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This policy applies to admissions in the academic year 2012-2013

ADMISSION POLICY

This policy applies to admissions in the academic year 2012-2013 Number on roll 420 Age range 4-11

MISSION STATEMENT

God’s love is at the heart of our Catholic School Community. We show this in our respect, kindness and love for others and by treating other people as we wish to be treated ourselves. We will encourage everyone in our school family to do the best they can.

INTRODUCTION

St Thomas of Canterbury School is a voluntary aided Catholic primary coeducational school. The school was founded by and is part of the Catholic Church. The school is conducted as a Catholic school in accordance with the canon law and teachings of the Catholic Church and in accordance with the Trust Deed of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton The Governors aim to offer a Catholic education. They expect all parents applying for a place at St Thomas of Canterbury School to respect the mission statement and Catholic ethos and its importance to the school community. The school fully respects the beliefs of parents and children from all denominations and faith backgrounds. Children are taught respect and tolerance for others and there is provision in the religious education programme for the study of different faiths. The school was set up primarily to serve the Catholic community in the Guildford Deanery and the parishes of St Joseph’s and St Pius. The relevant parish maps can be viewed at St Thomas of Canterbury School by arrangement.

VISITING SCHOOL

We encourage parents to visit our school to find out more about how we work and the education we offer. Our “Open Day” is held on the first Wednesday in October and is publicised on our website and local press. Parents are welcome to arrange a visit by contacting Sally Digby via the school office. However such visits are not obligatory and do not form part of the process for deciding which children are to be offered a place at the school. INDUCTION PERIOD It is strongly recommended that all children follow a part-time induction period for 2-3 weeks in September, children will generally attend school full-time thereafter. The part-time induction period complies with Government policy to offer Reception children a minimum of 15 hours education per week. Following the induction period, children will normally attend full time from 8.55am to 3.20pm with a morning and afternoon break of 20 minutes each, and a lunch break of 1 hour. This equates to 23.75 hours of education per week, including breaks and lunch.

STARTING SCHOOL AT AGE 4+

Parents can choose for their child to start school on a part-time or full-time basis in the September following their fourth birthday. This means that children born from 1 September 2007 - 31 August 2008 are entitled to start at this school part-time or full-time in September 2012. It is recommended that any decision about whether a child attends part-time or fulltime is reached in discussion with the Headteacher of this school and with the Reception teachers. However, in law, children are of compulsory school age from the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday. Sometimes parents feel that starting their child at school before they are five is too early and prefer to keep their child at a pre-school playgroup or nursery setting. In offering a school place to parents in the Reception year before their children are of compulsory school age, we must allow parents to request that their child’s entry be deferred until later in the same school year. The place allocated to your child is then held for your child and is not available to be offered to another child. If you do not want your child to start school in the September following their fourth birthday, you should talk to the Headteacher of this school (and, if appropriate, the Headteacher of the pre-school playgroup or nursery setting) about when you would like to take up the place. Places cannot be deferred beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, or beyond the school year for which the original application was accepted.

PROCEDURES FOR ADMISSION

The number of children who will be admitted in this admission round is 56 The year group to which pupils of the required age will be admitted for the current year is the Early Years/Foundation Stage. Eligibility by age and the relevant admission dates are as follows:

Children born between 1st September 2007and 31st August 2008 

Children who will be aged 5 between 1st September 2012 and 31st August 2013

PROCEDURE FOR MAKING APPLICATIONS

The procedure for making applications is as follows:-

LOCAL AUTHORITY PROCEDURE

All applications for places must be made on the common application form produced by the LA (Local Authority) in which the parent lives. This is an on-line application procedure linked to Surrey County Council, (http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/admissions) who is responsible for coordinating the allocation of all places at maintained and voluntary aided schools in Surrey and for offering individual places on behalf of the school governors. The LA will also pass on any applications recorded on the form for places at schools in other LAs.

If you need help making an on-line application, or require a paper copy, please contact Surrey Schools and Childcare Service on 0300 200 1004 (between 2.00pm-5.00pm).

LATE APPLICATIONS 

The deadline for making an application to Surrey County Council is notified on their website each September (http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/admissions). If your form(s) is/are received after the deadline, it will be treated as a late application. Late  applications are processed in the same way as those received on time but your preferences will be considered after all the preferences received on time. This could mean that there may not be a place available at St Thomas of Canterbury School.

If, however, you have a good reason for your form(s) being late, e.g. you have just moved into the area / you have been ill, your form may still be considered and you will need to contact Surrey Schools and Childcare Service on 0300 200 1004 between 2.00pm-5.00pm for guidance on how to submit a late application. You may be asked to supply independent supporting evidence of the reason why your form is late (e.g. solicitor’s letter confirming exchange of contracts / medical certificate). If having requested supporting evidence we receive nothing with the form(s) we will assume that you do not have a good reason. Not knowing about the closing date, forgetting to hand the form(s) in or leaving it in the wrong place are not good reasons for a form being late.

All parents who list their preferred schools on Surrey County Council’s Common Application Form are regarded as having made a valid application. However, the school’s admission form must also be completed for applicants wishing to be considered on faith criteria

ST.THOMAS OF CANTERBURY SCHOOL PROCEDURE

For parents who wish to apply to St Thomas of Canterbury School on the criteria of faith, a School Admission Form must be completed and submitted together with a copy of the child(ren)’s baptism certificate, if applicable, and birth certificate. The form is available from the school website (www.stthomassurrey.co.uk) or from the school office. This must be returned to school by the same date as the Surrey County Council deadline.

Catholic governing bodies are responsible for deciding the order of priority for admissions to their school. Our Admission Form collects essential information to allow St Thomas of Canterbury School to put all applicants in order of priority for admission, using the school’s admissions policy.If you need help/advice completing the school’s admission form, please contact Sally Digby on 01483 888388.

LETTING YOU KNOW THE DECISION

Offer of a place: Allocation letters will be posted by the relevant local authority in April 2012 for primary school admissions.

Accepting the place allocated: If you want to accept the place allocated to your child you must complete and return the acceptance form enclosed with the LA’s letter to St Thomas of Canterbury School or complete the on-line acceptance procedure.

APPEALS If your application is turned down you have the right to appeal to an appeal panel. This is an independent body that is not bound by the governing body’s admission priorities, or the published admission numbers. You should act quickly to register your appeal, normally within 14 days of receiving a letter informing you of the decision about your allocation.  Appeals are administered by the clerk to the governing body at St Thomas of Canterbury School from whom further details can be obtained. There is a legal limit on the size of infant classes, where the majority of children will reach the age of 5, 6 or 7 by the end of the academic year. Such classes must not contain more than thirty (30) pupils with a single school teacher. Where classes are at maximum capacity an appeal panel can only agree the appeal if it can be shown that the governing body as the school’s admissions authority, (1) has admission arrangements in place that are not lawful, (2) has made a mistake in applying its admissions criteria or (3) has acted unreasonably.

WAITING LIST

The school operates a waiting list for any places which may become available during the year. When such places become available, all children on the waiting list are considered. Places are not offered on the basis of length of time on the waiting list. The school will use its admissions criteria in making our decision. The waiting list is reviewed as and when a place becomes available, or at the end of each term, whichever is soonest. The waiting list is kept in the same order as the school’s admission criteria and a place on the waiting list may change if someone moves into the area into a higher category or closer to the school in the same category.

EXCEPTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

The school is also committed to taking its fair share of pupils who are vulnerable and / or hard to place, as set out in agreed local authority protocols. These children must take precedence over any children already on the waiting list. Accordingly, outside the normal admissions round, the governing body is empowered to give absolute priority to a child whose admission is requested under any local protocol that has been agreed between the Diocese, local authority and governing body for the current school year. The governing body has this power even when admitting the child would mean exceeding the published admission number. These children must take precedence over any children already on the waiting list. This applies to Key Stage 2 only (years 3-6) as the school has to comply with Government legislation for class sizes in Key Stage 1 (Years Reception-2)

ADMISSION TO OTHER YEAR GROUPS

Applications for other year group admissions during the school year are made in the same way as those during the normal admissions round. You must apply to the local authority even if you want a place for your child at this school. If a place is available and there is no waiting list then the governing body will admit the child and the school will write to you with the governors’ decision and advise the local authority accordingly. If more applications are received than there are places available, then applications will be ranked by the governing body in accordance with the criteria listed below. If your application is unsuccessful, you will be offered the opportunity of being placed on a waiting list. This waiting list will be maintained by the governing body in the order of the oversubscription criteria and not in the order in which the applications are received. Names are removed from the waiting list after one term in the academic year of admission. When a place becomes available the governing body will decide who is at the top of the list and the school will make an offer, advising the local authority accordingly.

CRITERIA USED FOR ADMISSION TO ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY SCHOOL Admitted in 2011

1. Baptised Catholic* children in public care 0

2. Baptised Catholic* siblings* of children already attending St Thomas’ at the date of their commencement. 24

3. Other Baptised Catholic* children in the parishes of St. Joseph’s and St. Pius 10

4. Other Baptised Catholic* children 9

5. Non-catholic children in public care 0

6. Other siblings* of children already attending St. Thomas’ at the date of their commencement. 13

7. Children who are Baptised Christians* from families who are active members of other Christian denominations. 4

8. Children of parents seeking education for their children in a Catholic School 0

CRITERIA TO BE USED IF PLACES ARE OVERSUBSCRIBED 

In the event that the school receives more applications than there are places available, the order of priority for admission will be established using the criteria listed above.

Children with an exceptional medical or social need Parents must submit supporting evidence, such as a letter from a doctor or social worker, which clearly demonstrates that the needs of the child can only be met by attending this particular school. Officers of the local authority / Medical advisers to the local authority will decide whether or not the evidence provided is sufficient to allocate a place under this admission priority. The evidence must conclusively show that no other school than this can meet the child’s needs.

Twins (or siblings within the same year group applying for the same school) No special priority can be given to the admission of children from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.). If a final place at St Thomas of Canterbury School is going to be offered to a child who is one of twins, triplets or other multiple births, the authority will ask the parent/carer to decide which child should be offered the place. If twins, triplets and so on are at the top of the waiting list and only one place is available, the other siblings will remain on the waiting list until they can be offered a place.

DEFINITIONS 

Catholic: For the purposes of this admission policy, Catholic means either a child baptized in a Catholic Church or baptized in a church recognised in the See of Rome. A Catholic Baptism certificate must be submitted with the schools Admission Form to verify this.

Christian: For the purposes of this admission policy Christian means a child baptized in a Christian Church. A Christian Baptism certificate must be submitted with the schools Admission Form to verify this. 

Siblings: 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 where the child for whom the school place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling. The older child must be attending the school when the younger child is due to start. 

Parents/Family members: A parent is any person who has parental responsibility for or is the legal guardian of the child. Where admission arrangements refer to ‘parents’ attendance at church’ it is sufficient for just one parent to attend. ‘Family members’ include only parents, as defined above, and siblings. 

Distances: Distances will be measured using the local authority’s computerised measuring system from the child’s home to the nearest gate used by children at the school. The routes taken for admission purposes recognise those routes most parents and their children would take between home and school. The local authority’s system does not include unmade footpaths and there must be a public right of way. The Governing body uses the same distance definition as that used by their LA in their own admission guidance. 

Child’s Home Address: We require you to state your child’s home address. This should be a residential property that is your child’s only or main residence and not an address at which he or she might sometimes stay or sleep due to your own domestic or other reasons. If your child regularly stays with his or her other parent or a relative and therefore has more than one address, the school place will be allocated based on the address at which your child spends the majority of weekday nights. If you put two addresses on the form, we will decide which address should be used as the main residence for the purpose of processing your application as we only accept one current address. Evidence will be required to confirm the address given on the form.

GIVING US THE WRONG INFORMATION

If a parent / carer is found to have supplied false or incorrect information to gain a place at this particular school, the governing body reserves the right to withdraw any offer of a place even if the child has already started school. An example of false or incorrect information would be the use of an address that is not the child’s normal residence. It is a criminal offence to give false information to obtain a place at a school. St Thomas of Canterbury Schools operates and Equal Preference system