Diocese of Chester
Dawpool Church of England Aided Primary School- School Admissions Policy 2011
Parents should be aware before applying that in this school RE, collective worship and our whole ethos are based on the teachings of the Church of England.
Applications for admission to the school should be made on the common application form with the Local Authority’s brochure between 1st September and 15th January and also on the school’s supplementary form by those applying under criteria 3,4 and 6.
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, the Supplementary Form must be completed by those applying under criteria 3,4 and 6.
Letters informing parents of whether or not their child has been allocated a place will be sent out by the Local Authority during the last week in March. Parents of children not admitted will be informed of the reason and offered an alternative place by the Authority.
The number of places available for admission to the Reception class will be a maximum of 30. This arrangement follows consultation between the governing body, the Diocesan Board of Education, Local Authorities and other admissions authorities in the area. The governing body will not place any restrictions on admissions to the reception class unless the number of children for whom admission is sought exceeds this number. By law, no infant class may contain more than thirty children.
The Governing Body operates a system of equal preferences under which they consider all preferences equally and the Local Authority allocates places according to its policy. In the event that there are more applicants than places, the governing body will allocate places using the following criteria, which are listed in order of priority:
- Children in Care.
- Children with special medical or social circumstances affecting the child where these needs can only be met at this school.
- Children whose parents are faithful and regular worshippers in the Parish Church(es) of St Bartholomew, Thurstaston and St Chad, Irby and are resident in the parish.
- Children whose parents are resident in the parish and are faithful and regular worshippers in a neighbouring Anglican Church or Irby Methodist or Irby Evangelical Church for whom this is the closest Church of England school, as measured by the Wirral LA criteria using Wirral’s measurement criteria. ( see note g)
- Children who have a sibling in school who will still be attending in the following year.
- Children whose parents are faithful and regular worshippers of a Christian denomination, as recognised by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and for whom this is the closest Church of England school, as measured by the Wirral LA criteria. (see note g)
- Children resident in the parish(es) of St Bartholomew and St Chad.
- Other children.
Notes
a) Professional supporting evidence from eg a doctor, psychologist, social worker, is essential if admission is to be made under the criterion for special medical or social circumstances, and such evidence must set out the particular reasons why the school is question is the most suitable school and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school.
b) By “faithful and regular” we mean attendance at a minimum of two Sunday services per month for at least one year prior to the closing date for applications. (i.e. from end of January )
c) A letter will be sought from your incumbent or minister or other church officer which will be sent directly to the school for the attention of the Chair of Governors. This will be required as proof of attendance.
d) A parent is any person who has parental responsibility or care of the child. Where
admission arrangements refer to ‘parent’s attendance at church’ it is sufficient for just one parent to attend.
e) A map showing the boundaries is available from school.
f) Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner where the child for whom the school place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling.
g) 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 the walking route to school. Wirral LA use a computer mapping system based on Ordinance Survey maps to measure the distance from a child’s home to the school gate nearest to your child’s home, using the shortest road route unless it is possible to use a footpath which Wirral LA consider a safe walking route.
h) All children with birthdays between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007 are admitted in September. For children with a birthday after Christmas or after Easter parents may defer entry until later in the year and the headteacher should be consulted if this option is being considered.
i) Admissions will be in accordance with the Local Authority’s coordinated scheme for in year admissions.
Last year the school was able to admit all pupils whose parents applied.
Children with Statements
Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the Governing Bodies of all maintained schools to admit a child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs that names their school.
Late applications for admission
Late applications will be dealt with in accordance with our initial admissions criteria and the Local Authority’s co-ordinated scheme.
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 this waiting list will be in the order resulting from the application of the admissions criteria. Since the date of application cannot be a criterion for the order of names on the waiting list, late applicants for the school will be slotted into the order according to the extent to which they meet the criteria. Thus it is possible that a child who moves into the area later to have a higher priority than one who has been on the waiting list for some time. If a place becomes available within the admission number, the child whose name is at the top of the list will be offered a place. This is not dependent on whether an appeal has been submitted. This waiting list will operate until the end of the autumn term only.
Address of pupil
The address used on the school’s admission form must be the current one at the time of application. If the address changes subsequently, the parents should notify the school. Where the parents live at different addresses, the current-at-the-time-of-application, normal address of the child will be the one used. This will normally be the one where the child wakes up for the majority of Monday to Friday mornings. Parents may be asked to show evidence of the claim that is being made for the address, e.g. utility bills showing the child’s address as the one claimed. Where there is dispute about the correct address to use, the governors reserve the right to make enquiries of any relevant third parties, e.g. the child’s GP. For children of UK Service personnel and other Crown Servants returning to the area proof of the posting is all that is required.
Non-routine admissions
The Local Authority co-ordinates all non-routine admissions and parents should refer to its co-ordinated scheme.
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 contact Wallasey Town Hall ( Parents Appeals) as indicated in the allocation letter within 21 days of receiving the letter refusing a place.
If your child was refused a place in Reception or Key Stage 1 because of Government limits on Infant class sizes, the grounds on which your appeal could be successful are limited. You would have to show that the decision was one which in the circumstances no reasonable governing would have made, or that your child would have been offered a place if the governors’ admissions arrangements had been properly implemented.
Please note that this right of appeal against the governors’ decision does not prevent you from making an appeal in respect of any other school.
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. Children who have their fifth birthday between 1st September and 28/29th February are admitted at the beginning of the Autumn term on a full time basis. For children who have their fifth birthday between the 1st March and 31st August, admission may be full or part time depending on parental request. These requests must be made in writing and received by the school by 1st July at the latest. Admissions for all children are phased over the first two weeks of term.
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 random allocation will be undertaken by an independent body. Parents will be informed of their right to appeal for the other child.
Please click here to download the supplementary form - to be returned to school by the Church Officer signing the form.