School admission arrangements

School admission arrangements set out how schools will admit pupils.

The arrangements include the published admission number (the maximum number of pupils intended to be admitted to the relevant year group), the oversubscription criteria and information on the waiting list for the school.

Admission arrangements must be determined 18 months before the September of the academic year for which they are relevant.

All schools will determine their arrangements each year and will only formally consult every seven years unless there are proposed changes.

Determined admission arrangements for Barnsley schools

We're the admission authority for all community and voluntary controlled schools in the borough. This means that we set the over-subscription criteria and make decisions about which pupils are admitted to these schools.

Governing bodies are the admission authorities for voluntary aided schools and academy trusts are the admission authorities for academies. Details of their individual admission arrangements can be found on their individual websites or by contacting the school directly.

Admission to schools

Admission to schools 2024 to 2025

Admission to schools 2025 to 2026

Consultation on proposed admission arrangements for 2026 to 2027

We're running a consultation on the proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. We're consulting on:

  • admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for which we're the admissions authority
  • the coordinated arrangements for schools in Barnsley, Which includes the national closing date for entry to secondary school changing to 31 October 2025
  • Penistone Grammar School post-16 admission arrangements

The consultation is open from 17 December 2024 to 28 January 2025. Find out more about the consultation and how to take part.