Admissions Policy & Appeals

Admissions Policy

Our admissions policy sets out criteria in order of priority, for pupil entry into school. It follows Local Education Authority guidelines. The criteria are as follows:

1. Relevant Looked After Children
2. Pupils living within the catchment area of the school
3. Pupils who have an elder sibling in attendance at the school and who will still be attending the school at the proposed admission date; (for admission purposes, a sibling is a child who lives at the same address and who is the brother/sister, half-brother/sister (children who share one common parent), step brother/step sister where two children are related by marriage. This definition also includes adopted or fostered children living at the same address).
4. Pupil who satisfy both of the following tests:
• TEST 1:  they are distinguished from the great majority of applicants either on medical grounds or by other exceptional circumstances.
• Medical grounds must be supported by a medical report, (obtained by the parents).  It must clearly justify, for health reasons only, why it is better for the child to attend the preferred school rather than any other school.
• Exceptional circumstances must relate to the choice of school, i.e. the circumstances of the child, not the economic or social circumstances of the parent. They should be supported by a professional report, e.g. social worker, justifying why it is better for the child to attend the preferred school rather than any other school.
• TEST 2:  They would suffer hardship if they were unable to attend the school
5. Pupils whose parents are regular attenders of the Church of England; or of a church in communion with the Church of England; or of a church which is affiliated to the Council of Churches for Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the Evangelical Alliance.  Evidence of such attendance will be required in the form of a letter from a minister of the Churches concerned.  
6. Other pupils arranged in order of priority according to how near their home addresses are to the main gate of the school by the shortest available walking route as measured by the Children and Lifelong Learning Directorate’s Geographical Information System.

Additional Notes
Admissions are administered through a coordinated admissions scheme and preferences for community, controlled, aided and foundation schools will be processed centrally by the Children & Lifelong Learning Directorate’s School Admissions Team. Each pupil will receive one offer of a place at a Staffordshire school.

Admission appeals

If we do not offer a child a place at this school, this will be because to do so would prejudice the education of other children by allowing the number of children in the school to increase too much.

If parents wish to appeal against a decision to refuse entry, they can do so by applying to the LA. An independent panel considers all such appeals, and its decision is binding for all parties concerned. If the appeals panel decides that we should admit a child to whom we had refused a place, then we will accept this decision and continue to do all we can to provide the best education for all the children at our school. (Further details of appeal arrangements are set out in the revised Code of Practice on School Admissions Appeals, which came into force in September 2004.)

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