The Joseph Rowntree School Admissions Policy Year 12 entry - 2026 to 2027
Contents
The Joseph Rowntree School Admissions Policy Year 12 entry - 2026 to 2027
Introduction
1. The City of York Council is the admission authority for The Joseph Rowntree School and is therefore responsible for the admission of students into Year 12.
The City of York Council has delegated the responsibility for the administration of admissions into Year 12 to the Head teacher of the school and so any queries regarding Year 12 admissions should be directed to the school.
Advice and information for parent/carers on school admissions, including key information that applies to all applicationsas well as some frequently asked questions are available in the Guide for Parents which is available in the Guide for Parents at www.york.gov.uk/GuideForParents or upon request from the School Services team.
2. The combined capacity for Years 12 and 13 is 300.
A: Admissions into Year 12
1. Admission into Year 12 will be from:
a. students on roll in Year 11 at The Joseph Rowntree School, and;
b. external applicant students not attending Year 11 at The Joseph Rowntree School.
2. The Joseph Rowntree School will admit 30 external applicant students into Year 12 each year.
3. Both students on roll in Year 11 at The Joseph Rowntree School, and external applicants are required to apply for a place in Year 12.
4. The same entry requirements for admission into Year 12 will apply for students on roll in Year 11 at The Joseph Rowntree School and external applicants.
5. Students will be admitted into Year 12 at the start of the Autumn Term in each school year, although there may be some occasions when students transfer during an academic year.
B: Minimum entry requirements
All students seeking admission to Year 12 must meet the academic requirements for their chosen courses as identified in the current course information booklet.
C: Oversubscription criteria
Where the number of eligible external applicants for a course of study exceeds the places available, then admission will be determined in accordance with the following priority of admission criteria:
- Students who are either currently or have previously been ‘looked after’. This applies to all children who are currently or have previously been, in the care of a local authority; all children who have been adopted from local authority care, subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order; and all children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of adoption, residence or special guardianship order;
- Students who live within the catchment area normally served by The Joseph Rowntree School, with a sibling at The Joseph Rowntree School at the time of admission. Catchment areas are designated by the Local Authority and are made available to parent/carers online at www.york.gov.uk, and upon request from the Education Support Services team. Siblings are defined as brothers or sisters living in the same house, as their primary place of residence (including half-, step- and foster-brothers or sisters);
- Students who live within the catchment area normally served by The Joseph Rowntree School. Catchment areas are designated by the Local Authority and are made available to parent/carers online at www.york.gov.uk, and upon request from the Education Support Services team;
- Students considered by The Joseph Rowntree School to have exceptional social or medical needs which makes the preferred school the most suitable school for the student. The Joseph Rowntree School may consult with other medical or educational professionals for a further opinion as to whether the student should be allocated a place at The Joseph Rowntree School due to a particular medical condition or social need;
- Students with a sibling at The Joseph Rowntree School at the time of admission. Siblings are defined as brothers or sisters living in the same house, as their primary place of residence (including half-, step- and foster-brothers or sisters);
- Students who live closest to The Joseph Rowntree School using the nearest available safe walking route. Distances are measured by a GIS mapping system from the student’s home address to the closest entrance of the school.
Where there are fewer places than students in an oversubscription priority as above, places will be allocated to the student(s) who also fulfil the next highest priority.
For example, for two students who are both resident in the catchment area without a sibling on roll at the time of admission and are thus assigned the same (third) priority, the place would first be allocated to the student who also fulfils the next highest priority, for example, an exceptional social or medical need (fourth priority) over a student who lives closer to the school (sixth priority).
In the unlikely case of identical distances under the sixth priority, the applications will be ordered randomly.
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 of 30 eligible external applicants if the student’s chosen course is not full.
D: Appeals
- Any student refused the offer of a place has the right of appeal to an Appeal Panel. Students who wish to appeal should contact the Headteacher’s PA to request the correct appeal form. Appeal forms should be returned within 20 school days of the date the place was refused. Appeals will be heard by a panel of the school’s Governors.
- If refused, a student will only be able to appeal once for a place at a given school in any one school year, unless any significant new information is available which was not available at the original hearing.
E: False Information
Where an offer of a place has been made on the basis of fraudulent or intentionally misleading information, which has effectively denied a place to a student with a stronger claim, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.
F: Late Applications
Late applications will be considered up to the end of the first full week of the Autumn Term 2026, where spaces are still available.