Leigh Academies Trust is the Admissions Authority of the Academy. Applications for places will be made in accordance with Kent County Council co-ordinated admissions scheme and timetable.
Ebbsfleet Academy has an agreed published admission number of 150 for entry into Year 7 for the year 2025 / 2026.
Process of Application To apply for a place at Ebbsfleet Academy, an applicant must apply through the home Local Authority, in accordance with the Co-ordinated Planned Admission scheme.
All applicants will be invited to sit a Fair Banding Test. This is to ensure the Academy admits a fully comprehensive range of abilities. It is not possible to pass or fail the test, but those not sitting the test at all, will only be prioritised after those children who have sat the test. The date of the test will be published widely, including on the Academy website. Parents wishing to apply for this Academy should do so to the local authority in the usual way and register for the test by completing a Fair Banding Test Form, which will be available via a link from the Academy website once dates for the Fair Ability Band Test are released on Ebbsfleet Academy website. Applicants who do not sit the test will be allocated an alternative date and time to sit the test. Outcomes of the fair banding test will be available upon request from the Academy after the date published on Ebbsfleet Academy website.
Requests for admission outside of the normal age group should be made to the Academy as early as possible in the admissions round associated with the child’s date of birth. This allows the Academy and admissions authority sufficient time to make a decision before the closing date. Parents are not expected to provide evidence to support their request, however where provided it must be specific to the child in question and may include medical or Educational Psychologist reports. There is no legal requirement for this medical or educational evidence to be secured from an appropriate professional, however, failure to provide this may impede the academy’s ability to agree to a request for admission outside of the normal age group.
Parents are required to complete an application for the normal point of entry at the same time, in case their request is declined. Applications must be made to the Local Authority, with written confirmation from the academy Principal attached. Applications will be processed in the same way as all applications for the cohort in the following admissions round, and offers will be made in accordance with the academy’s oversubscription criteria.
Before the application of oversubscription criteria the following groups will be admitted and the published admissions number will be reduced accordingly:
- Children with a Statement of Special Education Need or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names Ebbsfleet Academy.
Procedures where the Academy is oversubscribed
Applications for places at the academy will be considered as follows:
Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children:
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 means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after and those 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.
A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.
Fair Banding Testing
Those applicants who have undertaken the fair banding test will then be split into 5 equally sized bands, based on the results of the fair banding test. This is to ensure that students across a broad range of abilities are admitted. If the number of applicants is not divisible by five the following process will apply:
- If there is one extra applicant when the number of applicants is divided by five there will be an additional applicant placed in Band 2;
- If there are two extra applicants, there will be one additional applicant placed in Band 3 and one in Band 4;
- If there are three extra applicants there will be one additional applicant placed in Band 5, one in Band 1 and one in Band 2;
- If there are four extra applicants there will be one additional applicant placed in Bands 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively.
- If when the groups are split there are two children who have scored the same in the test, the academy priority criteria will be used to identify which child would go in which band
Once students have been allocated, priority within each band will be given in the following order:
(1) Admission of students whose sibling(s) currently attends the school. Students whose sibling(s) currently attends the school and who will continue to do so at the time of entry. For this criterion brother or sister means children who live as brother and sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, step-brothers or sisters, foster brothers or sisters. Children residing in the same households as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as siblings. If siblings from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.) apply for the Academy and the Academy would reach its Published Admission Number (PAN) after admitting one or more, but before admitting all of those siblings, the Academy will offer a place to each of the siblings, even if doing so takes the Academy above its PAN. The Academy reserves the right to ask for proof of relationship.
(2) Acute Medical/Social Needs. Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with Ebbsfleet Academy legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend Ebbsfleet Academy. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend the Academy. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified, independent registered medical or other practitioner, at the time of original application, who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and Ebbsfleet Academy.
(3) Child of a staff member. The son or daughter of a member of staff who has been employed at the academy for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the academy is made, or who has been recruited to fill a vacant post at the academy for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. For these criteria son or daughter means a child who lives in the same house as the member of staff, including a natural son or daughter, an adopted child, step-son or daughter, or foster child. Children residing in the same households as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be eligible under this criterion. If children come from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.) and the Academy would reach its Published Admission Number (PAN) after admitting one or more, but before admitting all of those children, the Academy will offer a place to each of the children, even if doing so takes the academy above its PAN. The Academy reserves the right to ask for proof of relationship.
(4) Children attending Leigh Academy Trust Primary Academies – 20 places will be available to children attending a Leigh Academies Trust primary academy. Applications will only be given priority in this category if the Leigh Trust secondary academy to which they are applying is closest to their home. If oversubscribed in this category it will be the 20 closest to the Academy that will be admitted.
(5) Nearness of children’s homes to school – We use the distance between the child’s permanent home address (defined in KCC’s annual admissions prospectus) and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for the school, these straight-line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school. Where applications are made from properties or abodes that are not registered to the NLPG, including new build properties, KCC may be required to use planning sites or other relevant co-ordinates. In exceptional circumstances where alternative co-ordinates are not available, measurements will be determined by a Senior Admissions Officer and confirmed by the Head of Service.
The home address is considered to be where the child resides as their only or principal residence. Proof of liability for Council Tax will be required. If the child resides equally between both parents, the principal home address will be considered as being the address at which the child is registered whilst attending primary school, with a GP and, if applicable the address of the parent who is in receipt of Child Benefit or Child Tax Credits for the child. For children who reside with a relative or carer other than a parent, a residence order or other court order will be required.
Those applicants who did not undertake the fair banding test will then be considered. Priority will be given in the following order:
(a) Admission of students whose sibling(s) currently attends the school;
(b) Acute medical/social needs;
(c) Child of a staff member;
(d) Children attending Leigh Academy Trust Primary Academies
(e) Distance from the Academy
The definitions of these criterions are the same as listed in section 2 above.
Tie Breaker. In the unlikely event that two or more applicants living the same distance away from the Academy and in all other ways have equal eligibility for the last available place at the Academy, the names will be issued a number and drawn randomly to decide which child should be given a place.
Late Applications. Ebbsfleet Academy follows Kent County Councils Local Authority’s policy for late applications as stated in the booklet “Secondary Schools in Kent”.
In Year Admissions. Applicants applying for a place at Ebbsfleet Academy need to apply directly to the Academy. The process regarding children admitted via Fair Access Panel will be in line with Kent Local Authority’s published arrangements.
Waiting list. The Academy will maintain a waiting list, in all ability bands, for the academic year being applied for. This will operate when the Academy receives more applications than there are places available, and the waiting list will operate for the full academic year. The waiting list will be managed by Kent County Council admissions team until August 31st and transfer to the academy on September 1st. Any parent/ carer can ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application. Any child for whom a place is requested on the waiting list will undertake the fair banding test, thus allowing each child to be placed in one of the ability bands. The lists will be ranked in line in line with the oversubscription criteria, listed above, and no further information can be considered. If a place becomes available, the Academy will offer it to the next applicant on the waiting list in the appropriate ability band. If there are no applicants in that band, we will offer the place to the next applicant in an adjacent band, and so on. If a parent/ carer wishes their child to remain on the waiting list for the following academic year they must reapply at the start of the relevant academic year.
Looked After Children, previously Looked After Children and those allocated a place in accordance with the local authority Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over those on the waiting list.
To remain on the waiting list for the following academic year, an in-year admission application must be submitted.
Post 16-Provision Admission Arrangements
EA6 is an inclusive community to which the academy welcomes applications from students from any background looking to study in a supportive and caring environment.
Ebbsfleet Academy will publish specific criteria in relation to minimum entrance requirements for the EA6 based on GCSE grades. There will also be entry criteria for each of the courses available based on GCSE grades. If students meet the academic entry criteria for the EA6, but fail to meet specific course requirements they will be offered alternative courses, if available.
Before application of the oversubscription criteria, children with a Statement of Special Educational Need or Education, Health and Care Plan which names Ebbsfleet Academy, Children in Local Authority Care and Previously Looked After Children, as long as the student meets the entry criteria and course requirements.
Sixth Form Published Admission Number: 100 places.
In the event of oversubscription, the following criteria will be taken into account:
- Priority is given to students who have previously been attending Ebbsfleet
Academy; - Applicants that have achieved all required grades for the subjects identified in their application form, as detailed on the website;
- Applicants who submitted applications before the 31st January 2024.
- Nearness of the applicant’s home – Nearness of children’s homes to school – We use the distance between the child’s
permanent home address (defined in KCC’s annual admissions prospectus) and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for the school, these straight-line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school. Where applications are made from properties or abodes that are not registered to the NLPG, including new build properties, KCC may be required to use planning sites or other relevant co-ordinates. In exceptional circumstances where alternative co-ordinates are not available, measurements will be determined by a Senior Admissions Officer and confirmed by the Head of Service.
Appeals
Leigh Academies Trust, as the Admissions Authority, delegates the responsibility for the administration of appeals to the Academy. Parents who wish to appeal the decision to refuse their child a place at the Academy may appeal in writing to the Clerk to Governors c/o the Academy. An independent panel will hear appeals in accordance with the School Standards and Framework Act 1988.