A group member has contacted me about proposed changes to the admissions policy at Woldgate School. The person was concerned that children in outlying villages might not be able to get a place at the school due to lack of capacity if proposed new rules are implemented.

The draft policy FOR 2024/25 states that children seeking a place at Woldgate school must meet the following criteria.

Criterion (i) – Places will first be allocated to children who are looked after by a local authority.

Criterion (ii) – Places will next be allocated to children of members of staff of the school.

Criterion (iii) – Places will next be allocated to children who have attended a named WLP trust school.

The named WLP trust schools for Woldgate School [as are relevant for Criterion (iii) are]:

• Melbourne Community Primary School,
• Pocklington Junior School,
• Stamford Bridge Primary School.

Criterion (iv) – Places will next be allocated to children who live in the school’s designated catchment area.

If the number of applicants meeting the first four criteria is greater than the published admission number/number of available places, priority will be given first to those who meet Criterion (I) and then Criterion (ii); and then those who fulfil Criterion (iii) will be prioritised using Criterion (iv) (have a sibling at the school).

This seems to mean that if the number of applicants who meet criteria I to iii meets or exceeds the total number of places available then children attending the following schools might not get a place. Schools affected include:

• Barmby Moor CE Primary School,
• Bishop Wilton CE VC Primary School,
• Bugthorpe CE VC Primary School,
• Fangfoss St. Martin’s CE Primary School,
• Sutton upon Derwent CE VC Primary School,
• Warter CE Primary School
• Wilberfoss CE VC Primary School.

A recent newsletter from Wilberfoss CE VC Primary School states:

This proposed change could destabilise the admissions process for schools in our area, with children in the feeder schools and catchment area unable to potentially gain a place. The proposed entry for year seven is 208, with suggested first choice allocations to Pocklington Junior School, Stamford Bridge Primary and Melbourne Primary totalling 149 of these, leaving only potentially 59 available places for the remaining 7 catchment primary schools.

The Government announced last July that Woldgate School would be in the second wave of schools to be rebuilt. It is not currently known when re building will start or what the planned capacity for the school will be.

All of this must be of concern to parents in the affected villages. If their children can’t attend Woldgate where can they go? I hear that capacity at Archbishop Holgate School in York is limited with children from church going families getting priority.

Finally, is this down to capacity issues or has it got something to do with the agenda of the Academy trust?