Admission Consultation 

Proposed admission arrangements for September 2028

Omnia Learning Trust is consulting on the proposed admission arrangements for Sires Hill Primary Academy for September 2028. We welcome your views on the proposed catchment area and the arrangements set out in the accompanying policy.

The proposed change

We propose to introduce a designated catchment area for Sires Hill Primary Academy. When there are more applications than available places, children living within this area would receive priority over other children, after the higher priority groups set out in the policy.

Why we are proposing a catchment area

The proposed catchment area is intended to support families already living in the housing development near the school and help them access their nearest local primary school. It is designed to encompass the current development and planned future housing north of the old Ladygrove estate, between Lady Grove, the B4016 and the railway line, helping the Academy serve its growing local community.

How the proposal would work

If there are more applications than places, the proposed order of priority is:

1. Looked-after and previously looked-after children, including eligible children previously in state care outside England.
2. Children of teaching staff who meet the eligibility requirements in the policy.
3. Children with a qualifying sibling at Sires Hill Primary Academy.
4. Children whose home address is within the designated catchment area.
5. All other children.

Children with an Education, Health and Care plan naming Sires Hill Primary Academy must be admitted. Within each priority category, places would be ranked by straight-line distance to the school, with an independently supervised random draw where distances are tied.

Living within the catchment area would give priority but would not guarantee a place. Families outside the catchment area could still apply. Children whose home lies on the boundary would be treated as living within the catchment area. The proposed policy provides 30 Reception places.

Proposed catchment area

The map on the link below shows the complete proposed catchment boundary.

The proposed boundary follows recognisable local features:

West: the main railway line as far as Appleford Crossing.

North: the B4016, past the Lady Grove junction, to the farm track on the south side of Sires Hill, west of Westfield Farm.

East: the farm track south to Down Hill Copse, the western edge of the copse and the fence line south to the east–west public footpath between Lady Grove and Long Wittenham Road. It then follows that footpath west and the farm track south to Hadden Hill Golf Club, along the northern and western edges of the golf club to the south-east corner of the new estate east of Lady Grove, then west along the southern edge of the estate, including 164–188 Lady Grove (even numbers). The farm tracks are not public rights of way.

South: the A4130 from the Lady Grove junction to the railway bridge.

Have your say

The consultation will run from [opening date] to [closing date]. Please read the proposed admission arrangements alongside this summary and send your comments to admin@omnialearningtrust.org.

The Trust will consider responses before deciding the final admission arrangements for September 2028.