Admissions

Admission Arrangements

We are a local authority maintained school and the admission authority is Leeds City Council, who set our admission policy every year.  

If you are considering sending your child to Summerfield and would like to visit, please ring the office (0113 205 7520) for an appointment.

For more information about your child starting school and how to apply please see the information below and follow the links, or alternatively call the admissions team via the contact centre on 0113 222 4414.  There are also documents (see below) produced by Leeds City Council which will hopefully guide you through the process. 

How to apply for a September 2025 Reception place

Admissions to the school's Reception Classes are controlled by the Local Authority.   You can apply for a place for September 2025 from the 1st of November 2024 using their online system.   The national closing date for applications is the 15th of January 2025 and you will be informed of your child's allocated school on the 16th April 2025.

For parents/carers who are making enquiries about applications for Reception places, you may wish to link to the council’s  You Tube video about applying for a school place

Our published Admission Number (PAN) is 30 and this is the number of places the school can admit in reception in 2025.

Leeds School Admission Policies

LCC - Applying for a primary school 

You can also watch the Leeds City Council school admissions video for more information. 

The website is a composite prospectus for all Leeds schools, and this includes:   

• all the steps you need to go through to make an application
• the key dates
• a search tool to see if your home address gives any higher priority for admission to any school(s)
• an explanation about how places are offered if there are more applications than spaces (oversubscribed)
• the online application portal - apply online and you will be sent your offer by email
• a summary of each school’s individual admission policy criteria
• data about who got a place in the last 3 years - this will help you work out if there is a reasonable chance of your child qualifying for a place
• information about applying under a specific admission criteria (such as your child being previously looked after). It is important to ensure you submit all supporting evidence by the deadline to show you meet any such criteria 

The council’s social media pages will also tell you about Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.

You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, on our school page on the Leeds City Council’s website

Application Timetable - The below timetable applies to applications made to Leeds City Council. If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates 

In-Year Applications 

If you are moving into Leeds or want to change schools in Leeds, you need to make a school transfer – often called an in-year application.

This includes

• applications for a place in Reception after the start of term in September
• and applications for a place in all other year groups (Year 1 to 6)

Moving schools can be a difficult experience for a child. You should always speak to your child's current school before trying to move to see what support they can offer you. 

How to Apply for an In-Year Place 

We are part of the Leeds coordinated in-year application scheme. 

You can apply for a place online using the Leeds in-year application form at Before you move schools (leeds.gov.uk)  You can apply for places at our school and any other Leeds schools who are part of the centralised Leeds in-year application scheme at the same time. 

If you have moved house, please upload evidence of the house move with the online application. You can find out what you need to provide on the above website. 

We have to offer places by applying our admission policy criteria to your child’s application.   Leeds City Council will contact you with our decision no later than 15 school days from when you apply.  If they cannot offer your child a place at our school, they will: 

• add your child to our waiting list in case a place becomes available during the school year
• send you a letter to explain the reasons we cannot offer a place (usually that we are full) and tell you how you can appeal 

Our waiting lists are kept until the end of each school year. You will need to make a new application if you want to be on the waiting list for the following school year.

Appeals 

If we cannot offer you a place, you will have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and their decision is legally binding. 

Before you appeal you: 

• should accept any place that you have been offered in case your appeal is not successful
• should think about why you are appealing and check if it is likely to be successful
• could read the advice for appealing school places on GOV.UK
• could get independent advice on making an appeal from a charity

Leeds City Council arranges our appeals, and you can find the appeal form at School appeals (leeds.gov.uk)     

If you are appealing for a reception place for September 2025, you need to submit your appeal form by any deadline set out on the above page to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.   

Appeals for Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 

These classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. This means that appeals for these places are less likely to be successful. 

If our school refuses your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you will need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education's information about infant class size appeals. 

Other Appeals 

You can appeal because you want your child to attend a particular school. These are successful if the panel agree that the reasons for your appeal outweigh the school's decision not to admit any more children. 

Wanting your child to go to a school because you think it is the best one in the area is not likely to convince the panel that your child should get a place there. 

Appeals 

If we cannot offer you a place, you will have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and their decision is legally binding. 

Useful Links:

https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-admissions/before-you-apply 

Alternatively, if you do encounter any problems then do not hesitate to contact our Admin Team on 0113 205 7520 and we can offer support to parents/carers who are having difficulties.