ADMISSION POLICY – YEARS 7 - 11 SEPTEMBER 2019

Co-educational Comprehensive with Science and Music College Status

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INTRODUCTION  

Ashmole Academy (“the Academy”) is a secondary academy with a sixth form located in the London Borough of Barnet which is part of Ashmole Academy Trust Ltd, a multi academy trust (“the Trust”) which also runs Ashmole Primary School, on the same site as the Academy.  The Trust is the “admission authority” for the Academy and therefore responsible for determining and implementing the admission arrangements for the Academy each year in accordance with the School Admissions Code 2014 (“the Code”) and other legislation.  The Trust delegates this responsibility to the Local Governing Body of the Academy (“the Governing Body”).

 

This Admission Policy applies to admission to Years 7 to 11 at the Academy.  There is a separate Admission Policy for Years 12 to 13 (the sixth form).
 

EQUALITY AND INCLUSION

The Academy is fully inclusive and welcomes applications for the admission of children of all abilities and needs, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.  The Academy fully complies with its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. 

 

CHILDREN WITH AN EDUCATION HEALTH AND CARE PLAN

There are separate statutory procedures in place which govern the admission of children with special educational needs (“SEN”) for whom an education health and care plan (“EHC plan”) has been issued by their Local Authority.  This means that the parents of children who have an EHC plan, or are being assessed for an EHC plan, should not apply for admission to the Academy under this Admission Policy.  If parents have a preference for a particular school, they need to make their home Local Authority aware of this so that this is taken into account by the Local Authority in deciding which school is suitable for the child’s age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs in consultation with the parents.

Where a child has an EHC plan naming the Academy as the educational provider, the child will be admitted to the Academy even where this will result in the published admission number (“PAN”) for that year group being exceeded.  Where admission is to Year 7 in September (i.e. in the normal admission round), the number of places available within the PAN for other children will be reduced. 

 

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION OUTSIDE NORMAL AGE GROUP

All parents have a right to apply for their child to be admitted to a year group above or below their child’s normal year group, however it is for the admission authority for each school to decide whether to agree to this or not.  Parents do not have an absolute right to decide that their child will be educated outside their normal age group. 

In order to apply, parents must complete a separate application form (called an Application for Admission Outside Normal Age Group form, which is available for download via the Academy’s website or in hard copy from the Academy’s office) and submit it to the Governing Body of the Academy with any supporting documentation.  Applications should be submitted as early as possible so that all options are kept open before deadlines pass, as an application for admission will also have to be made at some stage.

On receipt of a completed application form and any supporting documentation, the Governing Body will need to decide whether to agree or refuse the application.  This decision will be made on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned.  The factors the Governing Body will consider include the following:

• The parent’s views;
• The Headteacher’s views;
• Information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development;
• Where relevant, the child’s medical history and the views of their medical professionals;
• Whether the child has previously been educated or attended a nursery outside their normal age group;
• Whether the child may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if not for being born prematurely.

Where the application is refused, the Governing Body will write to the parents confirming the refusal, clearly setting out their reasons for their decision.  Parents do not have a statutory right of appeal against a decision to refuse an application for a child to be admitted outside their normal age group, however a complaint can be submitted under the Academy’s Complaints Policy if the child’s parents believe that the Governing Body did not deal with the application properly.

Where the application is agreed in principle, the Governing Body will write to the parents confirming the agreement in principle.  Parents should note that an agreement in principle is not the same as an offer of a place in the desired year group - it is simply an indication that the Governing Body will accept an application for admission of the child to the desired year group.  Once an application for admission to the desired year group has subsequently been submitted, it will be processed with all other applications for that year group, applying the oversubscription criteria set out in this policy where that year group oversubscribed.  The application for admission must be accompanied by the letter confirming the Governing Body’s agreement in principle.

For the avoidance of doubt, this means that even where the Governing Body has agreed in principle to a child being admitted outside their normal age group, there is no guarantee that a place in the desired year group will be achieved for the child. 

 

PUBLISHED ADMISSION NUMBER (“PAN”)
 

The published admission number (“PAN”) for Year 7 at the Academy is 261 pupils.  Of these, 20 places will be allocated to children with an aptitude for music.

 

APTITUDE PLACES

Up to 20 places of the 261 available places in Year 7 will be allocated to children who show an aptitude for music, namely those who have demonstrated potential to develop musical skill and who will benefit from the music related facilities of the Academy. No previous knowledge or experience of musical practice or theory is necessary.

Children for whom an aptitude place is sought will be invited to attend a written musical aptitude test at the academy.  The test will take approximately forty minutes to complete, and will consist of approximately sixty questions relating to music, including pitch, rhythm, texture and melody.

Parents seeking an aptitude place for their child will be notified in advance of the date that the aptitude test will take place, and its venue.  Children who are unable to attend on the set date for a compelling unavoidable reason (for example, compulsory religious observance, medical or disability related reasons, or the loss of a close relative) will be offered one alternative date.  Parents should notify the Academy of the reasons for the inability of their child to attend and the reasons for this as soon as possible, and provide supporting evidence where relevant.  It will be for the Governing Body to decide whether it is satisfied that the reasons stated are compelling and that one other date should be offered.  The Governing Body will make decisions fairly and consistently.

After the test has been taken, children who achieve a mark of at least 45 will be invited to attend an audition during which they will to sing or perform a piece on a musical instrument of their choice.  Children will be free to choose the piece they perform, which should last no longer than three minutes.  Each child will be given their own appointment for their audition, which will not take place in front of any other children.   Again, the purpose of the audition is not to assess the child’s ability to sing or play the musical instrument, but rather to determine whether the child has the potential to learn or develop musical skills as a student of the Academy.

After all of the auditions have taken place, each child’s aptitude for music will be graded in relation to their performance at the audition only by the Academy’s music teachers.  In order to be eligible for an aptitude place, children must achieve a score of 23 or above.  If more than twenty children achieve this score, places will be allocated to the twenty who have scored the highest.  If less than twenty children achieve this score, the remaining aptitude places will be added to the number of regular places available (see below).

In order to apply for an aptitude place, parents must apply through e-admissions (eadmissions.org.uk) and submit it to the local authority on or before the application deadline in the usual way.  Children who are unsuccessful in achieving an aptitude place will then be considered for a regular place with all other applicants (see below).
 

REGULAR PLACES

 

The remaining 241 places will be allocated to all other children whose parents have expressed a preference for the Academy in the Common Application Form, including those children who were unsuccessful in achieving an aptitude place.

Where more applications are received than there are places available, the available places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

1.         Looked After and Previously Looked After Children

             Looked after and previously looked after children will be allocated places under this category by reference to the proximity of the child’s home address (as defined by this policy) to the Academy, with those living nearer receiving higher priority.

             A “looked after child” is a child in public care at the date on which the application is made.  A “previously looked after child” is a child who was in public care, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order immediately after being in public care.

             To be included in this category, the application must be supported by the relevant Local Authority’s Children’s Services Department.  In the case of a previously looked after child, a copy of the adoption or special guardianship order must also accompany the application for admission.

2.         Children with a Sibling at Ashmole Academy or Ashmole Primary

             Children who will have a sibling at Ashmole Academy or Ashmole Primary at the date of application will be allocated places under this category by reference to the proximity of the child’s home address (as defined by this policy) to the Academy, with those living nearer receiving higher priority.

             A “sibling” will include a full, half, step, adopted and foster brother or sister, as well as a child of a parent’s partner with whom he or she has been cohabiting for a period of at least one year at the application deadline, and in all cases the sibling must be living at the child’s home address (as defined by this policy) and being brought up within the same core family unit as a sibling to the applicant child.  For the avoidance of doubt, a child of a friend or extended family member (for example, a cousin) living at the same address as the applicant child will not be a “sibling” for the purpose of this policy.

             In order to apply under this category, parents must ensure that full details of the sibling are stated within the Common Application Form.  Failure to do so will result in the child being placed into the next category that applies.

3.         Children of Employees of Ashmole Academy Trust Ltd

             Children with a parent who has been employed by Ashmole Academy Trust Ltd for a period of at least two years at the application deadline, whether based at Ashmole Academy or Ashmole Primary School, or who were recruited to fill a vacant post for which there was a demonstrable skill shortage, will be allocated places under this category by reference to the proximity of the child’s home address (as defined by this policy) to the Academy, with those living nearer receiving higher priority.

             In order to apply under this category, the parent who is the employee of Ashmole Academy Trust Ltd must complete the Common Application Form and ensure that they confirm within it that they are an employee.  Failure to do so will result in the child being placed into the next category that applies.

4.         All Other Children

             Children who do not fall into any of the categories above will be allocated places under this category by reference to the proximity of the child’s home address (as defined by this policy) to the Academy, with those living nearer receiving higher priority.
 

CHILD’S HOME ADDRESS

The child’s home address will be the address at which they live and sleep for more than 50% of their time from Monday to Friday during term time at the application deadline.  It will usually be the address at which Child Benefit is claimed or, if ineligible, the address at which the child is registered with their G.P. and dentist.  No other address (including a business address) will be accepted.

Where there is an issue over whether the home address stated by parents in the application for admission is the child’s main home address as defined by this policy, parents may be required to provide documentary evidence to resolve the issue.  This may include providing details of the times that the child has spent at the stated home address in the three month period immediately preceding the application deadline.

 

DISTANCE MEASURING

The distance between the child’s home address (as defined by this policy) and the Academy will be measured in a straight line between the address point for the child’s home, supplied by Ordnance Survey, to the school’s main gate using the Council’s computerised geographical information system.

In the case of buildings containing a number of different dwellings (i.e. an apartment block), the distance will be measured from the same point in the building regardless of where within the building the child’s home address is actually located, with the tie breaker being applied as necessary.

 

TIE BREAKER

Where two applications cannot otherwise be separated because the distance from the child’s home address (as defined by this policy) to the Academy is equal, the order in which places will be allocated will be determined by random lottery in the presence of a person who is independent of the Academy and the Local Authority.

 

TWINS AND CHILDREN OF A MULTIPLE BIRTH

Where a child who is a twin or a child of a multiple birth has failed to achieve a place in the usual way but their twin or at least one of their siblings of a multiple birth has achieved a place in the usual way, those children will be admitted to the Academy above the PAN for that year group, to avoid a situation where they have to attend different schools.

 

CHILDREN OF UK SERVICE PERSONNEL AND CROWN SERVANTS

The Academy will accept applications for the admission of the children of UK Armed Forces Personnel with a confirmed posting in the area of the Academy, or the children of Crown Servants returning from overseas to live in the area of the Academy, in advance of them arriving.  This effectively means that these children do not have to be living at the stated home address at the application deadline, as all other children do.

The application for admission must be supported by an official letter declaring the relocation date and a Unit postal address or quartering area address, which will be used as the child’s home address for the purpose of applying this Admission Policy.

 

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION IN THE NORMAL ADMISSION ROUND

Applications for admission to Year 7 in September (known as admission “in the normal admission round”) must be made to the Local Authority by completing their Common Application Form (“CAF”) which is accessible via the Local Authority’s admissions page on its website.

Failure to submit the CAF by the application will result in the application being dealt with as a late application, which means that it will be accepted but will not be considered until all applications received on or before the application deadline have been considered, which will substantially reduce the chance of achieving a place.
 

IN YEAR ADMISSION AND APPLICATIONS TO OTHER YEAR GROUPS

The Academy participates in the Local Authority’s coordinated scheme for in-year admission and admission to year groups other than Year 7.  These applications must be made to the Local Authority, rather than the Academy.  Further information about this, including the relevant application form, is accessible via the Local Authority’s admissions page on its website.
 

ADMISSION TIMETABLE

The deadline for applications for admission to Year 7 in the normal admission round is 31^st October 2018.  Late applications will be accepted but will not be considered until after all of the applications received on or before the application deadline have been processed, substantially reducing the chance of achieving a place.

National Offer Day for places in Year 7 in the normal admission round is 1^st March 2019.  On that date, parents will be notified whether their application for admission has been successful or not.  Where an application is unsuccessful, the reason for this will be confirmed in the notification letter.

 

ADMISSION APPEALS

Parents have a statutory right of appeal against the refusal of a place which will be heard before an independent panel.  Full details about the statutory right of appeal, including how and when the request for an appeal must be lodged, will be confirmed in the notification letter sent to parents on National Offer Day.

A request for an admission appeal must be accompanied by the grounds for making the appeal (i.e. why it is believed that this Admission Policy does not comply with the School Admissions Code 2014 or other legislation, or was not correctly applied in relation to the application for admission).  Before setting out the grounds of appeal, parents are advised to consider the reason for the refusal stated within the notification letter.

The Academy is required to publish an admission appeal timetable on its website on or before 28 February before National Offer Day.
 

WAITING LISTS

The names of all children who are unsuccessful in achieving a place in Year 7 will be automatically added to the waiting list for Year 7 for the duration of the school year in which the child was admitted.  After that date, all names will be removed unless the child’s parents notify the Academy that they would like their child’s name to be kept on the waiting list going forwards.

Where an application for in-year admission or admission to a year group other than Year 7 is unsuccessful, parents will be asked if they would like their child’s name to be added to a waiting list for that year group and, if so, for how long.  Waiting lists are not routinely kept for other year groups unless parents specifically ask for their child’s name to be included on one.

The child’s position on a waiting list will be ranked solely in accordance with the order of priority set out in this policy, and not in accordance with the date that the child’s name was added to the waiting list.  This means that the child’s name may go up or down the waiting list, as the names of other children are added or removed.