Are You Considering a Place at Our School?
Our website provides information about many aspects of our school and we are always pleased to meet parents/carers who are considering sending their child to our school and to show them around. If you wish to do this, please contact our school office to make an appointment.
Our Admissions Policies detail the ethos of our school and list the oversubscription criteria which we use if there are more applications for places than we have available. They also explain how to apply for a place at our school.
We are a Church of England School and three of the oversubscription criteria are for children who regularly go to church and worship there. If you decide to apply for a place on this basis you must also submit a Supplementary Information Form.
The Supplementary Information Form can be downloaded from this page. Alternatively, you are welcome to collect a paper copy from our school reception. Please feel welcome to contact us if you want any guidance about this process.
Confirm your child's place at Bishop Aldhelm's CE Primary School.
Admissions Policy for 2026 - 2027
The Admissions Policy and Supplementary Information Form for 2026-2027 are applicable for parents/carers applying for a place for their child/children during the 2026-2027 school year which their child will take up between 1st September 2026 and 31st August 2027.
A children wishing to join Year Foundation a year later than the normal year group join it...
As a general rule the school considers that children attending the school should normally be placed with their own age group, and be educated for the majority of the time with their age peer group. The school believes that this is in the best interests of the child. Parents do however, from time to time seek places for children in a lower or higher age group. Such requests may be made for a variety of reasons, for example where a child has moved to the area from abroad, or has missed schooling due to illness, or has a marked talent or ability. In these cases differentiation of the curriculum and/or additional support within their age group should usually address the particular circumstances.
The School Admissions Code requires school admission authorities to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. Parents can request that their child attends part-time until they reach compulsory school age, or that the date their child is admitted to school is deferred until later in the same academic year or, in the case of summer born children (ie those born between 1 April and 31 August), that their child is admitted to Year Foundation one year later than their chronological age would normally determine. However again, as a general rule, the school does not encourage delayed admission as it does not believe that this is in the best interests of the child unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The School Admissions Code requires admission authorities to consider such requests and to take account of the circumstances of each case. The approach that we take is set out in our ‘Policy For Responding To Parental Requests For Admission To A Year Group Different To That Determined By Their Date Of Birth, Including Delayed Admission To Reception For Summer Born Children’.
Admissions Policy for 2026-2027
The Admissions Policy and Supplementary Information Form for 2026-2027 are applicable for parents/carers applying for a place for their child/children during the 2026-2027 school year which their child will take up between 1st September 2026 and 31st August 2027.
PRIMARY SCHOOL PLACES, YEAR R AND YEAR 3 APPEALS TIMETABLE 2026 – 2027
Primary school places – Year R and Year 3, September 2026
Appeals will be considered in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code 2022 which are available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-appeals-code
• School place offers will be sent on 16 April 2026
• Appeals must be lodged by 23 May 2026
• Appeals lodged on time will be determined in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code 2022, before the end of the summer term
• Appeals lodged after 23 May 2026, that cannot be added to a scheduled hearing, will be determined at a later date
Admissions Policy for 2025 - 2026
The Admissions Policy and Supplementary Information Form for 2025-2026 are applicable for parents/carers applying for a place for their child/children during the 2025-2026 school year which their child will take up between 1st September 2025 and 31st August 2026.
A children wishing to join Year Foundation a year later than the normal year group join it...
As a general rule the school considers that children attending the school should normally be placed with their own age group, and be educated for the majority of the time with their age peer group. The school believes that this is in the best interests of the child. Parents do however from time to time seek places for children in a lower or higher age group. Such requests may be made for a variety of reasons, for example where a child has moved to the area from abroad, or has missed schooling due to illness, or has a marked talent or ability. In these cases differentiation of the curriculum and/or additional support within their age group should usually address the particular circumstances.
The School Admissions Code requires school admission authorities to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. Parents can request that their child attends part-time until they reach compulsory school age, or that the date their child is admitted to school is deferred until later in the same academic year or, in the case of summer born children (ie those born between 1 April and 31 August), that their child is admitted to Year Foundation one year later than their chronological age would normally determine. However again, as a general rule, the school does not encourage delayed admission as it does not believe that this is in the best interests of the child unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The School Admissions Code requires admission authorities to consider such requests and to take account of the circumstances of each case. The approach that we take is set out in our ‘Policy For Responding To Parental Requests For Admission To A Year Group Different To That Determined By Their Date Of Birth, Including Delayed Admission To Reception For Summer Born Children’.
Admissions Policy for 2025-2026
The Admissions Policy and Supplementary Information Form for 2025-2026 are applicable for parents/carers applying for a place for their child/children during the 2025-2026 school year which their child will take up between 1st September 2025 and 31st August 2026.
PRIMARY SCHOOL PLACES, YEAR R AND YEAR 3 APPEALS TIMETABLE 2025 – 2026
Primary school places – Year R and Year 3, September 2025
Appeals will be considered in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code 2022 which are available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-appeals-code
• School place offers will be sent on 16 April 2025
• Appeals must be lodged by 23 May 2025
• Appeals lodged on time will be determined in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code 2022, before the end of the summer term
• Appeals lodged after 23 May 2025, that cannot be added to a scheduled hearing, will be determined at a later date.
General
• You will receive at least 10 school days’ notice of your appeal hearing date.
• You can waive this right if you are late in making your appeal and wish to have your appeal determined at a hearing that is already scheduled.
• Case papers will be dispatched to you within a reasonable time before the hearing date.
• Once you have received notification of your hearing date, any additional evidence you wish to submit should be sent using our online Appeals Portal https://appeals.hamwic.org/home in accordance with the date detailed in the notification.
• Additional evidence may be submitted up to and including the day of the hearing.
• The panel will take its significance into account and whether there is a need to adjourn the hearing to allow all parties time to consider it.
• Following the appeal hearing decision, where possible, letters will be sent five school day’s following the hearing's conclusion.
Admissions Policy for 2026-2027
The Admissions Policy and Supplementary Information Form for 2026-2027 are applicable for parents/carers applying for a place for their child/children during the 2026-2027 school year which their child will take up between 1st September 2026 and 31st August 2027.
Appeals
BCP school admissions no longer facilitates any appeals as each school is now responsible for administering their own appeals. The information for appeals regarding Bishop Aldhelm's can be found on the Hamwic Education Trust page. - Admission Appeals - Hamwic Education Trust
Proposed Admissions Policy 2027 - 2028 - Public Consultation Required
Hamwic Education Trust are now consulting on the Infant/Primary and Junior School Admissions Policy, BCP Partnerships for 2027 – 2028. The consultation ends on 24th January 2026. These are the proposed changes for Bishop Aldhelm’s Church of England Primary School:
- The school’s admissions policy has been added to the Hamwic BCP Partnerships consolidated policy.
- Oversubscription criteria 2 has been changed from ‘vulnerable’ children to children with a significant medical or psychological condition. This means children with refugee status are no longer given priority.
- Children who have a sibling on roll at the school and who will still be attending the school in the following academic year has been given a higher priority at oversubscription criteria 3; previously this was oversubscription criteria 9 (living in catchment) and oversubscription criteria 13 (living outside the Parish and catchment area).
- The catchment area of the school has been redefined, and it has merged the Parish of St. Aldhelm’s Church and a historic geographical catchment area defined by the LA. See proposed catchment map/addresses.
- Children who are eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium attending the pre-school at Bishop Aldhelm’s have been given a higher priority at oversubscription criteria 5 (in catchment) and oversubscription criteria 9 (outside catchment).
- Children of qualified teaching staff were previously oversubscription criteria 15 whereas now they are oversubscription criteria 6 (live in catchment) and oversubscription criteria 10 (live outside catchment).
There are also changes made for other Hamwic Education Trust schools linked to the policy as detailed in the document titled ‘Admissions Consultation for Hamwic BCP Admissions Policy 2027 – 2028 – Proposed Changes.’
If you have any comments you would like to make about the policy, please send them to Claire Shaw, Education Access Officer, at claire.shaw@hamwic.org