Admissions
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for baptised Catholic children. The school is run by its governing body as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its Trust Deed and Instrument of Government and seeks at all times to be a witness to Jesus Christ. If the number of preferences received is less than the admission number then all preferences will be met. However, when there are more applications than places available, priority will always be given to Catholic applicants in accordance with the oversubscription criteria listed in our policy. By applying to this school parents, or carers, are declaring their support for the aims and ethos of the school.
How to apply for a school place
Please refer to the full policy for further information which is available upon request or on the school website.
Prospective parents should make an application (CAF) following the Local Authority procedures and guidance.
A Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is also required and should be returned directly to school.
Joining Reception in September 2024
All applications are made through Lancashire County Council by completing a common application form (CAF) which can be completed online. For more information and access to the online application process please click here
We also require you to complete the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and send this to the school office.
If you have any questions about applying please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please see the Admission Policy 24/25 for further details on how to apply and how places are awarded.
Joining in year
In Year Applications
In-year admission is the process of applying for a school place during the school year. Any applications for the intake made after the start of the autumn term will be treated as an in-year application.
The in-year admission process is managed by the school. Parents are required to complete the in-year application form, which is available from the school website (https://www.st-josephs-barlick.lancs.sch.uk/parents/admissions).
Where a place cannot be secured, parents will be offered a legal right of appeal to an independent appeal panel.
Lancashire County Council administers the appeals process on behalf of the school. Parents can complete the school’s appeal form on Lancashire County Council’s website.
More information is available on the Lancashire site https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/schools/apply-for-a-school-place/
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| finalised-in-year-form.docx | Download |
Right to Appeal
Admission Policies
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| Admissions Policy 2024-25 Determined.pdf | Download |
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| Admission Policy 2023-24 Determined.pdf | Download |
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| SIF.doc | Download |
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| Defined Area Map of St. Joseph's Barnoldswick.pdf | Download |
Induction of new pupils
All children offered a place are admitted into the school at the beginning of the Autumn term. In the term prior to admission, parents are invited into school for a Welcome Meeting, where you will meet key members of staff and be given useful information. Your child will also be invited into school to spend some time during the school day getting to know the new surroundings and following new routines.
Admission Appeals
If you are not happy with the school place you are given, you can appeal for any school.
You can contact the area education office (admissions department) for help, we can:
- tell you which schools have places available
- add your child's name to waiting lists for other schools
- provide information to help you appeal
If your child has a statement of special educational needs (SEN) or education, health and care plan, procedures differ; the SEN team at the area education office can help you.
The appeals process
You will need to appeal in writing on the relevant appeal form:
Notice for all appellants – Submission of admission appeal forms
If you are unable to fill in an Admissions Appeal form yourself due to a disability or any language barrier you feel may compromise your submission then help is available from our Customer Service Centre who will be able to assist you in filling out the relevant form.
The Contact number for the Customer Service Centre is 0300 123 6707
The Contact Centre staff are unable to advise you of your submission and are only able to fill the form out on your behalf.
To appeal, please read the guidance notes and complete the appeal form online.
If you have been refused a place at a voluntary aided, you can appeal against the decision of the governing body. A copy of your form will be automatically sent to the school you are appealing for and a copy will also be sent to the email address you have included on your form for your own records.
The Department for Education has confirmed that appeals will not be conducted in the usual way, with face to face hearings.
It is therefore really important that your appeal case includes all the information you wish to be considered by the independent appeal panel. It will not be possible to introduce new information during the appeal hearing as panel members will not be able to give this the appropriate consideration.
Once we receive your appeal you will be invited to participate in an appeal hearing. The intention is that hearings will remain informal and last around 20 minutes.
A provisional list of appeal hearing dates is published below. We will write to you to confirm the date and time for your hearing and how this will be conducted.
You will be asked to confirm whether you wish to participate or are happy for the hearing to proceed in your absence, with your written submission. Where possible you will be notified at least 14 days before the hearing to give you time to prepare.
The appeal will be heard by a panel acting independently of the Local Authority. They will have no connection with the school you are appealing for, or the school your child has been allocated a place at. These are the people who will make the decision about your appeal.
We will write to you to let you know the result of the hearing within 7 calendar days, wherever possible.
If a place has already been refused at appeal, the admissions authority will only consider a second appeal for a place at the same school or academy in the same academic year if they consider that there has been a relevant, significant and material change in the family's circumstances (since the original appeal hearing). If this is the case a second appeal hearing may be appropriate. Individual admissions authorities will decide in relation to re-appeal requests.
This timetable is a guide and dates may change depending on the number of appeals that are lodged, the views of panel members and the outcome of a virtual hearing pilot survey.
Academy and free school appeals will be scheduled along with the relevant voluntary aided district dates.
We will confirm the scheduled date for your school with you after we receive the appeal papers.
