We run a consultation on the proposed admission arrangements for our schools every year, so that you have an opportunity to have your say about how we allocate school places. To understand the process and how you can get involved, select a topic from the list below.
The latest consultation is on arrangements for the 2027 to 2028 academic year.
Admissions consultations give parents an opportunity to influence our education policy. We also make sure that the following people and bodies, who are involved in education in our area, have a chance to see and comment on the documents:
The School admission consultation is held every year.
We set the admissions criteria, or policy, for Community schools, and we include these in our public consultation.
Some schools set their own admissions policy, such as academies and free schools, and will publish this for public consultation (see below). Even in these cases, we as a council still have to co-ordinate the admissions process, so we publish the scheme for this. We also publish the numbers of places each school will have, and how we will deal with applications to move to a school within the school year.
We are consulting on the proposed admission arrangements and admission numbers for Community schools. We are also consulting on the proposed schemes for co-ordination of admissions to all maintained schools and academies for the 2026/27 school year. Our consultation starts on 01 December 2025 and will end on 9 January 2026.
Following the consultation period, we will determine the admission arrangements by 28 February 2026, and these will then be published on this website by 15 March 2026. Once arrangements have been determined objections can be made to the Office of the School Adjudicator.
The key documents we normally consult on are as follows:
Academies, Voluntary Aided schools and free schools all set their own admissions policy. They will run their own consultation process on this policy. We will add relevant consultation documents when they become available. Please always contact schools you are interested in first, to check what consultations they are running.
The consultation period is normally in the autumn and winter of the academic year before the arrangements will apply, so almost two years before the school intake.
Our 6 week consultation period takes place between October and the end of January. This statutory consultation period also applies to schools that set their own admissions policies.
Here is an example of the cycle from consultation to policy, to admissions process, and finally when pupils take up their school place:
Please send your comments by email to admissions_transport@bathnes.gov.uk Or write to us at:
Please contact the school directly, addressing your comments on their proposals to the Headteacher or Chair of Governors. You should find their contact details on each school's website.
You can find details of the consultations on admission arrangements for the following local authorities below: