Admissions to Summerseat Methodist Primary School are controlled by the local authority - Bury Council.
To download a copy of the admissions policy, please click the icon below.

PAN (15)

Published Admission Number (PAN) Each school has a published admission number (PAN) for entry to Year R. The school will admit this number of children if there are sufficient applications. Where there are fewer applications than the published admission number, places will be offered to all applicants. The PAN for Summerseat Methodist Primary School for 2024-2025 is 15. 

Admission to Reception
You are welcome to put your child's name down on our admissions list and to book a tour of the school at any time. This does not guarantee a place at our school, no matter how early you do this. However, it means that you are "in the loop" and will receive the admissions paperwork from the local authority. 

In the November before your child is ready to come to school, you will receive an information pack and application form from the local authority. It is on this form that you indicate the school you would like your child to attend. This form must be returned to the local authority by the specified date.

You will be informed of your child's allocated place in April.

If you are offered a place at SMPS, we will write to you and ask you to accept the place. Our induction process begins at this point. Your child will be invited to attend school for two afternoon sessions in June and there is also a parents' meeting. The aim of the meeting is to present you with information about our school and give you the opportunity to ask questions.

There is also the opportunity for a home visit where we can meet you and your child in your home setting. This is a time when you can ask any further questions you may have about starting school.

Deferred Entry

Parents can request that the date their child is admitted to the school is deferred until later in the school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year. Where entry is deferred, the place will be held open and not offered to another child. Parents cannot defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted.

Detailed information is available on their website:
Bury Council Primary School Admissions

Contact can be made via:
Childrens' Services
Athenaeum House
Market Street
Bury
BL9 0BN

Telephone: 0161 253 6474
E-mail: Admissions@bury.gov.uk

Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Oversubscription Criteria 

When schools are oversubscribed, priority for allocation of places will be as follows:

1. Children in public care (Looked after Children) and previously looked after children.

• A ‘looked after child’ is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions, in England.  

• A ‘previously looked after child’ is a child who was looked after (in England), but ceased to be so because they were adopted, or become subject to a child arrangements or special guardianship order, as well as a child who appears to have been in state care outside of England care (i.e. In the care of/or accommodated by a public authority, religious organisation or any other provider whose sole/main purpose is to benefit society), but ceased to be so as a result of being adopted.  

2. Children who will have an older brother or sister in the school in September 2023. For this purpose, a brother or sister may be a full or step-brother or a full or step-sister, living at the same address, at the time of admission.  

3. Other children  If applications are received after the closing date, they will be dealt with as late applications, and will not be considered until after those applications which were received on time. If there is over-subscription in any category, places will be offered using a straight line distance measurement from home to school. The distance will be measured using the Local Authority’s computerised mapping system, which measures from the address point of the home property to the address point of the school as defined by Bury Council’s LLPG (Local Land and Property Gazetteer). Where the final place in a year group can be taken by two or more children living an equal distance from the school, (for example two children living in the same block of flats) the Local Authority will then use random allocation to decide which of the children can be offered a place. Where a child has parents with shared responsibility and lives with each parent for part of the week, the home address will be decided by using the name & address of the parent/carer to whom the Child Benefit payment is paid or where the child is registered with a GP and in agreement with both parents. If there is a situation where only one place is available and the next children to be offered are twins or triplets, both twins or the three triplets will be offered places as a permitted exception to class size regulations.

1st, 2nd and 3rd preferences for all primary schools in Bury will be considered equally. 

Admissions to Other Years
We sometimes have spaces in other year groups.
If you are interested in gaining a place for your child, please telephone the school to make an appointment to have a look around and meet the head teacher.
Application forms are available from the school or local authority.
Initial decisions are based on the availability of places. You are able to appeal if you do not agree with the decision made by the school. In this case, you should contact the Local Authority (using the contact details above).

Admissions mid-year

If you would like to move primary schools within the academic year, please use this link for more information: https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10568