Update on admission arrangements consultation

Please note that the original consultation on Wellsway School’s proposed admission arrangements for the 2027-28 academic year has now been superseded.

A new consultation opened on 15 December 2025 and will remain open until 26 January 2026.

You can view the updated proposed admissions policy 2027-28 (Pdf). If you would like to receive a hardcopy of the policy, please email: enquiries@wellswayschool.com with your contact details.

Comments on the updated proposals should be sent to Mrs H. Dicorato email: hdicorato@wellswayschool.com by 26 January 2026.

Places for September

This page provides information for parents/carers considering making an application for a child transferring from primary school in September. If you are considering making an application at any other time please read the In Year section below or for more information please contact us.

The timeline for allocating Year 7 places at Wellsway is determined by the Local Authority and is explained in A Secondary School for your Child in Bath & North East Somerset booklet which is issued to all parents/carers with a child in the final year of primary school in the B&NES area.

While parents have the right to choose a preferred school, the number of places available at that school may limit the choice. Usually Wellsway School is over-subscribed and therefore places are allocated strictly in line with the admission code and our criteria. If Wellsway is your school of choice it is important you put us as first choice on your application form for a Year 7 place.

Please note that applications for places in Year 7 for September must be made through your ‘home’ local authority and will be dealt with in line with locally agreed procedures.

Appeals timetable

• March: first round of allocations made
• May: second round of allocations made

Year 7 appeals: if you wish to appeal for a year 7 place the deadline for submitting an appeal to 31st March 2026. For applications made in the normal admission round, appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals. Appeals for Year 7 places are heard from the end of June onwards. The admission appeals process is administered by the Council’s Democratic Services which ensures that it is separate from and independent of the school and the admission authority.

For more information see the B&NES appeals process.

Late applications

All applications must be submitted to the child’s home Local Authority (LA) by the closing date of 31 October. Under the Bath & North East Somerset LA’s secondary coordinated scheme, any parents refused a place for the new Year 7 intake may ask for their child’s name to go on the waiting list where the name will remain until the end of the academic year. Any late applicants should complete their home LA’s common application form as soon as possible.

In Year admissions

Requests for in year transfer school places are normally only considered approximately six weeks prior to a requested start date. If the place is being sought for a September admission to an existing year group, applications can be made in mid-June.

Please contact the reception team by phone or via enquiries@wellswayschool.com for further details.

To apply for a school place in year, you will need to complete and return the below application form direct to the school.

• In Year application form (Pdf, 175kb)

In Year appeals

B&NES Democratic Services section administers appeals for Wellsway School. To make an appeal the first step is to complete the appeal form sent to you and return to the school. We will inform Democratic Services about the appeal and they will contact you directly.  The admission appeals process is administered by the Council’s Democratic Services which ensures that it is separate from and independent of the school and the admission authority.

More information about the appeals process can be found in the B&NES appeals information booklet;

• Admissions appeals information

FAQs on admissions

1. What policy is used to admit children to the school?

A: The admissions policy is published each year by the school; any changes having been consulted on with the Local Authority and Community.

For more information please see:

• Admission policy 2025-26 (Pdf)
• Admission policy 2026-27 (Pdf)
• Admission policy 2027-28 (Pdf)

2. What is your catchment area?

Wellsway School has a single area of prime responsibility (APR). We mainly serve Keynsham to the East of the River Chew, Chelwood Village, Compton Dando, Corston, Marksbury, Newton St Loe, Priston and Saltford. We also have students currently on roll from outside of this area in Keynsham, Bristol, south Gloucestershire and other regions of Bath & North East Somerset.

Show larger version of the map

3. How does my child get a year 7 place at the school?

At the start of Year 6, you will be sent a letter about the secondary transfer process and about how to apply for a secondary school place. You apply to your home local authority by the closing date of 31 October, for a school place the next year.

4. When will I hear if my child has got a place?

On 3rd March an offer of a school place is made to parents/carers who have applied by the closing date.

By mid March, parents/carers must accept or reject the offer made by the Local Authority.

5. What if my child is not offered a place in the first round of allocations on 3rd March?

Although you may not be allocated a place at this point in the process, this does not mean that a place may not be allocated at a later date; there can be quite a lot of movement during the successive allocation rounds.

Parents/carers are asked to reply to B&NES Admissions and Transport to accept or reject the offer of a school made by mid-March.  Some may turn down the offer of a place here in favour of an alternative school. This can result in more places at the school potentially becoming available.  These places will be offered in the second round of allocations.  A second round of offer letters is sent out by B&NES Admissions and Transport in the first week of May

6. How are places at the school allocated?

According to the admissions criteria which are published in the admissions policies:  

• Admissions policy 2025-26 (Pdf)
• Admissions policy 2026-27 (Pdf)
• Admission arrangements 2027-28 (Pdf)

7. Do I need to submit a supplementary application form direct to the school?

Only members of Wellsway School staff (both teaching and non-teaching) applying for a place for their child need to complete a supplementary application form (Pdf).

8. How many students were admitted into Year 7 previously?

• September 2021 – 228 students
• September 2022 – 230 students
• September 2023 – 220 students
• September 2024 – 226 students

9. What if my child lives out of area?

B&NES use an equal preference system and advise to put your school preferences into the order in which you want; looking to offer the highest preference they can. It is advised that your closest school is somewhere within your preferences; if you haven’t included your local school and you’re unsuccessful at other preferences, you may then be in a situation where your local school is full. For more information, see the Year 7 location map for the 2024-25 intake.

Admissions to the Sixth Form 

For more information please see Futura Sixth.