St James Catholic High School

Transcription

1 Year 7 St James Catholic High School ADMISSION POLICY SEPT 2019 AUG 2020 The Governors are responsible for the admission of students and, following consultation with the local authority, intend to admit 240 students (published admissions number (PAN)) for September Criteria As a Catholic School, we aim to provide a Catholic education for all our students. Catholic doctrine and practice permeate every aspect of the school s activity. It is essential that the Catholic character of the school s education is fully supported by all families in the school. On admission, all students and their families are expected to give their full, unreserved and positive support for the aims and ethos of the school. Priority will be given to practising Catholics who have shown a firm commitment to the Catholic faith and its practice as supported by a certificate of Baptism and a Certificate of Catholic Practice. 1) Catholic looked after students and Catholic students who have been adopted (or made subject to Child Arrangement orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after. 2) Practising Catholic (see definitions) students with a brother or sister in the school at the time of admission. 3) Practising Catholic (see definitions) children of members of staff who are employed by the Governing Body and have been in post for at least two years, at the time of application. 4) Practising Catholic (see definitions) students living closest to the school. Distance is measured in a straight line between the address point for the child s home, supplied by Ordnance Survey, to the school s main gate using the Local Authority s computerised geographical information system. 1 20/12/2017

2 5) Other Catholics, with those living nearest the school being accorded the highest priority. 6) Other looked after students and students who have been adopted (or made subject to Child Arrangement orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after, with those living nearest to the school being accorded the highest priority. 7) Eastern Orthodox students whose applications are supported with a Certificate of Baptism or Certificate of Reception, with those living nearest to the school being accorded the highest priority. 8) Non-Catholic children of members of staff who are employed by the Governing Body and have been in post for two years, at the time of application. 9) Students of other Christian denominations whose application is supported by a certificate of baptism/enrolment or a letter from the minister confirming membership of the faith, with those living nearest the school being accorded the highest priority. 10) Any other applicants with those living nearest the school being accorded the highest priority. Governors will give top priority within a category to a student whose exceptional medical, social or pastoral needs justify a place at this school. Governors will require compelling written evidence from an appropriate professional e.g. doctor, priest or social worker. This evidence must be submitted by the closing date. Students Educated Out Of Their Age Group Parents may request that their child be educated out of his/her chronological age group. Such requests must be made in writing to the Chair of Governors during the autumn term in the year of application. Governors will consider each request on its own merits and permission will only be given in exceptional circumstances. When the application is made, it will be ranked with all the other applications and no further exceptions will be given. A statutory right of appeal will be given upon refusal if no place has been offered in any school year. Tie Break In the event of two or more candidates meeting the same criteria and with only one place available, a random ballot in the presence of an independent observer will be used to determine which child will be admitted under the criterion in question. 2 20/12/2017

3 Multiple Births In the event of there being only one place left available for an applicant and the next candidate is part of an application concerning a multiple birth in accordance with the above criteria, then the Governors will admit all of the students concerned. Application Procedure In order to make an application and enable the Governing Body to apply the admission criteria, where applicable, parents need to provide the school with a completed supplementary information form (SIF), a Certificate of Catholic Practice, signed by the Parish Priest within the last six months, if applying under criteria 2, 3 or 4, and the child s certificate of Baptism for criteria 1-5. This is in addition to completing the online form through the eadmissions process with your local authority which must be completed as per instructions. If you do not complete eadmissions and the SIF and return them by the closing date of 31 October 2018, the Governing Body may be unable to consider your application fully. Those applying under criterion 10 need not complete a SIF. Notification letters will be sent out by the LA on behalf of the Governors on 1 March The school will maintain a waiting list which will remain open until 31 August Unsuccessful applicants will be invited to have their names placed on the waiting list in accordance with the above criteria. Late applicants will be added to the list which will then be re-ranked in accordance with the Admissions criteria. Fair Access The school is committed to taking its fair share of vulnerable students who are hard to place, in accordance with locally agreed protocols. Accordingly, outside the normal round of admissions, the Governing Body is empowered to give absolute priority to a child where admission is requested under any local protocol which carries the agreement of both the Governing Body and the Diocese of Westminster for the current admission year. The Governing Body has this power even when admitting such a child would exceed the normal admission number. Students with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) The admission of students with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHC), is dealt with by a completely separate procedure which is integral to the making and maintaining of statements by the child s home local authority. Details of this separate procedure are set out in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. Students with St James Catholic High School named in their EHC will be admitted before any other student. 3 20/12/2017

4 Years 11 to 12 There are 180 places in Year 12 and students transferring from Year 11 do not need to re-apply. In order access A-Level courses, students must achieve a minimum of grade 5 in both Maths and English Language GCSEs, along with 3 A*-C grades in 3 different subject areas. To access our technical courses, students must achieve a minimum of grade 5 in English Language GCSE, a minimum of grade 4 in Maths GCSE and 3 A*-C grades in 3 different subject areas. In addition, students must meet any individual requirements for the courses for which they have applied Applications from external students are welcome and places will be offered up to maximum capacity. Applications should reach the school by the published closing date, and in the case of over subscription the same criteria will apply as for Year 7. In-Year Admissions In-Year applications are made directly to the school. If a place is available, the Local Authority will be informed and an offer made. If more applications are received than there are places available, then applications will be ranked by the Governing Body in accordance with the oversubscription criteria and the school will notify parents of the offer of a place. Unsuccessful applicants will be offered the opportunity of being placed on the waiting list which will be maintained by the Governing Body in the order of the oversubscription criteria and not in the order in which the applications are received. When a place becomes available, the Governing Body will re-rank according to the criteria and determine who is at the top of the list and inform parents whether or not a place is to be offered. Admissions Appeals An independent committee will consider appeals from parents concerning students not accepted for admission. An application to the Clerk to the Governing Body must be made in writing by 1 May Contact the school for further information. Definitions of terms used in the Admissions Policy and Oversubscription Criteria: Looked-After is defined as in s.22 of the Students Act 1989 Catholic means a baptised member of a Church that is in full communion with the See of Rome. This is evidenced by a Baptism Certificate or a Certificate of Reception into the Catholic Church. This includes the Eastern Catholic Churches. Practising Catholic means a Catholic child from a practising Catholic family where weekly practice is verified by a Certificate of Catholic Practice in the standard format laid down by the Diocese. Family includes the Catholic or Catholics who have legal responsibility of the child. Certificate of Catholic 4 20/12/2017

5 Practice means a certificate issued by the family s parish priest (or the priest in charge of the church where the family attends Mass) in the form laid down by the Bishops Conference of England and Wales. It will be issued if the priest is satisfied that at least one Catholic parent or carer (along with the child, if he or she is over seven years old) have (except when it was impossible to do so) attended Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation for at least five years (or, in the case of the child, since the age of seven, if shorter). It will also be issued when the practice has been continuous since being received into the Church if that occurred less than five years ago. It is expected that most Certificates will be issued on the basis of attendance. A Certificate may also be issued by the priest when attendance is interrupted by exceptional circumstances which excuse from the obligation to attend on that occasion or occasions. Sibling means brothers and sisters, step and half and adopted brothers and sisters. Students of other Christian denominations means: children who belong to other churches and ecclesial communities which, acknowledging God s revelation in Christ, confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures, and, in obedience to God s will and in the power of the Holy Spirit commit themselves: to seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another in the Church, which is his body; and to fulfil their mission to proclaim the Gospel by common witness and service in the world to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. An ecclesial community which on principle has no credal statements in its tradition, is included if it manifests faith in Christ as witnessed to in the Scriptures and is committed to working in the spirit of the above. All members of Churches Together in England and of CYTÛN are deemed to be included in the above definition, as are all other churches and ecclesial communities that are in membership of any local Churches Together Group (by whatever title) on the above basis. Home Address is defined as where the child resides for 50% or more of the school week Parent should be defined as the parent or persons having legal responsibility for the child. Adopted. An adopted child is any child who has been legally adopted and whose parent/guardian can give proof of adoption. Child Arrangement Order. A Child Arrangement Order is an order under the terms of the Students Act 1989 s.8 which defines it as an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live. Special Guardianship Order. A special guardianship order is an order under the terms of the Students Act 1989 s.14a which defines it as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child s special guardian(s). Parent means the adult or adults with legal responsibility for the child. 5 20/12/2017

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