GOOD SHEPHERD CATHOLIC PRIMARY & NURSERY SCHOOL ADMISSIONS POLICY

GOOD SHEPHERD CATHOLIC PRIMARY & NURSERY SCHOOL ADMISSIONS POLICY Dunley Drive New Addington Croydon CR0 0RG Revised July 2016 For September 2018 Entry

Good Shepherd Catholic Primary & Nursery School, New Addington, Croydon, CR0 0RG (referred to below in the Admissions Criteria as Good Shepherd School, New Addington, or the School ) Admissions Policy for September 2018 Entry Admissions Criteria Good Shepherd School, New Addington is an Academy, in the Catholic Diocese of Southwark. It is in the trusteeship of the Diocese. The School is conducted by its Governing Body as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its Trust Deed and Instrument of Government, and seeks at all times to be a witness to Jesus Christ. The School exists primarily to serve the Catholic community and Catholic children always have priority of admission. However, the Governing Body welcomes all applications, particularly from those of other denominations and faiths who support the religious ethos of the School. The School offers nursery class provision for 3/4 year olds, providing 26 part-time places. If the School receives more applications than there are places available at that time in the nursery class, then, in order to prioritise applications, the Governors Admissions Committee uses the same Admissions criteria as is used for Reception admissions. Parent(s) with a child or children attending the nursery class must be aware that such child or children do not automatically transfer to the Reception class at the School. Parent(s) will still need to apply at the appropriate time for a place (or places) for such child or children in the Reception class, using the Common Application Form referred to below in this Policy Document The School has a Published Admission Number for the Infant School of 210 (30 per class, from Reception through to Year 6). Where the number of applications exceeds the Planned Admission Number of 30 in each class, the Governors will allocate places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1. Looked After Catholic Children. (Including Catholic children in the care of non- Catholic families) or non-catholic Looked After Children in the care of Catholic families. Also, Adopted Catholic Children who were previously looked after, and Adopted non-catholic children who were previously looked after where such Adopted children are respectively in the care of Catholic families. (See Notes and Advice below) 2. Baptised Catholic children of practising Catholic parents (attending weekly Sunday or Saturday Vigil Mass and Holy Days), who have a sibling or siblings attending the School when the applicant child is due to enter, who are: a) resident in the Parish and worshipping at Good Shepherd Parish Church b) resident in the Parish but worshipping at another Catholic church outside the Parish c) not resident in the Parish but worshipping at Good Shepherd Parish Church 2

d) not resident in the Parish and worshipping at another Catholic church outside the Parish Evidence of Baptism will be required 3. Baptised Catholic children of practising Catholic parents (attending weekly Sunday or Saturday Vigil Mass and Holy Days) who are: a) resident in the Parish and worshipping at Good Shepherd Parish Church b) resident in the Parish but worshipping at another Catholic church outside the Parish c) not resident in the Parish but worshipping at Good Shepherd Parish Church d) not resident in the Parish and worshipping at another Catholic church outside the Parish Evidence of Baptism will be required 4. Children enrolled in the Catechumenate. Written evidence of enrolment will be required by the parish priest. 5. Baptised Catholic children resident in the Parish, whose Catholic parent(s) practice of the Faith is intermittent Evidence of Baptism will be required 6. Baptised Catholic children not resident in the Parish, whose Catholic parent(s) practice of the Faith is intermittent Evidence of Baptism will be required 7 Other Looked After Children and Adopted children who were previously looked after: a) with a sibling or siblings attending the School when the applicant child is due to enter, or, next b) with no such sibling or siblings attending the School when the applicant child is due to enter 8. Siblings of non-catholic children on the roll at the School at the time of admission. 9. Children who are members of Orthodox Churches. Evidence of Baptism will be required. 10. Children of families who are members of other Christian denominations (other than Orthodox Churches) that are members of Churches Together in England. Evidence of Baptism (or dedication) provided by a priest, minister, or pastor of a designated place of worship will be required. 11. Unbaptised children from families where a parent is baptised into the Catholic Church. Evidence of parent s Baptism will be required 12. Any other children. 3

TIE BREAK If there is over-subscription in any of the above categories, the Governing Body will allocate places in accordance with the following criteria in the order of priority set out below: a.i a.ii a.iii For applications under Criteria 2a-d above: Strength of evidence of commitment to the Faith as demonstrated by the level of attendance at Mass shown on the Supplementary Information Form (mentioned below). This evidence must be provided by parents/ carers (if applicable) and be endorsed by a priest in appointment at the parish church(es) where, as the case may be, the parents normally worship. For applications under Criteria 3a-d above: Strength of evidence of commitment to the Faith as demonstrated by the level of attendance at Mass shown on the Supplementary Form (mentioned below). This evidence must be provided by parents/carers (if applicable) and be endorsed by a priest in appointment at the parish church(es) where, as the case may be, the parents normally worship For applications under Criteria 5 and 6 above: Strength of evidence of commitment to the Faith as demonstrated by the level of attendance at Mass shown on the Supplementary Form (mentioned below). Applications will be ranked in the order shown on the Supplementary Form, being, in priority, those who attend Mass either fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, less than quarterly, or yearly or longer. This evidence must be provided by parents/carers(if applicable) and be endorsed by a priest in appointment at the parish church(es) where, as the case may be, the parents normally worship. b. Siblings: This means a sibling or siblings who will be on the roll in the Primary (not Nursery) School of Good Shepherd at the time of admittance of the applicant sibling. c. Children with serious medical conditions for needing to attend the School. For primary age children, a serious and continuing medical condition of a parent [or carer, if applicable], which would prevent them from taking their child to school may also be relevant. Supporting evidence, whether for child or parent or carer, must set out (i) details of the seriousness of the medical condition(s) involved, (ii) particular reasons why the School is the most suitable, and (iii) the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. Medical reasons must be verified by a current letter or report from the child s and/or parent or carer s GP or medical consultant and made available at the time of the child s application to be admitted to the School. d. Pastoral or social benefit to be derived by a particular child in the making an application for entry of that child to the School. The Governors of the School Admissions Committee will require written evidence from a priest, minister, doctor, social worker or relevant professional, detailing such benefit, at the time when the application is being considered by the Governors. d. All other children falling within the relevant category: distance will be measured in a straight line from the centre of the applicant child s main home to the designated main entrance nominated by the School, using the Local Authority s computerised measuring system with those, living closer to the School receiving higher priority. For shared properties, e.g. block of flats, the distance will be taken from the centre of the building. If two applicant children live in the same shared property e.g. block of flats, and are the same in 4

relation to the other criteria, then the School will use the tiebreak. The School should be notified of changes of address immediately. Failure to do so could result in the applicant child being denied a place at the School. Tiebreak: In the event of a tiebreak within any of the above categories, e.g. distances being equal, a place or places will be allocated by drawing of lots. This will be independently adjudicated. Parents are advised that criteria a-d, above will be applied to each of the categories 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 12. Making an Application: To apply for a place at Good Shepherd Catholic Primary & Nursery School, please complete two separate Forms: 1. The Common Application Form (CAF) from the Local Authority where your child lives, to be returned to the Authority or completed online at the Authority s website. The Common Application Form (CAF) can be obtained from the School office or alternatively from the Local Authority website. It is mandatory to complete this Form. 2. The Supplementary Information Form (SIF), which needs to be returned to the School. The completion of a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is not mandatory. However, if a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is not received by the School, the Governors will not be able to apply the School s Admission Criteria, and the application will then be considered under category 12 above of the Admission Criteria ( Any Other Children ). The Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is available on the websites of both the Local Authority and the School. (For the avoidance of doubt, the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is not available from the website of the Parish of Good Shepherd, New Addington) Appeals: Parents whose application for a place at this School is unsuccessful may appeal to an independent appeal panel under the relevant provisions of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Appeals must be made in writing setting out the reasons on which the appeal is made, and sent to the School's Admissions Appeals Clerk, so that it is received by the date given in the letter confirming the Governors' decision not to offer a place. Parents/carers have the right to make oral representations to the appeal panel. The Decision of the appeal panel will be made in accordance with the Code of Practice on Schools Admissions Appeals published by the Department for Education, and is binding on all parties. Information about the appeals process can be requested from the School office. As nursery provision is non-statutory, there is no right of appeal to an independent appeal panel. 5

Waiting List: Parents of children who have not been offered a place at the School may ask for their child s name to be placed on a waiting list. The School will hold its waiting list for one year. When a place becomes available, all current applications for a place in the year group will be considered in accordance with the criteria of the Admissions Policy. The School will not, therefore, maintain an ordered waiting list. Information can be provided to parents about the order of priority of applications being held at a particular time but no guarantee can be given that higher priority applications will not be received by the time a place becomes available. In-Year (Casual) Admissions: Applications for a place at the school in-year must be made using the School s supplementary form. This should be completed to enable the governors to rank the application in the event of there being more than one application for a place. The Governors will use the same criteria to rank the application as that listed above. The offer of a place at the School will be made by the Head teacher on behalf of the Governors. In the event of the Governors deciding that a place cannot be offered, parents will be offered the opportunity of placing their child s name on the waiting list for an academic year. This does not prevent parents from exercising their right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place. Admission of Children below Compulsory School Age: The Governors will provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. Where a child have been offered a place at the School, his or her parents can request that the date their child is admitted to the School is deferred until later in the school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year; parents may also request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age. Parents cannot defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted. Admission of Children outside their normal Age Group: It is advisable that a child is educated alongside his/her age equivalent peers, in almost all cases. It is the School s view and it strongly advises that all children who are offered a place at the School should enter into their normal year group. The responsibility for addressing individual educational needs lies with the School through an appropriately differentiated and enriched curriculum. However, parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group, for example, if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health. In addition, the parents of a summer born child (See Notes and Advice below) may choose not to send that child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted out of their normal age group to Reception rather than Year 1. The Governors will make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case, and in the best interests of the child. This will include taking account of 6

the parent(s) views; information about the child s academic, social and emotional development; where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional; whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; and whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower aged group if it were not for being born prematurely. The Governors will also take into account the views of the School s Head Teacher. When informing a parent of their decision on the year group the child should be admitted to, the Governors will set out clearly the reasons for their decision. Where the Governors agree to a parent s request for their child to be admitted out of their normal age group and, as a consequence of that decision, the child will be admitted to a relevant age group (i.e. the age group to which pupils are normally admitted to the school), the local authority and the Governors will process the application as part of the main admissions round, unless the parental request for this is made too late for this to be possible, and on the basis of the School s determined admission arrangements only, including the application of oversubscription criteria where applicable. The Governors must not give the application lower priority on the basis that the child is being admitted out of their normal age group. Parents have a statutory right to appeal again the refusal of a place at a school where they have applied. This right does not apply if they are offered a place at the school but it is not in their preferred age group. Late Applications: Any late applications will be considered by the Governors Admissions Committee and will be treated under Admission criterion 12 above of the Admission Criteria ( Any Other Children ). If all the places have been filled, parents will be offered the opportunity of placing their child s name on the School s waiting list. The School will hold its waiting list for a period of one year, during which time the child must remain on the roll of another school. When a place becomes available, all current applications for a place in the year group will be considered in accordance with the Admissions criteria (including those criteria relating to oversubscription) set out above in this Admissions Policy Document.. This does not prevent parents from exercising, should they wish to do so, their right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place Fair Access Protocol: The School participates in the Local Authority s Fair Access Protocol to allocate places to vulnerable and other children in accordance with the current School Admissions Code. Admitting children under that Protocol may require the School to admit above the Planned Admission Number (PAN) for the relevant year group. 7

Formatted: No bullets or numbering Notes and Advice 1. Reference to the Parish in the Admissions Criteria set out above in this Policy Document means the Catholic Parish of Good Shepherd, Dunley Drive, New Addington, Croydon CR0 0RG 2. In the context of school admissions, Catholic children (and/or Catholic parents or carers) are defined as children (and/or parents or carers) who are baptised or received into the Catholic Church; baptised or received into Eastern Churches in union with the Bishop of Rome; and those who are members of the Ordinariate. (All persons covered by this definition must be treated equally) 3. Practising Catholic refers to those who attending the Sunday or on the Eve (Vigil0 and Holy Day Celebrations of Mass as supported by a reference from their Parish Priest and by the production of a Baptismal Certificate 4. Intermittent worship means does not always fulfil the obligation of attendance at a Catholic Mass each Sunday and Holy Day or on the Eve (Vigil) of such days unless prevented by serious reason 5. Applications by Members of other Christian denominations must be additionally supported by a reference from the priest, minister, or pastor of their designated place of worship 5. Home means the normal registered place of the parent(s) and the child (children), not that of a relative or child-minder. The Governors and the Local Authority must be notified of any change of address immediately. Failure to provide such notification could result in a child (children) being denied a place at the School. 6 A Looked After child is a child who is (i) in the care of a local authority, or (ii) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. If an application is made under the Looked After criterion, it must be supported by a letter from the relevant Local Authority (Children s Services) Department 7. Previously Looked After children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order immediately after having been looked after. 8. Sibling is defined as a brother or sister, half brother or sister, step brother or sister, or adopted brother or sister, foster brother or sister, whose main residence is at the same address as the applicant child. It does not include siblings on the role of a school nursery class, if the school has one. 9. Admission arrangements are subject to an annual review. 10. These Admission arrangements have been subject to consultation, as required by the current School Admission Code (December 2014). 11. Pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan: The admission of children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or with an EHC Plan are dealt with by a completely separate procedure. The procedure is integral to the making and maintaining of statements and EHC plans by 8

the child s home local authority. Details of this separate procedure are set out in the SEND code of practice. Pupils with a SEN Statement or EHC plan naming the School will be admitted without reference to the above criteria. 9