Admissions criteria

Introduction

Admissions criteria are the rules by which applications are ranked for each school. It is important you understand the admissions criteria for the schools you will name on your application. The criteria will vary depending on the type of school you are applying for, and these criteria will dictate how likely to it that you will be offered a place.

Community school admissions criteria

Please note that the criteria below apply to Merton community schools only. Academies, free and voluntary aided (Church affiliated) schools and schools in other boroughs apply their own criteria to applications and these are available either from the schools or by contacting the relevant local authority.

Applications for entry in 2025 will be ranked against the following factors:

With the exception of Dundonald, Wimbledon Chase and Wimbledon Park Primary Schools:

1. Looked after children or previously looked after children (see notes on looked after children below)
2. Where there are professionally supported medical reasons or exceptional social reasons why a child should attend a particular school (see notes on medical and social reasons below)
3. Children of permanent teaching staff (see notes on permanent teaching staff below)
4. Where a sibling is already in the main school at the time of admission (see notes on siblings below)
5. Straight line distance between the child's home address and the main school (see notes on distance below)

For Wimbledon Chase and Dundonald Primary Schools only:

1. Looked after children or previously looked after children (see notes on looked after children below)
2. Where there are professionally supported medical reasons or exceptional social reasons why a child should attend a particular school (see notes on medical and social reasons below)
3. Children of permanent teaching staff (see notes on permanent teaching staff below)
4. Where a sibling is already in the main school at the time of admission, and lives within the admissions priority area. (see notes on siblings below)
5. Children living inside the admissions priority area in order of nearness of home to the school by straight line distance. (see details of admissions priority area and distance below)
6. Where a sibling is already in the main school at the time of admission, and lives outside the admissions priority area (see notes on siblings below)
7. Children living outside of the admissions priority area in order of nearness of home to the school by straight line distance (see notes on distance below)

For Wimbledon Park Primary School only:

1. Looked after children or previously looked after children (see notes on looked after children below)
2. Where there are professionally supported medical reasons or exceptional social reasons why a child should attend a particular school (see notes on medical and social reasons below)
3. Children of permanent teaching staff (see notes on permanent teaching staff below)
4. Where a sibling is already in the main school at the time of admission (see notes on siblings below)
5. Children living inside the admissions priority area in order of nearness of home to the school by straight line distance. (see details of admissions priority area and distance below)
6. Children living outside of the admissions priority area in order of nearness of home to the school by straight line distance (see notes on distance below)

Looked after children

A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).

A previously looked after child is a child who, immediately following being looked after, was subject to an adoption or subject to a child arrangements, or special guardianship order including those who appear to Merton as 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.

Medical or social reasons

Applicants wishing to be considered under this criterion must supply professional evidence supporting their case at the time of application.

Medical reasons

• If there are medical reasons that make it essential for your child to attend a particular school, you must provide supporting information from a doctor or health care professional together with any other relevant information by the closing date.
• This must make a compelling case as to why your child's needs can only be met at the preferred school, evidence of a medical condition will not automatically result in a place at your preferred school being offered.
• The evidence should explain exactly what your child's needs are and what specialist support or facilities your child requires.
• The evidence should explain why other schools could not provide the appropriate support for your child.
• Evidence of diagnosis is not evidence of need

Social reasons

• If there are social reasons that make it essential for your child to attend a particular school, you must provide independent evidence from a professional who is supporting your family.
• The supporting evidence needs to set out the particular 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.
• The evidence should explain exactly what the family's needs are and what specialist support or facilities are required.
• The evidence should explain why other schools could not provide the appropriate support.

Providing evidence does not guarantee priority under this criterion; the School Admissions Team will consider if the evidence provided demonstrates that the child must attend a particular school and cannot reasonably attend an alternative school. Please note that your child's current (or most recently attended) school may be contacted for further information and may be sent a copy of your request. The information you provide may also be shared with an independent appeals panel should this be necessary. Applicants will not be individually advised if their application has been prioritised under this criterion.

Merton cannot seek information on your behalf and we cannot contact any health care professionals direct for further information – please ensure that you supply all available evidence to us.

Please note we cannot accept letters from yourself or from other members of your family, nor from your health visitor.

School staff are not allowed to provide letters supporting placement at their own school so please do not ask your school to write a letter supporting your application.

Based on previous decisions, it is unlikely that application will be prioritised for the following:

• Asthma, eczema, allergies, diabetes, dyslexia, travel sickness
• Dispensing of medication that may require some training as this can be undertaken by any school.
• Speech and language delay.
• Use of a hearing aid.
• Because an Education Health and Care Plan has not been completed.
• Need for the child to stay in friendship groups.
• Attendance at the nursery.
• Childcare arrangements where the carer lives close to a particular school.
• Work/travel arrangements.
• Family members other than siblings.
• Prior association with the school.
• Older siblings attending Dundonald or Wimbledon Chase when living outside APA.

If you feel that one of these examples should be considered you can apply but you would be expected to demonstrate how this has a significant impact on your child, why a particular school can meet your child's need more than any other and why you should be placed above other children when making allocation.

If you believe that your child has a medical need for a place in a particular school, please complete the medical or social reasons form.

Permanent teaching staff

Children of permanent teaching staff will be prioritised in the admission arrangements in either or both of the following circumstances:

1. 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/or
2. the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

Siblings

Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer's partner, and in every case, who is living as part of the same family unit at the same address, Monday to Friday.

For Wimbledon Chase and Dundonald Primary Schools, where the older sibling was offered a place prior to 1 September 2016, they will be considered under priority 3 for Reception. This also applies to any linked sibling i.e. where a sibling has qualified on this basis, future siblings will also receive the same priority providing the parent/carer specifies this at the time of application.

The following will not qualify under the sibling criterion:

1. Siblings in Year 6 at the time of application who will be Year 7 in September 2024
2. Siblings in a school nursery

Applications relating to twins, triplets or other multiple birth

Where a parent applies for entry into the same year group for more than one child and the final offered place falls between these children, the school will consider if they have capacity to offer to the additional children.

If it is not possible to offer a place to all of them, rank order will be determined by random allocation

The names of the children who were unsuccessful will be added to the waiting list in accordance with the published admissions criteria, in the same way as for other children. The parent can then determine whether to accept or reject those places on an individual basis.

Admissions priority areas (APAs)

Further information on the Admissions Priority Areas for Dundonald, Wimbledon Chase and Wimbledon Park can be found here:

• Wimbledon Chase and Dundonald Admissions Priority Area
• Wimbledon Park Admissions Priority Area

Distance measurement

All distances will be measured by the computerised Geographical Information System maintained by Merton Admissions team. It should be noted that the computerised system measures from a start point plotted within the property at which the applicant lives to the main school reception entrance and calculates this measurement.

If there is a genuine equal share custody arrangement between the two parents, the address that will be used will normally be the address of the parent who is claiming Child Benefit for the child. If there is no Child Benefit all available evidence will be considered such as where the child is registered for the GP or which address the child has lived at for the longer time.

The address to be used for the initial allocation of places to Primary School (Reception) will be the child's address at the closing date for application. Changes of address up to 12 February 2025 may be considered if there are exceptional reasons behind the change, such as if a family has just moved to the area, or has returned from abroad. Any offer is conditional upon the child living at the appropriate address on the relevant date. Parents have a responsibility to notify the Local Authority of any change of address.

Please note:

• Applicants in short term rented accommodation may be asked to provide evidence of their current and former housing arrangements.
• Where an applicant has ownership of a property, that should be used for the purposes of school admission, and the applicant must provide evidence and reasons for the use of any other address.
• Where an applicant rents a property and has ownership of an alternative property, the rented property will only be used for admission purposes if the child has been resident away from the owned property for a period of 3 years or more at the closing date for applications.
• Any applicant who moves from a rented or temporary address in advance of their child taking up their school place may have their place withdrawn if it is found the family have returned to an address already in their ownership.
• The authority will investigate whether the place should be withdrawn if the pupil is not resident at the application address at the time of the September entry point.
• The authority will always investigate a case where the application address has previously been used to gain a school place fraudulently.
• Where it is found an address has been used for the purposes of admission where the child is not ordinarily resident, the application and any place offered will be withdrawn.
• An offer found to have been gained fraudulently will be withdrawn. This may also be the case where the child has started the school.
• In some cases, places may not be withdrawn once a child has been attending the school for a term or more. In these circumstances future sibling applications will not be given sibling priority for places and will be considered under the next appropriate criterion.

Where more than one applicant has the same straight line distance measurement and distance is the determining factor, rank order will be determined by random allocation.

Applicants wishing to query a distance from home to school should contact the School Admissions Team at admissions@merton.gov.uk. Please note that requests for distances from multiple addresses may delay your response.

In cases where a distance calculation is disputed applicants should write to the School Admissions Manager, London Borough of Merton,10th Floor, Civic Centre, Morden SM4 5DX.

All disputes will be investigated. Where it is agreed that the basis of the calculation was incorrect the measurement will be recalculated. The calculation will be re-run for both the applicant in question and any other applicant shown to be affected by the issue.

Admissions criteria for Merton's voluntary aided schools, academies and free schools

The following Merton schools have their own admissions criteria and you should contact them directly to obtain a copy of these criteria. If you are applying for a faith based place, you will need to contact the school for its supplementary form. You must still complete the Merton Common Application Form naming the school or your application will not be considered. Church of England schools in Merton offer a proportion of places which are faith based and a proportion of open places for the local community. Catholic schools give priority to those of that faith before any non-Catholic children.

Supplementary form for foundation places only:

• All Saints' CofE Primary School
• Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary School
• Holy Trinity CofE Primary School
• St Matthew's CofE Primary School
• The Priory CofE Primary School

All applicants complete a supplementary form:

• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
• St John Fisher RC Primary School
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School
• SS Peter & Paul Catholic Primary School
• St Teresa's Catholic Primary School
• St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School

No supplementary form required:

• Aragon Primary School
• Beecholme Primary School
• Benedict Academy
• Harris Primary Academy Merton
• Park Academy

If a school requires a supplementary form to consider whether you meet the faith requirement under its policy and you do not complete one, you will be ranked in their lowest category within its oversubscribed criteria.

If you are applying for schools outside Merton, you are advised to contact the schools directly to confirm their admissions criteria and to confirm whether you are required to complete a supplementary form.

Supplementary forms should be returned directly to the school.

Delayed entry to Reception for summer born children

Children who are born in the summer months may, in some cases, delay their entry to Reception by one year. Please see our page about Delayed entry to reception for Summer born children for further information about when and how to apply and for a downloadable registration form.

Contact us

School Admissions Team
Civic Centre
Morden
SM4 5DX
Email: admissions@merton.gov.uk