First Steps 2015 16 How to Apply for a Primary School Place (1)

8/9/2019 First Steps 2015 16 How to Apply for a Primary School Place (1)

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First Steps

Admission to primary school: a guide forparents

Application Deadline

15 January 2015 Apply online atwww.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions

August 2014


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Key Information

Cambridgeshire Admissions Team Admiss ions Team 0345 045 1370

Box No CC 1206 FAX 01223 727941Castle CourtCastle Hill Office HoursCambridge Mon-Thurs 09:00-17:00CB3 0AP Friday 09:00-16:30

@ [email protected]

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions

Social and Education Transport Team (SETT)

0345 0455 208

@ [email protected] www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/transport

Advisory Cent re for Education (ACE)

www.ace-ed.org.uk

Department for Education (DfE)

Ofsted Schools finder directory www.ofsted.gov.uk http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/

School performance tables

http://education.gov.uk/schools/performance/


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Foreword

This booklet has been written specifically for parents and carers of children who are due tostart primary school either for the first time or for those who are transferring to junior ormiddle school. We understand that these are important steps in a child’s life.

We are proud of our schools in Cambridgeshire. All children are valued and are entitled tohigh standards of teaching and a wide range of opportunities to learn and developthroughout their education.

All the information you need to know about the admissions process is available in this guideand is also available on the County Council’s website at:www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions

In addition to the information you find here, each school produces its own prospectus andprovides opportunities for parents to visit and find out more about the facilities and services

provided.

I am certain that your son or daughter will enjoy and benefit from the time spent at their newschool.

Adrian Loades

Executive DirectorChildren and Young People’s Services


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Contents

Introduction 5 How do I appeal? 17

Important Dates 6 How do I request an appeal? 17

Making An Application 7 When will my appeal beheard?

17

How the process works 7 What happens at an appealhearing?

17

How to Apply 8 What if my appeal isunsuccessful?

17

Applying Online 8

Applying on Paper 9Infant Class Size

18

Supplementary InformationForms (SIFs)

9 What is Infant Class SizeLegislation?

18

Changing preferences 9 What happens at an infantclass size appeal?

18

What does reasonable mean? 18

Frequently Asked Questions 10 What if my appeal isunsuccessful?

18

How Are Places Offered? 14 Home to school transport 19

Oversubscription criteria 14 Where can I get furtherinformation?

20

Types of school inCambridgeshire

14 Cambridgeshire schooldirectory

21

Cambridge City 22

The Allocation Process 15 East Cambridgeshire 56

How it works 15 Fenland 74

When will I know which schoolmy child has been offered?

16 Huntingdonshire 94

What if my child does not get a

place at any of my preferredschools?

16

South Cambridgeshire 129

What is a reserve list? 16 Glossary of terms 160

Accepting a school offer 16 Useful contact information 163

Declining a school offer 16 Neighbouring Local Authorities 165


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Important Dates

17 November 2014

Apply onl ine f rom this date

Paper application packs will also beavailable from local schools and the

Admissions Team.

15 January 2015NATIONAL CLOSING DATE

Applications must be receivedby this date.

Applications received after 15January 2015, but before 31January 2015, will be acceptedbut will be considered as late

and places allocated after all ontime applications.

16 Apri l 2015

NATIONAL OFFER DATE

Letters posted 2nd class to parents /carers

Email notifications are sent out tothose who applied online and

requested confirmation by email

20 May 2015

Appeal RequestDeadline

April 2015

Places declined by parents are re-allocated to children waiting onschool reserve lists

Re-allocations will be made as andwhen notifications are received, upuntil the start of the 2nd round ofallocations on 1 May 2015

19 May 2015

2nd

round school placeallocations

Local Authority allocates placesto late applications received

between 1 February and 1 May2015

June 2015 Onwards

Primary school appeals takeplace

Al l applications received after31 January 2015 will not beprocessed until the 2nd roundof allocations.


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Making an ApplicationHow the process works

Under the co-ordinated admissionsarrangements, you can list all the schoolsthat you wish to apply for on one form. Thisincludes schools both within and outside theauthority in which you live.

All local authorities use a computerisedsystem to exchange details of applicationswith schools and other local authorities, andto co-ordinate the offer of places to ensureeach child is offered only one school place.

This will be for the highest-ranked schoolthat can offer a place to your child when theoversubscription criteria are applied to allapplications and all preferences.

Where a school receives more applicationsthan it has places available (i.e. where it isover-subscribed), the published over-subscription criteria will be used to decidethe order in which applicants will be offeredplaces.

The co-ordinated admissions system isproven to be fairer, with more parents beingoffered one of their preferred schools.

What has happened in previousyears?

In April 2014 the following percentage ofCambridgeshire families were offered one ofthe schools listed on their application form:

90.12% were offered a place at their firstpreference school;

97.07% were offered a place at one of theirpreferred schools.

Use all three Preferences

In Cambridgeshire, you can apply for up tothree schools in order of preference. If youonly apply to one school, you will only be

considered for that school.

You will, therefore, be wasting the opportunityto be considered for other schools, should your

preference not be successful. Schools do notknow the order in which you have ranked themon your application form, or which otherschools you have applied for. That informationis confidential prior to the allocation of places.You should place the schools in the order youwould like your child to attend.

Which schools to apply for?

You can apply for a place at any maintained (i.e.non-fee paying) mainstream school on your home

authority’s online system or paper applicationform, as long you are applying for the school’snatural year of entry. Applications received forschools where it is not the point of entry willbe considered as an in year application (i.e.children moving from infant schools may onlyapply for junior schools and children movingfrom first schools may only apply for middleschools in this round).

Try to obtain as much information as possibleabout how places at your preferred schools areallocated:

Look at the directory section in this guide to;

(a) read the over-subscription criteriafor each school, and

(b) see how many children were offeredplaces last year and the criteriaallocated up to.

Consider which criteria apply to your child.

Consider which is your nearest school.

Check that your information about a schoolis correct –visit the school, talk to schoolstaff and make an informed decision foryour child.

Do not make your decision based on otherpeople’s opinions or experiences. Yoursituation is different and things change everyyear.

It is recommended that you name your

catchment school as one of your threepreferences, because this is the school that ismost likely to be able to offer your child a place.


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Important information to note

If you choose not to express a preferencefor your child’s catchment school youshould be aware of the following;

There is no guarantee of a placebeing available at your catchmentschool, if you are unsuccessful withyour preferred school. Nor will youautomatically be considered for it ifyou do not include it as apreference.

Your chi ld may be allocated aschool place much further awayfrom your home;

You will be responsible for all hometo school transport arrangementsand costs.

There is no guarantee that ayounger brother or sister will beallocated a place at your preferredschool in future years.

If you live near the county boundary, youmay wish to consider applying for schools in

neighbouring authority areas. Contactdetails of these can be found on page 165 ofthis guide. However, living inCambridgeshire, you will still need to makeyour application through CambridgeshireCounty Council.

How to Apply All applications must be completed and returned tothe Admissions Team by the national closing dateof 15 January 2015.

It is vital that you apply on time. Applications

received after this date will be treated as lateand you are much less likely to be offered aplace at your preferred school.

There are two ways to make your application for aschool place. It can be done either:

Online via our websitewww.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions

On a Paper Application, copies of which areavailable from your local primary / infant school,from the Admissions Team or available fordownload from our website.

Applying OnlineIt is quick, simple and safe to make yourapplication online, and 89% of parents made theirapplication this way last year. The facility will beavailable via the website;


from 17 November 2014 and you can make yourapplication from this date until 15 January 2015.

The benefits of making your application online areas follows;

You will receive an email confirming that yourapplication has been received.

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

You can log in and view your child’s school offeron 16 Apri l 2015. This will also be sent by

email, on the day, to those who request it.

You can change the details on your applicationup until midnight on the closing date.

The system has a series of security procedureswhich keeps the information provided safe.

There is no risk that your application will get lostin the post.

Remember

Make time to visit the school/s.

Do not judge a school by whatothers say.

Make realistic preferences.

Think about transport and howyour child will get to school.

Consider younger siblings whenmaking your selection.


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Applying on Paper

If you prefer not to make your application online,you can choose to complete a paper applicationform available on our website or from the Admissions Team directly.

All paper applications and required supportingdocuments must be returned to the AdmissionsTeam by 15 January 2015.

We recommend that you obtain proof of postageif you return the paper form, because if theapplication form is not received by the closingdate, you will need to show that it was postedbefore 15 January 2015.

If you have already made an online applicationfor your child, you must not submit a paper formas well. If we do receive both a paper and anonline application, the application with the most

recent date (i.e. the latest) will be the applicationaccepted.

Supplementary InformationForms (SIF)

In most cases it is only necessary to completethe local authority’s application form, either

online or on paper. However, some schoolsrequire the completion of a SupplementaryInformation Form (SIF). This is used to helpthe governors consider your application fully,in accordance with the school’s religiousoversubscription criteria.

If you wish your child to be considered underthe school’s religious criteria you must complete a SIF (available either on ourwebsite or from the school) and return it to the

school directly, before the closing date on 15January 2015.

Please ensure that you read the specificrequirements for the school(s) that youwish to apply for, as these may differ fromschool to school. Failure to complete therequired documentation w ill mean yourchild will not be considered under theschools’ religious criteria.

Changing PreferencesYou may change your preference(s), prior tothe closing date, either by editing and re-submitting your online application, or bycompleting a new paper application form.

In all cases these changes must be madeby the clos ing date of 15 January 2015.

You cannot amend your preferences after the

closing date unless there are genuine reasonsfor doing so, e.g. a recent house move.

Any requests received after 31 January 2015,regardless of the circumstances, will not beconsidered until the second round of schoolplace allocations on 19 May 2015.

Please bear in mind that only one applicationwill be processed per child at one time. Thismeans that any new application received willreplace your previous application and cancel

any previous offer made.

Online Applications

All online applications must besubmitted before midnight on15 January 2015. Any applications

left un-submitted will not beconsidered

Please ensure that you have read theTerms and Conditions before submitting your application.

If you re-visit your application atany time you must ensure that it isre-submitted, otherwise theapplication cannot be processed.

Posting your Application Form

Please also ensure that you have providedthe correct postage for your envelope, asfailure to do so will lead to your applicationform not being received.

If you choose to hand the application in to

your child’s current school, please requesta confirmation receipt.


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Frequently Asked Questionsabout making an applicationWhen should my child start school?

Your child is eligible to start school theSeptember following their 4

th birthday, but

legally must start the term following their 5th

birthday.

If your child was born between 1 September2010 and 31 August 2011 you will need tosubmit your application by 15 January2015.

On receipt of your child’s school offer youmay choose to take up this place:

Immediately (from September 2015); on a part-time basis until the beginning

of the term after their 5th birthday; or

defer your child’s admission until thebeginning of the term after their 5

th

birthday.

Please be aware that if your child was born

during the summer term and you chose todefer their admission to school until thefollowing September, they will be admittedinto the Year 1 group, and not Reception.

We recommend all parents discuss theseadmission options with the schoolfollowing receipt of their child’s offerletter.

Which schools can I apply for?

You can apply for a place to any maintained(i.e. state or non-fee paying) mainstreamschool on your home authority’s paperapplication form or online system.

I don’t know the area very well, howdo I find out where the schools are?

A list of schools is provided in the directorysection of this guide. You can also visithttp://my.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ which

enables you to search for schools based onyour home postcode.

What happens i f I apply after theclosing date?

It is vital that your child’s application isreceived by the national closing date 15January 2015. Any application made afterthis date will be a treated as a late application,which means that;

it will not be dealt with until all applicationsthat were made on-time have been

considered; you are much less likely to be offered a

place at one of your preferred schools.

Any application received after 31 January2015 will not be processed until the secondround of allocations on 19 May 2015.

What is my child’s home address?

It is very important that the address you giveon your child’s application will be your child’spermanent or main residence at the timeschool places are allocated on 16 Apr il 2015.This should also be the address where yourchild will be residing when they start school inSeptember 2015.

My Child ’s time is divided betweentwo addresses, which one do weuse?

Your child’s application can only beconsidered from one home address.Therefore, their “main residence” must be theaddress at which they spend the majority oftheir school nights, and to which the childbenefit is paid.

Please be aware that an address used forbefore and after-school childcarearrangements will not be considered.


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Shared Parental Responsibility

Where more than one adult shares parentalresponsibility and live at differentaddresses, it is important that agreementbe reached, prior to making the application,on which schools to apply for.

If different applications are received, or the Admissions Team is made aware of adispute between two parents, allapplications will be placed on hold and willnot be processed until such time that:

one joint application is made; or written agreement is provided from

both parents; or a court order is obtained confirming

which parents’ application carriesprecedence.

Please ensure that only one jointapplication is submitted by 15 January2015. If mult iple appl ications arereceived you risk your chi ld not beingconsidered for a school place or anoffered place being withdrawn.

How will you verify my address?

The Local Authority will take steps to verifyyour child’s home address either by crossreferencing information held by your child’scurrent early years setting / school or byrequesting that you provide proof of theaddress.

This proof may be requested at any pointduring the admissions process and mayinclude one or more of the followingdocuments;

a recent copy of your child benefitstatement,

a recent council tax notification, a letter from your solicitor confirming

exchange of contracts and a completiondate for a house purchase,

a copy of a rental agreement for at least12 months signed by both the tenantand the landlord,

a copy of the notice to quit (if returningto a property currently tenanted)

If you do not return the satisfactorydocumentation by the date requested orby 31 January 2015, whichever issooner, this may invalidate your child’sapplication.

What happens if I move address?If you move address at any point during theadmissions process, either withinCambridgeshire or into Cambridgeshire, it isyour responsibility to immediately inform the Admissions Team, in writing, of this changeand provide proof of your new address.Failure to do this may invalidate your child’sapplication.

If your house move takes place after the 15

January 2015, or you wish the school offer tobe based on a future house move (to takeplace by September 2015), you will need toprovide proof of the new address by 31January 2015 in order for it to be considered.

If your proof of address is not / cannot beprovided by 31 January 2015, your child’sschool allocation will be based on yourcurrent address if this can be verified.

If you are moving from overseas or your child

does not currently attend a CambridgeshireEarly Years Setting / maintained school andyou are unable to provide your proof ofaddress by 31 January 2015, yourapplication will not be processed until thesatisfactory proof is received.

What if someone uses a fraudulentaddress or gives other falseinformation on their application?

Regrettably, on occasion some parents havegiven false information about their homeaddress to get a place at a particular school.This practice is not acceptable and can denya place to a child with more genuine claim.

Cambridgeshire County Council expects allapplications to be made in good faith givingcorrect information.

Any school place obtained by the use

of incorrect or fraudulent details willbe withdrawn


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What if I forget to make anapplication for my child?

If you do not complete an application form,or your application is received after the 31January 2015 your child will not receive a

school offer on 16 Apri l 2015.

If you realise that you have forgotten tomake an application, it is important youcomplete one as soon as possible. Applications received between 1 February2015 and 1 May 2015 will be processed inthe second round of allocations on 19 May2015.

What happens if I have twins or

multiple-birth children?

If you have more than one child goingthrough the process at the same time, youmust make a separate application for eachchild. Please ensure that you makereference to each child on all applicationforms. Every effort will be made by theLocal Authority to ensure that thesechildren will be offered places together.

What is a Catchment Area?

In Cambridgeshire we operate a catchmentarea system. A catchment area is a definedgeographical area surrounding a school fromwhich it will usually take the majority of itspupils.

All primary schools in Cambridgeshire have acatchment, with the exception of St Alban’sRC Primary School and St Laurence’s RC

Primary School.

How is home to school distancemeasured?

For school place allocations distances, withinCambridgeshire, are calculated by measuringa straight line from the reference point of the

home address to the reference point of theprimary school (both as determined by theNational Land and Property Gazetteer). Forfurther information please see the glossary ofterms on page 160.

All measurements are calculated digitally. Forfamilies who live outside of Cambridgeshire,distances are determined using a combinationof local maps and on-line resources.

I wish to make an application for aschool that is outside ofCambridgeshire, who do I send myapplication to?

If you are a Cambridgeshire resident youmust make your application through theCambridgeshire Admissions Team,regardless of the location of your preferredschool. The Team will then co-ordinate withthe relevant Local Authority to ensure that

your application is considered alongside thosewho live within that authority.

I wish to make an application to anindependent school as well as amaintained school, who do I need tocontact?

Any applications for an independent school(i.e. fee-paying) place will need to be sent

directly to the school. They should not formpart of your application to the Local Authority.

Keep Us Updated

Please remember it is your duty toinform the Admissions Team ofany change in circumstances.

Failure to do so can invalidateyour application and lead to theschool place being withdrawn.

Remember

An application must be completedin all cases as there is noautomatic transfer to primaryschool from any nursery or pre-school.


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What if I want my child to startPrimary School a year early or ayear late?

It is Cambridgeshire County Council’s policyto admit children to the year group

appropriate to their date of birth. Inexceptional circumstances, your child maybe able to start school a year earlier or laterthan would normally be the case. For furtherinformation please contact the AdmissionsTeam.

Please note that the fact that a child hascome from an educational system abroad, ordoes not speak English as their first languagewill not normally be considered as an

exceptional circumstance. Support isavailable in our schools within the correct yeargroup for these children. An unsuccessfulappeal for a place at a school will not beconsidered appropriate grounds for thenrequesting a place in a different year group.

I have recently moved fromoverseas, is my child eligible toapply for a school place?

If you are moving from overseas and will beresident in Cambridgeshire for 6 teachingweeks or longer your child may be eligiblefor a primary school place. You must submityour application by the request deadlineand provide proof of your residency inCambridgeshire (please see p. 11 for typesof proof).

My child was previously a Looked

Af ter Chi ld, is there anything dif ferentI need to do?

If your child was previously looked after (incare) and has since been adopted or is nowunder a special guardianship or residencyorder (now known as a Child ArrangementOrder), they will be given higher priority withinevery Cambridgeshire school’s criteria.

However, you will be required to provideevidence to support this request in the form of

the adoption certificate or special guardianship/ residency order / child arrangement order.

My older child was previouslyrefused a place at our catchmentschool, how does this affect ournew application?

If your older child has previously beenrefused a place at your catchment schooldue to oversubscription, your younger child’sapplication may be considered under ahigher criterion. In order to be considered,please ensure the relevant details areincluded within your new application.

Application checklist

Read “Starting Primary

School” leaflet and “First

Steps” admission guide.

Find out more informationabout the schools thatinterest you.

Read the oversubscriptioncriteria for the schools youare interested in.

Make your application eitheronline, or by completing apaper application formplacing schools in order ofpreference. Ensure this iscompleted by 15 January2015.

Ensure that any relevantSupplementary InformationForm (SIF) is completed andreturned direct to the school.


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How are Places offered?Each school has what is called aPublished Admission Number (PAN).

This is the maximum number of pupils thatcan be admitted to each year, based on theaccommodation available at a school. Thenumber is based on a national formula fordeciding how many children can go to aschool without causing overcrowding.

Many schools receive more applicationsthan there are places available. To decidewhich children to offer places to, a set ofadmission criteria is used. These are known

as the school’s oversubscription criteria.

What are oversubscriptioncriteria?

These are the criteria by which allapplications are prioritised when moreapplications are received than placesavailable. Different schools have differentcriteria so it is important that you check the

admission arrangements for all the schoolsin which you are interested.

What types of schools arethere in Cambridgeshire?

There are six main groups of schools inCambridgeshire;

Academy Schools

Academy schools, including those that areFree Schools, are state-funded, non-feepaying independent schools. Eachacademy is operated by a trust whichappoints a governing body who are theirown admission authority and set their ownoversubscription criteria.

Community SchoolsCommunity schools hold no religious

character. The local authority is theadmission authority and sets theoversubscription criteria.

Foundation Schools Foundation schools, as with Voluntary Aided schools, are their own admissionsauthority and set their own oversubscriptioncriteria. They do not, however, hold anyreligious character.

Foundation schools with a trustTrust schools are schools which haveformed links with a charitable organisation(the Trust) formed by partners such asuniversities, businesses or voluntaryorganisations. These schools are also theirown admissions authority and set their ownoversubscription criteria.

Voluntary Aided Schools Voluntary Aided Schools are mainly

religious or “faith” schools, although anyonecan apply for a place. The Governing Bodyare their own admission authority and setthe oversubscription criteria, which oftenreflects the school’s religious character.

Voluntary Controlled SchoolsThese schools are similar to voluntary aidedschools, in that they are schools which holda religious character. However, unlike

voluntary aided schools the local authority isthe admission authority and sets theoversubscription criteria.


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The Allocation ProcessHow it Works All preferences are treated equally. This means we will look to see if a place is available ateach of your preferences and offer you a place at your highest preference school that has aplace available.

What is a designated school?The local authority will offer a place at a school which is;(a) the catchment school

(b) the nearest appropriate school (as described in the Authority’s Home to School Transport Policy)(c) the school specified in the child’s statement of special educational need.

Step 1 If we can meet your first preference, we will offer your child a place at thatschool.

Step 2 If we cannot meet your first preference but can meet your secondpreference, we will offer your child a place at that school. Your child’sname will then be added to the reserve list of your first preference school,and you will be offered your right of appeal.

Step 3 If we cannot meet your second preference, but can meet your thirdpreference, we will offer your child a place at that school. Your child’sname will be added to the reserve lists for your first and secondpreference schools, and you will be offered your right of appeal.

Step 4 If we cannot meet any of your preferences, we will offer your child aplace at your catchment school if;

you have not already expressed it as a preference; and following the allocation of all preferences, there remain places

available

Alternatively a place will be allocated at the nearest designated schoolwhere a place is available.

Your child’s name will be added to the reserve list for all of yourpreferred schools and you will be offered your right of appeal.


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When will I know which school mychild has been offered?

The National Offer Date is 16 April 2015. Offerletters will be posted 2

nd class on this date. If

you applied online you will be able to view yourchild’s school offer by using the online facilityon this date. You will also receive an emailnotification, if requested when completing your

online application.

What if my child does not get a placeat any of my preferred schools?

If a place cannot be offered at any of yourpreferred schools and you are aCambridgeshire resident, you will be allocated

a place at the nearest designated school toyour home address with places available. Thismay be your catchment school if there areplaces remaining. Page 17 of this bookletexplains how to appeal against a decision notto allocate your child a place at a preferredschool.

Your child’s name will also be placed on areserve list for every school where they arerefused.

What is a Reserve List?Reserve lists are not the same as waitinglists. Places are ordered according to theschool’s published oversubscription criteriaand may be subject to change followingreceipt of new applications. Your child willremain on the reserve list until 31 December2015.

Accepting a school offer

It is important that you accept your child’splace. If you do not, we reserve the right towithdraw that place in order to offer it toanother child. You can accept your child’splace by contacting the school directly.

Accepting a place at the school of feredwill not lessen your chances of beingoffered a place at your preferred schooleither through the school’s reserve list orthrough the appeals process.

Declining a school offer

If you do not wish to accept the school placeoffered, for example if you have moved out ofCambridgeshire, or have decided to educate yourchild privately, you must ensure you inform theLocal Authority. This can be done by completingthe refusal slip attached to the offer letter andreturning it to the Admissions Team. Bycompleting the refusal slip you accept thatyou are withdrawing your current application

and by doing so invalidating any offer of aplace that has been made to you.

Allocation Example

Lily lives in Cambridge and applies forthe following three schools;

1) St Laurence’s RC Primary School

2) The Grove Primary School3) Mayfield Primary School

Mayfield Primary School is Lily’scatchment school. However, shecurrently has a sibling attending TheGrove Primary School.

Lily’s first preference is St Laurence’s.The school is oversubscribed andwhen the over subscription criteria

were applied, places could only beoffered to children as far as theirreligious criteria. Lily only met thelowest criterion for St Laurence’s andwas not offered a place. Her name wasthen placed on the school’s reserve list.

Lily met the sibling criterion for TheGrove, her second preference. Afterthe oversubscription criteria wereapplied the school were able to offer

places to all children within thiscriterion and a place was offered.

Lily would also have qualified for aplace at her catchment school,Mayfield. However, because her higherpreference school could be offered, itwas not necessary to offer her thatplace and it was offered to the nextranked child.


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How do I appeal?You have a right of appeal if your child is

not offered a place at any of your preferredschool(s).

How do I request an appeal?

You will need to complete an appeal formwhich can be found on our website at:


or can be requested from the AdmissionsTeam directly

If, however, you wish to request an appealfor a school which is located in anothercounty, you will need to make your appealrequest to the relevant Local Authority.

When wi ll my appeal be heard?

Most appeals will be heard throughout June,and July. However, you must submit yourappeal request form to the AdmissionsTeam by 20 May 2015 if you wish to haveyour appeal heard before the end of thesummer term.

If your application was considered in thesecond round of allocations, it is importantthat you submit your appeal request form asquickly as possible, although we cannotguarantee that your appeal will be heardbefore the end of the summer term. We will,however, ensure that it is heard within 30school days of receiving your appeal form.

What happens at an appeal hearing?

An independent appeal panel will hear theadmission authority’s case for not givingyour child a place at your preferred school.

During the appeal hearing the admission

authority will explain why your preferencewas not met and why it is not possible tooffer your child a place at your preferredschool. You will then be given theopportunity to explain your reasons forwishing your child to attend your preferredschool.

It is possible for your appeal to be heard inyour absence if you would prefer not tocome and present your case in person.

These appeals are considered only on thewritten information that you provide. It is,therefore, important that you considerwhether you should attend the appeal inperson or not.

The Clerk to the appeal panel will let youknow the decision in writing within fiveworking days.

What if my appeal is unsuccessful?The appeal panel’s decision is legallybinding on both yourselves, as theappellant, and the admission authority. It isnot possible to have another appeal for thesame school within the same academicyear, unless there has been a significantchange in your circumstances.

Your options will be either to accept theschool place that has been offered to you,or, alternatively submit a new applicationfor another school.

In the 2013-14 academicyear a total of 406 primaryschool appeals were heard

in Cambridgeshire ofwhich 221 were subject to

Infant Class Sizelegislation.

99 of the appealcases were

successful, of

which 14 weresubject to Infant

Class Size


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Infant Class SizeWhat is infant class sizelegislation?

This legislation states that no infant classshould have more than 30 children beingtaught by one qualified teacher. Thisapplies to all classes where the majority ofthe children in the class are of Reception,Year 1 or Year 2 age. The admission forchildren beyond this number must berefused on “infant class size prejudice”grounds.

If the number of children within an infantclass were to exceed this number, thiswould be a breach of this legislation andthe school would be required to take“qualifying” measures to ensure the breachis rectified, e.g. employ another teacher.

If you are refused a place at a schoolbecause of “infant class size prejudice”,you will be informed of your right to an“infant class size appeal”.

The process for requesting an infant classsize appeal is exactly as describedpreviously on page 17.

What happens at an infant classsize appeal?

The law requires an independent appealpanel to review the admission authority’sdecision that the admission of an additionalchild would cause “infant class sizeprejudice” (as described above).

Once satisfied that the refusal has beenmade correctly on this basis, theindependent appeal panel can only upholdthe appeal if one of three very strictgrounds apply; these are

the child would have been offered aplace if the admission arrangementshad been properly implemented; or

the child would have been offered aplace if the arrangements had not

been contrary to mandatory provisionsin the School Admissions Code andthe School Standards Framework Act(SSFA) 1998; or

the decision to refuse admission wasnot one which a reasonable admissionauthority would make in thecircumstances of the case.

What does “ reasonable” mean?

The independent appeal panel is bound bya strict legal definition of this word. Thepanel would need to decide whether thedecision to a place for a child was:

“perverse in the light of the admissionarrangements”;

“beyond the range of responses opento a reasonable decision maker”; or

“a decision so outrageous in itsdefiance of logic or accepted moralstandards that no sensible person whohad applied his mind to the questioncould have arrived at it”.

What i f my Infant Class Size Appeal is unsuccessful?

The appeal panel’s decision is legally

binding on both yourselves as the appellantand the admission authority. It is notpossible to have another appeal for thesame school within the same academicyear, unless there has been a significantchange in your circumstances.

Your options will be either to accept theschool place that has been offered to you,or alternatively submit a new application foranother school.


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19

Home to school transport

Who is responsible for home toschool t ransport?Generally, as a parent, you are responsible for your child’s journey to and from school. If you express a preference for your child to attend a school that is not the catchment school or the school designated* by the local authority, you will be responsible for making arrangements for your child’s journey to and from school and for meeting any costs involved.

Does my child qualify for free hometo school transport?

Cambridgeshire County Council will providefree transport if:

your child lives within an area whereCambridgeshire is the Local Authority; and

they are registered at the schooldesignated* by the Local Authority; and

this is not within walking distances (2miles for primary aged children) measuredby the shortest available walking route;and

the journey from home to school can beachieved within 45 minutes.

*a designated school is either the catchment school for your home address or the nearest appropriate school, as determined by theLocal Authority’s Home to School Transportpolicy.

How is the transport distance frommy home to the school / collegemeasured?

Distances for determining eligibility for home to school transport are measured by the shortest available walking route from the reference point of the home address, as determined by the National Land andProperty Gazetteer (NLPG) or OSaddressBase Premium ™ after October 2014.

What

if IWhat if I choose a schoolfor my chi ld other than theschool designated by thelocal authority?You must make arrangement foryour child’s journey to and fromschool and meet any costsinvolved.

What if my child has a Statement

of Special Education Needs?

They will be entitled to free transport if it isappropriate to his/her needs and if without ithe/she would be unable to receive theeducational provision specified in theirstatement.

If their needs do not require attendance at aparticular school, you will be responsible forthe cost of any transport involved in getting

your child to and from school, unless thechild attends their designated school andthis is beyond the stipulated walkingdistance from their home.

Where can I find fur therinformation about Home to SchoolTransport?

For further information regarding yourchild’s entitlement to home to school

transport please visit;

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/transport

Social & Education TransportTeam (SETT) Box CC1301 0345 0455208 Castle CourtCastle Hill

CambridgeshireCB3 0AP

@ [email protected] www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education

/transport


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Where can I get furtherinformation?The Admissions Team are available to provide parents with factual information regarding theschool admission and school admission appeals process. Their role is not, however, toadvise parents on their applications or with the preparation / content of appeal cases.

From September 2014, all local authorities must publish a local offer. The local offer bringstogether information from education, health and social care about the provision that it isavailable for children and young people aged 0 - 25 with special educational needs anddisabilities (SEND) and their families. Cambridgeshire’s local offer is available onwww.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/send

Mainstream schools and academies must also publish information about SEND in theirschool and an annual information report outlining how they support children with SEND. Thisinformation will be published on individual school websites.

Cambridgeshire County Council does offer a Transition Information Advice service. Thisservice is available to provide parents with independent advice regarding:

The admission and transfer process Information about schools School admission policies and criteria Travel issues

The appeals process

Further independent information and advice is also available from the Advisory Centre forEducation (ACE). ACE is a national charity that provides advice and information to parentsand carers on a wide range of school-based issues including exclusion, admissions, specialeducation needs, bullying and attendance.

Advisory Cent re for Education

0300 0115 142 www.ace-ed.org.uk

Parents’ School Preference Adviser

01223 699194@ [email protected]

First Steps 2015 16 How to Apply for a Primary School Place (1)

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