My DD1 will be starting school next September so I need to apply this year for her. The admissions policy below is for our first preference school. I am struggling to understand how they decide on who gets a place. Priority 1 and 2 are quite clear to me. However after that does it go Priority 3, 4 and 5 or is 3,4 and 5 one category on it's own? e.g. if there are two families who go to church weekly the one with the least distance away from the school would get the place?
Thanks in advance.
Over-subscription Criteria
If there are more applications received within either category than there are places available, and in compliance with the School Admissions Code in force, the following over-subscription criteria will be applied to prioritise all applications received:
Priority 1 ? Looked After Children
Priority will be given to children who, at the time of admission:
? are in the care of a local authority, or
? are provided with accommodation by the authority (Looked After Children), or
? children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted, or became subject to a residence order or a special guardianship order.
A Looked After Child is defined in Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.
Priority 2 - Siblings
Priority will then be given to children who, at the time of application:
? have an older sibling currently attending the school in Year 7 to Year 13,
? and, the older sibling joined the school in Year 7 to Year 11,
? and, the older sibling will still attend the school at the time of admission,
? and, the faith commitment of the parent, as evidenced in the SIF (and Support Form) has been maintained since the original application for entry for the older sibling.
This priority applies equally to brothers, sisters, step-brothers, step-sisters, half-brothers, half-sisters and adopted brothers and sisters, provided that they are living at the same address as the applicant.
Any place offered may be withdrawn if the older sibling leaves the school before the younger sibling attends.
Priority 3 - Faith Commitment of Parent and Child
Priority will then be given to those with the highest level of commitment to the worshipping life of their faith community. This will be done by ranking the information provided within the SIF and Support Form to determine the level of attendance at Worship, Sunday School or Religious Instruction by one parent or guardian, and the child.
In the event of a number of applications having the same level of faith commitment, priority will be given to those with the highest:
(i) attendance of parent
(ii) attendance of child
in that order.
Where either the parent and/or applicant child have attended their current place of worship for less than 12 months, or where they consider that they are members of more than one worshipping community, or where they attend separate places of worship, a Support Form is required from each place of worship attended within the last 12 months.
Attendance arranged as part school based church worship or education is not included, neither is attendance by other members of the applicant?s family.
Priority 4 ? Distance from Home
Priority will then be given by reference to distance between home and the school. A straight-line measurement will be made from the child?s home address to the centre of the school site on the basis of information provided to the school by the Local Authority. The shortest measurement will have the highest priority.
The address used must be the child?s permanent home address. Where the child lives with separated parents, it will be the address where they sleep for the majority of the school week.
Any place offered may be withdrawn if it subsequently found that this information is incorrect.
Priority 5 ? Random Allocation
Where all other listed criteria are equal, and the school is not able to admit all such children, lots will be drawn decide the priority order for admission. This process will be independently verified.
Important Notes
a. Where the last available place in either category (Church Place or Open Place) is offered to one sibling of a multiple birth, the remaining siblings will also be admitted.
b. Children are normally admitted at the start of the school year in which they become twelve (school Year 7) and remain until they are of statutory school leaving age.
c. Applications will also be considered at other times and into other years if there are places available, using the process set out above.
d. Applications for post-16 courses of study may be made by either parents or prospective students themselves. Please see the school?s separate post-16 admissions policy.
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Help understanding admission criteria please
13 replies
Zingy123 · 30/04/2013 08:17
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