Admissions policy - can someone check that they agree with my understanding of how it works?

[OlennasWimple]

Grey Coat Hospital School admissions policy here

I think from my reading of it that, after the spaces for girls gifted in languages have been allocated and spaces for girls who are CofE worshippers have been filled, there are usually about 20 "open spaces" of which the first priority is given to LAC / previously LAC. But I wasn't 100% certain that every year there are "open spaces"...?

Background: DD is adopted, so would get priority in most schools' admission policies, but this one is rather more complicated than most, so I wanted to check whether she would almost definitely get in or not

Your dd won't definitely get in, as it is " up to 20" open places. There may be less and they may be other previous or current LAC children who live nearer.

The number of open places would only be reduced if there are pupils admitted with an EHC plan naming the school. If your daughter is a previously looked after child she will be at or near the head of the queue. She could miss out if there are other LAC or former LAC in her band (based on the test) living closer to the school than you do. I would say that there is a good chance she will get in but it is not definite.

The way I read it, a LAC child could also be admitted under the faith criteria as well if applicable. I am a bit about the baptism (or equivalent) requirement as surely this would be harder to establish for a LAC child.
I assume that since you refer to the Open places, you do not qualify under the faith criteria.
I think distance can be a criteria for a school with bands and faith criteria but6 it will be the tie-breaker. I would imagine that it may be possible for all the open spaces in your dcs ability band to be used up by children with ECHPs or other LAC dcs. It should be possible to ask the school how many LACs they have taken over the past few years.

IMO the GCH criteria are amongst the most complicated in the whole damned country and are designed to be impenetrable

IMO the GCH criteria are amongst the most complicated in the whole damned country and are designed to be impenetrable

Agreed. I wonder if they would withstand a reference to the Adjudicator on the basis that the Admissions Code repeatedly calls for admission arrangements to be clear and these are anything but.

Greycoat Hospital School Admissions Criteria 1

Places available for daughter's of MPs who for political reasons cannot be seen to be accessing private or selective schools.

There are several things that concern me about this school's admission policy prh

1. Are they really allowed to have different categories for C of E children and Christian families of other denominations that don't have their own schools e.g. baptist or methodist etc. Our local VA school gives equal weight to all denominations.
2. This sentence also concerns me "In establishing family church commitment, only family members living together at

one address and who have legal responsibility for the child will be taken into account" along with both parent and child attending the church. Surely this discriminates against divorcees whose dcs may spend alternate weekends with different birth parents? And what about families of mixed faiths e.g. one parent Catholic and the other C of E - how would this be catered for in this policy?

I read it that there will definitely be some open places, but the number can be less than 20 depending on how many places get taken for SEN etc. You should be fine OP.

Are they really allowed to have different categories for C of E children and Christian families of other denominations that don't have their own schools

Yes they are, although that isn't what they policy actually says. They have one category for CofE children and another category for other churches in either Churches Together in Britain or the Evangelical Alliance. That category would include RC applicants. The RC church does, of course, have its own schools.

Surely this discriminates against divorcees whose dcs may spend alternate weekends with different birth parents

It depends how they actually administer this. My reading of the policy is that they require the parent who is applying and the child to both attend church weekly. They don't have to be at the same church. So I think it would qualify if, say, mum goes to church every week and takes her child on her weekends and dad takes the child to church on his weekends, even if it is a different church. If that is the policy it would also deal with the problem of parents of mixed faiths.

If they do something different from this it could indeed be discriminatory in the ways you suggest. It is certainly not as clear as it could be.

It is certainly not as clear as it could be Ain't that the truth!

Thanks all - I'm sort of glad that it's not just me finding the policy pretty impenetrable... It is a brilliant "sharp elbowed middle class getting admission to the best schools" example, isn't it - good job that DD has a mother with pretty pointy elbows