This is the co-ordinated admissions scheme for primary schools in the area of City of York Local Authority (LA) for the 2008/2009 school year 

The Scheme

1. There will be a standard form known as the common application form.
2. The form will be used for the purpose of admitting pupils into the reception year of
   primary education.
3. The form must be used as a means of expressing one or more references by parents resident in the City of York LA area wishing to express a preference for their child to be admitted to a school within the City of York LA area including Voluntary Aided (VA) Schools.
4. The form will:
   a) invite parents to express in rank order up to three preferences,including Voluntary Aided schools and schools outside the City of York area.
   b) invite parents to give their reasons for each preference
   c) explain that the parent will receive no more than one offer of a school place and that a place will be offered at the highest ranking nominated school for which they are eligible for a place and that;
   i)  a place will be offered at the highest ranking nominated school for which they are eligble for a place and that;
   ii) if a place cannot be offered at a nominated school, a place will be offered at an alternative school.
5. The LA will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that the form is available on request and take all reasonable steps to ensure that every parent resident in the LA area who has a child who is due to commence reception year in primary education receives a copy of the form with written explanation.
6. All preferences expressed on the form are valid applications.  Voluntary Aided Schools can require parents who nominate their school to complete a supplementary form or provide additional information  where this is required for the governing body to apply their oversubscription criteria to the applicant.  The supplementary form, if required must be returned to the school.
7. Where a Voluntary Aided School receives a supplementary form from a City of York resident it will not be regarded as a valid application unless the parent has completed the common application form and the school is nominated on it.
8. The closing date for applications is 8th February 2008.  Completed forms must be returned to the LA including those of parents who indicate a school outside the City of York area.
9. The LA will act as a clearing house for the allocation of places by the relevant admission authorities in response to the common application form.  The LA will only make a decision with respect to the offer or refusal of a place in response to any preference expressed on the common application form where:
   a) it is acting in its separate capacity as an admission authority, or                      
   
   b) an applicant is eligible for a place at more than one school, or                         
   
   c) an applicant is not eligible for a place at any school that the parent has nominated.
10. Up to and including the 29 February 2008 each school will be provided with regular updates by the LA as to how many applications they have received for admission to their school. Those schools who are their own admission authorities will by this date have considered all applications for their school, apply the schools oversubscription criteria (if appropriate) and provide the LA with a list of those applicants ranked according to the schools oversubscription criteria.
11. The LA will match this ranked list against the ranked lists of the other schools nominated and;       
         > Where the child is eligible for a place at only one of the nominated schools, that school will be allocated to the child;     
         > Where the child is eligible for a place at two or more of the nominated schools, they will be allocated a place at whichever of these schools is the highest ranked preference.
    Where the child is not eligible for a place at any of the nominated schools, the child will be allocated a place at the nearest appropriate school with a vacancy.
12. By 21 March 2008 the LA will inform all primary schools of the pupils to be offered a place at their schools.
13. On 11 April 2008 all parents will be notified by the LA of where their child has been offered a place and information about their statutory right of appeal if they have not been offered their first preference of school (including Voluntary Aided schools).
14. The closing date for applications is 8 February 2008.  The LA will accept late applications up to 11 April 2008  for parents who have a good reason for submitting their form late, for example if the family have moved into the City of York area.