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Applying for a Place

POLICY NOTICE

Following a recent ruling made by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, we have made some amendments to our Admissions Policy which are in effect for Year 7 admissions for September 2026. 

The amendments to our Policy are as follows:

  • The definition of Feeder Primary Schools has been revised to improve clarity (the primary schools remain unchanged, as does their place in the oversubscription criteria);
  • A map of the catchment area has been added;
  • The definition of the way distance is measured has been tightened up.

We have also included additional information in places and where appropriate to further improve clarity of some sections of the Policy, for example around how parents can evidence the age of their child etc. 

To be clear, our over-subscription criteria remains unchanged.

If any families who are in the process of making applications to Parkside for September 2026 have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing Pks-admissions@ParksideCC.org.uk ahead of the 31st October 2025 admissions deadline. 

At age 11

Families living within the City of Cambridge receive a preference form in the autumn term before admission and return the form to the County Council Central Admissions Office. Families living in other areas need to request a preference form. Alternatively, applications can be sent online. All details are given in the preference form pack supplied by the County Council Admissions Team but we have dealt with some frequently asked questions below.

Cambridgeshire County Council Admissions Team can be contacted on 0345 045 1370 or email: admissions@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can visit their website here

If you wish to contact us directly please send an email to pks-admissions@parksidecc.org.uk or telephone 01223 650393.

In Year Admissions

You can now apply directly to us for an ‘in year’ place for your child/children at Parkside Community College by completing our application form via the link below and emailing the required documents.

In Year Admissions Online Application Form

If you require the form in hard copy, please email pks-admissions@parksidecc.org.uk

When you apply for a place at Parkside, our Admissions team will process your application and advise you as to whether a place can be offered or if you are on a reserve list, within 15 school days. We must process applications in the order they are received; for this reason, we cannot process applications immediately though we always try to do this as quickly as possible.

For general information regarding In Year Applications, please visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Information regarding the process to appeal a decision to refuse a place at your preferred school can be found here.

Information on school appeals can be found at School admission appeals - Cambridgeshire County Council

View our full Admissions Policy and Privacy Notices on our Policies Page

  • How are school places allocated?

    When you apply for a school place, you are asked to list three schools in order of preference.

    Every school has a number of places available for applicants – this is the called the published admission number (PAN) for the school. The PAN for Parkside Community College is 120.

    • If fewer than this number of children apply for a place at the school, all of the children will be given a place.
    • If more than this number of children apply then the ‘oversubscription criteria’ is used to decide which children must be offered a place.
  • What is meant by oversubscription criteria?

    Every school has oversubscription criteria, explaining the order in which their places will be allocated if the school is oversubscribed. Every child applying is placed within the highest priority group (criterion) that applies to them. Depending on the type of school, priority will be given to different groups, for example, those with siblings already at the school or those living in the linked area. In many cases when the published admission number (PAN) is reached within one of the criteria groups, a tiebreaker based on either distance or random allocation is used to decide between the children within that criterion. All distance measurements are done on a straight line basis unless the school states otherwise.

    It is important that you understand the oversubscription criteria for the schools you wish to apply for, and the likeliness of your child being allocated a place.
  • What is 'Equal preferencing'?

    School places must be allocated on a system called 'Equal preferencing'. This means that where you place each school on your preference form (1st, 2nd or 3rd) is not relevant, and your child will be considered for each preference against that school's oversubscription criteria. 
  • Am I guaranteed a place if my child has an EHCP?

    Before any allocations into Year 7 are made, places are reserved for any children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) whose plan names Parkside Community College: this is a legal requirement.
  • What address should I use to apply from?

    Please be honest about the address where your child lives. You cannot use the address of a business, relative, friend, or childminder. You also cannot use a temporary address, or the address of a house you are intending to move to, or where you have acquired or leased a property purely to use the address on the application form without any intention of taking up permanent residence.

    If your child lives at more than one address, the address on the application should be the residential address at which the child lives and sleeps (with a parent) for more than 50% of their time during term time.

    It is important to be aware that, when they receive applications, the LA admissions team runs checks on addresses. You may be asked to provide evidence of the address used on an application, in the interests of fairness to everyone who wants a place.
  • I don't live in Cambridgeshire but want to apply for a place at Parkside Community College. What should I do?

    You can name a Cambridgeshire school as one of your preferences, but you have to apply via your home authority. We would also strongly recommend that you name at least one school in your own educational area.
  • I am moving house between now and March. What should I do?

    You must put the address where the child is actually living as at the closing date of 31st October. If you move after that date but before the 1st March, please let the Local Authority’s Admissions Team know. However, they will use the 31st October address for the initial round of allocations in March, and the new address for the 2nd round in May.
  • My ex-partner and I share responsibility for our child. Who should apply?

    The Local Authority can only accept and process one application per child. You need to decide together which schools to apply for. Neither the LA nor Parkside can intervene in parental disputes. If you cannot come to an agreement by the deadline, the application may be treated as late.
  • My child has Special Educational Needs. How will their needs be met?

    If your child already has, or is undergoing assessment for, an EHCP you don’t need to apply via the standard route. The 0-25 team at the Local Authority is responsible for consulting with schools to see if they can meet your child’s needs. When a school is decided on, it will be named in your child’s EHCP. However, if you want to discuss any educational need, whether your child has an EHCP or not, please contact our SEN team.
  • Will my child receive transport to Parkside Community College if they are offered a place?

    It is your responsibility as a parent/carer to get your child to and from school, so please think carefully about the distance from home to school and what travel options are available.
  • What if I don't get the school I want?

    Firstly, please don’t panic. After the initial allocation in March, parents have two weeks to let the Local Authority know what they want to do. At this point, some families’ circumstances have changed and they reject the place they have been offered, which frees up some places. 

    People will also have moved in and out of the area. So there is a 2nd round of allocations in early May, which takes all of those changes into account, and some children who were not offered a place in March can be offered a place in May. Changes can continue to happen all the way through term 6 and even during the summer holiday. In the meantime, you can contact the Local Authority Admissions Team and ask to be placed on our waiting list.
  • How does the waiting list work?

    The Local Authority maintain Parkside’s waiting list. You will need to contact them if you do not secure an offer of a place and wish your child’s name to be added.

    Students are ranked on our waiting list using our oversubscription criteria and not on a ‘first-come first-served’ basis. This means that your child can move up or down.

    Please don’t ask about the waiting list at the start of March, as it will not exist. The LA does not start to form the list until after all parents have responded to their offers.

KEY INFORMATION