Pencombe CE Voluntary Aided Primary School Policy for Admissions 2017-2018
FOCUS
PencombeC.E. Schoolis a co-educational voluntary aided primary school for pupils between 5 & 11 yrs.
The school serves both the Hereford Diocese and the local community; education at Pencombe School is based on three overriding principles:
*that every pupil should fulfil his or her own maximum academic potential
*that he or she should find pleasure and satisfaction in work and in a range of other activities taking place in school
*that Christian principles should determine the way the school is organised and run.
It is the intention that the education here should be both life lasting and life enhancing.
As a church school emphasis is placed on regular worship, on religious education in the classroom and on the general presentation of Christianity through the school community.
In addition to the designated catchment area of the civil parish of Pencombe with Grendon Warren and Little Cowarne the Governors offer Church places at the school to children of Church attending families who reside in the ecclesiastical catchment area of the seven parishes namelyBredenbury with Grendon Bishop and WactonCollington; Edwyn Ralph; Little Cowarne; Pencombe with Marston Stannett; Thornbury and Ullingswick.
Pupils are entitled to free transport providing they live beyond the walking distance from the school they attend and:
1 live within the catchment area of the school or;
2 attend the school on religious grounds (i.e. Church place) or;
3attend the nearest available school.
Walking distance is defined as three miles for pupils aged eight or over at the start of the school year, and two miles for younger children.
The distance is measured by the shortest available walking point.
Pencombe Voluntary Aided Primary School & Local Authority
Admission Arrangements
Soon after a child’s third birthday,parents are invited to make applications online for places at Pencombe C.E. Primary School.Here you will find accompanying information and guidance on your application as well as dates that are set by the LEA as to the deadlines for applications and the time framework for notification of places allocated. The Governing Body will however, rank the applications of places during the Spring Term of the academic year prior to entry. Families successful in their application will then be notified by the local authority and sent the relevant forms.
LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITY REGULATIONS:
"...... the Council ‘s standard admissions policy entitles parents to places for their children in one of the Councils maintained schools at the commencement of the term in which their fifth birthday is reached or if parents wish the start of the autumn term or spring term or summer term provided it is no later than the term after the child becomes 5 years old.
CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY, ADMISSIONS AND PENCOMBE SCHOOL
The Education Authority states:
'The Council does not permit schools to admit children into LEA schools before the school year in which they become five years of age.'
This means that children whose fifth birthday occurs between 1st September and 31st December could therefore NOT start school until the Autumn term of the school year in which they will become five.
In Pencombe School, which is a Voluntary Aided school, the staff and governors are following the Code for Admissions and will therefore admit all pupils in the September following their fourth birthday.
Parents will, however, have the right to choose a part-time attendance for their child if they so wish.
PENCOMBESCHOOLADMISSION PROGRAMME
INDUCTION VISITS
Pupils accepted for admission will be offered a series of induction visits, these will be placed in the latter half of the summer term prior to admission.
PRE-SCHOOL PACKS
Pre-school packs for home use containing a variety of books and activities are available to loan and exchange during visits.
ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR PUPILS OVER 5 YEARS OF AGE
Parents wishing to transfer their children to this school from another setting may apply to the Governing Body through the Headteacher.
PencombeSchoolPolicy for Admission
Applications for admission to the school are considered by the Governors whohave agreed to support and comply with the co-ordinated admission arrangements as defined by Herefordshire School Admission Forum, including the Oversubscription Policy criteria in the event of the school, a class or a year group having more applications than places.
Criteria in rank order
- Pupils in the ‘Looked After’ system and children who are adopted, where the approved agencies, in consultation with the Governors, agree that the school is the most appropriate to meet the child’s needs.
- Pupils whose principal address is within the catchment area of the school as defined by the LA and who have a sibling in school at the time of entry.
- Pupils whose principal address is within the catchment area of the school as defined by the LA and who request a Church (faith) place supported by the appropriate Vicar/ Rector/ Minister. Faith in this context is defined as being an adherent to the Christian Trinity.
- Pupils whose principal address is within thecatchmentarea of the school as defined by the LA andwho have the ‘shortest available walking route to school.’
- Pupils whose principal address is outside thecatchmentarea of the school as defined by the LA andwho have a sibling at the school both at the time of application for a place and when the younger child is due to commence. School.
- Pupils whose principal address is outside thecatchmentarea of the school as defined by the LA, butwho may be living within the parish boundaries of Churches within that catchment area, and whose family is actively involved in the worship, life and work of a Christian faith Church. This application must be supported by the appropriate Vicar/Rector/Minister.
- Pupils whose principal address is outside thecatchmentarea of the school as defined by the LA,but who live nearest by the ‘shortest available walking route’ as defined by the LA.
Please note:
‘Church’is taken as meaning an organised body subscribing to the doctrineof the Trinity, which is either a member of the local Christian Council/Council ofChurches or affiliated to ‘Christians Together in England’.
‘Shortest walking route’as defined by the LA:This is a distance worked out by a computer using map references and post codes, not necessarily following given roads in the locality.
‘Sibling’is defined as:
-A full or half brother/sister
-A step brother or step sister
-An adoptive brother or sister
-Children of parents who are married or cohabiting, where the parents and children live together in the same family household.
‘Parents’include all those who have parental responsibility for a child as set out in the Children’s Act 1989. Where responsibility is shared, the person receiving the Child Benefit is deemed to be the parent responsible for completing application forms and whose address will be used for admission purposes.
The ‘Home Address’will be the address used for correspondence related to where the Child Benefit is paid. In cases where there is doubt of the home address, or where a child lives between two homes (split families) or other relevant circumstances, proof of the home address must be provided to the school to confirm the address on the application form. Home address will be seen as that which complies with the above at the closing date for applications set by the local authority.
Resolution & Over Subscription
If there are too many places for each category, places will be awarded to the children who reside nearest the school. The Governors will follow the LA policy regarding Over-Subscription as detailed in the county Information Book for Parents.
However, all Governing bodies are required by section 324 of the Education Act 1996 to admit to the school a child with special educational needs that names the school. This is not an oversubscription criterion. Schools MUST admit such children whether they have places or not.
Applications for 'church' places should be endorsed, or referenced by, the Parish Priest or other Minister.
A form is available from the Diocese, LA or the school website. However a letter will suffice in some instances.
- The deadline for all applications is set annually by the LA and families should refer to Herefordshire Council Information for Parents Booklet (Admission and Transfer to Schools) for the year in question.
To avoid confusion and disappointment Parents should ensure that they meet the criteria for admission.Any parent wishing to view the school or discuss admission with the Headteacher should write or telephone for an appointment. School Prospectus' are available from the school secretary.
Term & Holiday Dates for 2017-2018
Autumn Term 2016
Term starts: Tuesday 5th September 2017
Half Term 23rd -27thOctober 2017
Term Ends Friday 22nd December 2017
Spring Term 2017
Term starts: Monday 8th January 2018
Half Term 19th - 23rd February 2018
Term Ends Friday 13th April 2018
Summer Term 2017
Term starts Monday 30thApril 2018
Half Term 11th – 15th June 2018
Term Ends Thursday 26th July 2018
Terminology
Christian commitment – “faith priority” places
(i)Baptism is the basic criterion for the identification of the children of practicing Christian families. Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child could also be taken into account for those Christians who do not practice infant Baptism. However, that will not normally be enough on its own, if over-subscribed schools are going to be able to distinguish those most clearly admissible on faith grounds. There needs also to be some evidence of Christian commitment and practice for those seeking admission on the basis that they are of the faith of the school.
(ii)We operate, therefore, a three-tier stratification for faith-based places:
- Known to the church
- Attached to the church and
- At the heart of the church.
Applicants for a faith priority place will be asked to identify themselves as being: known to the church; or attached to the church; or at the heart of the church. The period in question will normally be the past two years. Applicants new to the area would need to provide evidence from a previous church or churches.
(iii)An applicant ‘known to the church’ will not be a frequent but probably an occasional worshipper, someone who is perhaps known through a family connection, or one or more of whose family would be involved in some church activity, such as a uniformed or other church organisation.
(iv)An applicant ‘attached to the church’ will be a regular but not frequent worshipper, by which is meant (for example) one who usually attends a monthly family or church parade service or is regularly involved in a weekday church activity including an element of worship.
(v)An applicant ‘at the heart of the church’ will be a regular worshipper. This might normally mean one who worships usually twice a month. To accommodate difficult patterns of work and family relationships account will be taken of week-day worship. The worshipper could be the child for whom application is made or one or both parents.
Application form and church reference
(vi)Applicants for faith priority places will need an application form (available from their faith leader, LEA or school website ) to give evidence of their Christian (or other faith) commitment.
(vii)Christian applicants should give evidence that the child for whom a place is sought has been baptised or had a service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. A copy of a certificate of Baptism or of a service of Thanksgiving should be included if possible with the application.
(viii)There needs to be confirmation through a worship community reference of applicants’ claims, where they are applying on a faith priority basis. This reference will simply confirm or reject the objective facts as proposed by the family: this family is known to the church; this family is attached to the church; this family is at the heart of the church.
(ix)Once the reference is available to the Governing body of the school it becomes objective evidence for the admissions committee in forming their judgement on the application. The same will apply in the case of any subsequent appeal or adjudication.
Reviewed by Governors and staff of Pencombe School June 1997
Reviewed by Headteacher 12-4-00
Reviewed by Governors 01.02
Reviewed by Headteacher 30.07.02
Reviewed by Headteacher 10.06.05
Reviewed by Headteacher and Governors 24.3.06
Reviewed by Headteacher and Governors 7.2.08
Reviewed and revised by Headteacher and Governors opened for consultation.16.11.09
Reviewed by Headteacher and shared with Governors 23.05.11
Reviewed by Headteacher and shared with governors 05.03.2012
Reviewed and revised following adjudication & Consultation December 2013
Reviewed and revised by Headteacher December 2014 – governors February 2015
Reviewed and revised by Headteacher and Governors March 2016
Application form for Church Place