ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL
Scheme for co-ordinated admissions to primary schools –
School Year 2005/06 (Admissions in September 2005)
Introduction
The main purpose of this co-ordinated scheme is to ensure that every child living on the Isle of Wight receives an offer of a primary school place at the conclusion of the normal admissions round for pupils who are due to enter primary school in September 2005 (i.e. by 1 March 2005). The scheme is designed to foster clear communications on school admissions between the LEA, community and controlled schools and the nine voluntary aided primary schools which act as their own admission authorities.
The nine voluntary aided primary schools are:
· Brighstone Church of England Primary
· Newport Church of England Primary
· Oakfield Church of England Primary
· Yarmouth Church of England Primary
· Holy Cross Catholic Primary
· St Mary’s Catholic Primary
· St Thomas’s Catholic Primary
· St Saviour’s Catholic Primary
· St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary
The scheme does not affect the rights of the ten admission authorities (The LEA and the nine voluntary aided primary schools) to set their own admission policies, and consider applications on the basis of those policies. Its purpose is to set out a process and time scale for the exchange of pupil information between the parties to the scheme, resulting in the offer of a single school place. This should represent the highest preference listed by the parent / carer that it is possible to meet following the application of the relevant admissions policy. Where it is not possible to allocate a place at any of the parents' preferred schools a place will be offered at the nearest school to their home address where a place is available. Parents can still seek an alternative place elsewhere if they are unhappy with the offer. They can also appeal against the decision to refuse their child a place at their preferred school and / or ask for their child's name to be put on a waiting list.
Process and time scale
1. School admissions application packs containing the composite prospectus published by the Isle of Wight Council will be distributed to parents via primary schools and pre-schools not located on school sites at the beginning of October 2004. Information concerning the admissions process will also be sent to Education Welfare Officers and relevant staff of the Social Services & Housing Directorate. Parents whose children will have reached the age of four during the period 1 September 2004 and 31 August 2005 will be eligible to apply. However, applications will not be considered from parents whose children’s fourth birthday falls on or after 1 September 2005.
2.
Parents / carers will be invited to list up to three
preferences for a school place in priority order. These may be at community, controlled or voluntary aided primary
schools. Parents must use the LEA’s own
school admissions preference form to indicate their preferred schools. No other form will be valid, in accordance
with the requirements of the Education Act 2002. Parents should list the schools in order of priority (e.g. first,
second and third). This is vital for
the consideration of applications.
Parents must ensure that completed application forms are received by the
School Admissions Office, County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1UD by 5 pm on 30 November 2004.
3. Where, as part of its admission policy, a voluntary
aided school requires additional supporting information, such as a Governors'
form, or proof of denominational commitment, parents should ensure that Part B
of the LEA application form is countersigned by their Parish Priest and
returned to the School Admissions office at County Hall, Newport (not the
relevant aided primary school) by the same closing date specified in paragraph
two above. This is to ensure that target dates for exchange of pupil
information between authorities and the notification date for parents / carers
can be met. Parents will be advised
through the admissions booklet of the Council of any such additional information
requirements for voluntary aided schools.
4. No later than 16
December 2004
v The LEA will make an indicative allocation of places to all first preferences at community and controlled schools on the Island which are not oversubscribed. The published over subscription criteria will be applied to those schools with more applicants than places.
v The nine voluntary aided primary schools will be provided with parental preference forms where each of the schools has been listed as a preference (first, second or third), and a list of LEA first preference allocations. They will then apply their admissions criteria. Where pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs and must be offered a place as first priority this will be indicated. Statemented pupils must be given priority for the school of their parents’ preference in accordance with the SEN and Admissions Code of Practice.
5. No later than 15 January
2004
v If any of the nine voluntary aided primary schools are oversubscribed, they will provide the LEA with a list showing which children will be offered places at the school, and which will not. The list will show which admissions criterion was applied to each child. The school will advise the LEA where in its admissions criteria it stopped offering places, and such additional information as is necessary to inform parents of the reason for its decision when allocation letters are sent on 1 March 2005.
v
The Council will decide upon its first preference
allocations to community and controlled schools.
6. No later than 30
January 2005
v The Council will liaise with the nine voluntary aided primary schools to establish whether they would be able to offer places to children whose applications to them were second or third preferences. Where the first preference was for a school which can be offered, second and third preference offers will be declined so that only one offer of a place is made.
7. Between 30 January 2005
and 13 February 2005
v Final lists of school allocations will be prepared.
v Letters to parents / carers will be prepared
v Consideration will be given to late applications received before the allocation date.
8. 1 March 2005
Letters will be posted to parents / carers via first class post. The LEA letter to parents will contain the following information.
v The school where a place has been allocated.
v If they have not been allocated a place at the school of their preference, the reason why.
v If they have been refused a place at their first preferred school (or second or third preferred school if appropriate), advice concerning their right of appeal to an independent panel.
v How places at the preferred school were allocated.
v In the case of the nine aided primary schools, an acceptance slip which must be returned to the relevant school by 16 March 2005.
Appendix A – Changes of address and late applications
New arrivals to the Island
Parents / carers moving to the Isle of Wight who are making an application on the basis of their new address must provide evidence of a tenancy agreement of six months or more, an exchange of contracts if they are purchasing a property or a letter from a Housing Association confirming the address where they will be resident. The tenancy agreement, exchange of contracts or a letter from a Housing Association must have been received by the closing date of 30 November 2004.
Late applications received before the allocation date.
(a) Forms received after the closing date will not be considered by the LEA until after those received by 30 November 2004. Any received for the nine voluntary aided primary schools will be forwarded to those schools, who will consider the application after those received by 30 November 2004.
(b) Any preference forms received for children in public care will be included in the main admission round as valid first preferences at any time up to the allocation date on 13 February 2005. Where such an application is received after that date, the LEA will, if attendance at the particular school is seen as a necessity, seek to offer a place there. If this is not possible, because the school is already oversubscribed, the LEA will discuss the matter with the Directorate’s officer responsible for Looked after children.
(c) Applications received after the closing date but before the allocation date on 13 February will be sent a letter allocating a school place on 1 March 2005. Applications received after the allocation date will be sent an allocation letter as soon as possible after 1 March.
(d) Parents / carers living on the Isle of Wight who change their preference as a result of a change of address, and who return the new form by the closing date will have that change considered in the main round of allocations. They will have until16 December to provide evidence of the address change. Those preference forms received after the closing date will be considered as late applications.
(a) Where a preference form is received after the allocation date, from a parent / carer living on the Isle of Wight, they must use an Isle of Wight LEA preference form. If the preference(s) is for a community or controlled school, the LEA will allocate a place as long as the school remains under subscribed. If the school is fully subscribed, a place will be allocated at the nearest school to the home address that has a vacancy. The LEA will seek to make a decision as soon as possible after receiving the form. Where a preference is made for one of the nine voluntary aided primary schools, the form will be passed to that admission authority for a decision. They will be asked to reach a decision within fourteen days of receiving the relevant documentation. The Isle of Wight LEA will endeavour to send a decision to the parent / carer either as soon as possible once it has reached a decision, or has been informed of a decision by the other admission authority.
(b) All applications received after the beginning of the autumn term 2005 will be regarded as outside the co-ordinated scheme. Nonetheless, the LEA will act as the point of contact for all preferences for parents / carers living on the Island, and will liaise with the nine voluntary aided primary schools over applications for admission to schools other than Isle of Wight community and controlled schools. The LEA preference form should be used in all cases. The same arrangements will apply to applications for admission to primary schools for year groups other than the normal intake into the Reception Year, i.e. years 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Waiting Lists
The Isle of Wight LEA will operate waiting lists for oversubscribed community and controlled schools. The waiting list ranking will be based on the LEA oversubscription criteria. Rankings within each priority will be determined by distance from home to the relevant school as measured in a straight line. Places will be offered to children from the waiting list as soon as a place becomes available at an over subscribed school. It is for parents to ask for their child to be placed on a waiting list using the form provided by the LEA. The waiting list will operate until the child gains a place or until the parents wish his / her name to be removed.
It is a matter for each of the nine voluntary aided primary schools to decide whether or not to operate a waiting list system. If they place a child resident on the Isle of Wight they are asked to notify this LEA at the earliest opportunity.
Admission Appeals
(a) Parents / carers wishing to appeal against any decision not to offer a place at a preferred school should do so by 16 March 2005.
(b) The LEA will not arrange an appeal for a school that was not included on the original preference form. It will only arrange an appeal for a school which was listed as a preference, as it will not have given a decision to the parent / carer for schools not included on the form. If a parent / carer wishes to receive a decision for a school not included in their original preference(s), and thus acquire a right of appeal, they must complete a further preference form.
(c) Parents / carers will receive fourteen days notice of the date of the appeal hearing and will receive copies of any documentation relating to the appeal seven days in advance of the hearing.
(d) Whilst the Isle of Wight Council will make every effort to hear appeals within six weeks of the allocation letter being sent out, as suggested in the Code of Practice, it cannot guarantee this time scale. The volume of appeals to be heard and the availability of the appeal panel members, who are volunteers, will have a direct affect on the timing of the appeal hearings.
(e) Appeals for late applications and school transfers outside the normal admission round will be arranged as soon as is possible after the decision to refuse a preference has been conveyed to the student and the parent / carer.