Every school has to have an admissions policy for each academic year.
They are mostly the same from year to year though if we believe changes would be beneficial, we will consult on changes so that parents, other schools and interested parties can comment.
The policies are written to meet the requirements and spirit of the School Admissions Code and the School Admission Appeals Code which are published by the Department for Education.
We review our policies every year - even if we don’t plan to make any changes. We do this in the Autumn Term and will provide any updates on this webpage, the school website and also at the Devon County Council School Admissions - Arrangements and Policies webpage.
If you have any queries or comments to make about any of these policies, please contact Kirsty.forbes@stcmat.org or admissions@devon.gov.uk
Admission arrangements are also published on each school website.
St. Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust is the admissions authority for its member schools.
This means the Trust is responsible for determining the admissions policies for its schools and taking decisions on applications. Most of our schools have a history of being their own admissions authority as they were previously Voluntary Aided (VA) schools. We encourage the local governing bodies of each school to play an active part in the admissions process and they continue to do this with their wealth of knowledge and expertise.
As a parent, you are strongly encouraged to visit schools that you are interested in applying to. Each school welcomes visits from parents and children and it's a good opportunity to look around and see the facilities, meet the staff and find out what they offer. To arrange a visit, please contact the school(s) directly. You can find their contact details in the 'Our Academies' section of this website.
Applications for admission into the 'normal round' for a school – that is for the beginning of Reception – should be made to the Local Authority where your child lives.
If you are applying outside of the 'normal round', Devon and Torbay will accept and process applications for their residents. If you are a resident of Plymouth, you should speak directly with the school.
You can find out more about the applications process by looking at your Local Authority School Admissions web pages:
Devon County Council School Admissions
Plymouth City Council School Admissions
Torbay Council School Admissions
If we have to refuse an admissions application, you have the right to appeal to an Appeals Panel independent of St. Christopher’s and the schools. We make arrangements for this with each of the three Local Authorities (Devon, Plymouth and Torbay) depending on where the school is. In each area, there is an admissions timetable that dictates when they would be held for normal round admissions. That must be set by 28 February each year and to meet this requirement we detail the timetable in each school’s admissions policy. You can also see further information on the Local Authorities websites.
Department for Education School Admissions and TransportExeter Diocese Board of Education Admissions and Appeals