Admissions to Year R and Year 3

This policy will apply to all admissions from 1 September 2023, including in-year admissions. It will be used during 2023-2024 for allocating places for September 2023 as part of the main admission round for Year R and Year 3.

For September 2024 admissions please refer to the Admissions Policy 2024-2025 found at the top of this page.

The Governing Body of St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School is the admission authority for The School. The admission arrangements are determined by the Governing Body, after statutory consultation.

The Published Admission Number (PAN) for St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School is 60 for Early Years (Reception).

The transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 marks a separate point of entry into the school. A further two places per class in Year 3 are provided for within the governors’ Planned Admission Number i.e. 32 per class.

The PAN is the number of places for children available in the year groups above.

A guiding principle of admissions to this school is that a church school should serve its local community, defined in the trust deed of 28th May 1885 which states that St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School was established to provide education for children living in then proposed parish of St Katharine’s; now the parishes of St Katharine’s with St. Nicholas, All Saints and St. Christopher’s (the Catchment Area).

The policy aims to be clear, fair and objective and to comply with all relevant legislation. This policy will be administered fairly and impartially. The decision to admit, or otherwise, is the responsibility of The Governing Body.

Outside the normal admissions round, the Local Authority’s Fair Access protocol will be applied alongside the policy to secure the admission of vulnerable pupils from specific groups.

If the School is oversubscribed, places will be offered in the following priority order. Places for applications received after the deadline will be allocated using the same criteria:

 

Admission Criteria

1. Looked after children or children who were previously looked after. (see Definition A)

2. Children who, at the time of application have a sibling (see Definitions C) on the roll of the school who will still be on roll at the time of proposed admission.

3. Children living in the Catchment Area of St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School. (see Definition B).

4. Other children.

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Definitions

A Looked after children or children who were previously looked after

This criterion provides a priority for children who are (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). It can also be used for children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after were adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order, or special guardianship order. This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see Adoption orders) and children who were adopted under section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Child arrangements orders are defined in section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order. 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). This also includes Internationally Adopted Previously Looked After Children (IAPLAC), those children who appear (to the Admission Authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

Applicants can be asked to provide additional evidence in order to verify the previously looked after status of a child. It is at the discretion of the Admissions Authority what evidence is required. The final decision will be made by the Admissions Authority. If any information supplied by an applicant is judged by the Admissions Authority to be fraudulent or intentionally misleading, the Admissions Authority may refuse to offer a place, or if already offered, may withdraw the offer.

A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society. Applicants can be asked to provide additional evidence in order to verify the previously looked after status of a child. It is at the discretion of the Admissions Authority what evidence is required. The final decision will be made by the Admissions Authority. If any information supplied by an applicant is judged by the Admissions Authority to be fraudulent or intentionally misleading, the Admissions Authority may refuse to offer a place, or if already offered, may withdraw the offer.

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B The Catchment Area

The catchment area for St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School was defined in the trust deed of 28th May 1885 which stated that the school was for children living in then proposed parish of St Katharine’s: which is now the parishes of St Katharine’s with St. Nicholas, All Saints and St. Christopher’s. Click here for a map of our catchment area, and here for a list of the roads within the catchment area.

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The home address where a child lives is considered to be a residential property that is the child’s main or only address during term time. Applicants can be asked to provide additional evidence in order to verify addresses and/or other details provided. It is at the discretion of the Admissions Authority what evidence is required (evidence may include, but is not limited to, Child Benefit, GP registration, evidence of home ownership/tenancy etc.). The final decision on the home address of a child will be made by the Admissions Authority. If any information supplied by an applicant is judged by the Admissions Authority to be fraudulent or intentionally misleading, the Admissions Authority may refuse to offer a place, or if already offered, may withdraw the offer.

 

Applications from separated Parents/Carers

Only one application can be considered for each child. Where parents/carers are separated it is essential that agreement is reached by both parties concerning the nominated preferred schools. Where a child spends part of their week with one parent and part with the other, only one address can be used. This must be the address at which the child spends most of their time during term time. Applicants can be asked to provide additional evidence in order to verify addresses and/or other details provided. It is at the discretion of the Admissions Authority what evidence is required (evidence may include, but is not limited to, Child Benefit, GP registration, evidence of home ownership/tenancy etc.). The final decision on the home address of a child will be made by the Admissions Authority. If any information supplied by an applicant is judged by the Admissions Authority to be fraudulent or intentionally misleading, the Admissions Authority may refuse to offer a place, or if already offered, may withdraw the offer.

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Change of Address:

In Year:

In Year places can only be offered on the basis of future moves on the receipt of the documentation specified below:

• a letter from the solicitor (or equivalent) confirming exchange of contracts to buy a property relevant to the application;

• a tenancy agreement confirming the renting of a specific property relevant to the application;

• a letter from a housing association confirming that the parent(s) will be living at a specific address relevant to the application;

To be considered all evidence must be submitted at the time of application.

 

Point of Entry:

When applying for point of entry, St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School will not accept a change of address once the National Closing Date has passed. The National Closing Date for point of entry year groups (Reception) is 15 January 2023. This means if your moving date is after 15 January 2023, we will use your old address to categorise your application. You will need to tell us your new address so we can update your child's record. If you move house after you have submitted your application but before the National Closing Date, the main allocation will be based on your address at the closing date, and the address will be updated on any waiting list from national offer day, should you not initially have been offered a place. The relevant date for the house move is (if purchasing) exchange of contracts occurring on or before the closing date; (if renting) signed tenancy agreement which commences on or before the closing date.

 

UK Service Personnel and Crown Servants:

For families of service personnel with a confirmed posting, or crown servants returning from overseas, The School will consider an application in advance of the family arriving in the area, provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date. The School will use the address at which the child will live when applying the admissions criteria, as long as parents provide some evidence of their intended address (including using a Unit or quartering address as the child’s home address where a parent requests this), and will offer a place if, after applying the admissions criteria, the child is eligible for a place.

 

C Siblings

‘Sibling’ refers to brother or sister, half-brother or half-sister, adoptive brother or adoptive sister, step brother or step sister, and includes children living as siblings in the same family unit. It will also be applied to situations where a full or half brother(s) or sister(s) are living at separate addresses. Category 2 includes children who at the time of application have a sibling for whom the offer of a place at the preferred school has been accepted, even if the sibling is not yet attending. The address used for the application in the case of siblings living at separate addresses, will be the address that the child lives at as per section B- Catchment area.

 

Additional Information

Tie-breaker

If The School is oversubscribed from within any of the above criteria or sub-criteria, straight line distance will be used to prioritise applications; applicants living nearer The School have priority. The Local Authority’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in use at the time of allocation will be used to determine distances from the home address to The School (the system at the time of setting this policy, takes the measurement between the address mapping points of the school (shown below) and the applicant's home).

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If distances are equal, as calculated by the Council’s GIS System, (for example a flat within a block of dwellings with the same front entrance), lots will be drawn by a person independent of The Governing Body to determine the allocation of the final place.

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Who can apply

Only a parent can apply for a place at a school. A parent is any person who has parental responsibility for or is the legal guardian of the child, as set out in the Children Act 1989.

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How to apply

BCP Council operate a Co-ordinated Admissions scheme which processes all main round (ordinary) admission applications. They publish a Composite Prospectus which details all admission arrangements for schools within the Local Authority. Please see www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/schooladmissions for the prospectus and details of the scheme.

You must complete a Local Authority Application Form available from the Local Authority or you can apply by clicking here 

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BCP Admissions Team can be contacted at Children’s Information Service, tel. 01202 123222

 

Admission to Key Stage 2 in St Katharine’s Primary School

The transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 marks a separate point of entry into the school. A further two places per class are provided for within the governors’ Planned Admission Number i.e. 32 per class. Therefore, four places are potentially available for children to join Year 3 in September 2023. The Governing Body will consider the applications for the additional Year 3 places for the school in main admissions round; i.e. The Governing Body will consider first all those applications received by the published deadline of midnight on 15 January 2023. Notifications to parents offering a place will be sent by the Local Authority on 17 April 2023.

 

Offering places

The Governing Body will consider first all those applications received by the published deadline of midnight on 15 January 2023. Notifications to parents offering a school place will be sent by the Local Authority on 17 April 2023.

Applications made after midnight on 15 January 2023 will be considered after all on-time applications have been fully processed unless exceptional circumstances merit consideration alongside on-time applications.

For the main admission round, all on-time preferences will be considered simultaneously and ranked in accordance with the admission criteria. If more than one school can offer a place, the parent’s highest stated available preference will be allocated.

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Pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

The governors will admit any pupil whose Education, Health and Care Plan (previously a final statement of special educational needs) names St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School. Where possible such children will be admitted within the PAN.

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Multiple births

Where a twin or child from a multiple birth is admitted to a school under this policy then any further twin or child of the same multiple birth will be admitted, if the parents so wish, even though this may raise the number in the year group above The School’s PAN.

 

In-year applications (ordinary)

The allocation of any places which may become available during the year will be made on the basis of the current Admissions Criteria. There are no deadline dates for In-year applications. You must complete a Local Authority Application Form available from the Local Authority or you can apply online at https://bcp.cloud.servelec-synergy.com/parentportal/ Any parent with parental responsibility can apply for a place for their child at any time to any school. The Governing Body will decide whether a place can be offered at the school.

 

In-Year Fair Access placements by the local authority

The local authority must ensure that all pupils are placed in schools as quickly as possible. It may therefore sometimes be necessary for a pupil to be placed by the local authority, or a local placement panel acting on behalf of the authority, in a particular school even if there is a waiting list for admission. Such placements will be made in accordance with the provisions of the local authority’s In-Year Fair Access Protocol. The Protocol is based on legislation and government guidance.

 

Waiting lists

When all available places have been allocated, a waiting list will be operated by the school. All children not being offered a place will automatically be placed on the waiting list for The School unless a parent requests for them not to be.

Any places that become available will be allocated according to the criteria of the admission policy with no account being taken of the length of time on the waiting list or any priority order expressed as part of the main admission round. Fair Access admissions and school closure arrangements will take priority over the waiting list.

The waiting list will be reviewed and revised –

• each time a child is added to, or removed from, the waiting list;

• when a child’s changed circumstances affect their priority;

At the time of receiving an offer of a school place parents will be advised of the process for adding their child’s name to a school’s waiting list. Parents may keep their child’s name on the waiting list of as many schools as they wish.

All waiting lists will cease on 31 August each year, and that if parents wish to remain, they must submit a new application from 1 June.

 

Starting school and deferred entry to Year R

Admission Authorities must provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday. However:

(i) 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

(ii) 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.

It is recommended that parents considering such a request contact the school as early as possible to ensure that an informed decision is made.

 

Notes on compulsory school age and summer born children

A child is not required to start school until they have reached compulsory school age following their fifth birthday. For summer born children this is almost a full school year after the point at which they could first be admitted. 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 fifth birthday (or on his fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day). The prescribed days are 31 December, 31 March and 31 August.

All children born from the beginning of April to the end of August reach compulsory school age in the September following their fifth birthday. It is likely that most requests for children to be admitted out of their normal year group will come from parents of children born in the later summer months or those born prematurely.

Please refer to our Delayed Entry Policy.

 

Admission of children outside their normal age group

Parents who have deferred entry into Year R of a gifted and talented child or a child who has experienced problems or missed part of a year, for example due to ill health, can request a place outside the normal age group. The Governing Body will make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of each case. Parents do not have a right to appeal if they have been offered a place and it is not in the year group they would like.

 

Admission Appeals

If you are unsuccessful in gaining a place for your child at The School you will be informed by The Local Authority in writing, be given reasons for the refusal and informed of your right to an independent appeal against the decision.

 

Warning

Places are withdrawn every year because parents give a false ‘home address’ on application forms. This includes cases where parents take out a short-term let or buy a property solely to use its address on the application form without any intention of taking up permanent residence there. In fairness to all parents, all allegations of fraudulent practice brought to The Governing Body attention will be investigated. The Governing Body reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a place if fraudulent or intentionally misleading information has been used on an application.

 

Legislation

This policy takes account of all relevant legislation including the legislation on sex discrimination, race relations, and disability, together with all relevant regulations and the School Admissions Code (published by the DfE in September 2021).

 

Further Information 

If you require further information about applying for a place at St. Katharine’s C. E. (V.A.) Primary School please contact the school:

 

St. Katharine’s C.E. (V.A.) Primary School

Rolls Drive

BOURNEMOUTH

BH6 4NA

Tel: 01202 426663

Email: admissions@skps.email

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