ADMISSION TO YEAR 7 OF ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH OF ENGLANDSCHOOL, CROYDON
CRITERIA for 2017
“In God, through Grace and Guidance, to Grow and Give”
At the heart ofSt Andrew’s Church of England High School (St Andrew’s) is a distinctive Christian
ethos which provides an inclusive environment where children learn and flourish in a setting shaped
by Christian values. We welcome applications from all members of the community, asking all parents
to respect our Christian ethos and recognise its importance to the school.
All underlined words or phrases are defined in the attached glossary.
1. St Andrew’s is a comprehensive school, within the London Borough of Croydon and the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, for boys and girls aged 11-16. The Governing Body is responsible for the admission of students to St Andrew’s and admits 150 students to Year 7 each September. This admission number has been agreed between the Governing Body and the Local Authority and applies to the year 2016-2017.
2.IF THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS IS MORE THAN THE NUMBER OF PLACES
In the event of St Andrew’s being oversubscribed by applicants, places will be allocated, in priority order, according to the following criteria:
2.1 Child Looked after, defined as a child in public care at the date on which the application is made.
Previously Child Looked after, defined as a child who was looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order, immediately after being looked after. If an application is made under the ‘child looked after’ or ‘previously child looked after’ criteria, it must be supported by a letter from the relevant Local Authority (Children’s Services) Department and/or relevant documents and a copy of the adoption, residence or special guardianship order.
2.2 Applicants with an exceptional and professionally supported social, medical or pastoral need.
2.3 All other places will be awarded according to the allocation of points as described below. Points are
awarded for all criteria which apply to the applicant.
2.3.1 Children who live within the Archdeaconry of Croydon21 points
2.3.2 Children who have a sibling.20 points
2.3.3 Children in Year 6 at a mainstream primary school belonging to the Waddon Inclusion Network (WIN) cluster(i.e. Aerodrome Primary, Howard Primary, Park Hill Juniors andThe Minster Junior School). 7 points
2.3.4 Children whose named parent or carer is significantly involved in a Church of England church or another eligible church. 3 points
and either
2.3.5 Children who, with their named parent or carer, have attended a Church of England church at least three weeks out of four for a minimum of two years. 9 points
or
2.3.6 Children who, with their named parent or carer, have attended a Christian church which is a full member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and/or The Evangelical Alliance and/or Affinity and/orThe Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) at least three weeks out of four for a minimum of two years 8 points
or
2.3.7 Children who, with their named parent or carer, have attended a Church of England church at least once a month for a minimum of two years 4 points
or
2.3.8 Children who, with their named parent or carer, have attended a Christian church which is a full member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and/or The Evangelical Alliance and/or Affinity and/or The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), at least once a month for a minimum of two years
or3 points
2.3.9 Children who, without their named parent or carer, have attended a Church of England or a Christian church which is a full member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and/or The Evangelical Allianceand/or Affinity and/or The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. (FIEC), at least three weeks out of four for a minimum of two years. 10 points
Ranked by Points
Apart from applicants who fulfil criteria 2.1 or 2.2, all applicants will be ranked according to the number of points they are awarded under the above criteria (2.3.1 – 2.3.9) using information obtained through the school’s Supplementary Information Form.
Distance
Applicants with the same score will be further ranked according to the distance they live from the school using the Local Authority’s criteria for determining distance, measuring a straight line from the centre point of the home address (using the ordnance survey grid reference of the applicant’s property) to the named school gate (the main entrance to the school on Warrington Road).
Tiebreaker
Priority will be given to those living closest to the school. In the event of applicants living equidistant from the school, places will be awarded by drawing lots. The highest ranked applicants will be offered places in accordance with the Local Authority’s co-ordinated scheme up to the admission number limit of 150.
3.TIME SCALES
As a school within the London borough of Croydon, St Andrew’s participates in the Pan-London
co-ordinated Admission Scheme. Please see Croydon’s Pan-London Scheme (Appendix 1) for
further details regarding applications, processing, offers, late applications, post offers and waiting
lists.
4. FAIR ACCESS PROTOCOL and CHILDREN WITH STATEMENTS OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS WHOM THE SCHOOL IS DIRECTED BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITY TO ADMIT
St Andrew’s, in common with all other schools in Croydon, will admit students referred under the ‘Fair Access’ protocol and students with Special Educational Needs whom the school is directed to accept, even if this means going over number in a particular Year group and even if there are other students on the waiting list. The other criteria detailed in this document do not apply to students admitted under direction. If students are directed to join Year 7 prior to the normal admission round being determined, the number of places available will be reduced accordingly.
5. WAITING LISTS
St Andrew’s operates a waiting list which is kept open indefinitely, and those who are unsuccessful in their application will be offered the opportunity to have their child’s name placed on this waiting list. Places will be offered to those on the waiting list in accordance with the criteria in section 2.
6.LATE APPLICATIONS
Late applications which cannot be processed before the ranked list of applicants is producedmay not be considered in the initial allocation round but will be allocated available spaces after all preferences, received on time, have been considered.
7.APPEALS
Parents, whose application for a place is unsuccessful, may appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel.
Appellants will be allowed at least 20 school days to lodge an appeal, which must be made in writing and must set out the reasons on which the appeal is made.
Appeals should be made to the Admissions Appeal Clerk at the school address. Parents/Carers have the right to make oral representations to the Appeal Panel.
8.IN-YEAR APPLICATIONS
Applications for a place at the school in-year must be made using the common application form of the local authority (LA) where the child resides. This form must be returned to the LA. The school’s supplementary form should also 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 LA on behalf of the governors. In the event of the governors deciding that a place cannot be offered, parents will be offered the opportunity to place their child’s name on the waiting list. This does not prevent parents from exercising their right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place.
10. APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION OUTSIDE THE NORMAL AGE GROUP
Children are normally educated in school with others of their age group; however, in exceptional circumstances parents/carers may seek a place outside of their child’s normal age group. Decisions will be made on the basis of the circumstances of each case. Parents/carers must state clearly why they feel admission to a different year group is in the child's best interests and may provide recent professional evidence to support this. Further details of how to make such a request are available from the school.
ADMISSION TO YEAR 7 OF ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL, CROYDON 2017
“In God, through Grace and Guidance, to Grow and Give”
GLOSSARY
Admission Number
This currently stands at 150 as agreed between the Governing Body and the Local Authority.
If the school is directed by the Local Authority to admit students into Year 7, prior to the normal admission round being determined, the number of places available will be reduced accordingly.
ChildLooked After (CLA)
Theseare children aged under 18 who are provided with accommodation by Social Services or who are the subject of a care order under Part IV of the Children Act 1989. Children who are under an agreed series of short term placements are excluded.
Previously Child Looked After
These are children aged under 18 who were ‘looked after’, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order, immediately after being looked after. This definition does not apply to children who were ‘looked after’ but were subsequently returned to a parent’s care.
Social, medical or pastoral need
Governors may allocate up to 3 places on these grounds. Those applying under this category should state this on the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) (see below) and must supply in writing, at the time of application, relevant supporting professional evidence, e.g. from a social worker or specialist health professional. The evidence must set out the child’s exceptional circumstances, reasons why St Andrew’s is the most suitable school and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. Allocation of such places does not set a precedent for future applications as each case is treated on its own merits. Applicants who are not awarded a place for exceptional social, medical or pastoral needs will automatically be considered for a place under criteria 2c.
Supplementary Information Form (SIF)
Parents applying for a place under criteria 2c must complete the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and return this directly to the school. Parents must also complete their Local Authority’s Common Application Form (CAF) and return it to their Authority. If applying for a place at St Andrew’s, parents must name St Andrew’s as one of the preferences on the CAF. Failure to return the SIF will mean that the Governors will consider the application based solely on the information on the Common Application Form.
Archdeaconry of Croydon
This is a geographical area including the London Borough of Croydon and part of the London Borough of Sutton. Parents are welcome to contact the school to see if they live within the Archdeaconry of Croydon.
Sibling
This term includes brothers and sisters (blood relatives), step-siblings, adopted children and long-term
foster childrenliving at the same address. This sibling criterion applies to siblings of students who
at the time ofthis proposed admission, will still be attending St Andrew’s.
Named parent or carer
It is for the applicant’s family to choose ONE parent’s or carer’s details to be included on the Supplementary Information Form (SIF). The named parent or carer would normally be the parent or carer (when there is more than one in the family structure) who is most actively involved in church life, as verified by their minister.
Significantly involved
For the purposes of this criterion, the named parent or carer should either hold a specific position of
responsibility withinan eligible church (see below), or be involved in at least one activity other than weekly
worship which requires their at least once a month attention, or both. TheGovernors recognise that
running a church community efficiently andeffectively requires significant commitment fromchurch
members with a range of skills. Therefore allexamples of significant involvement will be treated equally.
Parents andcarers are asked to note, however, that because Scouts and Guides are frequently more
secular than religiousorganisations, running thesegroups will not be regarded as significant involvement,
unless it can be clearly demonstratedthat it is an integral part of their church’s life.
Eligible Church
Applicants will receive points for i) attendance at and ii) significant involvement in churches providingthose
churches aremembers, at thetime of application, of either the Church of England, or full members of
ChurchesTogether in Britain and Ireland, and/orThe Evangelical Allianceand/or Affinity and/orThe
Fellowship ofIndependent Evangelical Churches (FIEC). The school will check official lists to seewhether
the applicant’schurch belongs to one of thesegroups. If it is not listed, applicants will need tosupply
evidence that theirchurch is a member of one of these groups. It isthe responsibility of theapplicant, in
conjunction with theirminister (see below), to supply this information. In addition,evidence that the
applicant’s family’s churchbelongs to one of these groups will be sought from theminister.
The minister will be required to give a reference in writing, specifying the frequency the church is attended
by the family and, where appropriate, their degree of involvement in other aspects of church life. The
minister may be contacted by the school forfurther clarification.
Minister
This is the minister, pastor, priest or responsible representative of the church attended.