Admissions
“I have come that you may have life in all its fullness.” John 10:10
Admissions
The Governing Body is the Admissions Authority for this Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School. The Governors work closely with the Oxfordshire Local Authority (LA) to coordinate admissions.
Phil and Jim has a distinctive Christian ethos which is at the centre of school life. We provide an inclusive, supportive, and caring environment, shaped by Christian values in which children are motivated to acquire skills for life and a love of learning. We welcome applications from all members of the community without reference to ability or aptitude, and irrespective of whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith, or no faith, but we expect parents to respect the Christian ethos of our school.
Application for a Reception Place
Children are eligible to start full time education at Ss Philip and James CE VA Primary School in the September after their fourth birthday.
Admission to our school is by application. Applications for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) must be submitted to the Local Authority (LA) in which the parents live at the time of the application (e.g., if you live in Reading but are planning to move to Oxford you would apply to Reading Borough Council). You apply using the Common Application Form relevant to the home LA and according to their timetable for applications.
Applications for Other Year Groups
For admission to year groups other than Reception, applications should also be made via Oxfordshire County Council. The local authority coordinates in year admissions and the school works closely with them to review the applications that have been made.
Click the link to view: Oxfordshire County Council Admissions Website
Admissions Policies
The Admissions Policy for the academic year 2024-2025 was determined by the Governing Body on 8th February 2023.
The Admissions Policy for the academic year 2025-26 was determined by the Governing Body on 7th February 2024.
The Admissions Policy for the academic year 2026-27 was determined by the Governing Body on 28th February 2025.
Click the links below to view the current admission policies.
Appeals Timetable
Click the links below to view:
Catchment Area Map
Click the link to view: Catchment area
Please note the catchment boundary runs along the middle of the road.
If a Year Group is Oversubscribed
This is a short explanation of how the process works, but we recommend that prospective parents read the full Admissions Policy above.
Applications are assessed by allocating them to the following categories, which are listed in the order of priority in which places are offered:
1. Looked-after children and children who were previously looked after, including those children who appear to have been in state care outside England, but ceased to be so because, immediately after being looked after, they became subject to an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order.
2. Families who have exceptional social or medical needs that make it essential that their child attends Phil and Jim rather than any other school. These needs must be fully supported by written evidence from the appropriate professional person involved with the family.
3. Children living in the Catchment Area with a sibling in the school.
4. Other children with a sibling in the school.
5. Children of staff. Please note the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE) requires that for the families of staff to be given priority one or more of following conditions must be met. The member of staff:
- has to have been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the
application for admission to the school is made; and/or - is being recruited to fill a vacant post at the school for which there is a demonstrable
skill shortage.
6. Other children living in the Catchment Area.
7. Any other children. Our goal is to be as welcoming as we can be so, please do apply.
Once all the applications have been categorised, the applications within each category are ranked based on their distance from the school, so that, for example, all children with a sibling in the school (category 3) who live closer to the school will be ranked above those who live further away.
Each year, the number of applications for Foundation Stage is different, which means that one year the limit (of 60 children) may fall in category 6, while in another year it may fall in category 7. In Years 1 and 2, class sizes are also limited by law to 30, which means that new places are less readily available. In Years 3 to 6, it is possible to have more than 30 pupils in each class; however, the total number of pupils in the school may not exceed 420. This, and the fact that the population of the area is relatively mobile, means that places do often become available in the older year groups.