ADMISSION POLICY FOR SEPTEMBER 2010
Admissions
to
To
be considered for admission to the Reception Class, pupils must have their 5th
birthday between 1st September and 31st August of the following year. This is a once a year entry, initially
part-time, becoming full-time for at least one term before the end of the
academic year. Admission will be on the
basis of a place being available in the relevant year group. Applications for a place at the school for
older children, up to the age of nine years, are accepted at any time.
The
school has a Published Admission Number of 30 i.e. it can accommodate a maximum
of 30 pupils in each of its 5 years groups. Should there be more than 30
applications, places in the school’s Reception Class will be allocated in
according to the following criteria, and in the priority order listed. The Governors are required to admit a child
with a Statement of Special Educational Needs which names the school.
1.
Looked after children – see note 1
2.
Children who have a sibling who
will be attending the school at the time of entry – see note 2
3.
Children of practising families of
the Church of England who regularly attend All Saints Leighton Buzzard or the parish
churches of Linslade, Eggington, Billington and Hockcliffe
4.
Children of practising families of
other Church of England churches - see note 3
5. Children of practicing families of
other faiths
6. Any other children
For a definition of practising see note 4
Notes
1.
A ‘looked after’ child is defined by the Children Act 1989 as a
child/young person who is accommodated by the local authority (Section 20) or a
child/young person who is the subject of a full Care Order (Section 31) or
interim Care Order (Section 38).
2.
A sibling refers to a brother
or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or
sister or the child of the parent / carer’s partner, and in every case, the
child should be living at the same address. The sibling must be in the school
at the time of application and be likely to remain in the school at the
proposed date of admission.
3.
For the purposes of this policy other Christian churches are those that are
members, or are eligible for membership, of Churches Together in
4.
A practicing family is defined as attending public worship at least once
in each calendar month over the previous year - see note 3. When applying under categories 3, 4 and 5 the relevant priest, minister or faith leader
will need to sign the application form to confirm this level of attendance.
Tie Break
If
applying these criteria results in there being more children with an equal
right to admission to the school than the number of available places, the tie
break will be the distance the pupil lives from the school, measured in a
straight line, using the Local Authority’s computerised mapping system, with
those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority. The distance
will be measured from the address point of the pupil's home to the main
entrance of the school. Priority will not be given within each criterion to
children who meet other criteria
Appeals
Parents
who have not been allocated a place for their child in the Reception Class have
the right of appeal to an independent panel. The Local Authority will explain the procedure
to you if this situation arises.
Waiting List
Children who
have been unsuccessful in obtaining a place at the school will be placed on a
waiting list. In the event of a vacancy
arising, the place will be offered in accordance with the admissions rules
described above. The waiting list will be maintained until the end of December
2010.
In Year Admissions
Requests for admission into other year groups should be made on the
In-Year application form and in accordance with the Local Authority’s
co-ordinated scheme for In-Year admissions. The form is available from the
school or Local Authority and can also be downloaded from the Local Authority
website.
Changes to Admissions
Arrangements
The School
will consult appropriate authorities about any future changes to these
admission arrangements through the procedure as set out in regulations found
within the relevant section of the School Standards and Framework Act.
Further Information
Further
information on admissions to lower schools in
Notification of a change of
circumstances
The
school office should be informed immediately, in writing, of any change in
circumstances relevant to any application for a place, e.g. change of
address. The school’s address and
contact number is:
Pulford
Leighton
Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU7
1AB
Tel:
01525 372188.
Email: pulfordlower@schools.bedfordshire.gov.uk