Where schools have more applications than places the following factors will
be taken into account in priority order when deciding which pupils will be allocated
places.
Children with Statements of Special Educational Needs
In
accordance with the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs, the allocation
of school places for pupils with a statement of special educational needs will
take place before the allocation of other places as part of the annual admissions
process. Where a school is named in a child's statement the school
has a duty to admit the pupil.
Factor 1
Children in care
The definition of a 'child in care' is a person under the age of
18 who is in their care or is provided by a local authority, acting in its social
services capacity, with accommodation for a continuous period of more that 24
hours, by agreement with the parents or is the subject of a relevant court order
under Part IV of the Children Act 1989. Children looked after under an
agreed series of short term placements (respite care) are excluded.
Factor 2
Children who live in the school's designated catchment area.
Information about catchment areas can be obtained from the Admissions Team.
The address taken under this factor will be that on 17 January 2009
Parents who move after submitting their application must inform the admissions
team (tel 01724 297133/4) of any change of address
For admission purposes, the home address is where a child usually lives with
their parent or carer. You must not give the address of a childminder
or relative. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility,
each for part of the week, and the LA has been given more than one address,
the Admission Team will apply the address of the parent who claims the child's
benefit as the pupil's address for determining this criteria. If it is
found that you have given a false address your child may lose their school place.
Factor 3
Children who will have a sibling attending the school in years 7 to 11 at the
time of their admission.
Included in this factor are siblings (step-brothers and sisters and half-brothers
and sisters) living at the same address and who will be attending the school
at the expected time of admission. In the event of two applications for
one vacancy using the above criteria, the Authority will apply a tie breaker
decision based on geographical distance.
Siblings for the same year group (twins, multiple births)
Where there are twins or multiple births to be admitted to a school in the same
year group. If there are insufficient places available for all siblings,
and one can be allocated a place, the admission number will be exceeded to allow
them to be placed in the same school. This only applies to community and
voluntary controlled schools within North Lincolnshire where the parents have
put identical preferences for all siblings. If you have made application
for a school outside North Lincolnshire you must consult that admission authority
regarding their policy in such cases.
Factor 4
Places will next be given to those children who live closest to the school.
The distance will be determined by measuring the shortest available route using
the public road network from the pupil's home to the main school gate,
as determined by the LA. The distance will be measured by using a computerised
geographical information system (GIS). Priority will be given to those
living nearest to the school using this system.
Tie Breakers
Where the offer of a place would lead to oversubscription under any of the above
factors places will be allocated by reference to subsequent factors in order.
Waiting Lists
A waiting list will be established for all over-subscribed secondary schools
within North Lincolnshire.
Pupils resident in North Lincolnshire will automatically be put on the waiting
list for a school where they have not been made an offer of a place and where
that school is ranked higher than the school at which an offer has been made.
Non-North Lincolnshire pupils who have named a North Lincolnshire school as
their first preference, where we are unable to make a offer of a place, will
be put on a waiting list. Those who named a North Lincolnshire School
as their second or third preference, where we were unable to make an offer of
a place, will only be put on a waiting list if the parents request to do so.
Pupils will not automatically be placed on the waiting list for a school ranked
lower than the school where they have been offered a place.
The waiting list will be maintained up to the start of the school year.
Places will be allocated in accordance with the published criteria but will
not take into account any ranking
Withdrawing Offers of Places
Once an admission authority has made an offer of a school place, it may only
lawfully withdraw that offer in very limited circumstances. These include
when the admission authority offered a place on the basis of a fraudulent or
intentionally misleading application from a parent (for example, a false claim
of residence in a catchment area) which effectively denied a place to a child
with a stronger claim or where a parent has not responded to the offer within
a reasonable time. It would not generally be lawful for an admission
authority to withdraw a school place once the child was attending that school,
except where that place was fraudulently obtained; in deciding whether to withdraw
in such cases, the length of time that the child had been at the school will
also be taken into account. Where a place is withdrawn, the application
must then be considered afresh, and a right of appeal offered if a place is
refused.