Admissions
Consultation on the proposed 2027-28 admission arrangements for St. Thomas' CE Primary School.
In accordance with the School Admissions Code, Forward As One CE Multi Academy Trust (the admission authority) is consulting on proposed changes to our admission arrangements for entry in September 2027. Consultation will run for a minimum of 6 weeks from Wednesday 17th December to Wednesday 28th January. This consultation period falls within the statutory window as per the Admissions Code: GOV.UK
We are consulting with parents of children aged 2–18, local schools and admission authorities, the local authority, the diocese and other interested parties in the locality as required under the Admissions Code.
What’s changed/summary of proposals:
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Oversubscription criteria – headline changes:
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- Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming the school continue to be admitted before all other applicants.
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- Looked After and Previously Looked After children remain the highest priority oversubscription group.
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- The exceptional medical or social needs criterion has been tightened so that professional evidence must show the child’s needs can only be met at this school.
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- The sibling criterion has been clarified and standardised to include half-siblings, step-siblings and children living as part of the same family unit at the same address.
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- The previous parish-based and multiple church categories have been replaced with a single, clearly defined faith-based criterion, which:
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Is optional for families to apply under.
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Requires evidence of regular Church of England worship via a Supplementary Information Form.
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Uses a two-band attendance model rather than parish boundaries or points-based scoring.
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- Distance from the school is now the final oversubscription criterion, measured in a straight line using the Local Authority’s mapping system.
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- Tie-break arrangements have been simplified: where distances are equal, places are allocated by independent random allocation.
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- A full copy of the proposed admission arrangements are linked below and available on request:
- The Supplementary Information Form is linked below:
Free paper copies are available from the school office at:
St Thomas’ C. E. Primary School
Admissions Officer
Huddersfield Road
Newhey
Rochdale
OL16 3QZ
How to respond:
Please respond by Wednesday 28th January 2026 (consultation closes at 5pm on that date). Responses can be submitted by:
- Email: enquiries@fa1.uk (subject: Admissions Consultation)
- Online form: https://forms.office.com/e/HiRQVKCShi
- Post: The Clerk to the Board of Trustees, Forward As One CE Multi Academy Trust, Newnham Street, Bolton, BL1 8QA (FAO Admissions Consultation)
What happens next:
All responses will be considered by the Trust Board prior to determination of the admission arrangements by 28th February 2026. Once determined, the arrangements will be published on each academy’s website by 15th March and a copy sent to the local authority. Once the final arrangements are determined, anyone with concerns has the right to refer the matter to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.
Please let us know if you have any questions about the consultation or need the documents in an alternative format.
Message template - key stakeholders & newsletter
Consultation on our proposed admissions arrangements
Forward As One CE Multi Academy Trust, the admissions authority for our school, is consulting on proposed changes to admissions at [school name] for entry in 2027-28. The consultation runs from Wednesday 17th December to Wednesday 28th January (6 weeks). A full copy of the proposed admission arrangements is available on our school and Trust admissions webpages: [xxx] and https://www.forwardasone.uk/Admissions-Consultation-2027-28.
Please send any comments to enquiries@fa1.uk, or complete the online form: https://forms.office.com/e/HiRQVKCShi , or post comments to the Clerk to the Board of Trustees, Forward As One CE Multi Academy Trust, Newnham Street, Bolton, BL1 8QA to arrive by Wednesday 28th January. All responses will be considered before the Trust Board decides, as per the Admissions Code GOV.UK.
Thanks for taking the time to ensure this is in place and please let me know if there’s anything we can help with.
Best wishes,
Applying for a Place at St. Thomas' C.E. Primary School
Rochdale Borough Council manage all of our admissions.
Please click on the link below to access Rochdale School Admissions.
Or use the following information to contact the admissions team directly.
Email:
school.admissions@rochdale.gov.uk
Telephone:
0300 303 0340
Address:
Early Help and Schools
Floor 4
Number One Riverside
Smith Street
Rochdale OL16 1XU
Phone:
Monday–Friday, 9am–4.45pm