Admissions

Admissions Arrangements and Admission Criteria 2025-26

Starting in September 2025

St Ambrose Barlow is a Catholic School under the trusteeship of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. It is maintained by Wigan Council. As a Voluntary Aided School, the Governing Body is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for taking decisions on applications for admissions. The co-ordination of admissions arrangements is undertaken by the Local Authority. For the school’s year commencing September 2025, the Governing Body has set its admissions number at 30.

Our principal role as a Catholic school is to participate in the mission of the Catholic Church by providing a framework which will help children to grow in their understanding of the Good News and in the practice of their faith. The school will help the children develop fully as human beings and prepare them to undertake their responsibilities as Catholic in society. The school asks all parents applying for a place here to respect this ethos and its importance to the school community. This does not affect the rights of parents who are not of the faith of this school to apply for and be considered for a place here.

ADMISSIONS TO THE SCHOOL will be determined by the Governing Body. Parents must complete a Local Authority Preference Form or apply online via the website www.wigan.gov.uk. If you wish to have your application considered against that school’s faith/denomination criteria then you should ALSO complete the Supplementary Form which is available from the Local Authority and the school. All preferences listed will be considered on an equal basis and, where there are more applications than the number of places available, the following set of OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA will be applied:

1. Looked after children and previously looked after children. This includes children
   who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state
   care as a result of being adopted.
2. Baptised Catholic children who have a sibling in the school at the time of admission.
3. Baptised Catholic children resident in the parish of St Margaret Clitherow (the part of
   the parish formerly referred as St Ambrose Barlow, Astley).
4. Other baptised Catholic children.
5. Other children who have a sibling in the school at the time of admission.
6. Children from other Christian denominations. Proof of Baptism in the form of a
   Baptismal Certificate or confirmation in writing that the applicant is a member of
   their Faith community from an appropriate Minister of Religion is required.
7. Children of other faiths. An appropriate Faith Leader would need to confirm in
   writing that the applicant is a member of their faith group.
8. Other children.

If it is not possible to offer places for all applicants within any criteria above, then places will be allocated to the children who live nearest to the school. Distance will be measured in a straight line from the child’s home address to a central point at the school using Wigan Council’s Geographical Information System (GIS) which is based on ordnance survey. In the event of distances being the same for two or more applicants where this distance would be last place/s to be allocated, we will use a system to randomly pick who will be offered a place.

Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health Care Plan that names a school will be offered place without using the admission criteria and will count as part of the school’s published admission number.

To check an address for school place eligibility please follow the link below:

https://rcaol-schools-finder.cocreatedev.co.uk/

St Ambrose Barlow Faith Application Form 2025-26

St Ambrose Barlow Admissions Policy 2025-26

A link to the online application form can be found by clicking on the link below.

https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Resident/Education/Schools/School-Admissions/Primary-schools.aspx

Please note that school will require a Supplementary Faith Form with all applications.

Proposed Admission Arrangements 2026/27 Consultation

Below are the proposed admission arrangements for the 2026-27 academic year, including all changes to the admission codes. Consultation on these changes will be open until Friday 31st January 2025. All comments or objections regarding the proposed arrangements should be addressed to the school’s governing body via the school office no later than the 31st.

Proposed Admissions Policy 2026-27