Parental responsibility and agreement
Only one application can be submitted per child.
When you submit an application, you do so on the explicit basis that you have consulted with, and obtained the agreement of, all persons who hold parental responsibility for the child.
Separation or divorce does not remove parental responsibility.
Local Authority neutrality and parental disputes
The Local Authority operates strictly as a neutral party.
We will not take sides, arbitrate, or become involved in private family disputes.
If we receive duplicate applications, a written objection from another parental responsibility holder, or conflicting instructions, we will handle the situation neutrally as follows.
Applications paused for children with an existing school place
If your child already attends a school and a transfer dispute arises, your application will be immediately paused.
To ensure educational continuity, your child will be expected to remain at their current school until both parents provide a written joint agreement or a relevant Court Order is issued.
Determination process for children without a school place
If your child does not have a school place and parents cannot agree on an application within a set timeframe, the Local Authority must step in neutrally under its statutory duties.
We will assign a place based strictly on a legal hierarchy and not by taking sides.
The order is:
- Valid Court Orders
- The majority residence address (where the child spends Sunday to Thursday nights)
- The address registered for Child Benefit or GP records (if care is split strictly 50/50)
Withdrawal of school offers
Submitting an application without the agreement of other parental responsibility holders, concealing objections, or providing misleading details regarding residence may result in any school offer being withdrawn.
For full details on how disputes, address verifications, and court orders are handled, please read our School Admissions Protocol for Separated Parents and Parental Responsibility Disputes document.