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Q. Why should I apply for my child’s school place?

A. You must apply on time for a school place for your child. If you don’t, you might not get a place at a school you want your child to attend. If your child attends Nursery in a school, you must apply for a Reception class place. You won’t automatically be offered a place in the school.

Q. When and how can I apply?

A. From 9 September 2024 onwards you can apply for your child’s school place online at my.northtyneside.gov.uk via the Citizens Portal. This is the easiest and most secure way to apply. Please follow the instructions to log in if you have previously used the Portal or register to create an account. If you haven’t used the Portal for some time you may need to re-register. If you can’t remember your password or are having trouble logging in, please email us (see address at the top of this page) and we can reset your password for you. If you don’t have access to a computer, you can complete a paper application form. Forms are available from any First or Primary School in North Tyneside, from North Tyneside Customer First Centres, or you can print one off from the North Tyneside Council Website. We advise returning your paper form to us by email. If you post the application form to us, you MUST get proof of postage. If we don’t receive your application, you will need this to prove that you applied on time.

Q. How important is it for me to apply before the closing date?

A. Very important. If you don’t apply before the closing date, there is a risk that all available places in your preferred school will be taken and your child will be offered a place at another school. If you do apply after the closing date you must tell us why your application is late.

Q. Do I have a right to a place at the school of my choice for my child?

A. No. Parents have a right to state a preference for a school and the Local Authority and other admission authorities have a duty to take the preference into consideration, but this does not guarantee you will get a place at a school or schools you have chosen.

Q. How can I assess the likelihood of securing a place for my child?

A. From the school’s admission policy - available on the website of the school, or in the Essential Guide to North Tyneside Schools booklet at my.northtyneside.gov.uk, you will be able to work out how high up the list of admission criteria your child will be. You can find information about the number of children the school can admit in September, as well as the number of children admitted within each admission category last year. However, you must treat the information about previous years with some caution because circumstances can change from year to year. For example, if a new housing development opens in the catchment area of a small First or Primary School, it may affect the number of catchment and out of catchment applicants the school can admit.

Frequently asked questions about

school admissions in North Tyneside.

school.admissions@northtyneside.gov.uk

FAQs

Q. Will my child be guaranteed a place in the catchment area school?

A. The Local Authority or Admission Authority cannot guarantee places in any school. If you apply to your catchment school the chances are usually high that you will be offered a place, but this cannot be guaranteed. Changes in the pattern of parents’ preferences and changes in local population may mean that some schools will be oversubscribed from within their catchment area.

Q. Can I apply for a school place that is not year of entry?

A. North Tyneside operates a 2-tier school system, and a 3 tier school system in the Whitley Bay.

North Tyneside Transfer Groups:

•Reception (Y0)

•Year 4 into Year 5 (First to Middle)

•Year 6 into Year 7 (Primary to Secondary)

•Year 8 into Year 9 (Middle to Monkseaton High School or Whitley Bay High School)

You cannot apply for schools who aren’t in the relevant transfer group. For instance, if you child is due to go into Y7 from a Primary school, you cannot apply for a Y7 place in a Middle school. If you do apply, your application will not be accepted. There is a separate process for applying for a school where the year group requested is not the year of entry at the school. This is called an In Year Transfer and In Year Transfer forms are available on the North Tyneside Council website

Q. How do I find out the catchment area school for my address?

A. By logging onto my.northtyneside.gov.uk and using the catchment area map or by contacting school.admissions@northtyneside.gov.uk. Please note that your child’s permanent address determines your catchment school, and it is this address which must be used on the application form.

Q. Will my child be guaranteed a place in a school that their older sibling already attends?

A. The Local Authority or Admission Authority cannot guarantee places in any school, especially if you want your children attend a school that is not your catchment school. A sibling link is an older brother or sister residing at the same address (including adoptive siblings, half siblings, step siblings, and long term fostered children). For an older sibling to be taken into consideration, they must still be attending the school in September 2024. This does not include siblings who will be in 6th Form. Cousins are not considered as a sibling link. Step siblings are considered as siblings if they live at the same address.

Q. My child lives at different addresses during the week. Which address do I use when applying?

A. When considering your application, the Admission Authority will use the parental home residence of the Parent/Carer who receives child benefit or child tax credit. If the address on your application form is not your child’s usual address, you must provide a child arrangement order issued by a court if you wish that address to be considered. Admission Authorities will not accept any other arrangements (where parents delegate parental responsibility to a grandparent or other family member) unless you have court documentation that supports the living arrangements.

Q. Moving house during the application process

A. If you are buying a house, please note we will not accept your new address unless you send us a copy of your Completion Statement. We will use your current address for the application.

Q. What if I move house after the deadline?

A. If you move into a particular school’s catchment area and do not notify us by 9 January 2025 for Middle and High School applications and 24 February 2025 for First and Primary applications, your new address will not be considered before the ‘offer day’. If you move or send evidence after 9 January 2025 (Middle and High Schools) and 24 February 2025 (First and Primary Schools) it will not be possible to process your child’s application using your new address because the allocation process will have already started. However, please let us know your new address because we may need to write to you about your application.

Q. What if I move into rented property?

A. You must have a rental agreement of 12 months or more or ends in the Autumn Term in 2025

(31 December 2025). We will require proof of your new address i.e., rental agreement and copy of council tax statement. Please note we will not accept tenancy agreements for a sixth month period.

Q. Can the offer of a place be withdrawn?

A. The Admission Authority reserves the right to withdraw places in certain circumstances i.e., where a parent uses fraudulent or intentionally misleading information such as a false address.

Q. Will medical, social reasons or childcare arrangements be considered?

A. Where a school is oversubscribed places are allocated according to the published oversubscription criteria which may not take into account individual reasons. Childcare arrangements will not be considered.

Q. I live outside of North Tyneside and want to apply for a North Tyneside School which form do I use?

A. You must apply to your home Local Authority where you pay council tax. For instance, if you live in Newcastle and want to apply for a North Tyneside school you must apply through Newcastle School Admissions. Your home Local Authority will pass your information to us securely using a government approved secure computer system. We will treat your request in the same way as applications from North Tyneside residents. However, we will not offer you another North Tyneside school if we cannot offer you a place in one of your preferred school(s).

Q. What happens if I do not apply?

A. You will not be allocated a place on offer day for your child and you risk not gaining a place at any of the schools you would prefer your child to go to or their catchment school if you decide at a later date to apply. You MUST make an application. Help is available if you need assistance with the application process or completing a form.

Q. What happens if I want to change my school preferences after the deadline?

A. You cannot change your preference(s) without a genuine reason i.e. you have moved address. We will carry out checks.

Q. What happens if I want to change my preferences after ‘Offer Day?’

A. Parents can have a maximum of 3 preferences including schools in and outside of North Tyneside. If you are not happy with the school you have been offered and want to apply for a school that was not on your original application you must complete a new application on a paper application form. Amended preferences will overwrite your initial application. Therefore, if you wish to keep any of your original preferences they must be included in your new application.

Q. How is the distance measured?

A. In a straight line from a single fixed point of the home address (including flats) to a single fixed point associated with the school using the Local Land and Property Gazetteer and the Council’s Geographical Information System (GIS/One).

Q. My child attends the nursery at the school. Will I automatically be offered a place?

A. No. Attendance at a nursery class does not guarantee a place at the Reception class of a school. You must make an application for a place in Reception class even if your child is currently attending the school’s nursery class. Where the school receives more applications than places available the published oversubscription criteria will be applied.

Q. I only want to apply for one school

A. We strongly advise that you choose more than one school in case your choice is oversubscribed. If you do not name more than one school we will not know which other schools you are been interested in. You will be allocated a place at the nearest school with a place available and this may not be a school you want your child to attend.

Q. How do the waiting lists work?

A. If you have been refused any of your preferred school(s) you can put your child’s name on the waiting list. You may place your child’s name on a waiting list for more than one school but no more than 3 schools. However, you can only place your child’s name on a waiting list for 3 schools that you have applied for and been formally refused a place at. Children are placed on the waiting list according to the oversubscription criteria regardless of when their application was received and within each criterion their place is ordered by shortest distance. If pupil numbers fall below the published admission number, the place will be offered to the child at the top of the waiting list. This means a child who is on the waiting list may move down the list if a ‘Late’ application is received that falls within a higher priority under the oversubscription criteria. Waiting lists for all schools will be held by School Admissions for one term in the academic year i.e. until 31 December 2024.

Q. How do I request a change of schools during the school year (In Year Transfers)

A. In Year Transfer forms are available on the North Tyneside Council website. When completed please email them to us. We will forward them to your school preference/s and if there a place the school will contact you. If there is no space available for your child we will write to you and let you know.