Consultation - Determined Admission Arrangements 2017

Consultation 2017

Consultation - Determined Admission Arrangements 2017

Summary

Merchants’ Academy is an All Age Academy and, therefore, its determined admissions arrangements were subject to significant change in 2011/12 in order to incorporate the merger of the predecessor primary and Merchants’ Academy Secondary. This policy has been reviewed and specific changes are to be consulted on.

The Department for Education’s School Admissions Code of Practice 2014, requires an admission authority to consult each time it proposes to make changes to its admission arrangements.

The new code published in 2014 required that admissions authorities making changes for September 2016 must consult for a minimum of 8 weeks and this must be completed by 1st March 2015. For all subsequent years this period must be a minimum of 6 weeks and must be take place between 1 October and 31 January in the determination year. The process allows parents, other schools, local authorities and other interested stakeholders to raise comments or concerns about the proposed arrangements. The purpose of this document is to make the changes clear so that all stakeholders can do this.

This consultation will run between 15th December 2015 and 26th January 2016. You can find out how to respond below.

Proposed Admissions Criteria

The proposed changes are to make the policy clearer for all parties to interpret. In addition, it is proposed that the Academy remove the oversubscription criteria related to fair banding. The first three points will address the changes to add clarity. The final point will address the removal of fair band testing in the event of over subscription.

The first change explains that entrants to Y7 and Reception will be coordinated by the local authority. Previously, this was Y7 only and whilst Reception was coordinated by the local authority, this was not explicit. The second change is again to make the policy clearer. A new paragraph has been added to make it clear that for admissions to Reception/Primary Phase, parents can defer the date that their child is admitted until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age. It also makes clear that part time attendance is an option until they reach compulsory school age. The third change is to the admission to Post 16 provision and incorporates an external PAN which is required by the code and sets clear the criteria for admission into the Sixth Form.

You can see the full proposed admissions criteria on the Academy website.

The proposed changes are as follows:

1.2Admissions to Merchants’ Academy for new entrants to Y7 and Reception for September willbe co-ordinated through Bristol Local Authority’s Co-ordinated Scheme and its timetable. Applications should be submitted on the Common Application Form (CAF) to the Local Authority responsible for the parentaladdress.

7.5 Parents can defer the date their child is admitted to the Academy until later in the Academy year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age and not beyond the final term of the school year for which it was made; and where the parents wish, children may attend part time until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age.

9.1 Merchants’ Academy will admit up to a maximum of 250 students in Year 12 and Year 13, including the students who transfer from Year 11 of the Academy. The PAN set for external students for 2017 is 30. In the event of there being more applicants for new admission to Year 12 the followingfactors will be taken intoaccount:

a)Looked after children and previously looked after children who meet the academic entry criteria.

b)Merchants’ Academy Y11 students achieving academic entrygrades.

c)Students will then be allocated in order of their likelihood of achieving ouracademic entrygrades.

d)The availability of courses which best suit the applicant’s preferences and the effective use of staff resources will also beconsidered.

Over subscription

2.1When the Academy is oversubscribed, priority will be given to the admission of studentswho meet the criteria set outbelow:

(a)A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after, but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order 67. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in section 22(1) of the ChildrenAct1989).

(b)Children with a sibling attending the Academy at the time of application. Sibling is defined in these arrangements as children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers andsisters.

(c)Random Allocation: Once the above oversubscription criteria has been applied, the remaining places will be allocated by random allocation using a mathematic algorithm for all applicants. This process will involve number allocation to ensure that the process is fair and will be supervised by an independent person from the local authority.

(d)In the event of all places being filled through categories A-B and if a tie-breaker is needed, then this will be through random allocation as described in D.

How to respond to the consultation

You can write to Admissions Consultation, Merchants’ Academy, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 9AJ

or email to

Your comments must be received by 22nd January 2016 as the consultation will close on this date.

What happens after the consultation ends?

Having taken into account any responses to the consultation, admission authorities must determine (set) their arrangements by 15th April 2016 and then, within 14 days, notify those they consulted of the new arrangements. In setting their admission arrangements, authorities must act in accordance with the School Admissions and Appeals Codes (Education and Inspections Act 2006).

Once the admission arrangements have been formally determined, objections to the admission arrangements can be made to the Schools Adjudicator who will consider whether the arrangements do not or may not comply with the mandatory requirements of this code or the law. Objections can be submitted at any date up to 30th June 2016.

Information about making an objection is in the Department for Education (DfE) School Admissions Code. Once the new admissions arrangements have been determined, they will be published on ourwebsite.

MERCHANTS’ ACADEMY ADMISSIONS POLICY ENTRY IN 2017

1.GENERAL

1.1Merchants’ Academy is an inclusive Academy. The Governors are also committed to ensure that the admissions to the Academy reflect the full range of ability. The admission arrangements described in this document will apply to admissions in September 2017.

1.2Admissions to Merchants’ Academy for new entrants to Y7 and Reception for September will be coordinated through Bristol Local Authority’s Co-ordinated Scheme and its timetable. Applications should be submitted on the Common Application Form (CAF) to the Local Authority responsible for the parental address.

1.3Admissions at any other point will be processed by the Academy.

1.4 Any student with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan where Merchants’ Academy is named in the statement will be given priority for admission.

1.5 Where a parent requests their child is admitted out of their normal age group, the Academy is responsible for making the decision on which year group a child should be admitted to (i.e. Reception or Y1). The Academy is required to make a decision on the basis of circumstances of the case and in the best interest of the child. Parents will make an application for their child’s normal age group at the usual time but can request admission out of the normal age group at the same time. If the request is agreed the application will be withdrawn and a new application should be made as part of the main admission round the following year. This request should be made in writing and addresses to Merchants’ Academy Admissions, Merchants Academy, Gatehouse Avenue, Bristol, BS139AJ

2.GENERAL OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA

2.1When the Academy is oversubscribed, priority will be given to the admission of students who meet the criteria set out below:

(a)A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order 67. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in section 22(1) of the Children Act1989).

(d) In the event of all places being filled through categories A-C and if a tie-breaker is needed, then this will be through random allocation as described in D.

2.2Late applicants will be dealt with in accordance with the procedures set down by Bristol Local Authority as part of their coordinated scheme.

2.3If false or misleading information is used to gain entry to the Academy, the offer of a place may be withdrawn.

3.WAITING LISTS

3.1Where in any year Merchants’ Academy receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will be maintained by the Academy from 1 September to 1 December of the year to which the allocation applies. Any parent will be able to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application.

3.2A child’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria set out in Section 2. Where places become vacant they will be allocated to children on the waiting list in accordance with the published Oversubscription Criteria.

3.3Children who are the subject of a direction by the Secretary of State to admit, or are allocated to the Academy in accordance with Bristol Local Authority’s In-Year Fair Access Protocol, will be given precedence over children on the waiting list.

4IN-YEAR ADMISSIONS

4.1The Academy will consider all such applications and if the year group applied for has a place available, a place will be offered. If the Academy feels unable to admit a child with challenging behaviour outside the normal admissions round, even though places are available, it must refer the case to the local authority under the Fair Access Protocol. If a place is not available, the parent can ask for his or her child’s name to be added to the waiting list, as described in Section 3.

5APPEALS

5.1Parents who are not offered a place for their child have the right to appeal to an independent appeals panel. Parents wishing to appeal should obtain an appeal form from the Academy. The form should be sent to the Clerk to the Appeal Panel, c/o Merchants’ Academy, within 14 days of the date of the letter confirming the Academy’s decision not to offer a place. Should an appeal be unsuccessful, the Governing Body will not consider further appeals within the same academic year unless there have been significant or material changes in the child’s circumstances.

6ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO NURSERY PHASE

6.1Applicants who will be starting school in the following September will be given priority for the 40 places available. For oversubscription criteria see paragraph 2.1 and 2.6.

7ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO RECEPTION /PRIMARY PHASE

7.1Nursery education is not statutory and children in the Nursery class cannot, therefore, be guaranteed a place in the Reception class.

7.2Parents will need to apply for a place in the Reception class of the Academy Primary Phase on the Common Application form if they wish their child to be considered for a place. Applicants will be considered as per the Primary admission criteria.

7.3The Academy will admit 60 students to the Primary Phase. Where the number of applications is greater than the published admission number, the oversubscription criteria in paragraph 2.1 and 2.6 will be applied.

7.4The Academy is required to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday but flexibility exists for summer born children (1 April to 31 August) whose parents do not feel they are ready to begin school before they reach compulsory age. Children born in the summer term are not required to start school until a full year after the point at which they could have first been admitted (i.e. the start of Y1).

7.5Parents can defer the date their child is admitted to the Academy until later in the Academy year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which it was made; and where the parents wish, children may attend part-time until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age.

8ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSIONS TO SECONDARY PHASE

8.1Merchants’ All Age Academy will admit up to 182 students in total to Year 7 each September; 30 of these places will be allocated to all students in Year 6 currently in Merchants’ All Age Academy (Primary phase). If not all primary phase children transfer into Year 7 the places will be offered to external applicants up to the PAN.

8.2In the event of the number of applications exceeding the number of places available, the Academy will allocate places according to the general oversubscription criteria.

9ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO POST 16 PROVISION

9.1Merchants’ Academy will admit up to a maximum of 250 students in Year 12 and Year 13, including the students who transfer from Year 11 of the Academy. The PAN set for external students for 2016 is 30. In the event of there being more applicants for new admission to Year 12 the following factors will be taken into account:

a)Looked after children and previously looked after children who meet the academic entry criteria.

b)Merchants’ Academy Y11 students achieving academic entry grades.

c)Students will then be allocated in order of their likelihood of achieving our academic entry grades.

d)The availability of courses which best suit the applicant’s preferences and the effective use of staff resources will also be considered.

9.2Merchants’ Academy will publish specific criteria in relation to minimum entrance requirements for the range of courses available based upon GCSE grades or other measures of potential attainment. These will apply to both transfers from Year 11 and new admissions to Year 12.

Reviewed by Governors – December 2015

To be Reviewed – October 2017