Longsands Academy is one of the largest county comprehensive schools in Cambridgeshire with some 1,379 scholars in the 11 to 16 population and 215 scholars in the Sixth Form.

The published admission number (PAN) for Longsands is 290. The school’s catchment area is St Neots and within a 3-mile radius.

  1. Children who live in the Village Catchment area which comprises the catchments of the following village primary schools: Great Paxton, Great Staughton, Little Paxton, Newton School, Barnabas Oley, Kimbolton Primary Academy and scholars who live within the village of Hail Weston; together with;
  2. Children who live in the St Neots Town Catchment area which comprises the catchment areas of the following St Neots primary schools: Crosshall Junior, Priory Junior and The Round House.

Admissions applications

All applications for admission to Year 7 to 11, whether in-year or for the start of a new academic year, must be made through Cambridgeshire County Council – full details can be found here.

For Year 6 into 7, the deadline for applications is 31st October in Year 6, with national offer day then taking place on 1st March.

Should you need assistance with completing the admissions process, please do contact us via email to enquiries@astrea-longsands.org and add ‘Admissions’ in the subject line.

Oversubscription criteria and appeals

Oversubscription criteria are included in our admissions policy. Please note that all admissions for Years 7 to 11 are managed by the Local Authority.

Contact details and further information about admissions can be found here on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.

Appeals

In accordance with the Department for Education’s School Admissions Code, parents and carers are legally entitled to appeal against the Admission Authority’s decision to refuse to comply with their preference. There is no charge for appeals.

  • Parents can appeal for places at all schools for which you have applied and been refused a place
  • Parents are entitled to submit one appeal per school, per academic year.
  • This appeal can be lodged at any time during the year, however appeals lodged by the appropriate deadline are heard within set timescales (see below). For Year 6 into 7 appeals, this means that the appeals deadline after national offer day is late March, with appeals heard in May and June.

Appeals are heard by an independent school admission appeals panel. The panel’s decision is binding on all parties: the school, the admission authority and parents/carers

For further information please visit: School admission appeals – Cambridgeshire County Council

In Year Admissions

An in-year admission is when you are applying for a school place outside of the ‘normal admissions rounds’.
Applications are made through In-year admissions (moving schools) – Cambridgeshire County Council

Transfer Process

  • During the year prior to entry, parents/carers of Year 6 scholars invited to spend part of a morning being shown around Longsands Academy
  • An Open Evening is held in October, during which scholars and their parents/carers have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with all areas of the school
  • Visits to junior schools are made by the Head of Year 7, and the SENDCO, to discuss issues relating to scholar transfer
  • In July, new scholars will spend two full days at Longsands Academy, in their new form groups, and will meet their form tutors
  • On the evening of the first day, parents/carers are invited in to meet their child’s form tutor

For further information about the admissions and transfer process to Cambridgeshire Secondary schools, please visit the Cambridgeshire County Council website from which you can download leaflets etc for transition information and advice.