Skip to main content

Admissions and Transitions

Children Previously in Care have priority admissions status in England. 

Wherever possible, moving a child's school should be avoided at the end of Key Stage 2, in Years 5 and 6. At this stage, pupils are preparing for their end of Key Stage assessments and beginning to plan for transition to secondary school.

It's also very important to avoid moving young people who are in Key Stage 4, in Years 10 and 11. By this stage, young people have begun their exam courses. Different secondary schools often use different examination boards, which can lead to significant complications if a child has to move schools once they've started their exam courses.

Admission authorities are entitled to ask for proof of a child’s CPiC status. They may request a copy of the Adoption Order (AO), the Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or the Child Arrangements Order (CAO). They may also request a letter from the local authority where the child was last looked after, stating that he or she was looked after immediately prior to the court order being made.

No. You can express a preference for any state-funded school, including schools outside your local authority area. You do not have to choose your catchment school. The exceptions for this include:

  • Grammar schools which select children via a selection test process
  • Faith schools which may prioritise children of a particular faith
  • Special schools which admit children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan

The definition of previously looked after children includes children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. 

Admissions outside of the normal admissions round are more complicated if the school is already full. Schools must determine an admissions number for each age group within the school. This is called the Published Admission Number, or PAN, and would normally indicate the maximum number of children to be admitted. However, schools may admit above their stated PAN, including in-year admissions, without altering their stated PAN, so exceeding the PAN is not necessarily a barrier to offering a place.

Where the 30-child limit applies in infant classes, the Admissions Code states that additional children “may be admitted under limited exceptional circumstances”. Children Previously in Care are included as exceptional circumstances, so schools may exceed the limit to admit them, but they are not required to.

Where a Children Previously in Care is placed on a waiting list, they must have the highest priority on the list. Waiting lists must not operate on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

For children with an EHCP, the admissions process is led by the Statutory Assessment Team within the local authority. They will consult with mainstream or special schools depending on the individual needs of the child.

In the normal admissions round, all children whose EHCP names a specific school must be admitted to that school. Schools may also admit children with an EHCP that names the school outside of the normal admissions round, even if it means going above the Published Admissions Number (PAN), or the 30-pupil infant class size limit.

Peterborough Early Years and Childcare service provide guidance about government funded early education entitlements which are administered by local authorities for children aged from 9 months+, from how to get started, how much you can expect to receive and support with claiming funding.

Further information can be found at Childcare funding | Peterborough City Council

Please email nurseryeducationfunding@peterborough.gov.uk if you require additional support

If a young person falls into one of the following groups you may be eligible to apply for the Vulnerable Bursary:

  • Young People in Care
  • Care Leavers
  • Receiving Income support or Universal Credit in your own right because you are financially supporting yourself or/and someone who is dependent on you
  • Receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independent Payment in your own right and Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit in your own right

If you fall into one or more of these groups above you can apply for a Vulnerable Bursary of up to £1,200 per academic year. You may also be eligible for help with transport to and from college, uniform and equipment and any mandatory trips.

Eligible and continuing students who live in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, that turn 19 during their course will be able to access a Vulnerable Bursary fund to support them with continuing their studies. 

Applications must be made to the educational setting the young person attends.

Ideally, all school moves should be undertaken at the beginning of a new academic year to reduce the negative impact on the child.

Unless there are compelling reasons otherwise, school moves should be avoided until the child is living in a permanent home.

More information can be found on the Peterborough City Council website Apply for a school place | Peterborough City Council

Transitioning between educational settings and year groups

Research has shown us that no single transition ‘package’ is relevant to all children. A holistic approach is required which is tailored to the needs of the individual child. Despite the vulnerability of Children Previously in Care or those living in kinship care arrangements, studies have also shown that the transition needs of these children are in many ways much the same as those of all children.

We also know that children who have previously been in care and those living in kinship care arrangements want to be treated in the same way as other children. However, we know there are additional factors at play, relating to the child’s unique experiences of developmental trauma, separation and loss, which make them especially vulnerable at these times. In practical terms this means the child should benefit from the same transition preparation as other children, but account must be taken of these additional factors, which will need to be responded to in a sensitive and considered manner and incorporated into their transition programme.

Supporting Transitions and Change

Children who have been in care often find change difficult as the changes they have experienced have not been always positive. They may have also experienced various educational setting changes, and therefore do not feel a sense of established belonging. Possible educational changes include: 

  • Change of Teacher/staff in the room 
  • New environment-e.g. school, classroom, dinner hall, playground 
  • Change of routine 
  • Change of journey 
  • Different peer group 

Change causes fear and anxiety and so children often need extra preparation and support to regulate their emotions and behaviour at these times. Sharing information around the Adoption Order, Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangement Order can support the school in planning for your child and their possible triggers including finishing an activity they enjoy, topics in the curriculum or specific times of the year

Wherever possible children should be kept in the same school, in familiar classes and in the same school environment, in order to increase their feelings of stability. We need to do everything we can to foster permanence. There will sometimes be a need for a child to move on, perhaps as part of a standard phase change or to a new school or care placement. 

Communication, reflection, preparation and follow-up are essential in line with the child’s developmental age and stage. If developmentally appropriate, it may be helpful to have a conversation with the child to think about: 

  • Things they are looking forward to
  • Things they want to leave behind
  • Things they want to take with them

Planning a timeline of activities may be useful when planning a child’s transition. The timeline may also reference certain resources that will form part of the child’s support package.

  • Key people to involve:
  • Child’s parent/carer
  • Child’s social worker
  • Designated Teachers
  • Relevant staff from current and receiving setting/year group
  • Other supporting professionals e.g. Speech and Language Therapist

Knowing the child as an individual is vital. Sharing information effectively is key in supporting transitions:

  • All staff need to have an understanding of attachment and trauma; training should be put in place to ensure this. Staff need to understand how early adverse childhood experiences impact on behaviour and learning and how this may present in an educational setting.
  • Staff need to be aware of triggers and sensitive issues specific to individual children, this may include information they wish to share about experiences prior to care, including positive experiences they might have had.
  • Consider individual needs to allow time for processing transitions. Does the child or young person need to finish something early to provide necessary transition time or perhaps they may need a higher level of warning before an activity or task ceases?
  • How does the individual child communicate anxiety or fear through their behaviour? For some children this may be increasingly noticeable behaviour whilst others may withdraw – distress presents differently in different children.
  • Differentiate expectations for transitions.
  • Offer individualised resources (e.g. visual cues, adult prompts, checklists)

  • Information is shared between home and school and all staff in the setting are aware of the child’s individual needs
  • Provide extra time for the child to process transitions
  • Transition books to include photos to share with familiar adults
  • New staff to visit child in current setting
  • Child to visit new staff and setting
  • Transitional objects
  • Pre teaching and pre warning
  • Key member of staff to support in times of need
  • Use of daily checklists and visual timetables
  • ILT education: Supporting Early Years Transitions
  • Strategies collated from Designated Teachers 

Useful resources, links and websites

" "