Annex X

ALL SAINTS RC SCHOOL

Diocese of Middlesbrough

All Saints RC School

              Admissions Policy - Sixth Form September 2023

‘Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’. (Matthew 19.14)

1. Principles of the Policy

All Saints RC School was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for baptised Catholic children.  The school is run 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.

2. Aims

This policy establishes the principles by which students will be admitted into the school Sixth Form in the event there are more applicants than places.  All students are required to apply for a place in the Sixth Form

3. Definitions

Looked after Child

A ‘looked after child’ has the same meaning as in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989, and means any child who is (a) in the care of a local authority or (b) being provided with accommodation by them in the exercise of their social services functions (e.g. children with foster parents) at the time of making application to the school.

A ‘previously looked after child’ is a child who was looked after, but ceased to be so because he or she was adopted, or became subject to a child arrangements order, or special guardianship order.  Included in this definition are those children who appear (to the governing body) to have been in state care outside of England and who ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

Catholic

‘Catholic’ means a member of a Church in full communion with the See of Rome. This includes the Eastern Catholic Churches. This will normally be evidenced by a certificate of baptism in a Catholic Church or a certificate of reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church. For the purposes of this policy, it includes a looked after child living with a family where at least one of the parents is Catholic.

For a child to be treated as Catholic, evidence of baptism or reception into the Church will be required. Those who have difficulty obtaining written evidence of baptism should contact their Parish Priest who, after consulting with the Diocese, will decide how the question of baptism is to be resolved and how written evidence is to be produced in accordance with the laws of the Church.

Catechumen

A Catechumen is a member of the catechumenate of the Catholic Church; they are under instruction to become a member of the Catholic Church.  A certificate of reception into the order of catechumens will normally evidence this.

Brother and Sister (Sibling)

Brother or sister includes half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner where the child for whom the school place is sought is living in the same family unit, at the same address as that sibling and is in attendance at the same school on the date of admission.

Eligible Parents

Eligible parents are defined as staff employed at All Saints for two or more years or potential staff who will meet a skills shortage.

Churches Together in England Seehttp://www.cte.org.uk/Groups/234772/Home/Contacts/Member_Churches_list/Member_Churches_list.aspx

Applicants seeking admission under criterion 8 will be required to produce a baptismal certificate or a letter confirming their baptism.

Distances

Distance will be measured by the shortest walking route from the front door of the child’s home address to the main entrance of the school, using the Local Authority’s GIS computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

4. Implementation

Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will always be given to Catholic applicants in accordance with the Oversubscription criteria listed below.

The Governing Body is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for determining the school’s admissions policy. The Published admission number for external students for September 2023 is 35.

Admission to the Sixth Form

1. Admission to the Sixth Form will be from:

a)  Students in Year 11 at All Saints RC School

            b)  Students from outside of All Saints RC School

2. Students on roll at All Saints RC School are required to apply for a place in the Sixth Form, as are students from other schools.
3. The entry requirements for admission to the Sixth Form shall be the same for students on roll in Year 11 at the school and external applicants.
4. Students will be enrolled into the Sixth Form prior to the start of the Autumn Term in each school year although there may be some occasions when students transfer during the academic year.

Entry Requirements

All those seeking admission to the Sixth Form must achieve the necessary grades for access onto the courses they have chosen (refer to the subject specific entry requirements). All applications are subject to approval by the Sixth Form team. Should a subject applied for not have been studied previously at GCSE entry will be at the discretion of the Sixth Form team in negotiation with the department and under the criteria they determine e.g. evidence in the form of a portfolio or prior attainment. Access to new subjects (not necessarily available at GCSE) is dependent on the applicants’ GCSE profile and on condition that no more than two new subjects are studied.

Pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan or a Statement of Special Educational Needs

The admission of pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan is dealt with by a completely separate procedure.  Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school must be admitted. Where this takes place before the allocation of places under these arrangements this will reduce the number of places available to other children.

Late Applications

Any applications received after the closing date will be accepted but considered only after those received by the closing date.

Oversubscription Criteria

Where there are more applications for admission than the number of places available in any year group, places will be offered according to the following order of priority:

1. Catholic looked after and previously looked after children. (see Definitions note 3)

2. Catholic children of members of school staff who have been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made.

3. Other Catholic children.

4. Other ‘children looked after’ (in public care)  and other children previously ‘looked after’ but ceased to be so because they became adopted, or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order immediately following having been looked after.

5. Catechumens.

6. Children with a brother, sister or eligible parent at the school at the time of proposed enrolment.

7. Children who are baptised or dedicated members of other Christian Churches as recognised by Churches Together in England (see definitions)

8. All other applicants.

Tie-break Criteria

Where the offer of places to applicants in any of the categories would lead to over subscription within that category, applicants will be prioritised in the following order:   

1. Children who have a brother or sister at the school at the time of proposed enrolment.
2. Children currently in receipt of Free School Meals or children who have been in receipt of Free School Meals in the last six years.
3. Children with one or more parents that are in the armed services.
4. Those with the shortest safe walking route from their home to school. Distance will be measured by the shortest walking route from the front door of the child’s home address to the main entrance of the school, using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

The number of students who have applied for each course will need to be taken into account, meaning that extra students can sometimes be accommodated over the admission number if the student’s chosen course is not full.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

The Governing Body will review this policy every year and assess its effectiveness and implementation

6. Availability  

This policy, and its advisory Notes for Guidance, will be included in the Staff handbook. Copies will also be available, if required, from the Head Teacher’s Secretary and the school website.

Person Responsible:	Assistant Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form)
Reviewed by:	Governors’ Admissions Committee
Last Review Academic Year:	July 2021
Adopted by Governing Body	July 2021

This policy was amended on 1^st September 2021 to reflect the introduction of the new Admissions Code of Practice 2021

The policy will next be consulted upon in 2022/23

ALL SAINTS RC SCHOOL

Diocese of Middlesbrough

All Saints RC School

                    Admissions Policy - Sixth Form September 2023

                                              Notes for guidance

“Blessed are those who have discovered wisdom, those who have acquired understanding”. (Proverbs 3.13)

The governing body is responsible for admissions to this school, not the Local Authority.

The total number of children in each year group may not normally exceed 260.

Appeals

Any student refused the offer of a place in the Sixth Form has the right of appeal to an independent appeals panel.

False Information

Where the School has made the offer of a place in the Sixth Form based on a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application, which has effectively denied a place in the Sixth Form to a student with a stronger claim, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.

Late Applications

Late applications will be considered up to the end of the September in the Autumn Term. Option blocks are determined after the application deadline has passed. Consequently, for late applications, some subject options may not be available. Any offers or conditional offers may be subject to the size or projected size of classes.

Timetable for Admission

1. Students complete application                                    January 2023

2. Applications processed                                               February 2023

3. Option blocks are fixed based on applications          March 2023

School makes conditional offer and this is

Communicated to parents

4. GCSE results are published                                       August 2023

5. Admission confirmed or refused                                 August 2023

6. Independent appeals                                                  September 2023

Churches Together in England

See:http://www.cte.org.uk/Groups/234772/Home/Contacts/Member_Churches_list/Member_Churches_list.aspx