Statutory Framework
This scheme applies to arrangements in Oldham whereby children are to be admitted to primary and secondary schools in the normal admissions round for the academic year 2027–2028. Oldham will operate an equal preference scheme in line with the School Admissions Code.
Interpretation
In this scheme – “Admission arrangements” means the arrangements for a particular school or schools which govern the procedures and decision making for the purpose of admitting pupils to the school.
“Admission authority” in relation to a community or voluntary controlled school means the Local Authority and, in relation to a foundation, trust, voluntary aided school or academy, means the governing body of that school.
“Eligible for a place” means that a child has been placed on a school’s ranked list at such a point which falls within the school’s published admission number.
“School” means a community, voluntary controlled, foundation, trust or voluntary aided school or an academy.
“Nearest appropriate school” is defined by distance measured as a straight line from the child’s home address to the school property measured between the two central data points of the home post code and school post code. Measurements are calculated using Geographical Information System mapping software based on Ordnance Survey and Post Office data. The address from which the distance will be measured will be the permanent residential address, at the time of application, of the parent with whom the child is normally resident. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for part of a week, the home address is the address from which the child travels to school for the majority of the school days per week. If the number of days is exactly equal the home address will be that of the parent who receives the Child Benefit.
“The Local Authority” means Oldham Council acting in its capacity as local education authority.
“The Local Authority area” means the area in respect of which the Local Authority is the local education authority.
“The specified year” means the school year commencing 01 September 2027 and ending the following 31 August 2028.
“Parent” means the parent or carer who has parental responsibility for the child.
The Coordinated Admissions Scheme
Primary Sector – 86 schools
| Admissions Authority | Number and Type of School |
|---|---|
| Oldham Local Authority | 23 × Community/Voluntary Controlled schools |
| Individual schools | 4 × Foundation (Trust) school |
| Individual schools | 15 × Voluntary aided primary school |
| Individual schools | 44 × Academy |
Secondary Sector – 14 schools
| Admissions Authority | Number and Type of School |
|---|---|
| Individual schools | 14 × Academy |
Admission to Primary Schools
This part of the scheme (paragraphs 4–10) applies to arrangements in Oldham whereby children are to be admitted to a primary school in the normal admissions round for the academic year 2027–2028.
The application must be used as a means of expressing three or more preferences for the purposes of section 84 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (as amended), by parents wishing to express a preference for their child to be admitted to any primary school excluding an independent school.
The application will:
- Invite the parent to express preferences for any school they wish to apply for
- Invite the parent to rank the schools applied for in order of preference
- Request information about any siblings who will be attending any of the requested schools in September 2027
- Specify that the forms should be submitted to Oldham Council by 15 January 2027, the closing date
The Local Authority will make appropriate arrangements to ensure:
- That parents can apply online
- That there is a written explanation on the coordinated admissions scheme
- That parents are clearly informed that the online application should be used to apply for schools both within and outside the Local Authority area
Oldham Local Authority will identify those Oldham residents who are the parents of children whose birth date falls between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023. All information about starting school and the process that needs to be followed will be available to view on the Oldham Council website. Oldham Local Authority will exchange information with other Local Authorities about children resident in their areas.
Oldham Local Authority will forward a covering letter (via early years providers) to parents that will detail how to apply for a primary school place in September 2027. Parents will be able to complete the application online.
Parents applying for a place at a voluntary aided, trust or foundation school may be required to provide additional information on a supplementary form and/or complete supplementary details only where the additional information is required for the governing body to apply their oversubscription criteria to the application. Where a supplementary form is required it must be submitted in accordance with the individual school guidelines. Where applicable, supplementary forms can be obtained from the school or the Local Authority.
Where a school receives a supplementary form it will not be regarded as a valid application unless the parent has also completed an application and the school is listed as a preference.
Parents of children resident in other authorities must submit an application to their home authority on the application provided by that authority.
The closing date by which parents must submit their application online is 5pm on 15 January 2027.
Processing Primary School applications
Applications must be submitted to the School Admissions Team at Oldham Local Authority by the closing date and time. If any parent approaches a voluntary aided school direct about admissions, the governing body must advise the parent to complete and submit an application to their home local authority.
Oldham Local Authority will forward details of the application, together with any additional information provided by the parent, to all foundation, trust and voluntary aided schools and Academies where the school is a parental preference and to other local authorities if the parent has expressed a preference for a school in their area. All applications will be dealt with on an equal preference basis.
All admissions authorities will consider all applications for their school regardless of the preference order, apply the school’s oversubscription criteria and provide Oldham Local Authority with a list of applicants ranked according to the school’s oversubscription criteria according to their determined admission arrangements. For those schools for which the Local Authority is the admissions authority, Oldham Local Authority will apply the oversubscription criteria to produce a ranked list of applicants.
The Local Authority will collate all information and, in agreement with other local authorities, will ensure that a parent receives only one offer of a school place.
Oldham Local Authority will inform other local authorities whether or not a place can be offered at an Oldham school to pupils resident in their area. Where Oldham Local Authority has forwarded an application to another local authority, that authority will advise Oldham Local Authority whether or not a place could be offered at a school within its area.
If a place can be allocated at more than one school, the offer will be for whichever school has been ranked highest on the application form. Where schools are oversubscribed and the Local Authority is not able to offer any of the parental preferences, the Local Authority will allocate a place at the nearest appropriate primary school to the child’s home with a place available.
Oldham Local Authority will notify all Oldham schools of the names of children allocated places in their school.
Change of preference (Primary Schools)
Changes of preference, ranking order or pupil details cannot be changed after the closing date of 15 January 2027.
Notification of decision to parents/carers (Primary Schools)
Oldham Local Authority will inform all parents/carers of pupils resident in Oldham of the school place allocated, including the offer of places on behalf of Oldham schools that are their own admissions authority and schools in other local authority areas; by email on 16 April 2027.
Where parents are not offered their highest ranking school, they will be informed of the reasons for this decision in the offer email/letter, which will also inform them of their statutory right of appeal, who to contact to make an appeal, and about the operation of waiting lists.
Parents resident in other local authority areas who are allocated a place at an Oldham school will be informed of the offer by their home authority.
Schools must not contact parents about the outcome of their application until after these offers have been received. Only the Local Authority can make an official offer.
Late applications (Primary Schools)
The closing date for applications is 5pm on 15 January 2027. Applications submitted or received after this time will be considered after all applications received on time have been processed.
Waiting lists
Oldham Local Authority will operate waiting lists for all community and voluntary controlled schools (plus own admission authority schools that have requested the Local Authority do it on their behalf). The waiting list will be maintained for the Autumn Term (until 31 December 2027) only.
Parents, who have expressed a particular school as a preference and have not been offered a place at that school, or at a higher preference school, will automatically be placed on the waiting list. All children on the waiting list will be ranked according to the oversubscription criteria for that school.
If new or late applications have a higher priority under the oversubscription criteria than those already on the list, they will be ranked higher than those who have been on the list for some time. If the circumstances of the children on the waiting list change, for example, they move house, they should inform the admission authority immediately and provide supporting evidence.
Timetable of Coordinated Primary Admissions Scheme 2027–2028
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01 September 2027 | Online application available to parents. |
| 15 January 2027 | Closing date for applications to be submitted to the Local Authority and supplementary forms to be submitted as required by any own admission authority school. |
| 22 January 2027 | Last date for exceptional changes |
| February 2027 | Details of applications and any relevant supplementary forms to be sent to other local authorities if a preference for one of their schools has been expressed. |
| February 2027 | Oldham Local Authority provides schools that are their own admissions authority with details of all those who have named the schools as a preference to rank applications. |
| March 2027 | Schools that are their own admissions authority submit in the School Admissions Module (SAM) the ranked lists of applicants to Oldham Local Authority. |
| March 2027 | Oldham Local Authority will match the ranked lists of all schools and allocate places. |
| March 2027 | Begin exchanging offers with other local authorities. |
| March 2027 | Oldham Local Authority will notify other local authorities of its determination with regard to children living in their area. |
| 16 April 2027 | Notification of offers sent to parents by email. |
| 16 April 2027 | Notification to Oldham schools of which pupils have been allocated places at their school. |
| During April/May 2027 | Oldham Local Authority to process late applications. |
| 10 May 2027 | Closing date for receipt of appeals. |
| w/c 5 July 2027 | Last date for hearing appeals. |
Admission to Secondary Schools
This part of the scheme (paragraphs 11–17) applies to arrangements in Oldham whereby children are to be admitted to secondary schools in the normal admissions round for the academic year 2027–2028.
The application must be used as a means of expressing three or more preferences for the purposes of section 86 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (as amended), by parents wishing to express a preference for their child to be admitted to any secondary school, Academy or UTC, excluding independent schools.
The application will:
- Invite the parent to express preferences for any school they wish to apply for
- Invite the parent to rank the schools applied for in order of preference
- Request information about any siblings who will be attending any of the requested schools in September 2027
- Specify that the forms should be submitted to Oldham Council by 5pm on 31 October 2026, the closing date
The Local Authority will make appropriate arrangements to ensure:
- That parents can apply online
- That there is a written explanation on the coordinated admissions scheme
- That parents are clearly informed that the online application should also be used to apply for schools outside the Local Authority area
Oldham Local Authority (LA) will identify those Oldham residents who are the parents of children whose birth date falls between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016. Those parents will receive from their child’s primary school a leaflet that details how to apply for a secondary school place. Parents are able to complete the application online. All information about transferring to secondary school and the process that needs to be followed will be available to view on the Oldham Council website. Oldham Local Authority will exchange information with other Local Authorities about children resident in their areas.
Parents applying for a place at a foundation, trust, voluntary aided and Academies may be required to provide additional information on a supplementary form and/or complete supplementary details only where the additional information is required for the governing body to apply their oversubscription criteria to the application. Where a supplementary form is required it must be submitted in accordance with the individual school guidelines. Where applicable, supplementary forms can be obtained from the school or the Local Authority.
Where a school receives a supplementary form it will not be regarded as a valid application unless the parent has also completed an application and the school is listed as a preference.
Parents of children resident in other authorities must submit an application to their home authority on the application provided by that authority.
The closing date by which parents must submit their application online is 5pm on 31 October 2026.
Processing of common Secondary School applications
Applications must be submitted to the Admissions Team at Oldham Local Authority by the closing date and time. If any parent approaches a voluntary aided school direct about admissions, the governing body must advise the parent to complete and submit an application to their home local authority.
Oldham Local Authority will forward details of the application, together with any additional information provided by the parent, to all foundation, trust and voluntary aided schools and Academies where the school is a parental preference and to other local authorities if the parent has expressed a preference for a school in their area. All applications will be dealt with on an equal preference basis.
All admissions authorities will consider all applications for their school regardless of the preference order, apply the school’s oversubscription criteria and provide Oldham Local Authority with a list of applicants ranked according to the school’s oversubscription criteria according to their determined admission arrangements. For those schools for which the Local Authority is the admissions authority, Oldham Local Authority will apply the oversubscription criteria to produce a ranked list of applicants.
Oldham Local Authority will inform other local authorities whether or not a place can be offered at an Oldham school to pupils resident in their area. Where Oldham Local Authority has forwarded an application to another local authority, that authority will advise Oldham Local Authority whether a place could be offered at a school within its area.
If a place can be allocated at only one of the schools named, that school will be offered. If a place can be allocated at more than one school, the offer will be for whichever school has been ranked highest on the application form. This may not be the first preference school. Where schools are oversubscribed and the Local Authority is not able to offer any of the parental preferences, the Local Authority will allocate a place at the nearest appropriate secondary school to the child’s home with a place available.
Oldham Local Authority will notify all Oldham schools of the names of children allocated places in their school.
Change of preference (Secondary Schools)
Changes of preference, ranking order or pupil details cannot be changed after the closing date of 31 October 2026.
Notification of decision to parents/carers (Secondary Schools)
Oldham Local Authority will inform all parents of pupils resident in Oldham of the school place allocated, including the offer of places on behalf of Oldham schools that are their own admissions authority and schools in other local authority areas, by email on 02 March 2027.
Where parents are not offered their highest-ranking school, they will be informed of the reasons for this decision, which will also inform them of their statutory right of appeal, who to contact to make an appeal, and about the operation of waiting lists.
Parents resident in other local authority areas who are allocated a place at an Oldham school will be informed of the offer by their home authority.
Schools must not contact parents about the outcome of their application until after these offers have been received. Only the Local Authority can make an official offer.
Late applications (Secondary Schools)
The closing date for application is 5pm on 31 October 2026. Applications submitted or received after this time will be considered after all applications received on time have been processed.
Waiting lists (Secondary Schools)
Oldham Local Authority will operate waiting lists for all community and voluntary controlled schools (plus own admission authority schools that have requested the Local Authority do it on their behalf). The waiting list will be maintained for the Autumn Term (until 31 December 2027) only.
Parents who have expressed a particular school as a preference and have not been offered a place at that school, or at a higher preference school, will automatically be placed on the waiting list. All children on the waiting list will be ranked according to the oversubscription criteria for that school.
If new or late applications have a higher priority under the oversubscription criteria than those already on the list, they will be ranked higher than those who have been on the list for some time. If the circumstances of the children on the waiting list change, for example, they move house, they should inform the admission authority immediately and provide supporting evidence.
Timetable of Coordinated Secondary Admissions Scheme 2027–2028
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| July 2026 | Oldham Local Authority will prepare letters for schools. Schools will issue the letter to the children in year 5 resident in Oldham and letters to the non Oldham children to refer them to their home authority. |
| 01 August 2026 | Online application available for parents. |
| 31 October 2026 | Closing date for applications to be submitted to the Local Authority and supplementary forms to be submitted as required by the school. |
| 6 November 2026 | Last date for exceptional changes |
| November 2026 | Details of applications and any relevant supplementary forms to be sent to other local authorities if a preference for one of their schools has been expressed. |
| November 2026 | Oldham Local Authority provides schools that are their own admissions authority with details of all those who have named the schools as a preference to rank applications. |
| December 2026 | Schools that are their own admissions authority submit in the School Admissions Module (SAM) the ranked lists of applicants to Oldham LA. |
| During December/January | Oldham Local Authority will match the ranked lists of all schools and allocate places. |
| January 2027 | Begin exchanging offers with other local authorities. |
| 02 March 2027 | Notification of offers sent to parents, by email. |
| 02 March 2027 | Notification to Oldham schools of which pupils have been allocated places at their school. |
| During March 2027 | Oldham Local Authority to process late applications. |
| 12 April 2027 | Closing date for receipt of appeals. |
| w/c 5 July 2027 | Last date for hearing appeals. |
Applying for a place outside of normal transfer times
This part of the scheme (paragraphs 18–27) applies to in-year transfers outside of the normal admissions round, throughout the academic year 2027–2028.
Parents with children of statutory school age who move into or within Oldham, and require a school place outside the normal transfer times, should apply for a school place using the In Year Transfer Application Form. The In Year Transfer Application Form should be completed online for community and voluntary controlled schools and admissions authorities that have bought in to the LA’s Charging Policy or sent direct to schools and academies that are their own admission authority. Parents must ensure that the form is completed in full and submitted with any supplementary documentation.
The admissions team, on request will provide information to parents about the places available in all schools within its area.
Oldham Local Authority will not consider an incomplete transfer form or an application more than 30 school days in advance of the intended start date. Children must be in the UK before an application can be considered.