CAF1 FORM

Your 5 step guide to making an application for the

normal year of entry for the 2025/2026 school year
Step 1 – Find out more about the schools you want to apply for
▪ Visit the school(s), look at their prospectus or website.
▪ Talk to staff at the school about your child and any concerns you may have.
▪ Look at their admissions oversubscription criteria to see how your application would be
prioritised (available at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions).
Step 2 – Think about how you will get your child to school
a) We will provide Suffolk County Council (SCC) funded school travel to the Nearest Suitable
School that would have had a place available for your child when they meet the statutory
walking distance criteria from their home address. This would be whether or not an application
was made for a place at that school. Please see Note 8 of Guidance Notes in this application
form for further information.
b) We will only provide SCC funded school travel to your child’s catchment area school
when it is the nearest suitable school to their home that would have had a place
available for them and they meet the distance criteria.
c) It is important that you check which school is your child’s nearest suitable school on our
Nearest School Checker for the 2025/2026 school year. You can find out which are the
three nearest Suffolk schools (based on the statutory walking distance including Public Rights
of Way) by putting your child’s postcode into the Checker which can be found at
nearestschool.suffolk.gov.uk. We update this each year to include new roads and
developments.
d) Your School Preferences and the order in which you put them on your admissions application
could affect your child’s eligibility for SCC funded school travel. Our School Travel Scenarios
can help you work out when your child might be eligible for SCC funded school travel to their
school when the age and distance criteria are met. These can be found in Step 4 of the
relevant ‘Apply for a school place’ page online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions.

Step 3 – Apply online or by paper by the relevant closing date

▪ You should apply online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions. The online facility is open from 12
September 2024 until the relevant closing date below. You cannot apply online after the
closing date. If you cannot apply online, you should complete the paper application (CAF1).

Step 4 – Send any evidence by the relevant closing date

▪ Email or post any evidence to support your application, for example, a future house move, to
the Admissions Team to reach us by the relevant closing date below.
▪ Send any Supplementary Information Form (SIF) direct to the school for voluntary aided, free
schools or academies.
▪ More information is available at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions.

Step 5 – Submit your online application or post your paper application (CAF1)
▪ Ensure your online application or your paper application is submitted or posted to reach us by:
− Thursday 31 October 2024 for secondary schools
− Wednesday 15 January 2025 for primary (including infant and junior) schools
▪ Other relevant dates can be found online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions.
▪ We do not acknowledge receipt of paper applications and strongly suggest you get proof of
posting.
For further information, please read the Admissions to Schools in Suffolk 2025/2026 guide and the
relevant Directory of Schools which are available online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions or
contact the Admissions Team on 0345 600 0981 (local rate).
CAF1 FORM
Guidance notes for making an application for the
normal year of entry for the 2025/2026 school year
If your child lives in Suffolk and you have not applied online, please use this form to apply for a place
in the normal year of entry at any mainstream school within Suffolk and/or in another Local Authority.

Important: You must return this form to the Admissions Team to reach us by the relevant
closing date as shown on the application form.
Late applications: We will not normally consider applications received after the closing date until
after we have dealt with on time applications. This means that all available places at your preferred
school(s) may have been filled.
If you submit a second or subsequent application, then this will override any previous
application. This is because you can only have up to three ‘live’ preferences at any one time. Any
previous offer of a school place that may have been made will be withdrawn if we can offer a place
at any school from your second or subsequent applications.

Before you complete this application form you should read the following notes:
Note 1 – Children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan
If your child has an EHC plan, then this will need to be amended to specify the name of their new
school. Please contact the relevant Family Services Team who will be able to advise and support if
you have any questions about the process:
▪ North: 01502 521516 or [email protected]
▪ South: 01473 260670 or [email protected]
▪ West: 01284 741234 or [email protected]

Note 2 – Children in care (looked after children)

A ‘child in care’ or 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
(see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).

Note 3 – Children previously in care (previously looked after children)

Children previously in care (children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were
adopted, or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order, immediately
following having been looked after). You must provide evidence with your application that your child
was previously in care in the form of an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order if
you want this to be taken into consideration when ranking your application.

Note 4 – Children adopted from state care outside of England

A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of
or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of
care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society and ceased to be in state care as a result of
being adopted. You must provide evidence of this with your application if you want this to be taken
into consideration when ranking your application. Each admissions authority for your preferred
schools will consider the evidence you provide. They may reach different decisions about how they
will rank your application.

Note 5 – Child’s current address/moving address

Please give your child’s current address. If you are planning to move house and you want your future
address to be the one used to allocate a school place, you must attach to your application written
evidence that you are legally committed to the move and that it will take place before your child is due
to start at the school you have applied for. The evidence must be either proof of exchange of
contracts, or a signed letting/tenancy agreement confirming your new address. Please note that a
sale memorandum, or an unsigned tenancy agreement or a letter from your solicitor confirming
exchange of contracts will take place soon will not be accepted.

Please refer to the Admissions to Schools in Suffolk 2025/2026 guide for information on a child’s
ordinarily resident address, moving house, cross-county applications, children living at more than one
address, parental disputes and fraudulent applications. This is available online at
www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions or contact the Admissions Team on 0345 600 0981 (local rate).

If you are a UK service personnel family with a confirmed posting, or a crown servant family returning
from overseas, we will offer places in advance of the move provided the application is accompanied
by an official letter that declares a relocation date. Evidence of a future address may also be
required. A Unit or quartering address can be used if requested.

If you are unable to provide evidence of your move by the relevant closing date, we will still be able to
use your new address to rank your application if we receive sufficient evidence by Wednesday 18
December 2024 for secondary school applications or by Wednesday 5 February 2025 for
primary (including infant and junior) school applications. Please contact the Admissions Team
on 0345 600 0981 for further details.

Note 6 – Private fostering

If you are caring for someone else's child for more than 28 days, you do not have parental
responsibility for them and you are not a relative such as a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt
(whether full blood, half blood or by marriage or civil partnership) or step-parent, you may be private
fostering. It is a legal requirement that you contact Suffolk County Council on 0808 800 4005. More
information is available at www.suffolk.gov.uk/privatefostering.

Note 7 – Definition of parent

For the purposes of education law, section 576 of the Education Act 1996 defines a 'parent' as:

▪ all natural (biological) parents, whether they are married or not

▪ any person who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young
person (this could be a step-parent, guardian or other relative)
▪ any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of a child or young person.

A person has care of a child or young person if they are the person with whom the child lives and
who looks after the child, irrespective of what their relationship is with the child.

Note 8 – School Travel Policy (further to Step 2 on the first page of this document)
SCC funded school travel will be provided to the Nearest Suitable School that would have had a
place available for your child when they are: a) aged under 8 and live more than two miles from the
school; or b) aged 8 or older and live more than three miles from the school. This would be whether
or not an application was made for a place at that school. The distance in a) and b) above is called
the statutory walking distance.

Ages are taken at 1 September in each school year. If your child receives SCC funded school travel
and is under eight years of age and lives more than two miles but less than three miles from the
school allocated, travel will finish at the end of the school year following their eighth birthday.

Full details about SCC funded school travel, including the School Travel Policy, additional
arrangements for low income families and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
(SEND), can be found at www.suffolkonboard.com/schooltravel.

Note 9 – Voluntary aided, free schools and academies

You may need to complete a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) for a voluntary aided, free
school or academy. Please check the school’s individual policy to confirm if this is a requirement.
These are available either from the school, online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions or by contacting
the Admissions Team on 0345 600 0981. The SIF needs to be filled in and returned to the school.
 CAF1 FORM
Application form for the normal year of entry for the 2025/2026 school year
We strongly recommend that you read the Admissions to Schools in Suffolk 2025/2026 guide,
the relevant Directory of Schools in Suffolk at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions and the
School Travel Policy at www.suffolkonboard.com/schooltravel before completing this form.

Important: You must return this form to the Admissions Team to reach us by the closing date of:
▪ Thursday 31 October 2024 for secondary schools
▪ Wednesday 15 January 2025 for primary (including infant and junior) schools
We do not acknowledge receipt of paper applications and strongly suggest you get proof of posting.
If you submit a second or subsequent application, then this will override any previous application.
Failure to complete your application fully, or to provide evidence, where necessary, may result in a
delay or may affect your child’s priority or offer of a school place.

Please print in capital letters

Child’s details
Child's legal last name:

First name: Middle name:

Child's date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY): Male: ☐ Female ☐

Does your child have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan? (see Note 1): Yes: ☐ No: ☐
=

Is the child in care (looked after child)? (see Note 2): Yes: ☐ No: ☐

Was your child previously in care? (see Note 3): Yes: ☐ No: ☐
You must provide evidence with your application that your child was previously in care in the form of
an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order if you want this to be taken into
consideration when ranking your application. Please tick this box to confirm you have attached
evidence: ☐

Was your child adopted from state care outside of England? (see Note 4): Yes: ☐ No: ☐
If Yes, please provide name and contact details of any Local Authority who has been involved:

If Yes, please tick this box to confirm if you have attached evidence: ☐

Child’s current address (see Note 5):

Postcode:

Name and address of current or most recent school/education provision (even if outside of the UK):
Other details – if you are moving house please fill in these boxes
If you want your future address to be the one used to allocate a school place, you must attach written
evidence that you are legally committed to this move, see Note 5.
Child’s future address, including postcode:

Date of move:
Please tick this box to confirm if you have attached evidence of your child’s new address: ☐

Are you a UK service personnel or a crown servant family? (see Note 5): Yes: ☐ No: ☐

Are you privately fostering this child? (see Note 6): Yes: ☐ No: ☐

Applicant’s details – parent/carer (see Note 7)

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms: Initials:

Last name: Relationship to child:

Telephone number:

Email address:

Address if different to the child’s, including the postcode:

Data Protection:
Our Privacy Notice is available at www.suffolk.gov.uk/CYPprivacynotice. This privacy notice tells you
what information Children's Services collects and uses, and your rights regarding your information.
You can request a paper copy by contacting us on 0345 600 0981.

School preference notes

Please note:
▪ We cannot guarantee your child a place at any school
▪ We recommend you apply for more than one school – see Note 8 on School Travel

Siblings:
It is important that you provide this information because it can affect your child’s priority or offer of a
school place. You should check the definition of sibling for the schools you are applying for. This can
be found in a school’s individual policy which is available either from the school or online at
www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions. For community and voluntary controlled schools, please name the
youngest sibling who has already been offered a place at the school, or where the sibling will still be
attending the school at the time of admission but not in a specialist unit or a specialist resource base
for Hearing Impaired provision, a nursery or in the sixth form. You should also include the sibling if
you are applying for a paired infant or junior school.

Reasons for preference:

You can add reasons for each of your preferences if you want to. However, the admissions authority
is only able to take these reasons into account if they have a direct bearing on how your application is
ranked against the relevant published oversubscription criteria.
First preference school:

Does the child you are applying for have a sibling in this school or the associated infant/junior
school? (see Note on previous page): Yes: ☐ No: ☐
Sibling’s name: Sibling’s date of birth:

Reasons (you do not have to fill in this section if you do not want to, see Note on previous page):

Second preference school:

Does the child you are applying for have a sibling in this school or the associated infant/junior
school? (see Note on previous page): Yes: ☐ No: ☐
Sibling’s name: Sibling’s date of birth:

Reasons (you do not have to fill in this section if you do not want to, see Note on previous page):

Third preference school:

Does the child you are applying for have a sibling in this school or the associated infant/junior
school? (see Note on previous page): Yes: ☐ No: ☐
Sibling’s name: Sibling’s date of birth:

Reasons (you do not have to fill in this section if you do not want to, see Note on previous page):

Parental Declaration (MUST be completed):

▪ I confirm that I have read the Admissions to Schools in Suffolk 2025/2026 guide, the relevant
Directory of Schools in Suffolk and the guidance notes attached to this application form.
▪ I have read the School Travel Policy and understand how eligibility for Suffolk County Council
funded school travel will be decided.
▪ I understand that I will not receive an acknowledgement of this application and the Admissions
Team is not responsible for forms lost in the post.
▪ I also confirm that the information I have given on this form is true and that I am a parent of
this child as defined under section 576 of the Education Act 1996, please see Note 7.

Parent/Carer’s signature: Date:

Contact details, including how and where to send this form:

▪ All applications, including for voluntary aided, free schools and academies, must be sent to
the Admissions Team. Do not return this application form to a school.
▪ If you wish to email this form and you do not have access to a scanner, you can take photos of
the application form, evidence or supporting information and attach these to your email.
▪ If you send this form in the post, we strongly suggest that you get proof of postage as we
cannot be responsible for forms lost in the post.

Admissions Team, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2BX.
Telephone: 0345 600 0981 Email: [email protected]