Beckfoot Trust Admissions Consultations December 2023

Beckfoot Trust Primary Schools

As the admission authority, The Board of Trustees intends to determine (consult, approve, set) the following admission policy arrangements for entry into the following schools in the academic year September 2025-6; Beckfoot Allerton, Beckfoot Heaton, Beckfoot Nessfield and Beckfoot Priestthorpe.

This consultation is required in line with paragraph 1.45 of the School Admissions Code, which states that admission authorities must consult on their admission arrangements at least once every 7 years, even if there have been no changes during that period.

There are no planned changes to the current admission arrangements which can be found on the on the websites of each of the schools involved in the consultation, and there are links below to the relevant pages.

Beckfoot Allerton

Beckfoot Heaton

Beckfoot Nessfield

Beckfoot Priestthorpe

Beckfoot Trust Admission Arrangements for 2025/26

The Board of Trustees at Beckfoot Trust, as the admissions authority, intends to alter the over subscription criteria within the admissions arrangements for Beckfoot School, Beckfoot Thornton and Beckfoot Upper Heaton.

INTENDED OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA

From September 2025, the intention is to create a single Beckfoot Trust local primary feeder school for each of the Trust’s good or outstanding secondaries as detailed in the table below. This will mean that children attending the local primary feeder school will be a 4th priority category to the linked secondary school only (see below). By creating a local feeder school arrangement for our good and outstanding secondaries, children who attend a Beckfoot Primary School can choose and benefit from a Beckfoot Trust education throughout their school career.

For each of the schools listed the oversubscription criteria and potential impact on secondary admission by school can be found on the consultation webpages linked below.

Beckfoot School

Beckfoot Thornton

Beckfoot Upper Heaton

Consultation on reducing the PAN at Beckfoot Oakbank

The Board of Trustees at Beckfoot Trust are consulting with all relevant parties on options to reduce the Published Admission Number (PAN) at Beckfoot Oakbank from 300 to either 255 or 250 from 1 September 2025.

The Board of Trustees at Beckfoot Trust, as admissions authority, intends to determine (consult, approve, set) the admissions policy arrangements for entry into Beckfoot Oakbank from September 2025 with one of the following reductions to Pupil Admissions Number (PAN):

1. Reduction of PAN from 300 to 255
2. Reduction of PAN from 300 to 250

The reduction is planned in line with the number of places required in Keighley secondary schools and the option chosen will be determined by the responses to the consultation and the Local Authority sufficiency forecasting data which will be updated in January 2024.

There is a forecasted surplus of 46 places by September 2025 in the planning area. The impact on the local area is therefore expected to be a positive one and will allow both Beckfoot Oakbank and other local secondary schools to match the demand for required places.

In addition to supporting effective place-planning in the local area, the reduction will benefit the community at Beckfoot Oakbank. The current school is above average in size, and this can mean that there is less access to large spaces for communal learning, limited space in the canteen and movement around the building can be slow.

The full proposed admissions arrangements for Beckfoot Oakbank can be found on the school website linked below.

Beckfoot Oakbank

How to Respond

The consultations above will run from 5th of December 2023 to 22nd of January 2024 and we invite comments from existing parents and any other interested parties.

Those who do not have access to the internet can collect a paper copy of the consultation document from the reception desk at the relevant school.

If you wish to request a copy by post, please call Jo Whittleston, Trust Operations Support Manager on 01274 771444.

Comments on the admissions arrangements should be made in writing before January the 22nd 2024.

You can submit comments in writing by hand on the form attached to the consultation document or via the online form which can be found on the consultation webpage links above for each school.

If you wish to submit comments by post, please send the paper form to: Jo Whittleston, Trust Operations Support Manager, Beckfoot Trust, Wagon Lane, Bingley, BD16 1EE

Please submit any questions or request a paper copy of the consultation document by email to admissionsconsultation@beckfoottrust.org or call 01274 771444 Ext 19021