Admissions Arrangements

Arrangements for Admission September 2025-26

The area served by the academy includes part of Swadlincote and the villages of Church Gresley, Castle Gresley and Linton.  To find your normal area secondary school/academy, go to the Derbyshire Admissions webpage and enter your postcode. Derbyshire Admissions Parents/carers can choose the school/academy which best meets their child’s needs.

The Pingle Academy is part of Affinity Learning Partnership who is responsible for its own admissions. 

Entry at Year 7

The number of planned admissions for the year commencing 1 September 2025 will be 240.  A student who has a statement of Special Education Needs and Disabilities or EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) that names The Pingle Academy will be admitted to the academy.  This will reduce the number of places available.

Where applications for admission exceed the number of places available, the criteria used by the Academy Trust to allocate places are listed as follows, in priority order:

1. Children in public care (looked after children) and adopted children who were previously in care, or became subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order.
2. Children of staff employed by the academy in either of the following circumstances:

• Where the member of staff has been employed at the academy for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the academy is made, and/or
• The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

3. Students who attend primary schools in the Affinity Learning Partnership at the point of application.
4. Children living in the normal area served by the academy at the time of application and admission who have a brother or sister attending The Pingle Academy at the time of application and admission.  Brother or sister includes a half-brother or half-sister, a legally adopted child who is regarded as a brother or a sister, a step-brother or step-sister who resides in the same family unit.
5. Children living in the normal area served by the academy at the time of application and admission.  (This is defined as the child having settled full-time residence in a property which is the child’s only or main residence).
6. Children not living in the normal area served by the academy, but who have brothers or sisters attending the academy at the time of application and admission.
7. Other children whose parents have requested a place. 

In the event of over-subscription of candidates meeting the requirement in any of the categories above and a tie-breaker being required to reach a decision, the Affinity Learning Partnership will use the distance from the centre of the academy, as measured by the Local Authority’s Geographic Information System, in a straight line to the front door of the dwelling house, calculated to within two metres.

The Affinity Learning Partnership will not consider more than one application on behalf of the same child in a single academic year unless the they consider there is a significant change in the particular circumstances of that child.

The Affinity Learning Partnership may consider taking direct in-year approaches from parents to help to reduce delays in finding an academy place once term starts.  Prompt communication with the LA will ensure there is no delay in the application process.

If your child goes to a Derbyshire primary school/academy, you will receive information through your child’s school/academy about how to apply for a Year 7 place.  For assistance with applications and appeals, please click the link below:

Derbyshire WebsiteApplications for the admission of students who live outside the county are considered on an equal basis.  Parents should apply to their home LA who will send the details to Derbyshire LA, after the closing date for that Authority area.

Admissions to Years 7–11

If places become available in Year 7-11 because students leave, the same criteria are applied in the same order of priority as those who apply in Year 7.  The decision is determined by the child’s situation which prevails at the time the application is made.

In KS4, the choice of option subjects may be limited, depending on class sizes.

Admission to the Sixth Form

In addition to The Pingle Academy which is 11-19, there are two 11-16 schools/academies in the area.  Students transfer from these or any other secondary school/academy to The Pingle Sixth Form.  These may include students transferring from nearby Staffordshire and Leicestershire schools/academies, if there is demand. 

All candidates will have the opportunity to discuss the chosen course options with the Head of Sixth Form/member of the Leadership Team.

Entry requirements are as follows:

1. The candidate must meet the course requirements.   Basic entry requirements for A Level and Advanced Vocational subjects are a minimum of 5 x 9-4 grades at GCSE including English and Mathematics, with a minimum Average Points Score of 4.  Some subjects require a GCSE grade 5, 6 or 7.  These appear on our website.
2. Students who meet the entry requirement, but have not gained a grade 4 or better in English or Mathematics will be required to re-sit at the earliest opportunity.
3. Highest priority in the case of over-subscription must be given to looked after children and previously looked after children who meet the entry criteria.
4. Any academic entry requirement will be the same for both external and internal applicants.
5. Students with SEND can be accommodated, if they meet the academic entry requirements.

In year admissions

The DfE have made changes to the School Admission Code.  The new Code can be found at School admissions code - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In-Year Admissions

The Pingle Academy participates in the Local Authority’s Co-ordinated Admission Scheme for in-year admissions. Details of the Co-ordinated Admission Scheme and how inyear applications are managed can be seen at Changing schools - Derbyshire County Council