Astbury St. Mary’s Church of England
Primary School
Admission Policy
Our school is a Church Aided School –
this means that the members of the Parish Church and the Diocese of
Chester have contributed towards the building of the school and continue
to pay towards its upkeep.
The Admission Policy is written by the
School Governors (not the Local Authority or the Head Teacher) and is
administered by the Local Authority.
As the Church has invested in the
school, we feel it right that the Admission Policy should reflect this
and our Christian priorities.
Our school is also a neighbourhood school, serving Astbury Parish
with the Cheshire Local Authority, and this is also reflected in our
policy.
The Governors publish a brochure to help
parents to decide on their choice of schools and to give other important
information about our school.
Please look at this carefully before applying for admission.
Parents should be aware that in this school Religious Education,
Collective Worship and our whole ethos are based on the teachings of the
Church of England. Parents who
would object to this are advised to apply to another school.
However, Parents retain the right to withdraw their children from
Religious Education and Collective Worship.
The school is comprised of 5 mixed age
classes, 2 in Key Stage 1 and 3 in Key Stage 2.
In order that class sizes do not exceed the space available it is
necessary to limit the number of admissions to the school in each cohort
to 18. The governors of the
school will only exceed this number in exceptional circumstances.
If there are more than 18 applications,
places will be allocated according to the following criteria in order of
priority. They are subject
to notes (a), (b) and (c) following:
1
Children in Care
(Looked After Children) Such children are deserving of our compassion
and should benefit from the Christian care expected in our school.
2
(a)
Children whose parents are
involved in the work and worship of St Mary’s Church, Astbury, and
whose parents’ names are entered onto the Church’s electoral roll.
(A completed church
form supplied by the school will
be required)
(b) Children whose parents are involved in the work and worship of a
Church which is a
member of Churches together in
(A
completed church form supplied by the school will be required)
3
Children who have a brother or sister in school who will still be
attending school the following year.
4
Children resident in the ecclesiastical
parish of Astbury.
A map showing the parish is available in school.
5
Children with special medical or social circumstances affecting the
child where these needs can only be met at this school.
(supporting letters from Social
Worker or Medical Specialist are required and should be included, in a
sealed envelope, with the completed application form).
6
Children resident outside the ecclesiastical parish of Astbury.
Notes
a)
Children with statements of special
educational needs naming the school where these needs can only be met at
this school will be admitted over all the above criteria.
b) The term Children in Care (Looked After Children) refers to children
and young people who are in public care. These young people may be
accommodated in children's homes or foster homes. They may also be
living at home or with extended families on Care Orders.
c) By work
and worship we mean attendance at a minimum of two services each month
for at least six months prior to the closing date for applications.
d) The term
brother or sister includes step, half, foster, adopted brothers and
sisters living at the same address and full brother and sister living
apart.
e) “Resident” refers to the child’s
permanent home at the proposed date of admission.
f) Where the above criteria are not
adequate to distinguish between requests for admission which cannot all
be accepted without exceeding the Admission limit, priority will be
decided on the basis of radial distance from the school to home, those
living nearest being given priority. The measurement used to allocate
places is a straight line distance measurement using Ordinance Survey
address points.
Admission Information:
Last year the school was able
to admit all pupils whose parents applied.
How and when to apply
Applications for admission to the school should be made on the common
application form enclosed with the Local Authority’s brochure and also
on the School’s own form between
September 2008 and 16thJanuary 2009.
Applications may also be made on-line by using both the common
application form and the Supplementary Form. It is not normally possible
to change the order of your preferences for schools after the closing
date. Whether application
is made on paper or electronically, both forms must be completed.
Letters informing parents of whether or not their child has been
allocated a place will be sent out by the Local Authority
by 16th March 2009.
Parents of children not admitted will be informed of the reason
and offered an alternative place by the Authority.
Waiting List
Where we have more applications than
places, the admissions criteria will be used. Children who are not
admitted will have their name placed on a waiting list. The names on the
waiting list will be in the order resulting from the application of the
admission criteria. The waiting list will operate until the second week
of the autumn term only.
Appeals
Where the governors are unable to offer
a place because the school is over subscribed, parents have the right to
appeal to an independent admission appeal panel, set up under the School
Standards and Framework Act, 1998, as amended by the Education Act 2002.
Parents should notify the clerk to the governors at the school within 14
days of receiving the letter refusing a place.
Late applications for admission
Where there are extenuating circumstances for an application being
received after the last date for applications, and it is before the
governors have established their list of pupils to be admitted, then it
will be considered alongside all the others.
Otherwise, applications which are received after the last date will be
considered after all the others, and placed on the waiting list in order
according to the criteria.
Non-routine admissions
It
sometimes happens that a child needs to change school other than at the
“normal” time; such admissions are known as non-routine admissions.
Parents wishing their child to attend this school should arrange
to visit the school.
They
will be provided with an application form once they have a definite
local address.
If there is
a place in the appropriate class, then the governors will arrange for
the admission to take place.
If there is no place, then the admissions committee will consider
the application and information about how to appeal against the refusal
will be provided.
Appeals
for children moving into the area will not be considered until there is
evidence of a permanent address, e.g. exchange of contracts or tenancy
agreement with rent book.
Please note that you cannot re-apply for a place at a school within the
same school year unless there has been relevant, significant and
material change in the family circumstances.
Fraudulent
applications
Where the governing
body discovers that a child has been awarded a place as the result of an
intentionally misleading application from a parent (for example a false
claim to residence in the catchment area or of involvement in a place of
worship) which effectively denies a place to a child with a stronger
claim, then the governing body is required to withdraw the offer of the
place.
The application will
be considered afresh and a right of appeal offered if a place is
refused.
Deferred
admission
If your child is due to start school
during the next academic year, it is important that you apply for a
place for September. If
your child’s fifth birthday is between the months of September and
December, then, if you wish it, admission may be deferred until January;
if it is between January and April, then admission may be deferred until
the start of the summer term though it is likely to be in your child’s
interest to start no later than January.
Twins
Where there are twins wanting admission and there is only a single place
left within the admission number, then the governing body will exercise
as much flexibility as possible within the requirements of infant class
sizes.
If only one place
can be offered then parents will be advised that the place will be offered to the older twin.
Parents should go to appeal for the other twin, though with the
Infant Class Size legislation, it is unlikely that an appeal panel will
overturn the decision of the governing body.
This information is published by the
Governors of Astbury St Mary’s
Admissions criteria may change from one year to the next.
December 2007