Ark Pontefract Region academies are consulting on their admissions arrangements for entry in September 2028. The consultation applies to Carleton High School, Carleton Park Primary School, De Lacy Primary School, Halfpenny Lane Primary School, Larks Hill Primary School, Northfield Primary School, Orchard Head Primary School, The King's School and The Rookeries Carleton Primary School.
The consultation will run from Monday 9 November 2026 to Friday 18 December 2026.
Proposed Changes
The draft policy is available via the link below, proposed changes are highlighted in yellow. Hard copies are also available on request at the contact details below.
The change we are proposing is to add an additional oversubscription criterion of:
4.5 (v) Children of staff in the school who have been employed at the school for two or more years at the time the application is submitted.
We are proposing this addition to support the recruitment and retention of high-quality staff. Prioritising children of staff who have been employed at the school for two or more years may help to promote workforce stability and continuity for pupils. This criterion is permitted under the School Admissions Code and is already used by a number of academy trusts nationally.
A maximum of two places per year group would be allocated under this criterion. Where the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of places available, priority would be determined through random allocation.
The full oversubscription criteria would be:
4.5 If there are more applications for admission to a school than there are places available, preference will given in the following order:
(i) looked after Children and previously Looked after Children
(ii) Children living in the catchment area with a sibling at the school
(iii) Other children living in the catchment area
(iv) Children with a sibling at the school
(v) Children of staff employed at the school for two or more years at the time of application
(vi) Other children, prioritised by distance from the school.
Full definitions are contained within the draft admission arrangements.
We have also made a small number of amendments to reflect administrative changes that are not subject to consultation including:
- Introduction and governance sections updated to reflect Ark Schools as the admission authority
- Addition of policy scope section and Published Admission Numbers
- Responsibility for decisions regarding admissions outside the normal age group transferred from the LA to the school's Principal
Draft Policy
Submitting Feedback
Comments on the policy and proposed changes should be submitted by completing this online form.
You can also respond either by email or post to:
Email: PHQ.Clerk@arkonline.org
Post: Regional Governance Officer, Ark Schools, The Barracks Business Centre, Wakefield Road, Pontefract, WF8 4HH
Correspondence should be headed "Ark Pontefract Region Admissions Consultation 2028/29".
The consultation closes on Friday 18 December 2026, all comments should be received by this date.
Next Steps
All responses submitted during the consultation will be carefully considered by Ark Schools, as the admission authority. Consultation feedback may result in revisions to the proposed admission arrangements before they are determined by the Ark Schools Management Team by 28 February 2027 and published on the academy's website.