Academy Admissions

Admissions for September 2026 entry into Reception

Children born between 1st September 2021 and 31st August 2022 will be due to start primary school in September 2026.

Abbey View Primary Academy’s admissions arrangements are determined by the Inspiring Futures Partnership Trust in agreement with Buckinghamshire’s Local Authority (LA). The Academy participates in the LA’s coordinated admissions scheme. Full details on how to apply for a place can be found here

Applying for a school place

Application Timeline – September 2026 Entry

5th November 2025 – Online applications open for primary school places (Reception and Junior School transfers)
15th January 2026 – Deadline for submitting your child’s application
29th January 2026 – Deadline for providing address evidence if moving into or within Buckinghamshire
16th April 2026 – Offers of school places are issued
1st July 2026 – Transition visits for children joining their new school
September 2026 – New school year begins

Questions and queries

For any questions regarding the admissions process, please contact Buckinghamshire County Council via their contact form:
Contact Form

Admissions Consultation

Abbey View Primary Academy wish to consult on their admissions policy for the year 2027/28. The below letter explains this. A copy of the proposed policy is also linked below. The proposed policy has been approved by our Board of Trustees but a consultation period is now in place that will run from 14th November 2025 until 26th December 2025.

Admissions Consultation Letter

Admissions Policy for AVPA September 2027-August 2028 for consultation

Admissions Policy

You can find our Admissions Policy on our Policies page. The link is below:

Policies

Catchment Area

To check the catchment area please visit the Bucks website below:

Bucks School Directory

September 2024 Admission Statistics

For our September 2024 Reception cohort 53% were either children with EHCPs or children who live within the catchment area, 27% were both siblings and also live within the catchment area. The catchment area admissions went to a distance of 0.40 miles. The map below roughly indicates this distance.

In-year admissions

In-year admissions (for children joining the school after the September intake) are managed directly by the Academy.

Visits: Tours are not available before a place is offered to avoid disruption to staff and children.
Upon Offer: Once a place is offered, a tour can be arranged with the Academy Secretary before confirming acceptance.

For further information, please contact the Academy Office.

What do I do if my child did not receive a place at Abbey View?

You may be disappointed that your child has not received a place in Reception at Abbey View, or that you have moved into the catchment area and we are full and cannot accept your child. In this case, you can contact the office and request to be put on the waiting list.

Please note that letters and emails with personal appeals asking to be moved up the waiting list or admitted above other families cannot be considered. We are legally required to follow our admissions criteria at all times.

You should be aware that it's rare for children to leave Abbey View. This only happens on occasion, usually when their family is relocating out of the area, or they have decided to go to private school.

Admissions Appeals

If your child’s application for a place at the Academy is unsuccessful, you will be informed why admission was refused and given information about your option to appeal.

IFPT's Admissions Appeals process is managed by Buckinghamshire Council and Buckinghamshire guidance to parents and guardians on the admission appeals process can be found using the following link:

Guidance for Parents and Guardians on School Admission Appeals

Please pay particular attention to the “When to appeal” section of the guidance document above as it provides a clear timetable of timeframes and deadlines for both admission appeals for children starting academy/school in September of the following academic year and in-year admission appeals.

You do have the right to appeal, however, appeals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are rejected due to the government-imposed legal limits of 30 children in a class for under 8s. Exceptions would be a child new to the area who was 'Looked After' or had an EHCP, in which case they would be admitted above the limit of 30 under our admissions policy and no appeal would be necessary. The only other exception would be where a parent provides exceptional medical, social or educational reasons for choosing the school, supported by evidence, which means Abbey View is the only school that can provide an appropriate education for the child. You would need to be able to prove, with very strong evidence, why the school your child is (or will be) attending cannot provide the education required and Abbey View can. This is also the case for appeals into older year groups.

Please note that the following reasons are not valid reasons for appeal when the year group is full:

Parental preference
Living in the catchment area

It is important to be aware that each appeal costs the Academy money it would otherwise spend on its current children’s education.

The chances of winning an appeal are extremely low. In our experience, this is because almost all appeals being put forward by parents are not for valid reasons beyond their personal preference for the school and/or because going above our agreed admissions number would be detrimental to the children who are already here. If this is why you want to appeal, we would strongly advise you to reconsider.

Buckinghamshire Council:

Most appeals fail because primary schools are full and cannot admit additional children without harming the education of the existing children or breaching the law relating to infant class sizes.

Appeals can be stressful for parents and are expensive for schools.

The DfE:

You should be aware that an appeal can prolong the period of uncertainty for parents and children, so it’s important to be realistic about your reasons for appealing and the chances of being successful.