St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School

Admissions

Admissions 2025-2026

The Governors of St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School have agreed on their Admissions arrangements for 2025-2026.

The Governing Body of St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School wish to clarify how faith-based oversubscription criteria for Catholic applicants will be interpreted for admission of pupils in September 2025.

On the advice of the Education Service of the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton the governing body of St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School has agreed the following statement in order to clarify how its faith-based oversubscription criteria will be interpreted whilst churches are closed or attendance at church is not possible due to COVID19. This statement has been shared widely with local parishes in order to ensure that determinations made by parish priests concerning regular practice of the faith are being made on a consistent basis.

The suspension of the obligation to attend Sunday Mass was announced on 18 March 2020 by Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. If a parent/carer attended Mass at a particular parish (or parishes) prior to 18 March 2020 then they will be considered to have attended Mass in that parish (or parishes) regularly since that time. This will remain the case until the Sunday obligation is reintroduced by the Bishops.

Please click here for our Determined Admissions Policy 2025-2026

Please click here for our Determined Supplementary Information Form 2025-2026

For information regarding the application process with East Sussex County Council Admissions, please click here.

Admissions 2026-2027

Please click here for our Determined Admissions Policy 2026-2027

Please click here for our Determined Supplementary Information Form 2026-2027

For information regarding the application process with East Sussex County Council Admissions, please click here.

Consultation on Admissions Arrangements for St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School for 2027-2028 academic year

Notice is hereby given in accordance with legislation that the governing body as the admission authority for St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School is formally consulting on its proposed admission arrangements for the school year 2027-28.

As an admission authority, the school is required to consult the following:

a) Parents of children between the ages of two and eighteen

b) Other persons in the ‘relevant area’ (set by the Local Authority) who in the opinion of the school have an interest in the proposed admissions (e.g. local priests, other deanery Catholic schools, etc)

c) All other admission authorities within the ‘relevant area’

d) The Local Authority (LA)

e) The Education Service of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton

In summary the proposed changes being made to admission arrangements are to accommodate new policies that align with the national Catholic Education Service models and wording, including:

- Making criteria clearer and reducing unnecessary criteria
- Ensuring notes are more succinct
- Adding children of staff
- Removing the reference to parishes

The six-week consultation will begin on 16 December 2025 with the closing date for submitting comments being 27 January 2026.

The proposed arrangements (admissions policy and supplementary information form (SIF) can be viewed below.

Alternatively, if you do not have access to the Internet and you wish to request a printed copy of the admissions arrangements and a response form, please contact the school secretary at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School on office@stmarymagsbex.e-sussex.sch.uk

Comments on the proposed admission arrangements should be sent to Mr Saxby - Chair of Governors by the closing date (latest midnight on 27 January 2026) via the office email address above.

Please click here for our Draft Admissions Policy 2027-2028

Please click here for our Draft Supplementary Information Form 2027-2028

Appeals

Our appeals deadline for 2025-26 admissions is Tuesday 20 May 2025.

If the School has more applications than places, parents whose child has not been allocated a place may appeal. Appeals will be considered by an Independent Appeal Panel set up in accordance with the Department for Education Appeals code. Anyone wishing to make an appeal should submit a letter to the Chair of Governors via the school at the address below by 20 May 2025.

Appeals will be heard within 40 school days of your letter being received, up to 22 July 2025. Parents will be given at least 10 school days written notice of the date of the appeal hearing.

Appeals should be submitted to:

The Chair of the Board of Governors,
St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School,
Hastings Road,
Bexhill-on-Sea,
East Sussex,

TN40 2ND

Any additional information in support of an appeal should be submitted at least 7 working days before the date of the hearing. Additional submissions (additional evidence to support your appeal) received after this deadline will still be forwarded on, but it will be for the Independent Appeal Panel to decide whether to accept any submissions received after the deadline.

Please follow this link for additional information on appeals: Click Here