CSCST/ACS Admissions Policy070513

ADMISSIONS POLICY

Approved / June 2017
Review Date / June 2018
Signed (Principal) / Name / Lynn Burton
Signed (Chair of Local Governing Body) / Name / James Royal
Signed Clerk to the Governors / Name / Stella Holland

Compliance with the Code of Practice for Admissions

Atherton Community School (ACS)will comply with the Admissions Code to ensurethe admissions arrangements are clear, lacking complexity and fair. ACS willwork within the locally coordinated admissions process and will ensure that itcontributes to local admissions arrangements. ACS will particularly encourageadmissions from the most deprived areas in Atherton. We will make sure that allcommunication is targeted and accessible to all our community, including the hard to reach. Furthermore, while ACSis a Christian school, we will not seek to admit on the basis of faith and willoperate an inclusive admissions policy (open to all faiths and to none).

Year 7 Admissions

The school will not seek to select its pupils by ability,interview applicants, orseek payment from parents and carers for admission. ACS will work with locally coordinated processes and procedures foradmissions arrangements on an annual basis. Working with the locally coordinated processes, ACS will work alongside the Local Authority ensuring that parents and carers can benefit from a prospectus and suitable marketing materials. ACS will of course ensure that website information is available to all prospective parents and carers.

ACS will admit 90 pupils on an annual basis.

Sixth Form Enrolment

Sixth Form entry requirements will be based upon a GCSE points scoringsystem. Enrolment for Sixth Form is unlikeadmissions for secondary and there are no coordinated LA arrangements, orcommon admissions criteria. ACS will use the Common Application Process as well as accepting applications directly to the School. Information regarding courses is available on the School website as well as directly from the Sixth Form. Applications are welcomed from pupils regardless of address or previous secondary school.

ACS will ensure that parents and carers can benefit from a prospectus and suitable marketing materials. ACS will, of course, ensure that website information is available to all prospective parents and carers.

ACS will admit 100 studentsinto the Sixth Form on an annual basis.

Sixth Form Appeals

ACS will work within the guidelines of the Admissions Appeal code. In the event of an appeal on the basis of learning disability or difficulty, we will consider the length of time and level of provision since diagnosis to take into account children whose diagnosis of a learning disability or difficulty has either been received too late for the school to put support in place or where the school has been unable to provide the support identified as needed in the Educational Psychologist’s report. In these cases, the appeal for special consideration would be successful. However, sometimes there are appeals from students who have received appropriate support in school in the form of additional time in exams, one-to-one support in class, or additional tuition. We usually conclude that with this support the student is in a position to achieve, in line with their peers, and to give them special consideration would be unfair.

General admissions arrangements

ACS will ensure that it provides places for children of all abilities, all of whomwill come from the local area. We intend to attract local pupils and studentsfrom the immediate area surrounding the school and all our publicity andpromotional material is designed to appeal to parents and carers in thesurrounding neighbourhoods of the school. We are determined that no-one will be marginalised because of challenging or difficult circumstances and will put support in place where this is needed to access information and communication with ACS.

In accordance with admission requirements, a prospectus will be available at the start of each academic year.

Process of Application

Arrangements for applications for places at ACS will be made in accordancewith the Local Authority’s coordinated admission arrangements and will be made on theCommon Application Form provided and administered by the relevant Local Authority.

ACS will use the Wigan Borough Council’s timetable for applications to the school each year (exact dates within the months may vary from year to year). This will fit in with the timetable for the coordination of admission arrangements within the Local Authority(LA) as agreed by locally coordinated processes, LA and local schools.

a) By September – ACS will publish information about thearrangements for admission, including oversubscription criteria for thefollowing September (e.g. in September 2015 for admission in September 2016). This will include details of open evenings and other opportunities forprospective pupils and their parents and carers to visit the school. Theschool will also provide information in relation to the school to the LA forinclusion in the composite prospectus, as required

b) In September and October – ACS will provide opportunities for parents andcarers to visit the school

c) October – Common Application Form to be completed and returned by parents (LA to administer). Deadline for applications is 31 October

d) 1 March offers made to parents and carers by the Local Authority

Admissions criteria

ACS wishes to work in harmony with the locally coordinated proceduresthroughout the process. Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the publishedadmission number, applications will be considered against the criteria set outbelow

Procedures where the Atherton Community School is oversubscribed

If there are more applicants than places available, after students with a statement ofspecial need naming the Atherton Community School, places will be offered in thefollowing order:

1. ‘Looked after Children’ and previously looked after children. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after but, ceased to beso because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or specialguardianship order). Applications for previously looked after children must besupported with appropriate evidence i.e. a copy of the adoption order, residence order or special guardianship order).

2. Children with a sibling (the term “sibling” means a full, half, adopted or fosteredbrother or sister, or other child living permanently within the same household) onroll at Atherton Community School in Years 7 to 11 at the time of the proposedadmission.

3. Children whose acute medical or social need justifies a place at the AthertonCommunity School. Parents must send evidence with their application such as a letter from a relevant professional such as a doctor or social worker.

4. Children living closest to the Free School, measured in a straight line from the

home address to the front gates of the Free School.

Tie-breaker

Where there are more children in one particular criterion than the number of placesavailable, places will be allocated to the children who live nearest to the school. The distance will be measured in a straight line from the child's home address to the frontgates of the school using a Geographical Information System (GIS) which is based on ordnance survey. If the last place available is for one of twins or triplets, our policy is to admit the other twin or triplets too. Occasionally the distance from home to school is the same for more than one child. For example, if more than one child lives in the same block of flats. In these cases, a system to randomly pick who will be offered a place will be used. Atherton Community School will use the same system used by the Local Authority for community and controlled schools. A copy of the policy is available on request from the local authority.

Home Address

When considering your child’s application, we will use the permanent home address we have for you at the closing date of applications. If parents are separated and the child spends time at each parent’s address, the address we use for admission to the school is that of the main carer. We use the address of the parent who receives the Child Benefit for this.

There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for applicants refused admission. Atherton Community School will participate in the LA’s Fair Access policy.

Notes

Note 1: The Local Authority computerised GIS system will be used to measuredistances. Atherton Community School is unable to undertake measurements forindividual parents by request.

Note 2: Applicants with special educational needs but without a statement will receive equal consideration with other applicants.

Waiting List

If the Free School is oversubscribed, unsuccessful applicants will be placed on awaiting list. The waiting list is maintained until the end of the first term of the schoolyear. The waiting list will be kept in priority order in accordance with the oversubscription criteria and if a place becomes available, it will be offered to the next child on the waiting list.

Late Applications

Late applications (those received after the closing date) will only be considered after the applications that have been received on time. The closing date for applications is 31 October 2013.

Appeals

There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for applicantsrefused admission. ACS will participate in the LA’s Fair Access policy.

The Chapel Street Community Schools Trust and ACS will act in accordance with, and will ensure that an Independent Appeals Panel is appointed to act in accordance with all relevant provisions of the School Admissions Code and the School Admission Appeals Code published by the Department for Education (“the Codes”) as they apply at any given time to maintained schools and with equalities law and the law on admissions as they apply to maintained schools. For this purpose, reference in the Codes or legislation to “admission authorities” shall be deemed to be references to the governing body of the Chapel Street Community Schools Trust.

The Chapel Street Community Schools Trust and ACS shall ensure that parents and ‘relevant children[1]’ will have the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel if they are dissatisfied with an admission decision of the Chapel Street Community Schools Trust. The Independent Appeal Panel will be independent of the Chapel Street Community Schools Trust. The arrangements for appeals will comply with the School Admission Appeals Code published by the Department for Education as it applies to Foundation and Voluntary Aided schools. The determination of the appeal panel is binding on all parties.

In-year Admissions

ACS will work in partnership with the LA and secondary schools in the borough when dealing with mid‐term admissions. It will participate in the arrangements published by the LA, which provide for the allocation of places in line with the ACS admissions policy and the maintenance of a waiting list of pupils applying to ACS, should no vacancies be available at the time of application.

Pupils will be prioritised in the following order:

  1. Students with a statement of Special Educational Needs;
  1. ‘Looked after Children’ and previously looked after children in public care;
  1. Children with a sibling (the term “sibling” means a full, half, adopted or fostered brother or sister, or other child living permanently within the same household) on roll at Atherton Community School in Years 7 to 11 at the time of the proposed admission;
  1. Children whose acute medical or social need justifies a place at the ACS;
  1. Children living closest to ACS measured in a straight line from the home address to the front gates of the School.

Arrangements for admitting pupils to other year groups, including replacing pupils who have left the School, and for In-year Admissions

ACS will admit pupils in each year group up to the agreed admissions number, subject to there being vacancies, and subject to the provisions in respect of the operation of a waiting list. The waiting list will be operated in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.

Applicants applying outside the normal admissions period will be considered in accordance with the oversubscription criteria described above.

Annual Procedures for Determining Admission Arrangements

The Local Governing Body will agree the school admissions criteria annually in October and communicate the agreed arrangements to the Local Authority in the same month. In any year where changes are required to admission arrangements, the Local Authority shall consult the following parties on the School’s proposed changes:

a) Any other admission authorities for primary and secondary schools located within the relevant area for consultation

b) Affected admission authorities in neighbouring local authority areas

c) Parents living in the relevant area for consultation whose children have attained the age of two but are not above compulsory school age and who are or will be eligible to apply to be admitted to the ACS

d)Community groups which the School considers relevant

e) Teaching unions if the consultation includes an increase in admissions number

Where the Chapel Street Community Schools Trust has determined the ACS admission arrangements and notified all consultees listed above, if any of those persons or bodies object to the ACS admission arrangements, including the proposed admission number, they can make representations to the Schools’ Adjudicator. Any representations must be made by 30 June in the Determination Year.

A determination of an objection by the Schools’ Adjudicator will be binding upon Atherton Community School.

Publication of Admission Arrangements

The published admission arrangements will set out:

a) the name and address of Atherton Community School and contact details;

b) a summary of the admission policy, including full oversubscription criteria and any arrangements for post-16 admission;

c) numbers of places and applications for those places in the previous year; and

d) arrangements for hearing appeals

1

[1]relevant children’ means:

a) in the case of appeals for entry to Sixth Form, the child, and;

b) in any other case, children who are above compulsory school age, or will be above compulsory school age by the time they start to receive education at the school.