The White Horse Federation is consulting on proposed changes to the admissions policy for school admissions for September 2027-28 and welcome your feedback.
The proposed changes to the Primary Admissions policy for The White Horse Federation are as follows:
PAN Reductions for Primary School:
Swindon – Moredon Primary School – reduction of PAN from 60 to 45
Wiltshire – Southbroom Primary School – reduction of PAN from 60 to 30
PAN Reduction for Nurseries:
Oxfordshire – Southwold Primary & Nursery School – Reduction of PAN for 2-year-old provision from 32 to 10 AM only
Wiltshire – Forest & Sandridge – Reduction of PAN for 3–4-year-old provision from 52 to 48, no AM/PM split
Wiltshire – The Manor – addition of nursery for 3–4-year-olds offering 26 places
Reading – St Mary’s & All Saints – increase of PAN for 3–4-year-olds from 30 to 60 with a split of 30 AM & 30PM split.
Other Changes:
Change of wording to “Child of Staff” criteria as per School Admissions Code 2021.
The proposed changes to the Secondary Admissions policy for The White Horse Federation are as follows:
PAN Reductions for Secondary Schools:
Wiltshire – Melksham Oak Community School – reduction of PAN from 300 to 210.
Wiltshire – Devizes School & 6th Form – reduction of PAN from 250 to 150
Other Changes:
Addition of St Lukes Academy into the policy.
Change of wording for Oversubscription criteria – to clarify the ranking purpose of oversubscribed schools.
Background
In line with the School Admissions Code, admission authorities are required to consult on their admission policy whenever they would like to make a change.
In accordance with the Admissions Code, a consultation period must run for a minimum of six weeks and take place between 1 October and the 31 January. The process allows parents, carers, other schools, local authorities and other interested stakeholders to raise comments or concerns about the proposed arrangements. These documents are particularly for the attention of parents, carers, other admissions authorities and the local authority.
This consultation will run between Wednesday December 3rd to Wednesday January 28th, 2026. Information on how you can respond can be found below.
The Process of Consultation
The consultation is being communicated by The White Horse Federation as follows:
Notification to Swindon Borough Council, Wiltshire County Council, Oxfordshire County Council & Reading Better Futures (Primary)
Notification to all parents, carers and guardians of students at The White Horse Federation through the school’s website
Notification to Headteachers and Principals of all schools in the local authorities and local area
On conclusion of the consultation on Wednesday January 28th 2026, all responses will be collated and presented to the Governing Board of The White Horse Federation for full consideration.
How will I know the outcome of the consultation?
The consultation will be completed and all contributions referred to the Governing Board of The White Horse Federation for consideration. Outcomes of the consultation will be published on the school’s website under the Policies section by the end of February 2026.
The 2027-2028 policy is available on our website via the following link.
Primary Draft Admissions Policy 2026-27
Secondary Draft Admissions Policy 2026-27
If you have any feedback or comments you would like to share, please email; [email protected] by the deadline of Wednesday January 28th 2026