Academy Admissions
Welcome to the Harris Academy Philip Lane Admissions information page.
We are delighted to resume school tours for prospective parents. Please see the next date and time below and fill in the form to book your place as spaces are limited. Additional dates will be added, please check back here and keep an eye on our social media.
School Tour Dates:
11.2.2026 @9:30am (Nursery Open Morning)
25.3.2026 @9:30am (Nursery Open Morning)
29.4.2026 @9:30am
17.6.2026 @9:30am
Our full policy, with details of our admissions criteria, can be downloaded from further down the page. A brief summary of the application procedure follows.
Admissions Outline
We have 60 places available in Reception each year.
When considering applications, children with a Statement of Special Education Needs that names the Academy or those with Educational Healthcare (EHC) Plans will be admitted first and under different regulations.
If there are more than 60 applications, Looked After and Former Looked After Children will be admitted first, followed by children who the Harris Trust accepts have an exceptional medical or social need for a place at the school. Supporting evidence in the form of a written statement from a doctor, social worker or other relevant independent professionals will need to be provided.
Children with siblings at the Academy will be prioritised next, and all remaining places will be distributed on the basis of proximity between home and school, with children who live closest to our Academy on Philip Lane being prioritised.
Admission to the Nursery does not guarantee admission to the Academy’s Primary provision and a separate application must be made for admission to the Reception year group.
You can read our full admissions policy below.
To apply for a place, you will need to name the Academy on Haringey Council’s Common Application Form. More details can be found here.
If you do not live in Haringey, you should name the Academy on the Common Application Form of the borough in which you live.
In Year Applications
We sometimes have places available for children in other year groups. If you have recently moved to the area or would like to apply for a place at Philip Lane outside the normal time of transfer between schools, please contact the academy office directly and we will provide you with an in-year pupil enrolment form.
Alternatively, you can download the form from below and return it to the academy office as soon as possible. We will then arrange a school tour and a 1:1 meeting with the Head of Academy.
You are welcome to contact our Admissions Officer if you have any questions.
Academy Admissions Contact Details
Telephone: 0208 808 3231
Email: info@harrisprimaryphiliplane.org.uk
Address: Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane, Philip Lane, London, N15 4AB
Reception Applications
Applications for places in Reception should be made on the home Local Authority’s Common Application Form. These are accessible on the LA’s website and should be submitted in accordance with the LA’s published deadlines for applications (normally early to mid-January before the academic year in which the child is eligible for entry).
| Reception Key Dates | |
|---|---|
| 15 January 2026 | Application Deadline |
| 16 April 2026 | The local authority will contact parents to inform them if they have been successful in applying for a place |
| 30 April 2026 | Deadline for parents to accept the offered place. |
| 18 May 2026 | Appeal deadline |
| September 2026 |
Waiting lists closed and replaced by casual admissions waiting lists, Parents/Carers will need to re-apply as a casual admission, if still waiting. The casual admission application is to be submitted to Haringey Council. |
| January 2027 |
All waiting lists will be cleared on the first day of term in January, and parents seeking a place after this date or in any other year group must submit an in-year application for admission which will be processed in accordance with the procedure set out above. |
Deferred Entry
All children are entitled to a full-time place in Reception Year in the September following their fourth birthday. Children do not, however, reach compulsory school age (CSA) until one of three prescribed dates following their fifth birthday as follows:
|
Born on or between: |
Prescribed date the child reaches CSA: |
|
1 September and 31 December |
31 December |
|
1 January and 31 March |
31 March |
|
1 April and 31 August |
31 August (a whole school year later) |
Parents have an absolute right to decide that their child will not start school until they reach CSA, which is known as 'deferred entry' (or 'delayed entry' in the case of 'summer born children' - see below). The Academy has no discretion to refuse to allow this.
Where parents choose to defer entry until later in the school year, the Academy will hold their place in Reception Year for them, rather than giving it to another child, for a maximum of two terms (i.e. until the Easter end of term holiday). Places cannot be deferred or retained beyond this point.
Where parents want to defer their child's entry and/or choose for them to attend school part-time, they should apply for a place in the normal way and, once they have accepted the offer of a place, notify the Academy of their decision, preferably in writing. There is no need to give reasons.
Delayed Entry for Summer Born Child
Children born between 1 April and 31 August (known as 'summer born children') do not reach CSA until 31 August and are therefore not legally required to start school until one school year after they became entitled to a full-time place in Reception Year.
Parents of summer born children can defer their child's place for one or two terms and/or choose for their child to attend part-time throughout the school year, as set out above. However, they cannot defer their child's place for a whole school year and still retain it. If they do not want their child to start school at all until the following year, they will need to refuse the offer of a place and apply for admission again the next year.
However, where a summer born child is admitted one school year later than usual, the default position is that this would be to Year 1 with their normal age group. This means a) they will have missed Reception Year entirely, and b) they will only achieve an offer of a place if there is one available in Year 1, which is uncommon.
Parents can, however, make a request for their child to be admitted one year later than usual, outside their normal age group, to Reception Year. The procedure for making these requests is set out below, however parents should note that, unlike with deferred/delayed entry and part-time attendance, there is no absolute right for a child to be admitted outside their normal age group - this is at the discretion of the admission authority for the school involved.
Parents are strongly encouraged to make their requests in a timely manner, preferably well ahead of any application deadlines, so that they can obtain a decision in principle which will enable them to make informed decisions when they subsequently apply for admission.
For Parents/Carers who Wish to Appeal
Parent(s) may wish to appeal against the Academy’s decision on admissions based on the published admissions criteria.
If you wish to appeal, you must fill in the Appeals Form below. You can attach to your appeals form any relevant documents and or a letter with information and evidence that you feel supports your case.
All appeals must be made in writing to the Clerk to the Appeal Panel at Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane, Philip Lane, Tottenham, London, N15 4AB or at info@harrisprimaryphiliplane.org.uk using the appeals form by the 18th May 2026. All appeals will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals.
The appeals will be heard, in private, by an Independent appeal Panel. The Clerk to the Appeal Panel will make an appointment within a reasonable time and appeals may be made in English or the Parents’/Carers’ first language.
• Only one appeal per application is allowed.
• Appeals are conducted in person, and you may bring a friend.
The Appeal Hearing
The Academy will arrange for an Independent Appeals Panel to consider the Academy's reasons for refusal and your reasons for wanting to attend the Academy.
The Panel will consist of 3 people (2 will have education experience and one will be an independent person with no education experience).
The Panel will consider the case put forward by you and the Academy. They must consider the admission arrangements for the Academy and the reasons why you want to attend that particular school. The Panel must exercise its discretion by balancing the weight of your argument (for wanting to attend) against the Academy’s reasons for refusal i.e. the prejudice that one more student would cause to the education of the students already offered and the Health and Safety of all the students already attending the Academy, also taking into account the Academy's published admission arrangements.
The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on the admissions authority and the Parents.
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Additional supporting information
Information on appeals good practice can be found here.
If an appellant wishes to submit further evidence, which was not included with their initial appeal, they should ensure this is received at least seven clear working days (not counting the day of postage or the hearing) in advance of your appeal.
Only a short document, such as a doctor’s letter not previously available, will be accepted up to five clear working days prior to the hearing. Any additional evidence or information received after this deadline will not be circulated and may not be considered at the hearing
