Victorious Academies Trust

Aims

1.      This policy:

         Explains how to apply for a place at academies within the Trust;

         Set out the school s arrangements for allocating places to the pupils who apply; and

         Explains how to appeal against a decision not to offer your child a place.

2.      This policy may be amended in writing at any time by agreement between the Secretary of State and the Academies Trust. Where there is a proposed change in admission arrangements the Trust will consult on these proposals.

Legislation and statutory requirements

3.      This policy is based on the following advice from the Department for Education (DfE):

         School Admissions Code; and

         School Admission Appeals Code.

4.      As an academy, the school is required by its funding agreement to comply with these codes, and with the law relating to admissions as set out in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

5.      This policy complies with the Trust funding agreements and Articles of Association.

6.      Within Tameside the Trust will take part in the Admissions Forum set up by Tameside MBC and have regard to its advice; and will participate in the co-ordinated admission arrangements operated by Tameside MBC and the local in-year fair access protocol.

7.      Within Derbyshire the Trust will take part in the Admissions Forum set up by Derbyshire County Council and have regard to its advice; and will participate in the co-ordinated admission arrangements operated by Derbyshire County Council and the local in-year fair access protocol.

Definitions

8.      The normal admissions round is the period during which parents can apply for state-funded school place at the school s normal point of entry, using the common application form provided by their home local authority.

9.      Looked after children are children who, at the time of making an application to a school, are:

         In the care of a local authority,

         Being provided with accommodation by a local authority in exercise of its social services functions; or

         Children who were in state care outside England but who were then adopted.

10.  Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they:

         Were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 or the Adoption and Children Act 2002, or

         Became subject to a child arrangements order, or

         Became subject to a special guardianship order

11.  A child reaches compulsory school age on the prescribed day following their fifth birthday (or on their fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day). The prescribed days are 31 December, 31 March and 31 August.

12.  Rules for siblings - Included in this factor are step siblings and half siblings living at the same address and who will be attending the relevant academy at the expected time of admission.

13.  Rules for Residence - Where your child lives normally during the school week with more than one parent at different addresses, the home address for the purposes of school admissions will be the one where the child spends the majority of term time. If you can show that your child spends an equal amount of time at both addresses during school term time, you can choose which address to use on the application.

14.  If you have more than one home, we will take as the home address the address where you and your child normally live for the majority of the school term time.

15.  The address from which distance will be measured will be the permanent residential address, as at the closing date for applications of the parent with whom the child is normally resident. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for part of a week, the home address is the address from which the child travels to school for the majority of school days per week.

16.  An adoption order is an order under section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. A residence order is as an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a special guardianship order as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child s special guardian (or special guardians).

17.  In cases where twins, triplets, or other multiple birth siblings are split when allocations take place, they will be allocated a place over the Published Admission Number and will remain excepted pupils for the time they are in an infant class or until the class numbers fall back to the current infant class size limit. 

18.  In the first instance admissions and appeals for any Tameside Academies will be managed by Tameside MBC on the Trust s behalf and any admissions and appeals for any Derbyshire Academies will be managed by Derbyshire County Council.

19.  Distance - For all Tameside Academies distance will be measured as a straight line from the child s home address, using the address point assigned by the National Land and Property Gazetteer, to the main gate to the school property. Measurements will be made using the local authority s school admissions data mapping software, which uses a Geographical Information System based on Ordnance Survey. In the event of distances being the same for 2 or more applications where this distance would be the last place/s to be allocated, the place will be allocated to the pupil that is nearer using walking distance as measured using the local authority s school admissions data mapping software.

20.  Distance For all Derbyshire Academies the Children s Services Department has a Geographic Information System (GIS) to measure the straight line distance. It is measured by a standard straight line distance calculated to within two metres. The location of the home address is the Delivery Point Address (normally the house front door) which is sourced from the PAF (Postal Address File) component of Address Base. For schools the grid reference is taken from the postal address file and will normally be the centre of the school for primary phase schools, or the nearest gate or entrance for secondary schools.

21.  Where oversubscription occurs in applying either criteria i. ii or iii at 44 below, priority will be given to those pupils living nearest the school, measured as a straight line (as above).

Annual Procedures for determining Admission Arrangements - Consultation

22.  The Trust shall consult the following parties on an academies proposed admission arrangements for a minimum of six weeks between 1 October and 31 January in the Determination Year :

i) Tameside MBC or Derbyshire County Council;

ii) the admission forum for Tameside MBC; or for Derbyshire County Council;

iii) any other admission authorities for primary and secondary schools located within the relevant area for consultation;

iv) any other governing body for primary and secondary schools (as far as not falling within paragraph c)) located within the relevant area for consultation;

v) affected admission authorities in neighbouring local authority areas; and

vi) parents living in the relevant area for consultation whose children have attained the age of two but are not above compulsory school age and who are or will be eligible to apply to be admitted to an academy.

23.  Such consultation shall be in line with the requirements of the Codes and relevant admissions legislation, which at the date of this Agreement is section 89 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 as amended, and Regulations under that section. Victorious Academies Trust may ask the appropriate local authority to carry out the consultation on their behalf.

24.  Consultation in line with paragraph 21 is not required in any year where the following conditions are met:

i) the admission arrangements were consulted upon in the previous seven years; and

ii) there have been no changes, or proposed changes, since the last consultation.

25.  As soon as any changes are made to arrangements, or proposed, the consultation cycle in paragraph 21 must be followed for the next determination year.

26.  The Trust will consider comments made by those consulted in accordance with paragraph 21, including any requests to amend the proposed admission number, before determining the admission arrangements for an academy within the Trust.

27.  The Trust will determine each academy s admission arrangements annually by 28th February of the Determination Year and notify consultees listed in paragraph 21 what has been determined within 14 days of that decision being made. The Trust will determine admission arrangements for entry in September by 28 February in the determination year.

How to apply

28.  For applications in the normal admissions round you should use the application form provided by your home local authority (regardless of which local authority the schools are in). This maybe an electronic form. You can use this form to express your preference for a minimum of three schools (6 choices in Tameside Local Authority), in rank order.

29.  You will receive an offer for a school place directly from your local authority. Please note, pupils already attending a nursery based within any of our academies will not transfer automatically into the main school. A separate application must be made for a place in Reception.

Requests for admission outside the normal age group

(Compulsory school age is set out in section 8 of the Education Act 1996 and the Education (Start of Compulsory School Age) Order 1998. A child reaches compulsory school age on the prescribed day following his or her fifth birthday (or on his or her fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day). The prescribed days are 31 December, 31 March and 31 August.)

30.  Parents can request a place for the admission of their child in the September following their fourth birthday. Where a place has been offered a place at a school:

a) that child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday;

b) the child s parents can defer the date their child is admitted to the school until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age and not beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which it was made; and

c) where the parents wish, children may attend part-time until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age.

31.  Parents of gifted and talented children, or those who have experienced problems or missed part of a year, for example due to ill health, can seek places outside their normal age group. In addition, the parents of a summer born child may choose not to send that child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted out of their normal age group to Reception rather than Year 1.

32.  There is no statutory barrier to children being admitted outside their normal age group, but parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular age group.

33.  Wherever possible, requests for admission outside a child s normal age group will be processed as part of the main admissions round. They will be considered on the basis of the admission arrangements laid out in this policy, including the oversubscription criteria listed in this document. Applications will not be treated as a lower priority if parents have made a request for a child to be admitted outside the normal age group.

34.  Parents should submit reasons for requesting admission for their child outside of the normal age range together with their application. The online application provides space for parents to do this and parents should also submit views of medical professionals as necessary. A decision will be made taking account of parents wishes, information about the child s academic, social and emotional development; and whether they have previously been educated outside their normal age group. Each request will be treated on an individual basis having regard to the views of an educational professional who will be involved in educating the child.

35.  Decisions will be taken on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. This will include taking account of the parent s views; information about the child s academic, social and emotional development; where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional; whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; and whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely. They will also take into account the views of the head teacher of the school concerned.

36.  Each request and the evidence provided will be considered and a decision made based on the parental request, using the evidence provided. Parents/carers are responsible for providing all information in support of an application by the closing date, local authority officers will not ask for additional information. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

37.  Parents will always be informed of the reasons for any decision on the year group a child should be admitted to. Parents do not have a right to appeal if they are offered a place at the school but it is not in their preferred age group.

Allocation of places

Admission number for each school within the Trust

38.  The Trust has agreed admissions numbers for each academy subject to any changes approved or required by the Secretary of State.

39.  In any specific year, the Trust may set a higher admission number than the agreed admission number for an applicable year group at an academy. Before setting an admission number higher than its agreed admission number, the Trust will consult those listed at paragraph 21. Pupils will not be admitted in any year group above the published admission number for that year group unless exceptional circumstances apply and such circumstances shall be reported to the Secretary of State.

Process of Application for Reception

40.  Arrangements for applications for places at academies within Tameside will be made in accordance with the Tameside MBC s co-ordinated admission arrangements and will be made on the through the on-line Common Application process provided and administered by Tameside MBC. The process can be accessed here http://tameside.gov.uk/admissions.

41.  Arrangements for applications for places at academies within Derbyshire will be made in accordance with Derbyshire s co-ordinated admissions scheme and will be made on the through the on-line Primary Application process provided and administered by Derbyshire County Council. The process can be accessed here http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/admissions.

42.  The Trust will use the local authorities timetable for applications for the academies, each year (exact dates within the months may vary from year to year). This will fit in with the indicative timetable below for the co-ordination of admission arrangements:

a) By September - The Trust will publish on the Trust website information about the arrangements for admission, including oversubscription criteria, for the following September (e.g. in September 2021 for admission in September 2022). This will include how to find out the details of open evenings and other opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents to visit the academies. The Trust will also provide information in relation to the academies to relevant local authorities  for inclusion in the composite prospectus, as required;

b) September/October - The Trust will provide opportunities for parents to visit the academies;

c) October the on-line application processes to be followed. In Tameside the process can be accessed here http://tameside.gov.uk/admissions. In Derbyshire the process can be accessed here http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/admissions

43.  The national closing date for applications are as follows:

a) 31 October for secondary applications; and

b) 15 January for primary applications.

44.  Changes to preferences, ranking order, or pupil details, will not be allowed after the closing date in January, except in exceptional circumstances, for example, if the family has recently moved address. Evidence must be provided to support the request. An intention to change address cannot be considered by the local authority until the move has actually taken place and proof is available, or parents may provide a solicitor s letter confirming an exchange of contracts on a property, or a tenancy agreement and proof of disposal of current property. No changes can be considered even where there are exceptional circumstances, once information has been exchanged with other admission bodies because the allocations process has commenced.

45.  Notification of offers of a single school place will be sent out to parents on 16th April or the next working day. These notifications will also inform parents of their right of appeal, and who to contact, if an application has not been successful.

46.  Parents will not receive multiple offers.

47.  Victorious Academies Trust and our academies will ensure its application processes enable parents to apply before these deadlines.

48.  Where fewer applicants than the published admission number for the relevant year groups are received at an academy, the Trust will offer places to all those who have applied.

Procedures for admission where an academy is oversubscribed in Tameside:

49.  Children with an Education Health and Care Plan where the school is named will be allocated places before the oversubscription criteria are applied. Where, in any year an academy receives more successful applications for places than there are places available the following criteria will apply:

(i) Looked after Children or children who have previously been looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order.

A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).

(ii) Children and families with exceptional medical or social needs and / or SEN.

Written evidence must be provided by a suitably qualified professional e.g. a GP or consultant for medical needs, or a social worker for social needs the information must confirm the exceptional medical or social need and demonstrate how the specified school is the only school that can meet the defined needs of the child. A panel of Governors made up from the academies Local Governing Board will make a decision as to whether to admit a child under this criterion, using the evidence provided. Parents and carers are responsible for providing all information in support of an application by the closing date, an academy will not ask for additional information. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

(iii) Siblings

This will apply where there are brothers or sisters attending an academy at the time of application, and who will be still be attending at the time of admission the September when a pupil goes into Reception. Preference will be given to children living nearest to the academy.

The sibling criterion includes natural brothers/sisters, half-brothers/sisters, step-brothers/sisters, adopted brothers/sisters, brothers/sisters of fostered children, children of the parent/carer s partner. In each case they must be living at the same address. This allows for the admittance of children whose siblings will still be attending the preferred school.

(iv) All other applications on distance

Preference will be given to pupils living nearest to an academy, taking into account ease of access to, and distance from, alternative schools.

50.  Ease of access will be considered when parents provide details of particular reasons which mean their child could reach the nearest school but would face a disproportionately long journey to another school if denied admission to their nearest school. Details must be provided on the on-line form.

Procedures for admission where an academy is oversubscribed in Derbyshire:

51.  Looked after children and children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order).

52.  Children living in the normal area served by the school at the time of application and admission who have brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of application and admission.

53.  Children living in the normal area served by the school at the time of application and admission.

54.  Children not living in the normal area served by the school but who have brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of application and admission.

55.  Other children whose parents have requested a place.

56.  Where, in the case of 51, 52, 53, 54 or 55 above, choices have to be made between children satisfying the same criteria, those children living nearest to the school (measured by straight line) will be given preference (paragraph 20).

Operation of waiting lists

57.  Academies will operate a waiting list for places in Reception until the end of the academic year annually. This will be maintained and it will be open to any parent to ask for their child s name to be placed on the waiting list. Any child that is unsuccessful at their first assessment can request a second chance in the assessment process, within an agreed time limit.

58.  Children s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria set out above. Where places become vacant they will be allocated to children on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.

Arrangements for admitting pupils to other year groups, including to replace any pupils who have left an academy

59.  Local authorities will co-ordinate admissions for in-year applications and for applications for year groups other than the normal point(s) of entry. This will not affect an academies right to determine which applicants have priority for admission.

60.  Waiting lists will operated at all Trust schools for all year groups (Years 1 6) in addition to Reception for the whole academic year wherever necessary for places that are available.

61.  Subject to any provisions in the LA s co-ordinated admission arrangements relating to applications submitted for years other than the normal year of entry, our academies will consider all such applications and if the year group applied for has a place available, admit the child unless one of the permitted reliefs applies. If more applications are received than there are places available, the oversubscription criteria shall apply. Parents whose application is turned down shall be entitled to appeal. Parents shall only be entitled to appeal once in any academic year.

In-year admissions

62.  Parents wishing to apply for an in year transfer to a school in Tameside or Derbyshire should apply using the relevant local authority form. The School Transfer Request Form can be obtained from the Headteacher of the school the child currently attends, if in Tameside or it can be downloaded from the Tameside Council website: www.tameside.gov.uk/admissions and if in Derbyshire it can be downloaded from the Derbyshire County Council website here https://apps.derbyshire.gov.uk/dotnetapplications/admissions/default.aspx?admissiontype=InYearPrimary

63.  Forms should be fully completed and submitted with any additional/supplementary documentation/evidence to the appropriate school admissions team to enable their application to be considered as quickly as possible.

64.  If you want to transfer your child to a school in Tameside or Derbyshire, you must apply through Tameside or Derbyshire Councils even if you live in another area. If you want to apply for a school in another area, you will need to contact that area for further details of what you need to do.

65.  If a place is available in the requested year group, parents will normally be offered that place but there are some exceptions (see Fair Access Protocol section).

66.  Where there are no available spaces in the requested year group the child will be added to the waiting list for that year group, and the waiting list will remain open for the academic year.

67.  Parents will receive an offer of a school place through Tameside or Derbyshire County Councils and this can take up to 20 school days.

68.  All local authorities have a Fair Access Protocol for in year transfers that ensures the speedy admission of pupils who may experience difficulty in being allocated a school place, for example, if they have been out of school for a long period of time.

Appeals

69.  If your child s application for a place at the school is unsuccessful, you will be informed why admission was refused and given information about the process for hearing appeals. If you wish to appeal, you must set out the grounds for your appeal in writing and send it to the appropriate local authority with a copy to info@victoriousacademies.org or FAO Admissions, Victorious Academies Trust, c/o Inspire Academy, Mossley Road, Ashton under Lyne, OL6 9RU.

70.  To appeal for a place at a Tameside school you should complete the online appeal application form, which can be found at www.tameside.gov.uk/schools/admissions by mid May of the appropriate year. Additional details linked to the timescales for appeals can be found on Tameside s website at https://www.tameside.gov.uk/admissions

71.  To appeal for a place at a Derbyshire school you should make your appeal within 20 school days of receiving notification that your application was unsuccessful. Information is available on Derbyshire s website as follows https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/appeals/primary-and-junior-schools-appeals-guidance/primary-infant-and-junior-school-appeals-guidance.aspx

Monitoring and review

72.  The effectiveness of this policy will be monitored by the Chief Executive Officer and the Trust Board.

73.   The Trust Board will review this policy annually.