Appeal a school admission decision
City-wide context
School places
We have a legal duty to ensure that sufficient school places exist for all pupils residing within our administrative boundary. Pupil numbers and trends are monitored regularly, on an on-going basis, and proposals developed, as necessary, so that every child and young person in Derby can be offered a school place.
Primary
Over recent years, we have delivered three new primary schools, as follows:
- Oak Grange Primary School, Boulton Moor (Opened September 2023) - PAN of 45 pupils per year group, total 315 places, plus nursery. Please note: this school is not open for all year groups; all year groups will be open in September 2029.
- Castleward Spencer Academy, City Centre (Opened September 2021) - PAN of 30 pupils per year group, total 210 places, plus nursery. Please note: this school is not open for all year groups; all year groups will be open by September 2027.
- Hackwood Primary Academy, Mickleover (Opened September 2019) - PAN of 30 pupils per year group, total 210 places, plus nursery.
Secondary
To meet the increasing demand for places, we have worked in close partnership with schools and Academy Trusts, implementing secondary school expansions in September 2018 and September 2019.
The following additional secondary school places were opened from September 2018
| School | Previous Year 7 PAN | Increased Year PAN | Additional places per ear group | Additional places across year groups 7-11 |
| The Bemrose School - secondary phase | 180 | 220 | 40 | 200 |
| Derby Cathedral School | 0 | 180 | 180 | 900 |
| Total | 180 | 400 | 220 | 1,100 |
The following additional secondary school places were opened from September 2019
| School | Previous Year 7 PAN | Increased Year PAN | Additional places per ear group | Additional places across year groups 7-11 |
| Derby Moor Academy | 266 | 300 | 34 | 170 |
| Murray Park School** | 220 | 280 | 60 | 300 |
| West Park School | 260 | 290 | 30 | 150 |
| Total | 746 | 870 | 124 | 620 |
** Murray Park is currently not operating with a PAN of 280 in all year groups. The PAN of 280 will be open to all groups by September 2028.
The following additional secondary school places were opened for year 7 intake September 2023/24 and 2024/25 only, the school will revert to a PAN 245 from September 2025/26 onwards.
| School | Previous Year 7 PAN | Increased Year 7 PAN | Additional places per Year group | Additional places across Year Groups 7-11 |
| Saint Benedict CVA | 245 | 335 | 90 | 450 |
Pupil numbers and trends continue to be regularly reviewed and updated for primary and secondary, with a view to developing further proposals as necessary.
In year applications
Over recent years, all primary and secondary schools in Derby have been able to accommodate on-time catchment area applications for places during the September admissions round. However, Derby is now experiencing a significant increase in-year application. This has created challenges in some areas where schools fill their places during the September in-take, through parental preferences, leaving limited operational capacity for accommodating pupils moving to those areas throughout the academic year.
As outlined in the DfE School Admission Code, it is not permissible to ‘reserve’ places for in-year admissions. Additionally, creating places specifically for in-year applications, in specific areas of the city, is complex. For example, any additional places created would need to be allocated to pupils on a school’s waiting list in the first instance and the school could then fill in the September admissions round, through parental preference, meaning that surplus places would then not be available in future years for in-year movement.
It is important to note that we are meeting our legal duty in respect of offering a school place to every pupil within our administrative boundary.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are exploring changes to the processing in-year applications. We aim to work more closely with schools and continue to champion the needs of Derby’s children, young people and families.
In Year Fair Access (IYFA) Protocol
Every local authority is required to have an In-Year Fair Access (IYFA) Protocol. This mechanism, developed by D in collaboration with all schools in the area, ensures a fair and balanced approach when admitting vulnerable children, including those with challenging behaviour and those struggling to secure an in-year school place. The School Admissions Code defines the groups of children eligible for consideration under IYFA. The primary goal is to allocate school places as swiftly as possible, minimising the time any child is left without a school.
In agreeing to IYFA, we must ensure that no school – including those with available places – is asked to take a disproportionate number of children who have been excluded from other schools, or who have challenging behaviour, including provision for children that are not ready for mainstream education.
Pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disabilities
All schools are required to have arrangements in place to identify and support children with SEND and to promote equality of opportunity for children in their care. With regard to pupils who have identified needs, as set out in an Education Health and Care Plan, or pupils who require varying levels of additional SEN Support in line with our Graduated Response Programme, schools receive funding, so that they can employ additional staff or purchase specialist resources to support individual needs.
Home to school travel and statutory walking distances
Following the official guidance for local authorities published by the DFE in January 2024, statutory walking distances are used to decide if a child qualifies for free home to school travel assistance.
If a child’s nearest suitable school is further than the legal walking distance, they might qualify for free travel assistance, usually a free bus pass for the child only. The statutory walking distances are:
- a child under the age of 8 is eligible for free travel to their nearest suitable school if it is more than 2 miles from their home.
- a child aged 8 years or over is eligible for free travel to their nearest suitable school if it is more than 3 miles from their home.
Nearest suitable school
The nearest suitable school may not be the catchment area school, but the nearest qualifying school with places available that provides education appropriate to the age, ability and aptitude of the child and meets any Special Educational Needs or Disabilities that the child may have.
Primary schools: variation across the city
It is important to be aware that whilst there are pressures in specific parts of the city, conversely, some primary schools in other areas are raising concerns about falling pupil numbers and the impact this is having on their financial viability.
A few schools have reduced their PANs over recent years to realign places with forecast lower demand on school place provision, this approach helps ensure resources are utilised efficiently.