2016/17 Admission Arrangements

September 2016 – Starting School in Reception (‘normal round’ admissions)

2016/17 In-Year Admissions

Part 1 – Introduction

1.1 These Admission Arrangements reflect the statutory requirements of the 2012 Department for Education School Admissions Code and the School Admissions Appeals Code www.education.gov.uk. The documents were compiled by the school governors in conjunction with the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust and published on the school website following a public consultation. The administrative practices described in these arrangements are designed to be fair and reasonable and the information provided is intended to explain clearly and concisely:

• How to apply for a place at Horsington Church School
• How the Admissions Authority administers admission applications
• How to appeal against a decision to refuse admission

Please contact the school office if you would like to discuss these admission arrangements or your particular circumstances in more detail:

Horsington Church School
Horsington
Templecombe
Somerset
BA8 0BW

Telephone: 01963 370358
Email: office@horsingtonbwmat.org
Website: www.horsingtonbwmat.org

Headteacher: Ian Rumbelow

Chair of Governors: Jean Boyd-Lee

1.2 About our School

Horsington Church School is an inclusive academy affiliated to the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust (MAT). The School is located between the beautiful, rural villages of Horsington and South Cheriton surrounded by open fields and farmland. Outdoor learning and messy play are key aspects of our school.  Our ‘Spinney’ is a semi-wild area where the children can let their imaginations run free: building dens, making mud pies and splashing in the stream.  Our school dog, Bob, who joined us in 2012, is a unique and wonderful aspect of our school.

We are a forward thinking and proactive school that constantly strives to improve our educational offering in order to enrich the children’s experience.  We focus on the whole child, and are proud of the breadth and depth of our inspiring
curriculum. This is reflected throughout these admission arrangements, which are reviewed on an annual basis. For more information about our school, please have a look around the website and/or contact the school office.

1.3 The Admissions Authority

The Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust is the Admissions Authority for the school and as such is responsible for all admission decisions in connection with the school. The ‘day to day’ management of admissions is delegated to the school Governing Body, Headteacher and the school office.

1.4 Relevant Documents: Please research this information before applying for a school place

Important information published by local authorities apply to some areas of school admissions procedure. If you are considering submitting an application for your child to start or transfer school, you are advised to refer to your local authority’s website. Documents of particular importance include:

• The Local Authority Coordinated Admissions Scheme
• The Composite Prospectus (this will include detailed information about how to apply for a child to start school for the very first time in the Reception year group)
• The Local Authority School Transport policy
• The Local Authority Fair Access Protocol (this document applies only for applications made in connection with a place required during the academic year)

1.5 The Published Admission Number (PAN) and Admission limits

A statutory Published Admission Number applies for the Reception year group, which indicates the minimum number of places that will be offered if sufficient applications are received. The governors’ Admissions Committee will consider all applications for Reception in accordance with these admission arrangements and places will be offered until the Published Admission Number is reached, at which point the governors will consider whether the resources available at the time will enable further places to be provided. If not, the decision will be to refuse all applications that would lead to admission of a pupil above the PAN.

The Published Admission Number for Foundation (Reception) is 17

A non-statutory admission limit applies for all other year groups. This may be adjusted from time to time according to the level of resource available at the school and the preferred year group/class organisation.

Part 2 – Over Subscription Criteria

2.1 Where there are more applications than there are places available within the requested year group, the Admissions Committee will apply the following oversubscription criteria for every application received. This will rank applications according to priority and so identify those children for whom a place must be offered within the Published Admission Number applying to the Reception year group, or those who may be offered a place within the admission limit applying at the time for any other year group. Applications will be considered for refusal where a place within these limits cannot be provided.

2.2 Before applying the oversubscription criteria, a place must be allocated for any child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Individual Education Health Plan that names Horsington Church School as the school the child must attend.

2.3 The Over Subscription Criteria (refer to Part 6 of this document for definitions)

1. 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
2. Children who have a sibling attending Horsington Church School at the time of application and who will still be attending the school at the time of admission
3. Children living within the area as defined on the catchment map, available on the school website or from the school office
4. Children who are the subject of a Pupil Premium at the time of application
5. Children living nearest to the school, measured by straight line distance between the main entrance to the school and the front door of the home address at which the child lives for the majority of his/her time

2.4 Distance measurement and applying a Tie Breaker:

Distances between home and school will be measured using a Geographic Information System method, employing the use of electronic mapping software. Places will be offered for those children living nearest to the school until all available places have been allocated.

Random allocation will be used as a tie-break to decide who has the highest priority for admission if the distance between two or more children’s homes and the school are exactly the same. This process will involve the drawing of lots, which will be supervised by a person independent of the Admissions Authority.

Part 3 – Starting School in Reception in September 2016

• The procedure for applying to start school for the first time in Reception must be coordinated by the home local authority (the local authority responsible for the area in which the child subject to the application lives). Before applying for a school place, applicants should refer to the 2016 Coordinated Admissions Scheme published by the home Local Authority and other information set out in section 1.4
• The application form (referred to as ‘the common application form’) is available from the home local authority which must completed and returned to this authority, to arrive no later than 23.59 hours on 15^th January 2016.
• Parents may apply for their child to start school, for the first time in the September following his/her fourth birthday, either full time, or on a part time basis if preferred. However, a child becomes of compulsory school age when he/she reaches the age of five and, where registered at a school, must be attending on a full time basis in the term following his/her fifth birthday.
• Parents may chose to formally defer entry for their child until later in the year if he/she has not yet reached age five, or in the case of children born between 1st April and 31st August (summer born), parents may choose to defer their child’s entry to school for the entire year and start school in the following September. In these circumstances, the child would be admitted to Year 1, although parents may choose to submit a new application requesting that he/she is admitted to the Reception year group where they consider this would be in their child’s best interests. This must clearly set out the reasons for the request, which the governors will consider when making their decision. The governors will only support a request in those circumstances where a place is legally available and it is clearly in the educational interests of the child concerned.
• The home Local Authority will forward details of applications submitted for Somerset schools to Somerset County Council. The Admissions Committee at Horsington Church School will consider all application forms that indicate a preference for the school and where necessary to do so, the committee will apply the oversubscription criteria in order to determine a priority for admission. Applications submitted before the 15^th January 2016 deadline will be administered and available places provisionally allocated, before the consideration of any later application.
• The governors will notify Somerset Local Authority of their provisional application decisions in accordance with the timetable set out in this authority’s published Coordinated Admissions Scheme. Final decisions will be notified to applicants by letter post or email, to be sent out on 16^th April 2016 by the home Local Authority.

Part 4 – Admission to any year group during the 2016/17 academic year (in-year admission)

• Applications for a place during the academic year, may be submitted at any time, but will not be administered more than six calendar weeks in advance of a place being required, except in particular circumstances applying for Crown Servant or Service family children – see section 6.4. Applicants must complete the governors In-Year application form and return this directly to the school office. This is available to download from the school website, or a copy can be provided upon request.
• The Admissions Committee will consider applications during term time only and strictly in the order that they are received. Applications that arrive during a school holiday will be held and processed when school resumes. If the governors receive more than one application on the same day for the same year group, they may need to apply the published oversubscription criteria in order to determine a priority for admission where insufficient places exist within the PAN or admission limit applying at that time (see Part 2 – Oversubscription Criteria).
• The non-statutory admission limits (applying to years 1 – 6) indicate the number of places available in a particular year group at a particular time. The governors are permitted to adjust these limits whenever deemed necessary in order to reflect the level of resource available to support the year group concerned. If the Admissions Committee determines that the admission of a further child would impact on the efficient delivery of education or the efficient use of resources, the application will be refused.
• Applicants will receive a written decision by first class letter post within 10 school days of receipt of the In-Year application form or receipt of any supplementary information where this is subsequently submitted to support an application and is deemed necessary in order to determine the admission decision. If an application is refused, the decision letter will set out the reasons for refusal and explain how to appeal against the Admission Authority’s decision (see Part 5 of these arrangements).
• Any offer of a place during the academic year, will remain open for six calendar weeks from the date of the decision letter. If the child concerned is not on roll and attending before this deadline, the Admissions Committee will consider withdrawing the offer of a place.

4.6 Subject to the information provided on the application form and the circumstances at the school, the Admissions Committee may decide to refer an application to Somerset Local Authority in order that the Fair Access Protocol may be applied. This would normally be where a child is deemed to require a higher level of support than can be provided at the school. The Fair Access Protocol enables the local authority to engage directly with a family in order to help identify a suitable educational placement as soon as possible.

Part 5 – Appeals Procedure

• Whenever an application for a school place is refused, the legal right to appeal against the decision will be offered to the applicant.
• An appeal timetable is published annually on the school website by 28^th This sets out the timeframe for the various stages in the appeal process and includes statutory dates by which appeals must be heard. Appeal forms relating to starting school for the first time in Reception at the beginning of September, must be submitted in line with the instructions set out in the home Local Authority Coordinated Admissions Scheme.

An appeal form relating to an in-year application decision may be submitted directly to the school office at any time following the issue of the decision letter.

• The governors Appeal Form is available to down load from the school website or can be collected or sent out from the School Office. This form must be used for all appeals in connection with decisions issued by the Governing Body on behalf of the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust.
• The Admissions Committee does not administer appeal hearings during school holidays. Appeal forms received when the school is closed will not be processed until the school resumes.

Part 6 – Important Information

6.1 Waiting Lists

The Admissions Authority operates waiting lists for every year group and these are maintained throughout the academic year. Where a child is formally refused admission, his/her name will be entered onto the appropriate list in ranked order according to the published oversubscription criteria. Each child added to the waiting list will require the waiting list to be re-ranked. Waiting lists shut down and names are removed at the end of each academic year.

6.2 Applications for children to enter a year group other than chronological age

Parents may request a place for their child in a year group other than his/her chronological age year group. The Admissions Committee will consider requests on a ‘case by case’ basis according to the information submitted. This should clearly demonstrate the particular needs of the child. For example that; he/she requires some specific additional support while at school or conversely that there are overwhelming reasons for a gifted and talented child to be taught above his/her age range. If a place cannot be made available in the preferred year group, but can be provided in the chronological age year group, there will be no right of appeal against the Admission Authority’s decision. If the request is refused and an alternative place cannot be made available in the chronological age year group, then the applicant will have the legal right to appeal against the decision to refuse.

Placements secured in year groups other than chronological age will be reviewed on a termly basis and, where appropriate, a decision taken in conjunction with the child’s parents, teaching staff and other professionals as to whether the arrangement should continue or the child be returned to his/her chronological age year group.

6.3 Multiple birth applications (for example twins)
In the case of multiple birth applications, the Published Admission Number or admission limit will be exceeded, or sometimes increased, to ensure that multiple birth siblings can be allocated places at the same school (the sibling definition set out in section 6.5 applies).

6.4 Children from Overseas

The Governors will process admission applications for children living overseas, providing that he/she has European Economic Area (EEA) citizenship, or holds an appropriate United Kingdom Home Office Visa at the time of application. All overseas applications will be considered according to the child’s home address at the time of submission unless proof of the child’s future UK address is provided with the application (see 6.7 Home Address). The only exceptions are children of UK Service personnel and other Crown Servants (including Diplomats) returning to the UK with a confirmed future posting within the area.

6.5 Siblings

A sibling is defined as ‘a child living at the same address as a half or full brother or sister, an adoptive brother or sister, or children of the same household at the time of application and remaining so at the time of admission’.

6.6 Parent

The governors have adopted the definition of a ‘parent’ as specified in education law. This includes; natural parents, whether they are married or not and a person other than the natural parent(s) who has parental responsibility or care of a child or young person. Having ‘care’ of a child or young person means that person who looks after the child and with whom the child lives, irrespective of what their relationship is with the child.

6.7 Home Address

A child’s home address is considered to be where the child spends the majority of his/her time with the person(s) who legally have care of the child.  Documentary evidence of house ownership or a minimum six-month rental agreement may be required, together with proof of actual permanent residence at the property concerned. Places will not be allocated on the basis of a future house move unless this can be confirmed through the exchange of contract or the signing of a formal lease agreement in place at the time of application and no more than six weeks ahead of the place being required. An address used for childcare arrangements cannot be used as a home address for the purpose of applying for a school place.

6.8 Distance Measurements

For the purpose of measuring home to school distance, all calculations will be based on a straight-line measurement between the main gate of the school and the front door of the home address at which the child lives for the majority of his/her time, using a Geographical Information System (GIS) method. In the case of multi-level dwellings such as a block of flats, a distance will be calculated between the main gate of the school and the main entrance to the building and this distance will apply equally for all households within the building.

6.9 Special Educational Needs and Education Health Plans
A child with a statement of Special Educational Needs or an individual Education Health Plan which names a specific school, must be admitted to that school by instruction of the Local Authority (LA) in whose area the family lives.

6.10 Withdrawing an allocated place

The Admissions Committee will consider withdrawing a place that has been formally offered for a child if he/she is not on roll and attending the school within six calendar weeks of the date of the offer letter. The governors may also withdraw the offer of a school place if the child’s home address is subsequently found to be fraudulent and where this address was a factor in reaching the admission decision. No place will be withdrawn without written communication with the original applicant and the opportunity provided to explain the family circumstances.

6.11 Catchment map

Horsington Church School has a defined catchment area that is used to prioritise the offer of school places in the event of oversubscription. This comprises the civil parishes of Horsington and South Cheriton. A map indicating the boundary of the catchment area is available on the school website or a paper copy may be viewed in the school by appointment.

6.12 Looked After Child

Criterion 1 of the oversubscription criteria is a statutory requirement. 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. Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989 applies).

Click the links below for more information

2016/17 Admissions Arrangements Public Consultation

2016/17 Admission Appeals Timetable