Admissions Policy 2009-10

Admissions Policy, Criteria and Arrangements 2009/10

St. Edmund's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided, mixed primary school for pupils aged between 3-11 years, maintained by the Lancashire Local Authority.

The Governing Body of the school is responsible for determining and administering its policy relating to the admission of pupils to the school. It is guided in this responsibility by: The school serves in the first instance baptised Catholic children living in the Parish.

The Governing Body has published its admission number for September 2009 at 21.

Applications for a Reception place for September 2009 should be made on the enclosed Lancashire Children's Services Form and returned to the School no later than 7 November 2008.

The Governing Body has delegated responsibility for determining admissions to its Admissions Committee which will consider all applications made in accordance with the published criteria.

Pupils who are admitted to the school will enter the reception class during the first week of the Autumn Term 2009 by arrangement with the school.

Parents may wish to know that the number of applications received last year was 19 and 19 pupils were admitted.

Admissions Criteria

1. Baptised Catholic children in the care of the Local Authority (Looked After children).

2. Baptised Catholic children living in the parish who have a sibling attending the school at the time of likely admission (this includes full, half or step brothers and sisters and adopted and foster brothers or sisters who are living at the same address and are part of the same family unit).

3. Baptised Catholic children who live in the Parish.

4. Baptised Catholic children who live in other parishes but have a sibling attending the school at the time of likely admission (this includes full, half or step brothers and sisters and adopted and foster brothers or sisters who are living at the same address and are part of the same family unit).

5. Baptised Catholic children living outside the parish.

6. Looked After children who are other than Catholic.

7. Other children with a sibling attending the school at the time of likely admission (this includes full, half or step brothers and sisters and adopted and foster brothers or sisters who are living at the same address and are part of the same family unit).

8. Children of other Christian denominations. Proof of baptism in the form of a baptismal certificate is required or confirmation in writing that the applicant is a member of their faith community from an appropriate Minister of Religion is required.

9. Children of other faiths. An appropriate Minister of Religion would need to confirm in writing that the applicant is a member of their faith group.

10. Children whose parents express a preference for a place at the school.

Following application of the above criteria, where it becomes necessary to decide between applicants of otherwise equal priority, the following tiebreak will be used:

Priority will be given to children living nearest to the school gate in Windrows, or Tanfields (near the shop), whichever is the nearest, measured by the shortest safe walking distance using pedestrian footpaths.

Admission Arrangements

[1] All applications will be considered at the same time and after the closing date of 7 November 2008 agreed by the Admissions Committee.

[2] Parents will be informed, by letter, of the decision of the Admissions Committee no later than 9 March 2009. If their application has been successful they are required to confirm acceptance of the offer of a place by 21st March.

[3] If application has not been successful the letter will give reasons for the decision, will inform parents of their right of appeal and give guidance on how that appeal should be made.

[4] A waiting list for children who have not been offered a place will be kept and will be ranked according to the Admission Criteria; parents will be informed of their child's position on the waiting list and of the date when the waiting list will cease to apply.

Notes

1. For a child to be considered as a Catholic, evidence of a Catholic Baptism or reception into the Church will be required.

A Baptised Catholic is one who has been baptised into full communion with the Catholic Church by the Rites of baptism of one of the various ritual Churches in communion with the See of Rome (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1203). Written evidence of this baptism can be obtained by recourse to the baptismal Registers of the church in which the baptism took place.

Or

A person who has been baptised in a separate ecclesial community and subsequently received into full communion with the Catholic Church by the Rite of Reception of Baptised Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church. Written evidence of their baptism and reception into full communion with the Catholic Church can be obtained by recourse to the Register of Receptions, or in some cases a sub-section of the Baptismal registers of the church in which the Rite of Reception took place.

The Governing Body will require written evidence in the form of a Certificate of Baptism or Certificate of Reception before applications for school places can be considered for categories of "Baptised Catholics". A Certificate of Baptism or Reception is to include: full name, date of birth, date of baptism or reception and parent(s) name(s). The certificate must also show that it is copied from the records kept by the place of baptism or reception.

Those who would have difficulty obtaining written evidence of baptism for a good reason, may still be considered as baptised Catholics but only after they have been referred to their parish priest, who after consulting with the Vicar General, will decide how the question of baptism is to be resolved and how written evidence is to be produced in accordance with the law of the Church.

Those who would be considered to have good reason for not obtaining written evidence would include those who cannot contact the place of baptism due to persecution or fear, the destruction of the church and the original records, or where baptism was administered validly but not in the Parish church where records are kept.

Governors may request extra supporting evidence when the written documents that are produced do not clarify the fact that a person was baptised or received into the Catholic Church, (i.e. where the name and address of the Church is not on the certificate or where the name of the Church does not state whether it is a Catholic Church or not.)

2. The Governing Body reserve the right to admit children with proven and exceptional medical and social needs where admission to the school might best help satisfy those exceptional needs, providing that such application is submitted with appropriate evidence or reports from a doctor or social worker.

3. The home address of a pupil is considered to be the permanent residence of a child. The address must be the child's only or main residence. Documentary evidence may be required - eg. child benefit payment address.

4. Shared Parenting: If a child lives at more than one address - with parents who share equally the responsibility for parenting, then the address to be used for admissions will be that of the parent with whom the child resides for the majority of time between Monday and Friday.

5. Late applications (those received after the closing date) will only be considered alongside those received by the closing date under the following circumstances: Applications received after the notification date (after places are offered) will be added to the school's waiting list in admission criteria order.

PARENTS MUST COMPLETE THE LOCAL AUTHORITY COMMON APPLICATION FORM AND WHERE APPLICABLE THE SCHOOL SUPPLEMENTARY FORM.