Criterion 1: Parent or Legal Guardian

• Part 1 of the application form must be completed by you, in which you provide an applicant statement with information about your current parental or legal guardian responsibilities and list the details of your child(ren).
• Part 2 of the application form is a supporting statement which must be completed by a supporting signatory who can confirm that they know both you AND the child(ren). This person must have a professional working relationship with the child(ren), e.g. teacher, headteacher, pre-school/nursery manager, midwife, GP/doctor, social worker.
• Optional checklist – the checklist does not need to be included with your application, and does not need to be uploaded onto Oriel because it is not a mandatory part of the application process. However, if you choose to include it, this is fine.
  
  The information provided by the supporting signatory needs to be legible, clear and explicit.

1. Proof of current address in your name, and which is in the area of the foundation school that you are applying to be allocated to (see proof of address guidance for list of acceptable documents).
   
2. A copy of the long/full version of the birth certificate is required for at least one of the children listed in your application.
   
   • If a birth certificate has been issued by a country outside of the UK and is not fully written in English, a complete and accurate translated copy must be provided so that the national review panel are able to read it.  If a translated copy is not provided the pre-allocation application may be rejected by the review panel. The original language document and the translation document must both be provided.
   • The short version of the birth certificate must NOT be provided, because it does not include the names of the parents and therefore won’t provide the review panel with the name of the applicant/parent which is needed for this application process. Applicants must provide the long/full version.
   • The applicant’s name as the parent must be listed on the birth certificate for at least one of the children listed in the application (unless legal guardianship applies, see point 3 below).
   • If your current surname and/or first name which you have given on your application form is different from your surname/and or first name on the birth certificate of your child(ren), please also provide evidence of your name change. A copy of this must be uploaded onto Oriel along with your other supporting evidence at the time of application.
     Acceptable evidence must be in the form of a legal document, and this will include: marriage or civil partnership certificates, deed polls, statutory declarations or affidavits, or gender recognition certificates or adoption orders.
3. For legal guardians: If you are not named as a parent on the birth certificate of at least one of the children listed in your application, you will need to provide formal documentation as evidence that you have been appointed as a legal guardian.
   
   • Legal guardianship must be evidenced by a formal court order or local authority documentation. Informal or undocumented caregiving arrangements will not be accepted.  
   • Acceptable formal documentation will include Parental Responsibility Orders, Special Guardianship Orders, Child Arrangement Orders and local authority confirmation of kinship care.
   • A copy of the legal document that confirms your status as a legal guardian for the child named in the birth certificate must be uploaded onto Oriel along with your other supporting evidence at the time of application.

If a legal document has been issued by a country outside of the UK and is not fully written in English, a complete and accurate translated copy must be provided so that the national review panel are able to read it.  If a translated copy is not provided the pre-allocation application may be rejected by the review panel. The original language document and the translation document must both be provided.