Admissions Arrangements

We are an academy school and the admission authority is the Brigshaw Learning Partnership (BLP). We cater for pupils between the ages of 3-11. The school holds an annual Open Day (Thursday 24th November 2022 4pm - 6pm) for interested parents to look round the school with the Headteacher or School Business Manager. You are also very welcome to look round our school at any time of the year. Please contact the school office to make an appointment.

The Brigshaw Learning Partnership is the admission authority for: Brigshaw High School and Allerton Bywater, Kippax Ash Tree, Kippax Greenfield, Kippax North, Methley and Swillington Primary schools.

The school’s admission authority sets the admission policy every year. Although the BLP is the admissions authority, the school works with Leeds City Council’s Admissions Unit who co-ordinate reception places at all schools in Leeds. You can read our school’s admission polices below.

In-year applications to start at our school between September 2021 and July 2022 – read our 2021/22 policy below
• Applications for reception places in September 2022 – read our 2022/23 policy and SIF
• Applications for reception places in September 2023 – read our 2023/24 policy and SIF

How to apply for a Reception September 2023 place

If you are applying for a reception place for September 2023, all applications are made in advance. The Leeds City Council application window opens on the 1st November 2022 and closes on the 15th January 2023. Offers are made by local authorities on national offer day, the 17th April 2023. 

You must apply to the local authority who empties your bins. If this is Leeds, go to www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. The LA website is a composite prospectus for all Leeds schools and includes information about:
• all of the steps you need to go through to make an application
• the key dates
• a search tool to see if your home address gives any higher priority for admission to any school(s)
• an explanation about how places are offered if there are more applications than spaces (oversubscribed)
• the online application portal - apply online and you’ll be sent your offer by email
• a summary of each school’s individual admission policy criteria
• data about who got a place in the last 3 years - this will help you work out if there is a reasonable chance of your child qualifying for a place.
• Information about applying under a specific admission criteria (such as your child being previously looked after). It is really important to ensure you submit all supporting evidence by the deadline to show you meet any such criteria.

You can also watch the Leeds City Council school admissions video for more information.
The council’s social media pages will also tell you about any Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.

You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, on our school page on the Leeds City Council’s website
We recommend choosing five schools to give your child the best chance of getting a place at a school you prefer.
If you live outside Leeds and want your child to go to a school in Leeds, you must apply to your own local authority and they will inform us of your request.
Going to a school's nursery does not guarantee your child a place at that school.

Application timetable

The below timetable applies to applications made to Leeds City Council. If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates

In-year applications

If you're moving into Leeds or want to change schools in Leeds, you need to make a school transfer – often called an in-year application.
Moving schools can be a difficult experience for a child. You should always speak to your child's current school before trying to move to see what support they can offer you

How to apply for an in-year place

We are part of the Leeds central in-year application scheme. This means you can apply for a place online using the Leeds in-year application form at Before you move schools (leeds.gov.uk). You can apply for places at our school and most other Leeds schools at the same time on this form.

If you have moved house, please upload evidence of the house move with the online application. You can find out what you need to provide on the above website.

We have to offer places by applying our admission policy criteria to your child’s application and we will contact you with our decision about offering you a place. We will tell you our decision no later than 15 schools days from when you apply.

If we cannot offer you a place, we will:

• write to you to explain the reasons,
• explain how you can appeal and
• add your child to our waiting list in case a place becomes free.
Our waiting lists are kept until end of each school year. You will need to make a new application if you want to be on the waiting list for the following school year.

Appeals

If you are not offered a place at the school you requested, you will have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and the decision is legally binding.

Before you appeal you:
• should accept any place that you have been offered in case your appeal is not successful
• should think about why you are appealing and check if it's likely to be successful
• could read the advice for appealing school places on GOV.UK
• could get independent advice on making an appeal from a charity

Leeds City Council arranges our appeals and you can find the appeal form at School appeals (leeds.gov.uk)

If you are applying for a reception place for September 2022, you need to submit your appeal form by the above deadline to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.

Appeals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2

These classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. This means that appeals for these places are less likely to be successful.

If our school refuses your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you will need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education's information about infant class size appeals.

Other appeals

You can appeal because you want your child to attend a particular school. These are successful if the panel agree that the reasons for your appeal outweigh the school's decision not to admit any more children.
Wanting your child to go to a school because you think it is the best one in the area is not likely to convince the panel that your child should get a place there.

Before you apply for places at the school we would advise you to:

• Visit the schools or attend an open evening before you making your application to ensure that you are making an informed choice. Our open evening will take place on Thursday 24th November 2022, 4pm - 6pm. 

• Read the information in the primary school brochure link to document including the school information and over subscription criteria to ensure you include school(s) where your child has a realistic chance of being offered a place

• Speak to staff in school or call the Admissions Team on 0113 222 4414 to clarify any issues you are not sure about

• Consider how your child will get to school and the potential transport costs

Before the closing date for applications each year we would advise you to:

• Complete your online application and check you have received confirmation that this has been submitted

• Tell Leeds admissions of up to 5 schools you would prefer and read the admissions policies for each of these schools

• If you are claiming exceptional medical or mobility needs (priority 1b), check that your preferred school considers exceptional circumstances as part of their admissions criteria and provide any additional information necessary

• Complete and returned any supplementary information forms (SIFs) and supporting evidence if you are applying for a school place and meet specific criteria such as faith or previously looked after by the local authority

For help with your application, contact Leeds local authority on:

Tel: 0113 868 9842
Email: startingprimary@leeds.gov.uk

Or contact the school direct for any assistance you need in completing the application. We will be pleased to help in any way necessary.

To arrange a visit to the school please contact the school office.