Consultation on the proposed 2027-28 admission arrangements for St. Thomas' C.E. 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:
Allocation based on siblings has moved from priority 3 to priority 2
Faith based Criteria has moved to priority 3 from priority 4
There is a new banding system for faith based criteria along with a new supplementary information form for applying under faith based criteria.
Exception welfare and medical circumstances has moved from priority 2 to priority 4
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, 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.