Admissions Policy

Year 7 Admissions 2025-26

The college is its own admissions authority and as such is responsible for setting the criteria for admission and their interpretation; at all times, however, it will act in accordance with the Schools Admissions Code published by the Department for Education. Our admissions policy can be found at the bottom of this page.

All parents wishing to apply for a place at college should do so via their ‘home’ authority (i.e. the authority where they live) by 31st October 2025. Parents have a right to express a preference for the school they want for their child. The planned admission number (PAN) for the college is 180 and the college will admit children up to its PAN.

A child with an Educational Health Care Plan naming the college in section I will be admitted if the college can meet that child's educational needs. The number of available places within the PAN will be reduced accordingly.

The timetable for allocation will be as follows:

1st March 2025	National Offer Day. NB Offer made by the home Local Authority regardless of the Local Authority in which the place is going to be offered.
29th March 2025	20-School day deadline (from offer day) for parents to lodge an appeal. Paperwork for appeals received after the deadline will be heard within 40 school days of receipt
Week commencing 20^th March 2025	Second round offers made by the Local Authority
16th June 2025	40-School day deadline (from deadline to lodge appeal) for appeals to be heard.
Before 16th June 2025	All appeals will be heard within 40 school days of being lodged.

How to apply through your local authority

Parents of children who are due to start secondary school in September 2025 must submit an application to their 'home' local authority. This means that an application must be submitted to the Council where you live, even if you want to apply for a place at a school in another local authority area.

Late Applications

Any applications received after the closing date will be accepted but will be considered only after those received prior to the closing date. Parents are therefore encouraged to ensure that applications are submitted on time. All supplementary information, i.e. medical consultant letters as proof of change of address, remains the parent’s responsibility to supply.

Applications for a school place received after the national closing date are classed as late. If an application is late, an appeal must be placed within 20 school-days of being refused the place. An appeal will be heard up to 40 school days from the date it was lodged.

Circumstances that may be considered under this heading would include, but not be confined to, a lone parents’ illness during the application period, a family moving into the area, or a family returning from abroad.

Oversubscription criteria for entry September 2025 admis

The first column.

The second column.

sions and midterm applications during 2025-26 academic year

Where there are more applications for Casterton College Rutland, then the following criteria, or combination of the criteria, will be used to allocate places

1st	Children who are in public and those children who were previously looked after children (see note i)
2nd	Children of staff directly employed by Casterton College Rutland where: Either the member of staff has been employed at the College for more than two years at the time at which the application for admission to the college is made, And/or a member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable shortage.
3rd	A sibling currently attending the college in Year 7 -10 at the time of application (See note ii)
4th	Students living in the “catchment villages” of Casterton College Rutland (See note iii)
5th	Students living nearest to the college as measured in a straight line by distance (home to school front gate). (See note iv)

Notes:

i) A 'looked after child' is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A previously looked after child is a child who was looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (under the Adoption Act 1976 or Adoption and Children Act 2002) or became the subject of a child arrangement order or special guardianship order (under the Children Act 1989).

ii) A sibling is defined as a child of the family sharing a parent by birth or adoption and living at the same address at the time of proposed admission.

iii) Criterion 4 above, the child must have been resident in the catchment village at the point of application.

The villages are:

Cottesmore
Empingham
Exton
Great Casterton
Ketton
Ryhall
Barrow
Belmesthorpe
Clipsham
Essendine
Geeston
Greetham
Horn
Little Casterton
Market Overton
Pickworth
Stretton
Tickencote
Tixover
Tinwell
Thistleton
Whitwell

Please see the separate document detailing Rutland Primary Catchment Map

iv) Distance will be measured in a straight line by distance from the school to the “centre point of the property” from the child’s home address (including flats) to the main entrance of the college (with those living closest to the college receiving the highest priority).

Home residence is defined as the address of the parent or carer with whom the child spends the majority of time, as a child of a family during term-time and proof of the home address should be in the form of a utility bill. Where a child resides with parents on a 50:50 basis, e.g. three days one week and two the next, we accept both addresses in these circumstances.

Other Circumstances

Children of UK Services personnel and other Crown Services can be assured that their needs are taken into account, and they will be considered for the allocation of a college place in advance, if a move to the area once proof of the posting is provided [e.g. an official government letter from MOD, FCO or GCHQ]. This should include a relocation date and an intended address. The Unit postal address or quartering area address will be used for consideration against the oversubscription criteria.

If we are at operational PAN for a year group in which a place is requested, we will consider exceeding that operational PAN providing it does not prejudice the efficient provision of education or educational resources of the college.

Waiting List

If Casterton College Rutland is oversubscribed for Year 7 applicants, it will maintain a clear, fair and objective waiting list. Priority will continue to be based upon the oversubscription criteria and will be subject to a review of ranking when any new child is placed on the waiting list. The waiting list will be maintained for the first academic term in the year of admission. The waiting list may change; this means that a child’s waiting list position during the year could go ‘up’ or ‘down’. The waiting list makes no distinction between applications on time and late applications. It is important to note that the list does not operate on a “first come, first served” basis and that places will be offered according to the oversubscription criteria if they become available.

Appeals

If a child has been declined a place at Casterton College Rutland, parent/carers retain the statutory right to appeal. Casterton College Rutland has engaged the services of the Leicestershire Local Authority to conduct its appeals. Therefore, an appeal can be submitted using the Leicestershire Local Authority’s ‘Notice of Appeal’ procedures. Leicestershire Local Authority will arrange the appeal on behalf of the governors to be heard by an independent panel, whose decision is binding on all parties.

Education out of year group

Whilst there is no statutory barrier to children being admitted to school outside their chronological year group, there is no duty to agree to such a request. In each case, it is for Casterton College Rutland to make the decision based on the circumstances of the case and what is in the best interests of the child. Parents should discuss the matter with the college prior to making such a request. Parents must provide supporting evidence alongside their application, which clearly highlights why the admission would be in the best interests of the child. It will be for the college to determine whether (subject to places being available) to accept the child out of their normal year group or offer a place in the chronological age group. Parents have the right of appeal against a refusal where a place is offered in the chronological age group.

Withdrawing Offers

Once an offer of a college place has been made, it is only reasonable for an admission authority to withdraw that offer in very limited circumstances. These may include when a parent has failed to respond to an offer within a reasonable time or the admission authority offer the place on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent (for example, a false claim to residence in a catchment area) which effectively denied a place to another child; or where a place was offered under co-ordination by the Local Authority, through an administration error.

Equality Act

The two key duties in the Equality Act are written to ensure that educational establishments do not discriminate against disabled students. The expectation is that schools:

Do not treat disabled students less favourably.
Do make reasonable adjustments to avoid putting disabled students at a disadvantage.

Within the admissions policy, the Governing Body recognises its duty under the Equality Act:

To promote equality for disabled students in their admissions and exclusions, and provision of education and teaching and learning.
To treat disabled students as favourably as able-bodied students.

Point of Contact

Admission arrangements at Casterton College Rutland are carried out in accordance with the Schools Admission Code (www.education.gov.uk) For information or interpretation of the information, please contact the College Admissions Officer, Mrs Helen Cook on CookH@castertoncollege.com or on 01780 762168 (Option 2)