St Ignatius School strives to create the opportunity and provide an environment

in which each member of its community may identify, develop and fully realise

 individual, personal potential, through the continued recognition, experience,

 understanding and celebration of the values of God’s Kingdom.

 

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

“To the Greater Glory of God”

(St Ignatius)

 

ADMISSION POLICY

(For admission to Reception in September 2008)

 

St Ignatius’ Catholic Primary School was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for baptised Catholic children.  The school is conducted by its governing body as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its Trust Deed and Instrument of Government and seeks at all times to be a witness to Jesus Christ.

Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will always be given to Catholic applicants in accordance with the over-subscription criteria listed below.  In expressing a preference for St Ignatius’ School parents/guardians are declaring their support for the aims and ethos of the school.

The governing body has responsibility for admissions to this school and intends to admit 20 pupils to Reception in the school year which begins in September 2008.

The school currently admits children with a birthday between September 1st and April 30th full time from September. Children with a birthday between May 1st and August 31st are admitted part-time in September and full time from January.

 

Over-subscription Criteria

At any time where there are more applications for places than the number of places available, places will be offered according to the following order of priority:

 

1.      Looked after children from Catholic families.

 

2.    Baptised Catholics who are resident in the parish of St Ignatius.

 

3.    Other Baptised Catholic children.

 

4.    Other looked after children.

 

5.    Children of other Christian denominations or of other Faiths whose parents or carers are in sympathy with the aims and ethos of the school and whose application is supported in writing by a minister of religion or an appropriate religious leader.

 

6.    Children whose parents or carers are in sympathy with the aims and ethos of the school.

 

7.    Other children whose parents or carers wish them to attend St Ignatius’ School.

 

The attendance of a brother or sister (including step-brothers or sisters residing at the same address) at the school at the time of enrolment will increase the priority of an application within each category.

 

Catechumens and members of an Eastern Christian Church are to be given priority next after baptised Catholics in each of the above categories.

 

Tie Break

Where the offer of places to all the applicants in any of the sub-categories listed above would still lead to over-subscription, the places up to the admission number will be offered to those living nearest to the school.  The measure used will be “as the crow flies.”

 

Application Procedures and Timetable

 

Applications must be submitted by 16th November 2007 to the school on the Supplementary Information Form attached to this policy.  A standard application form, known as the Common Preference Form must also be completed and returned to the LA by 16th November 2007.  Parents will be advised of the outcome of their applications on 4 April 2008.  Unsuccessful applicants will be given reasons related to the over-subscription criteria listed above and advised of their right of appeal to an independent appeal panel.

 

Applicants are advised that, in successfully processing applications, the governing body needs BOTH the forms described above to be completed and received at the correct addresses. Failure to provide a Common Preference Form (CPF) would mean that the application is not valid and failure to provide a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) would mean that the applicant is placed in the last criterion.

 

Waiting Lists

 

In addition to their right of appeal, unsuccessful candidates will be offered the opportunity to be placed on a waiting list.  This waiting list will be maintained in order of the over-subscription criteria set out above and not in the order in which applications are received or added to the list.  Names are normally removed from the list after six months.

 

Individual admissions

 

The governors will consider applications which are made in-year, or for children other than Reception age. Single applications are made directly to the governors on the school’s application form and should be accompanied by a letter explaining the circumstances of the move/change of school.

 

The governors will only admit children

 

·        when the year group for which the application is made is not full – ie. has less than 20 pupils and

·        when the statutory KS1 class size limit of 30 is not breached by admitting an additional child. Under our arrangement of two mixed-age KS1 classes, total numbers in KS1 cannot exceed 60 children.

 

At any time where there are more applications for places than the number of places available, places will be offered according to the over-subscription criteria set out above.

 

Please note where a relocation into the area is involved, and no local address can yet be given, the governors may require additional evidence of firm plans before a place will be offered. This is especially significant where the planned relocation is not imminent.

 

Pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs

The admission of pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs is dealt with by a completely separate procedure. This procedure is integral to the making and maintaining of statements by the pupil’s home Local Education Authority. Details of this separate procedure are set out in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

 

Notes (these notes form part of the over-subscription criteria)

 

‘Catholic’ means a member of a Church in communion with the See of Rome. A certificate of baptism in a Catholic Church or a certificate of reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church will normally evidence this. This includes the Eastern Catholic Churches.

 

Catechumens are those children who have expressed an explicit desire to be baptised into the Roman Catholic Church and who are currently preparing to receive the same by regular participation in Sunday worship and a recognised programme of preparation.

 

 ‘Eastern Christian Church’ includes Orthodox Churches and is normally evidenced by a certificate of baptism or reception from the authorities of that Church.

 

‘Looked After Child’ has the same meaning as in section 22 of the Children Act 1989, and means any child in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by them (e.g. children with foster parents).

 

Multiple births When a family with a multiple birth, such as twins or triplets, request admission and there is only one school place available, it will be left to the family to decide whether or not they wish to take up the place for one of their children, and appeal for the subsequent child/ren in the same year group, or to decline the place.

 

‘Parish Boundary’ is as shown on a map available for inspection in school.

In all categories, when decisions have to be made between children satisfying the same criterion, children living nearest to the school, measured as the crow flies, have priority. The distance measured will be from the central (centroid) point of the applicant’s property to the central (centroid) point of the school’s grounds. Measurement will be made using the LA’s in-house admission system and mapping software.