School Admissions
Everything you need to apply for a place at Pallister Park
We welcome Reception children every September. Our admissions process follows Middlesbrough Council’s guidelines and the School Admissions Code. This page guides you through everything, from how to apply to what happens if you’re not offered a place.
There are no changes to our admission arrangements for 2028/29. They remain in line with Middlesbrough Council’s Admissions Policy. Our Published Admission Number (PAN) for Reception is 75.
How to apply
Step-by-step guide to getting a place in our Reception next September
1
Apply through Middlesbrough Local Authority
Use the application form from your home local authority, not the school directly. Name at least three schools in order of preference. Your offer will come from the council, not from us.
2
Receive your offer
The Local Authority will notify you of the school you have been offered.
3
Accept or appeal
Accept your offer promptly. If you were not offered your preferred school and wish to challenge the decision, you may lodge an appeal.
4
Register with us
Once your place is confirmed, contact our school office to register and begin transition arrangements. We look forward to welcoming you.
Important: Children currently attending our Nursery do not automatically transfer into Reception. A separate application must be made through the Local Authority by the published closing date.
Over subscription criteria
How places are allocated if we are oversubscribed
Children with an EHCP naming this school are admitted first. After that, places are offered in the following priority order:
1st
Looked after & previously looked after children
Children in public care (LAC), previously looked after children (PLAC), and internationally adopted previously looked after children (IAPLAC). Children in state care outside England who ceased to be in care through adoption are given equal priority. Relevant evidence required: adoption certificate or court order, care history and social worker details.
2nd
Children resident in the Admission Zone
Pupils permanently resident within the Pallister Park Admission Zone — the address at which the child is registered for Child Benefit. Proof of address may be required.
3rd
Siblings
Pupils with a brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, or child of a parent/carer’s partner living at the same address who will be attending the school in the September of admission.
4th
Exceptional social or medical need
Pupils with exceptional social and/or medical reasons specific to attending this school, substantiated by LA medical advisors. A letter from the child’s GP or social worker must be submitted with the application. Standard childcare or work arrangements do not qualify. Contact us to discuss evidence requirements before applying.
5th
Distance from school
Pupils who reside closest to the school, measured in a straight line from the child’s home address point to the main school gate using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system.
Where pupils fall within the same criterion, the one with the higher secondary criterion is admitted first — e.g. a child in the admission zone with a sibling at school takes priority over one in the zone without a sibling.
Special circumstances
Additional information for specific situations
Twins & multiple births
A separate application must be made for each child. Indicate on each form that a sibling is also applying. If one twin is offered the last available place, the other will also be offered a place.
Deferred entry
You may defer your child’s start until later in the Reception year, but not beyond the beginning of the final term. Part-time attendance until compulsory school age can also be arranged with the school. Compulsory school age is reached on the prescribed day following a child’s fifth birthday (prescribed days: 31 Dec, 31 Mar, 31 Aug).
Summer born children
Parents of children born 1 April – 31 August may apply to defer entry by a full year into Reception rather than Year 1. This request must be clearly stated on the application by the primary closing date and must include supporting evidence. Contact us or the Admissions Team to discuss.
In-year admissions
To transfer your child to Pallister Park mid-year or into any year group outside the normal round, apply through the Middlesbrough Admissions Team. If a place is available it will be offered. If not, you will be offered the right to appeal.
Your child’s home address
The home address is the permanent address of the parent/carer receiving Child Benefit. Childminders’, grandparents’ and other carers’ addresses cannot be used. If you move house during the process, inform the Admissions Team immediately with two pieces of evidence (e.g. Council Tax bill, tenancy agreement).
Late applications
Applications after the closing date will only be considered where there is good reason — for example, serious illness, a recent house move, or a family returning from abroad. Late applications are not given priority over on-time applications.
If you’re not offered a place
Your right to appeal
Every parent whose child is refused a place has the statutory right to appeal. Appeals are independent and conducted in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code. To lodge an appeal, write to us at the address below. The panel’s decision will be communicated within 5 working days of the hearing.
Our Children 1st Multi Academy Trust
Pallister Park Primary School
Gribdale Road, Middlesbrough, TS3 8PW
Where places become available before a hearing, they are allocated from the waiting list using the oversubscription criteria. Waiting lists remain open until 31 December of the intake year.
Policy documents
Download our admission arrangements
Admission authorities must consult on their arrangements at least once every seven years, and for a minimum of six weeks between 1 October and 31 January in the determination year.
Admission Arrangements 2026/27
Current arrangements for September 2026 entry
| Admissions Policies & Documents | Download |
| OC1st Admission Arrangements 2027-2028 | Download |
| OC1st Admission Arrangements | Download |
Get in touch
Questions about admissions?
We are always happy to talk through the process, show you around the school, or help you understand whether your child may meet a particular criterion. Please get in touch with our school office.
Call us on 01642 242174
or email pkcontactus@oc1st.co.uk
For questions about the wider Middlesbrough admissions process, contact the Local Authority Admissions Team. For queries about the appeals process for community schools, contact Legal and Democratic Services at Middlesbrough Council on 01642 729659 or email michelle_jackland@middlesbrough.gov.uk.
“Every child deserves a great school. We’d love for that school to be Pallister Park.”