Admissions
Consultation – Lingfield Education Trust Admissions Policy 2027-28
Lingfield Education Trust is an admission authority and it is a requirement for the Trust to consult on the admission arrangements for our schools at least once every seven years or when there is a significant change to the policy, for example where there is a change in oversubscription criteria or pupil admission number.
A consultation relating to the Admissions Policy for 2027-28, for all schools within Lingfield Education Trust, will commence on 15th December 2025 and will conclude at midnight on 31st January 2026.
We would welcome your views on the proposed admission arrangements. The proposed Admission Policy for 2027-28 can be found here: Proposed Policy. Please note that this consultation includes:
- a reduction in the PAN at Handale School, Loftus, from 60 to 30
- a change in the oversubscription criteria for Cambrai school
- inclusion of new schools to the Trust since the last consultation
Notification of the consultation is being communicated by the Trust to the following:
- The relevant Local Authority
- All parents and carers of pupils of the Trust
- Other persons who in the Trust’s opinion have an interest in the proposed admission arrangements
You are welcome to respond by emailing comments relating to the proposed admissions arrangements to enquiries@lingfieldtrust.org.uk.
Current Admissions Information
The School has an agreed admission number of 30 students. The School will accordingly admit at least 30 students in the relevant age group each year if sufficient applications are received.
The School Admission Regulations 2012 require admission authorities to set (‘determine’) admission arrangements annually. Once arrangements have been determined, any objections to them should be referred in writing to the Schools Adjudicator. The Schools Adjudicator can be contacted at The Office of the Schools Adjudicator, Bishopsgate House, Feethams, Darlington, DL1 5QE. You can also contact them on 01325 340525 or by emailing the team at osa.team@osa.gsi.gov.uk
Once admission arrangements have been determined for a particular school year, they cannot be revised by the admission authority unless such revision is necessary to give effect to a mandatory requirement of the Code, admission law, a determination of the Adjudicator or any misprint in the admission arrangements.
Appeals Guidance for School
If the school receives more applications from parents/carers than it has places available, not every child can be successful in securing a school place. The Trust will use its admissions criteria, also known as oversubscription criteria, to decide which children to allocate places to.
Parents/carers have the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel if they are dissatisfied with an admissions decision of the Trust. The appeal panel will be independent of the Trust. The arrangements for appeals will be in line with the School Admission Appeals Code published by the Department for Education. The decision of the panel is binding on all parties.
September 2025 entry
Appeals for children refused a place at a preferred school for admission to Reception class in September 2025 will be heard according to the following statutory timescales:
| Offer | Appeals lodged by | Appeals heard by |
| 16/04/2024 | by 3rd June 2025 | within 40 school days |
| after 3rd June 2025 | within 30 school days |
For further details about how to appeal please visit https://www.darlington.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-years/admissions/appeals/
Process of application
Applications for places at the School will be made in accordance with the LA’s co-ordinated admission arrangements and will be made on the Primary School Application (PSA) provided and administered by Darlington Borough Council. Prospective students and their parents/carers are encouraged to visit the School before making an application.
