Oversubscription Criteria

What Does Oversubscription Mean?

When the number of students applying to a school is greater than the maximum number the school can admit, the school is oversubscribed .

For example:

• Say a school has 100 places.
• If 150 apply, the school cannot admit 50 of them.
• In that case, which 100 students are admitted is decided by the “oversubscription criteria”.

What Are Oversubscription Criteria?

They are the list of rules, set out clearly in a school's admission policy , that decide which students are given priority when there are more applicants than places.

The criteria usually follow an order like this (I'll explain with examples):

An Example Order of Criteria:

1. First, looked after children
   • Example: children in care, children looked after by social services.
   • Why: by law they are given top priority.
2. Students whose sibling attends the same school
   • Example: if Sam's older sister is already in Year 4 at the school, Sam gets priority when he applies.
   • Aim: to make it easier for families to send their children to the same school.
3. Distance to the school (based on home address)
   • Example: a student living 500 metres from the school has priority over one living 2 km away.
   • Usually “straight-line distance” or “walking distance” is used. Which method is used is clearly stated.
4. Special educational needs (SEN / EHCP)
   • Example: if a school's facilities suit a student with a physical disability, that student is given priority.
5. Religious criteria (at faith schools)
   • Example: a Catholic school may give priority to Catholic children with a baptism certificate.
6. Recent moves or social reasons
   • Example: priority may be given to the child of a family who moved to the area because of domestic violence.

How Is It Applied?

Say a school has the criteria above and receives 150 applications for 100 places. The school would then admit students in this order:

1. First, looked after children (e.g. 3 students)
2. Then those with a sibling at the school (e.g. 20 students)
3. Then those with special educational needs (e.g. 5 students)
4. The remaining 72 places go to those living closest to the school .

In this case, students who live further away and don't meet any other criterion miss out.

Where Are These Criteria Published?

Every state school or academy has an admission policy , prepared with the local authority. It clearly sets out:

• The application deadline
• The number of places
• Oversubscription criteria
• The appeals process

It's usually on the school's or the council's website.

A Practical Example:

School Ahas 60 places

Applicants: 85 students

How places are allocated under the criteria:

The remaining 25 students miss out, but they have the right of appeal.

Things to Keep in Mind

• These criteria are very important if you're moving house.
• Sibling priority only applies if the siblings will be at the school “at the same time”.
• Some schools may also use a lottery system.