First Federation Trust is the admissions authority for its member schools, responsible for the admissions policies and decisions on applications for admission.

We have an admissions policy for each academic year and they will be published on this page when they are proposed for consultation and after they have been determined annually. They are written to comply with the School Admissions Code 2021 and School Admissions Appeals Code 2022.

Come and visit us

We welcome prospective parents to come and have a look around our school and meet up with the Head of School and the staff. Appointments can be easily arranged by calling the School Office on 01297 442210 or emailing the school.

Pre-school provision

We have close links with Uplyme Pre-school. This is held daily in Uplyme village hall. Children transferring to the Reception class at Mrs Ethelston's have the opportunity to attend Mrs Ethelston's school every Thursday morning for 2 terms before they start school. However, attendance at Uplyme pre-school does not establish a priority for a place at Mrs Ethelston's school.

For further details please contact www.uplymepreschool.co.uk

Entry into Reception

Parents will need to complete a Common Application form from the home Local Authority for admission to Primary School.  For Devon residents, this is the D-CAF1, available from www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline by using the forms available at http://devon.cc/applicationforms or by calling 0845 155 1019.  Dorset residents should contact www.dorsetforyou.com/schooladmissions. 

Note that the admission limit set by the Governors for September 2024 is 25.

Entry to Secondary school

Children from Mrs Ethelston's usually transfer to the Woodroffe School, as we are a feeder school, although some children transfer to Colyton Grammar School or The Axe Valley Community College. We have very close links with Woodroffe and a full transition programme takes place during Year 6. Parents will need to complete a Common Application form from the local authority for transfer to Secondary School. For Devon residents, this is the D-CAF3, available from http://www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline or by calling 0845 155 1019.  Dorset residents should contact www.dorsetforyou.com/schooladmissions.

Contact details for individual schools

The Woodroffe SchoolColyton Grammar SchoolAxe Valley Academy

In Year Admissions

We welcome visits from prospective parents. Please contact the school office to arrange a convenient time. If you are interested in your child joining the school in-year (once the academic year has started), you can apply for a place through Devon County Council at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline. 

Admission Limits Academic Year 2023/24 From September 2024

Year Group	Admission Limit
R	30
1	25
2	30
3	25
4	25
5	30
6	25

---

All in year applications must be made in line with Devon's In-Year Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme.

The Governors will usually accept applications for children to join the school in-year up to the advertised admission limit for the Year Group for that Academic Year.  The Devon Fair Access In-Year Protocol may be applied.

The Governors can change the advertised admission limits at any time to reflect changes in circumstances at the school.

At any time there will be 3 classes of 30 and 4 classes of 25 to maintain flexibility to move year groups round in a building that has so many constraints in terms of size, space and access. 3 classrooms within the school are classified as small by the DFE and are only able to accommodate up to a maximum of 25 children. There are 3 classrooms where the space available meets DFE recommendations for a standard classroom of 30. The final classroom is always allocated for the Reception class as it is the only one with access to outside space as required by the national curriculum. Other limiting factors are the lack of a school hall for dining, PE and whole school gatherings, lack of an ICT suite, limited shared learning spaces, the small size of the playground necessitating split breaks, and the lack of playing fields.

All applications received on a particular day will be considered on the next school day. If there are more applications for a year group than there are spaces available, then the applications will be ranked in order of the oversubscription criteria in the Admissions Policy.

Devon County Council Admission Arrangements and Policies

A waiting list will be kept by the Local Authority for each Year Group. Waiting lists will be kept in order of the oversubscription criteria in the admissions policy (see links below). Places on lists will not be prioritised according to how long a child's name has been on the list.

Admission Appeals

If your application for admission is unsuccessful, you have a statutory right of appeal to an Appeals Panel which is independent of the school. If you have not been sent appeal papers with the decision letter refusing your application for admission, you can request a form from the School Admissions Team. You then have no less than 20 school days to return the papers, together with any supporting evidence you wish to include. You do not have to wait for this period of time before submission.

Any appeal for a place here may be subject to Key Stage One or Infant Class Size Legislation; a more limited form of appeal. This is the legal maximum number of children allowed in a Key Stage One class with one qualified teacher. There are very limited exceptions which would allow a school to exceed 30 children in a Key Stage One class.

The Clerk to the Independent Appeals Panel will give you at least 10 days’ notice of the date when your appeal will be heard. You will also be told when you should submit any further information you would like to be considered. You will receive evidence on behalf of the school before the appeal hearing.

After appeals are heard, decision letters should be sent within five school days; you will be able to find out the outcome by telephone before then.

Please click the link below for the Devon County Council Admissions Appeals Timetable.

 Devon County Admissions Appeals Timetable

Admissions Policies

You can find our admissions policies below and through the county council website. We review the school policy annually and may make changes if we feel this would be in the best interests of the school and our community. Each academic year has its own policy document, with details about how to apply for a place in school from the start of Reception through to Year 6.

Devon County Council Admission Arrangements & Admissions Policies

School admissions policy 2024-25

See our determined policy below.  If you have any comments regarding the policy, you can contact us at the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk 

2024 Mrs Ethelston's admissions policy

School admissions policy 2025-26

See our determined policy below.  If you have any comments regarding the policy, you can contact us at the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk 

Mrs Ethelston's admissions policy 2025

School admissions policy 2026-27

We will consult on an admissions policy between November 2024 and 10 January 2025. If you have any comments regarding the policy we propose (see below), you can contact us at the school or schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.  

We are proposing the make the following change - reduction in PAN.

After the consultation, we will determine the policy at a meeting of the admissions authority held before the end of February 2025. Once determined, the policy will be updated online by 15 March 2025.

Objections can be made up to 15 May 2025 to the Office of the Schools' Adjudicator.

Mrs Ethelston's proposed admissions policy 2026