if the school that you have applied for is oversubscribed, you may be asked to provide further proof of address.

If you have recently moved into Brighton & Hove from overseas or another part of the UK and have not yet registered for council tax in Brighton & Hove, you will need to supply one of the following:

a copy of a current tenancy agreement signed by all parties and arranged through a letting / estate agency, or solicitor’s letter showing exchange of contracts, if you have just moved to a new house.
a copy of a recent utility bill for your home address, showing usage - gas, electricity, water, telephone (not mobile phones)
a copy of your driving licence
a copy of your house insurance policy
HMRC Tax notification documentation
TV licence (valid for the current year) with your name and address

We will also require proof that the child you are applying for lives with you. Therefore, please provide a letter from your child’s GP, dentist, hospital, optician; NHS medical card; child trust fund document, your most recent family tax credit letter which clearly states your child’s name and address.

If you do not provide the above proofs by the date asked, we will assume your child lives further away than all the other children applying for the same school. Even if you prove that you live at the address yourself, we still need proof that your child (or children if you are claiming a sibling link) live there as well.

Providing proof of address does not guarantee your child a place at your preferred school.

Checks are made on information provided by parents/carers. If a parent/carer is found to have supplied false or misleading information to gain a place at a particular school, the council reserves the right to withdraw the place, even if the child has started at the school. An example of false information would be the use of an address that is not the child’s normal residence.

It is an offence to give false information to obtain a place at a school. The council will investigate allegations about false information and will consider prosecution in any such case.

Section 5 - Admission priorities for own-admission-authority schools

This section sets out the list of priorities adopted by the governors of each own admission authority school in Brighton & Hove.

City Academy Whitehawk and Mouslecoomb Primary School will be using the Brighton & Hove City Council admission priorities which can be found in Section 4.

In the case of church voluntary aided schools, you will need to complete the school’s supplementary information form and return it to the school by the closing date. You may also need to supply a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate if they have been baptised. If you want to know more, please contact the school.

If you wish to apply for more than one church voluntary aided school, you will need to supply this information to all such schools for which you apply. Please contact the schools if you are in any doubt about this.

When a church voluntary aided school is over-subscribed the governors normally give the highest priority for places to children whose parents / carers can demonstrate a commitment to the religious faith of the school, and then to those belonging to and practicing within another denomination.

Please remember that if you list a church voluntary aided school as a preference and you cannot meet the most important criterion established by the governors, admission to the school may be refused if it is oversubscribed.

Get details of these schools admission priorities and supplementary information forms.

Section 6 - What to do when you receive the decision

How do I accept my child’s school place?

You will receive an email (or a letter) from the school admissions team informing you which school your child has been allocated. If you want to accept the place you have been offered, you should complete and return the pupil registration form (a link is provided in the decision email) to the school at which your child has been offered a place. The school will give you clear information about arrangements for starting school. If your child does not take up their school place on the agreed day and you have not informed the school of any special reason for the delay, the school admissions team may give the place to another child.

What happens if I am not happy with the school my child has been offered?

You may ask the school admissions team about places at other schools.

Your child’s name will automatically be placed on a waiting list for your first preference school if it is a community school or the Bilingual Primary School.

You may appeal.

School waiting lists

The council’s school admissions team holds waiting lists for community schools and Bilingual primary school. The governors of academies and church voluntary aided schools operate their own waiting lists. You should contact individual academies or church voluntary aided schools to find out about their procedures.

How does the council manage waiting lists?

Children will be placed on a waiting list for community schools according to the admission priorities listed in section 4. Within each category children will be ranked according to home to school distance.

A waiting list place can be affected by other children’s names being entered later. For example, if a child’s name were added to the list, that child could be placed above existing entries if he or she had an exceptional reason for admission, a sibling link or an address closer to the school than other applicants. Children can move down the list as well as up. Late applicants will also be added to waiting lists as soon as possible after they apply.

Late changes of preference (repeat applications) will be added to the waiting list for the new preference as soon as possible from July onwards.

How do I get my child’s name on a waiting list?

If you have applied for your child to start in Reception or Year 3 of a junior school and you do not get your first preference school, your child’s name will be placed on the waiting list for that school. Your child’s name will remain on the waiting list until 31 December or until a place becomes available if this happens sooner. If you wish your child’s name to be on the waiting list for another of your preferred schools, please tell us this in writing or by email.

Staying on the list

If you want to remain on a waiting list after 31 December you must inform the admissions team at the end of the autumn term. The waiting list is then renewable on a termly basis.

You will need to contact the school admissions team at the end of each term to confirm you wish to renew or your child’s name will be removed.

What happens if a place becomes available at a school with a waiting list?

The school admissions team will offer the place to the child at the top of the waiting list. Parents will have seven days to reply before the place is offered to another child.

How to appeal for a place at your preferred school

How can I appeal?

If you are unhappy with the school place your child has been offered, you can appeal to the independent appeal panel. You should act quickly to register an appeal, normally within 20 school days of receiving an email or letter informing you of the decision about your allocation.

If your appeal is unsuccessful the authority will not normally consider a further appeal for the same school for entry in the same academic year.

You can only appeal for a place at a school for which you have expressed a preference. If you wish to appeal it is a good idea to accept the place at the school you have been offered, as this will have no effect on the outcome of your appeal and will prevent you from missing out on a school altogether.

How does the appeal process work?

The appeal panel will consider your appeal. This is an independent body that is not bound by the council’s admission priorities or the published admission numbers. You have the right to appeal for any of your preferred schools, but you may only appeal once for each school. The appeal panel’s decision is binding on the council the school and on parents/carers.

There is a legal limit on the size of infant classes set at 30 children. Where classes are at maximum capacity an appeal panel can only agree the appeal if it can be shown that the authority has made a mistake in applying its admission arrangements or has acted unreasonably.

You can appeal online and find more information about appeals.

If you need to find out more about appeal arrangements, please contact:

The Clerk to the Appeal Panel

Democratic Services

Brighton & Hove City Council

Hove Town Hall, Norton Road

Hove, BN3 3BQ

Send an email to schoolappeals@brighton-hove.gov.uk or phone 01273 291 228.

The governors of academies, church voluntary aided schools and free schools are responsible for organising their own appeals. However, this is done via the contact details above.

Can I appeal if my child has an EHCP?

If your child has an education, health and care plan and you want to appeal against the school named in the plan, or against the fact that no school has been named, an appeal should be made to the special educational needs tribunal, not an appeal panel (telephone 01273 293552 for more information).

Section 7 - Moving house

What happens if I change address during the admissions process?

If you change address during the admissions process, you will need to supply proof of your new address by 8 March 2023 if you wish us to base your school allocation on your new home address.

If you change address during the admissions process at 4+ and 7+, before the closing date for applications, you must notify the school admissions team. If you do not, and we offer your child a place at your preferred school based on an address where you no longer live, this place will be taken away.

You should also notify the team of changes of address that happen after the closing date. If you do not, you may not receive any information from your child’s new school.

You must provide proof of all changes of address. Until we see proof of a change of address, we will allocate a school place based on your existing address.

If your application is received after the closing date and we do not receive proof of a house move (or other independent supporting information explaining why the application is late), we will treat this application as late. It is up to you to provide us with reasons to accept it as late with good reason.

If you are due to move to a new house within Brighton & Hove you must still apply by the deadline and then provide your revised application and proof by 8 March.

Please note: these arrangements refer to community schools. Church voluntary aided schools, free schools and academies have their own admission arrangements that are controlled by the school governors. Contact the relevant school for further details.

What happens if I am temporarily absent from the city?

If a family has a residence in Brighton & Hove and temporarily lives elsewhere (for example, a temporary job out-of-area, or abroad), the school admissions team may seek evidence of residence at both addresses, and evidence that you will be returning to the area.

Please email the school admissions team if you need any advice about filling in your application if this applies to you.

Section 8 - School transport

How we provide transport from home to school

Usually we can provide free public transport from home to school if your child is:

under 8 years of age and lives more than 2 miles from the appropriate school, which is the closest school to the main home address that had an available place
over 8 years of age and lives more than 3 miles from the appropriate school, which is the closest primary or junior school to the main home address that had an available place or the catchment area secondary school or schools

Most children in Brighton & Hove live within walking distance of the school and won't be able to get free transport.

Distances are measured by the shortest safe walking route. This will be measured by Brighton & Hove City Council Data Maps system. If you are unable to obtain a place at your catchment area school, then free transport will be provided if the council is unable to offer you an alternative school within 3 miles of your home.

If you choose not to apply for the appropriate school and apply for a school beyond the statutory walking distance from your home, you will not be entitled to free transport unless you are eligible under the low-income criteria and/or the school is considered the nearest suitable school due to the child’s special educational needs or disabilities.

When applying for schools, consider carefully which schools are your nearest suitable schools as this may affect your eligibility for Home To School Transport, if they are not in your catchment area.

Families with a low income

If you get maximum Working Tax Credit or free school meals for your child, we can provide free public transport for your child if they are:

8 to 11 years old and live more than 2 miles from the school (closest school to the main home address that had an available space)
11 to 16 years old and they go to school that is 2 to 6 miles away (as long as there are not 3 or more suitable schools nearer to the home)

When a person is first awarded tax credits, or following a change in their household circumstances, HM Revenue and Customs issue a ‘tax credit awards notice’ detailing the breakdown and amount of the award. Part 2 of the award notice gives details of ‘How we work out your tax credits’ including details of the full WTC elements. This is the maximum amount a customer can receive in WTC in any year. It then lists ‘any reduction due to your income’ and shows the net amount payable. It is therefore readily apparent from the award notice whether a person is receiving maximum WTC or a reduced sum due to income. Only those with the maximum WTC will be entitled to the greater entitlement to free school transport.

If you are claiming entitlement to school transport on the grounds of low income, you must inform the our home to school transport team.

Phone 01273 293 501, or send an email to hometoschooltransport@brighton-hove.gov.uk.   

You will need to say whether your child is entitled to free school meals, which we can check against our records, or that you receive the maximum WTC. In the case of the WTC you will be asked to provide your award notice as proof of receipt. You should contact the home to school transport team as soon as possible after you know which school your child has been allocated.

Special educational needs and special reasons for transport

Your child may get help with transport if they can't walk to their nearest suitable school because of special educational needs and disabilities or mobility problems. We will require evidence of the child’s special educational needs or disabilities.

Apply online for Home To School Transport support

Apply for help with home to school transport.

Applications for help with home to school transport, mileage or Personal Travel Budget (PTB) will be assessed at the Home to School Transport Panel.

Transport to the appropriate school

If a child is entitled to free transport, assistance could include:

mileage payment
personal travel budget
a bus pass
a group of children travelling together by bus often with a Vehicle Passenger Assistant
a taxi or minibus transport from a set meeting point
a taxi or minibus transport from the home address registered with the school, to and from school

Transport to a school chosen because of religion or belief

Free transport will be provided for children to attend a school based on the parent’s faith or belief (usually a voluntary aided school) if they are either:

eligible under the criteria that apply to all children, such as those who are attending their nearest school but who live more than the statutory walking distance from the school
live between 2 and 15 miles from the school and the family has a low income

Behaviour on transport

Children travelling to school whether on public transport or in hired vehicles will be expected to behave reasonably and treat drivers, other travellers, and members of the public with courtesy and consideration.

Any breach of acceptable behaviour will be dealt with through the school’s disciplinary procedures, and if serious, could result in the council reviewing a child’s transport arrangements. In some cases that could mean the temporary or permanent removal of entitlement to travel on a particular route.

Complaints about school transport

Any complaints from parents / carers about home to school transport will be investigated immediately. Where the complaint is upheld, steps will be taken to rectify the situation by whatever means necessary. If you have a complaint, phone 01273 293 501.

Enquiries about transport

To contact the Home to school transport team, you can:

send an email to hometoschooltransport@brighton-hove.gov.uk 
phone 01273 293 501

Explanation of terms and definitions

Some of the everyday language used in this booklet has a very specific meaning when used to describe the admissions process. This section explains the meanings of some educational terms

Academy

Academies are publicly funded independent schools, free from local authority and national government control. Other freedoms include setting their own pay and conditions for staff, freedoms concerning the delivery of the curriculum, and the ability to change the length of their terms and school days.

Admission authority

The body responsible for deciding admission priorities and for allocating school places. In the case of community schools this is the council and in the case of church voluntary aided schools, academies, and free schools, it is the school’s governing body.

Admission priorities

The method used by the admission authority to decide which children are offered places when a school has received more applications than it has places.

Church voluntary aided school

A school where the buildings are maintained by the Church of England or the Catholic Church, and the governors are responsible for admissions policy. With the exception of the costs of new buildings and maintaining the buildings, the council meets the running costs.

Community schools

Schools which are maintained entirely from public funds and are managed locally by the headteacher and governors together with the council. Formerly known as county schools.

Free school

Free schools are all-ability government-funded schools set up in response to what local people say they want and need to improve education for children in their community.

Infant school

A school that takes pupils aged between four and seven, who will normally go on to a junior school to complete their primary education.

Junior school

A school that takes pupils aged between seven and eleven. Pupils are normally admitted having previously attended an infant school.

Local authority (LA)

The LA in Brighton & Hove is Brighton & Hove City Council.

Maintained school

State-funded school. In Brighton & Hove these are either community schools or church voluntary aided schools.

Oversubscribed school

A school where there are more applications than available places.

Own-admission-authority school

A school whose governors are responsible for taking decisions about admissions. Academies, Church voluntary aided schools and free schools fall into this category.

Parent / carer

Under the terms of the Children Act 1989, married parents or the unmarried mother of a child have parental responsibilities automatically. Other people, including unmarried fathers, stepparents, grandparents and other relations, foster carers, and others, may acquire parental responsibilities in a variety of ways. If you are uncertain about your parental status, the school admissions team will be happy to discuss it with you. Please contact the school admissions team for information.

Primary school

A school which has pupils aged between four and eleven, that is, both infant and junior age groups.

Published admission number (PAN)

The number of pupils a school can admit in its intake year. The figure is set after consultation between the council and the school governing body.

Sibling / sibling link

For the purposes of the school admissions process, children are siblings if they share the same main address and live as part of the same household. You may be asked to supply proof of this.