Admission Arrangements Policy

Following a​​ determination made by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, we've agreed on the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools in the borough of Rochdale, for pupils starting in September 2024.​

What is the admission criteria?

​For community and voluntary controlled schools, we allocate places in the following order:

​Where a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan naming a specific school, the child will be allocated a place before any other places are allocated.

The remaining applications are considered in the following order of priority:

1. Looked after children, previously looked after children, and internationally adopted looked after children.
2. Exceptional medical needs or exceptional welfare considerations which are directly relevant to the school concerned.
3. Children with a sibling attending the school.
4. Attendance at a linked church, for voluntary controlled schools only.
5. Children who are eligible for the service pupil premium (SPP).
6. ​Distance to school.

​​Voluntary aided, foundation and academy schools

For other types of schools, for example, voluntary aided schools, foundation schools and academies, each governing body has its own admissions policy so you'll need to check with the individual schools.

• Admission arrangements policy documents
• Previous years' admission arrangements

• Policies, strategies and reviews
• Find a school or college
• Apply for a place online if you live in the Rochdale borough - if you live outside the Rochdale borough and want a school place at a Rochdale school you must apply through your home local authority.

Contact the team