Some Community and Voluntary Controlled schools may change to Academy status before 2026/27. It is assumed that for 2026/27 the admission arrangements will remain as published here with Academies seeking to make changes from 2026/27 onwards as appropriate.
This document should be read alongside
that together make up the admission arrangements.
This document describes the admission arrangements for the following schools:
There are separate admission arrangements for entry to a nursery or pre-school attached to any of these primary schools. There is no automatic right to transfer from nursery to the reception class and parents must apply for a place in reception during the primary application period, 1 November 2025 – 15 January 2026 (see the primary co-ordinated admission scheme for details).
Children usually start primary school during the academic year in which they have their fifth birthday. All children are entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday.
If parents wish, their child may attend part-time until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age.
Parents have a right to defer the date their child starts school, or to take the place up part time, until the child reaches compulsory school age later in the reception year. This allows parents to apply for a school place and to take up that place during the reception year without jeopardising the offer of a place.
| Children born between | Normal Date of Admission | Deferred Admission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September and 31 December | Autumn term | Spring term |
| 1 January to 31 August | Autumn term | Spring or summer term |
A child reaches compulsory school age on the prescribed day following his or her fifth birthday (or on his or her fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day). The prescribed days are 31 December, 31 March and 31 August. A school place can be deferred but not beyond the point at which a child reaches compulsory school age and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which the application was made.
If a parent of a child born between 1 April and 31 August wishes to defer their child’s school start until the beginning of year 1, they can do this, but a school place will not be held open for them. They will need to apply for a place during the summer term through the in-year admissions process.
Parents of children already at school may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group, for example if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.
In addition, the parents of a summer born child (i.e., born between 1 April and 31 August) may choose for the child not to start school until the September following their 5th birthday. Parents of these children may apply for them to be admitted to reception rather than to year 1. This is referred to as delayed admission.
If a parent of a summer-born child is applying for a place for a child in the year below their normal age group and their child is due to start in reception according to their birth date, they should apply for a place in the normal age group AND submit a request in writing to apply outside the normal age group at the same time. This request should be emailed to pupil.services@torbay.gov.uk. A form is available for parents to use if they wish and can be requested through the email above.
The council will share the request with the school(s) concerned. Parents will be asked to provide supporting information for their application, together with professional evidence if relevant. This information will then be shared with the preferred school(s) and the views of the Head and governors will be critical to the final decision. The Head of Service for Early Years may meet with parents and school(s) and may seek permission to talk to the child’s current nursery setting if appropriate. Wherever possible, a response to the request for delayed admission will be given before the Primary Allocation Day.
The admission authority will take several factors into account, including
The final decision lies with the admission authority who must agree that the decision to delay entry would be in the best interests of the child. Clear reasons will be given for the decision.
Where it has been agreed that the child can be admitted to a lower age group, the parent will need to apply in the main admission round for that age group and their application will be ranked alongside other applications against the school’s admission criteria. The admission authority will not give lower priority on the basis that the child is not of the correct age.
If a child is due to start in a different year group, a similar process will be followed. Parents should make an in-year application and provide supporting evidence as above.
When there are enough places in a school, every applicant who wants one will be offered a place. When there are more applications than places available, the admission authority will prioritise all applications using the over-subscription criteria. These are listed separately for each school.
Address: Westhill Road, Torquay TQ1 4NT
Telephone: 01803 328264
E-mail: office@homelandstorbay.org
Headteacher: Ms A. Urquhart
Type of school: Community
Places available: 30
Oversubscription criteria:
Children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan that names a school will be admitted to the school.
Oversubscription Criteria
Tie-breaker:
Where there are more applications than places available in a particular category, those living closest to the school will have priority for any places available, (i.e., the shorter the distance the higher the priority). Measurements are taken by a straightline distance using the Council’s electronic mapping system (GIS). Measurements will be made from the co-ordinates of the home address as pinpointed on the Council’s system, to the co-ordinates of the school as pinpointed on the Council’s system. The pinpoint will be within the boundary of the property and its precise location will be determined by Torbay Council. This is for admissions purposes only and is not used to determine eligibility for school transport. In the event that applicants cannot be separated using the distance tie-breaker (i.e. they live identical distances from the school), the allocation of a place will be by random selection using a random number generator and in the presence of a senior manager.
In all cases, every attempt will be made to identify the precise location of a property but where, exceptionally, the co-ordinates of a newly built property are not available, measurement will be made from the closest point that can be measured. This will be verified by a senior manager and a record made of the decision.
Address: Hawkins Avenue, Torquay TQ2 6ES
Telephone: 01803 613296
E-mail: admin@svps1.com
Headteacher: Mrs C. Nelson
Type of school: Community
Places available: 90
Oversubscription criteria:
Children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan that names a school will be admitted to the school.
Oversubscription Criteria
Tie-breaker:
Where there are more applications than places available in a particular category, those living closest to the school will have priority for any places available, (i.e., the shorter the distance the higher the priority). Measurements are taken by a straight line distance using the Council’s electronic mapping system (GIS). Measurements will be made from the co-ordinates of the home address as pinpointed on the Council’s system, to the co-ordinates of the school as pinpointed on the Council’s system. The pinpoint will be within the boundary of the property and its precise location will be determined by Torbay Council. This is for admissions purposes only and is not used to determine eligibility for school transport. In the event that applicants cannot be separated using the distance tie-breaker (i.e. they live identical distances from the school), the allocation of a place will be by random selection using a random number generator and in the presence of a senior manager.
In all cases, every attempt will be made to identify the precise location of a property but where, exceptionally, the co-ordinates of a newly built property are not available, measurement will be made from the closest point that can be measured. This will be verified by a senior manager and a record made of the decision.
Address: Moor Lane, Torquay TQ2 8NU
Telephone: 01803 327419
E-mail: admin@watcombe-primary.torbay.sch.uk
Headteacher: Mr T. Nield
Type of school: Community
Places available: 30
Oversubscription criteria:
Children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan that names a school will be admitted to the school.
Oversubscription Criteria
Tie-breaker:
Where there are more applications than places available in a particular category, those living closest to the school will have priority for any places available, (i.e., the shorter the distance the higher the priority). Measurements are taken by a straightline distance using the Council’s electronic mapping system (GIS). Measurements will be made from the co-ordinates of the home address as pinpointed on the Council’s system, to the co-ordinates of the school as pinpointed on the Council’s system. The pinpoint will be within the boundary of the property and its precise location will be determined by Torbay Council. This is for admissions purposes only and is not used to determine eligibility for school transport. In the event that applicants cannot be separated using the distance tie-breaker (i.e. they live identical distances from the school), the allocation of a place will be by random selection using a random number generator and in the presence of a senior manager.
In all cases, every attempt will be made to identify the precise location of a property but where, exceptionally, the co-ordinates of a newly built property are not available, measurement will be made from the closest point that can be measured. This will be verified by a senior manager and a record made of the decision.
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) or the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.
Under the terms of section 14A of the Children Act 1989, an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).
Evidence required for previously looked after children will be:
‘Sibling’ means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters. This does not include extended family e.g. cousins or friends sharing a house.
A sibling who has been formally offered a place will be considered as if he or she were on roll for the purposes of oversubscription priority. Eligible siblings are those on roll in Reception to Year 6 or with a formal offer of admission to those year groups.
Address of the person with parental responsibility for the child and with whom the child lives for at least 80% of the school week (Sunday night to Thursday night), at the time of application. Where a child resides through shared custody, and where there is no legal evidence of an alternative arrangement, the address will be the one nominated by the parents as long as evidence can be provided that the child does live for part of the week at that address. The address must be of a person with parental responsibility, not another relative with whom a child may stay for convenience on some days of the week. The final decision on residence rests with the admission authority who will take into account any information submitted by the parents in support of their case. Parents will be encouraged to reach agreement or seek a Specific Issues Order from a court. For children in public care the address will be the carer’s address. Parents of oversubscribed schools will be asked to provide evidence of address if this cannot be verified through council tax records. This may include correspondence received from HM Revenue and Customs, Child Benefit Division or Tax Credits Division. A utility bill may be accepted but NOT a bank statement or mobile phone statement.
Changes of address after the closing date in the main admissions round will be taken into account up to and including 23 February 2026 only if proof of the new address is provided. One of the following will need to be provided:
Parents may also be asked to provide proof of address from correspondence received from HM Revenue and Customs, Child Benefit Division or Tax Credits Division. This correspondence must be dated before 23 February 2026.
For in- year applications, the same proof of address will be required and the new address will not be used for over-subscription ranking purposes until it has been received.
For children of UK service personnel and other Crown Servants returning from overseas, applicants must provide an official letter stating a relocation date. The address used will be the one where the child will live when they move to the area. Evidence of this intended address must be provided.
Applications received after the closing date for main round (entry to Reception) will be processed after the primary allocation day in April. The same oversubscription criteria will be applied, and late applicants will be ranked in the same list as first round applicants who were unsuccessful. Any places available will be allocated strictly according to the oversubscription criteria and not according to time on the waiting list. Applications received in time for the second round will be treated equally with other applications received by the deadline for this round. After the second round, each work day will be treated as a separate application period. Any child who cannot be offered a place at a preferred school will be added to the waiting list for the school, and if a place becomes available all children on the waiting list on the date the place becomes available will be ranked against the oversubscription criteria to determine the allocation of places.
In-year applications are those made for children to enter school after the start of the school year or for year groups other than reception. Torbay Council will run a co-ordinated scheme for in-year admissions to school as long as sufficient schools subscribe to it. The details will be published separately on the Council’s web site. The same oversubscription criteria as for the main round will be applied to all in year applications for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools. Parents/carers should apply on using the online portal or by calling Student Services on 01803 208908. Each working day will be treated as a separate application period. Where a school is oversubscribed and a place becomes available all applications on the live waiting list on that day will be ranked according to the school’s oversubscription criteria.
Waiting lists for oversubscribed schools will be maintained for all year groups. Each added child will require the list to be ranked again in line with oversubscription criteria. Looked after children and previously looked after children, and those allocated a place at the school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol, will take precedence over those on the waiting list. The waiting list will be kept until 31 December for main round applicants. After this, and for all in year moves, applicants will need to complete an in-year application and to confirm before the start of each half-term in writing or by email their desire for their child’s name to be kept on the waiting list for the following half term. A new application form will need to be completed each September unless one was completed on or after 1 June of the same calendar year. If the written confirmation or new application form is not received the child’s name will be removed from the waiting list. Parents can add it again by completing a new application form.
It is anticipated that the admission number for schools will be as shown in the tables above (‘places available’). However, the supply of places is kept under review and may change. The admission number will not be reduced. Where applications are received from families with multiple birth siblings (twins, triplets, etc.) every effort will be made to allocate places at the same school, including offering place(s) above the Published Admission Number (PAN) e.g., for a second and/or third twin/triplet where one child gains the last place in a class.
Parents who have been refused a place at a school can appeal to an independent appeal panel. Information about the appeals procedure can be obtained from Student Services, telephone 01803 208908. Appeals information is also published on Torbay Council’s web site. Parents will be informed about the appeal process and appeal deadlines if they are refused a place at their preferred school.
The LA and other Admission Authorities in Torbay have a Fair Access Protocol in place which governs the admission of children who have no school place and those with challenging behaviour. A copy of the Protocol can be seen on Torbay Council’s web site.