ADMISSIONS

Admissions are now open for applications to our Reception class for September 2026. 

If you have a child born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022, they are due to start school in September 2026. You need to apply for their Reception place by 15 January 2026. You must apply via the Leeds City Council website, not our school directly. This is even if your child already attends our nursery. Apply at leeds.gov.uk/apply

If you would like your child to attend our school, please see full details of our admission arrangements below.

We welcome all families considering a school place at St Francis of Assisi to contact the school to arrange a visit and discuss your application. We do not hold a formal open day — instead, the Headteacher meets personally with each new family, shows them around the school, and answers any questions.

To ask a question, request further information, or arrange a visit, please send your enquiry to admin@bsf-leeds.co.uk 

We are an academy school and the admission authority is St Gregory the Great Multi Academy Trust. The school’s admission authority sets the admission policy every year which outlines the oversubscription criteria if there are more applications than places available. The oversubscription criteria gives priority to Catholic applicants, however we welcome applications from children of all or no faith. You can read our school’s admission policies in the sections below at the end of this information. In order to provide opportunities for parents to get to know our school, please get in touch via the school office (Tel: 0113 270 0978) to book a visit.

How to apply for a September 2026 place:

Your child will require a primary school place in September 2026 if they were born between 1st September 2021 and 31st August 2022

To apply click this link https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-admissions/apply-for-a-primary-school  

The deadline for applying is 15 January 2026.

Applications after this date will still be considered.

How to apply:

First, please read the admissions policy and see the catchment area.

Catchment Area St Francis

If you are applying for a Reception place for September 2026, all applications are made in advance. Offers are made by local authorities on national offer day.

You must apply to the local authority where you live. If this is Leeds, go to www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. The LA website is a composite prospectus for all Leeds schools and includes information about:

• · all of the steps you need to go through to make an application

• · the key dates

• · a search tool to see if your home address gives any higher priority for admission to any school(s)

• · an explanation about how places are offered if there are more applications than spaces (oversubscribed)

• · the online application portal – apply online and you’ll be sent your offer by email

• · a summary of each school’s individual admission policy criteria

• · data about who got a place in the last 3 years – this will help you work out if there is a reasonable chance of your child qualifying for a place.

• · Information about applying under specific admission criteria (such as your child being previously looked after). It is really important to ensure you submit all supporting evidence by the deadline to show you meet any such criteria.

• If you are applying for admission under our faith criteria, you will need to send to our school (not the local authority) a completed Supplementary Information Form (SIF). St-Francis-of-Assisi-SIF-2026-2027 We need to receive this by the closing date for Reception applications (15th January 2026).

Please see Admissions Policy for 2025 for further information on the oversubscription criteria  ADMISSION POLICY 2025-2026

• You also need to make an application to the local authority asking for a place at our school. You do this online at the above link. If you don’t send the application to the local authority, you won’t have made a valid application for a place at our school. You can also watch the Leeds City Council school admissions video for more information.

• The council’s social media pages will also tell you about any Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.

• You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, (on our school page) on the Leeds City Council’s website: Check a school’s admissions details click here

• The link below takes you to our school page on this website.

• https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-admissions/check-school-details/display-details?schoolid=234

Application timetable

The timetable below applies to applications made to Leeds City Council. If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates.

In-year applications.

• If you’re moving into Leeds or want to change schools in Leeds, you need to make a school transfer – often called an in-year application.
• Moving schools can be a difficult experience for a child. You should always speak to your child’s current school before trying to move to see what support they can offer you.
• If you are interested in applying for a place in Year 1 to Year 6, please ring the school office on 0113 270 0978 or email admin@bsf-leeds.co.uk to make an appointment to come and see our lovely school.

How to apply for an in-year place

• We are part of the Leeds central in-year application scheme. This means you can apply for a place online using the Leeds in-year application form  before you move schools .
• You can apply for places at our school and most other Leeds schools at the same time on this form.
• If you have moved house, please upload evidence of the house move with the online application. You can find out what you need to provide on the above website.
• We have to offer places by applying our admission policy criteria to your child’s application and we will contact you with our decision about offering you a place.
• We will tell you our decision no later than 15 schools days from when you apply.
• All admissions policies apply to In Year applications

Admission Policy 2025-26

Please see  ADMISSION POLICY 2025-2026 for details of the oversubscription criteria.

If we cannot offer you a place, we will

• · write to you to explain the reasons,
• · explain how you can appeal and
• · add your child to our waiting list in case a place becomes free.

Our waiting lists are kept until the end of each school year. You will need to make a new application if you want to be on the waiting list for the following school year.

Appeals

If you are not offered a place at the school you requested, you will have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and the decision is legally binding.

Before you appeal you:

• ·You should accept any place that you have been offered in case your appeal is not successful
• You should think about why you are appealing and check if it’s likely to be successful,  read the advice for appealing school places on GOV.UK
• You could get independent advice on making an appeal from a charity Leeds City Council arranges our appeals and you can find the appeal form at School appeals (leeds.gov.uk)
• If you are applying for a Reception place for September 2025, you need to submit your appeal form by 16 May 2025 to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.
• Appeals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – these classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. This means that appeals for these places are less likely to be successful.

If our school refuses your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you will need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education’s information about infant class size appeals. [This information is only relevant if you teach in infant class sizes of 30 pupils, if not relevant please delete]

Other appeals:

You can appeal because you want your child to attend a particular school. These are successful if the panel agree that the reasons for your appeal outweigh the school’s decision not to admit any more children.

Get help with your application

For help with your application, contact Leeds City Council Admissions Team on:

Phone: 0113 222 4414

Email: startingprimary@leeds.gov.uk 

Primary School Admissions_A4 Poster_1

2025 Primary Frequently Asked Questions

Nursery

We warmly welcome families considering a Nursery place at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School.

While we do not hold a formal open day, as a small school, we believe every family deserves a personal welcome. The Headteacher personally meets with each prospective family, offers a tour of the Nursery and wider school, and is happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you would like to ask a question, request more information, or arrange a visit, please contact us at: admin@bsf-leeds.co.uk

• Opening hours: 8:50am – 3:30pm (Monday to Friday, term time only)

• Free 15 hours childcare: All 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free Nursery education per week.

• Free 30 hours childcare: Eligible working parents may qualify for 30 hours of free childcare per week. You can check your eligibility at Childcare Choices.

Before starting Nursery, all new children are invited to take part in a Stay and Play session, which allows them to explore the environment and meet their peers. Additionally, we arrange a home visit to ensure a smooth and supportive transition for both children and families.

Our Nursery is a nurturing, happy place where children are encouraged to explore, grow, and develop a lifelong love of learning. We would be delighted to show you what makes St Francis Nursery so special.