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Oldham School Admissions Policy and the armed forces

Oldham’s School Admissions Team co-ordinate admission to schools for all Oldham residents in accordance with the requirements of the School Admissions Code (SAC).

In relation to returning service personnel, 2.18 of the SAC states:

Children of UK service personnel (UK Armed Forces) - For families of service personnel with a confirmed posting to their area, or crown servants returning from overseas to live in that area, admission authorities must:

  • Allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date and a Unit postal address or quartering area address when considering the application against their oversubscription criteria. This must include accepting a Unit postal address or quartering area address for a service child. Admission authorities must not refuse a service child a place because the family does not currently live in the area, or reserve blocks of places for these children;
  • Ensure that arrangements in their area support the Government’s commitment to removing disadvantage for service children. Arrangements must be appropriate for the area and be described in the local authority’s composite prospectus."

Therefore for returning personnel:

  • Oldham will allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date and a Unit postal address or quartering area address when considering the application against their oversubscription criteria. This will include accepting a Unit postal address or quartering area address for a service child.

However, the provision does refer to “serving personnel” not personnel leaving the armed forces.

We currently don’t have any specific criteria and none could be introduced without consultation.