Admissions advice for UK service families
The county council recognises the support required by UK service personnel as a result of being subject to frequent movement within the UK and from abroad, often at relatively short notice
Our admission arrangements for service children are set in accordance with paragraph 2.21 of the School Admissions Code (September 2021), below:
2.21 For families of service personnel with a confirmed posting, or crown servants returning from overseas, admission authorities must:
a) allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area (as long as one is available), provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date. Admission authorities must not refuse to process an application and must not refuse a place solely because the family do not yet have an intended address, or do not yet live in the area.
b) use the address at which the child will live when applying their oversubscription criteria, as long as the parents provide some evidence of their intended address. Admission authorities must use a Unit or quartering address as the child’s home address when considering the application against their oversubscription criteria, where a parent requests this.
c) not reserve blocks of places for these children.
d) ensure that arrangements in their area support the Government’s commitment to removing disadvantage for service children.
For families of service personnel with a confirmed posting to their area, or crown servants returning from overseas to live in that area, admission authorities must:
a) allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area (as long as one is available) provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date. Admission authorities must not refuse to process an application and must not refuse a place solely because the family do not yet have an intended address or do not yet live in the area.
b) use the address at which the child will live when applying their oversubscription criteria, as long as the parents provide some evidence of their intended address. Admission authorities must use a Unit or quartering address as the child’s home address when considering the application against their oversubscription criteria, where a parent requests this.
c) not reserve blocks of places for these children.
d) ensure that arrangements in their area support the Government’s commitment to removing disadvantage for service children.
Other help and support
The Children's Education Advisory Service (CEAS) provides a dedicated service for MOD and service families providing expert and impartial advice about the education of service children.
You can find more information and support for the Armed Forces community in Lancashire on the Lancashire Armed Forces Covenant Hub.