Academic year 2008 to 2009
These arrangements provide an overview of the council's determined admissions arrangements for 2008- 2009. It includes, where appropriate, any new additions to admission arrangements from those applied during the current year 2007-2008. You can get a copy of the current arrangements by asking for the North Lincolnshire Schools Guide 2007–2008. These are available from the council offices at Pittwood House, Hewson House or at any local link office. Alternatively you may telephone the admission team on 01724 297133/4 and request a copy.
There are three types of mainstream school maintained by the council. These are known as Community Schools, Voluntary Controlled Schools and Voluntary Aided Schools. It is important to know which type of school you would like your child to go to because different people are responsible for making decisions on which children to admit. It will be either the council, or the school governors who will decide who gets a place. The list below tells you who will make the decision for the particular type of school.
- Community Schools
– most schools in North Lincolnshire are community schools. The council is responsible for allocating the places.
- Voluntary Controlled Schools
– these schools are mainly Church of England schools. The council is responsible for allocating the places at voluntary controlled schools.
- Voluntary Aided Schools
– all Catholic schools and some Church of England schools are voluntary aided. The governors are responsible for deciding who gets a place at the school.
North Lincolnshire Council has entered into co-ordinated arrangements with admission authorities within our own and also neighbouring councils for the processing of admission applications. These arrangements have been made with St Bede’s Catholic School (an admission authority in its own right), Doncaster, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire (neighbouring councils).
Important dates for admission to secondary schools
| Date by which parents will be issued with the relevant information to express their preference on a common application form |
7 September 2007 |
| Date by which parents must apply online or return their common application form |
19 October 2007 |
| Date by which parents will be notified if they have been allocated a place at their preferred school |
Letters will be posted 3 March 2008
|
| Deadline for parents to accept the place offered. If you do not respond it will be assumed you have accepted the place. |
17 March 2008 |
Late applications
Applications must be submitted by the 19 October 2007. Where a parent submits a late application, and the lateness has been unavoidable in the opinion of the admissions authority, (for example, house move) North Lincolnshire Council will be willing to consider the application up to 18 January 2008.
For admission to secondary school parents of Year 6 pupils must make application through their home local council. Pupils who reside within North Lincolnshire will be issued with all relevant information via their child’s primary/junior school. If a North Lincolnshire pupil attends a school outside the authority their information will be posted to their home address.
The co-ordinated admissions scheme will enable parents to make a preference for three schools. These schools can be within North Lincolnshire, including voluntary aided schools, or schools within a neighbouring local authority.
- Parents of year 6 pupils will be invited to express a preference for three schools on a common application form.
- The common application form will allow parents to state their preferences, with reasons and in rank order.
- The common application form must be completed by the closing date 19 October 2007.
- All preferences for individual secondary schools will be treated equally. (This is known as equal preference).
- For each preference expressed, the admissions authority for that school will determine whether a pupil is eligible for admission to that school.
- Where a preference is expressed for a secondary school which is oversubscribed, the admission authority for that school will apply the oversubscription criteria.
- The authority will make a single offer of a school place to all North Lincolnshire pupils for the highest ranked preference where the pupil is eligible for admission.
- Pupils not resident in North Lincolnshire, who have made application for a North Lincolnshire school, the offer of a place will be made by the authority where the pupil resides.
- Where the authority cannot offer a place at any of schools named on the common application form the parent will be offered a place at the next nearest school with places available.
- All parents will be given their statutory right to appeal against any decision the local authorities makes and information about how to appeal against any decision made by a governing body.
Oversubscription criteria for community and voluntary controlled school
Where applicants for places at a particular school exceed the published admission number set for the school the following factors will be taken into account in priority order when deciding which pupils will be allocated places in accordance with receipt of their online submission or a common application form.
Factor 1
Places will first be given to children in care
The definition of a ‘child in care' is a person under the age of 18 who is provided with accommodation by a local authority, acting in its social services capacity, 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
Places will next be given to children who have a statement of special educational needs and the school is named in the statement
This relates only to children who have undergone statutory assessment and for whom a statement of special educational needs (SEN) has been issued.
Where a school is named in a child’s statement of special educational needs, the local council and the school have a duty to admit the child.
Factor 3
Places will next be given to 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 the 18 January 2008
Parents who move after submitting their preference 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 council has been given more than one address, the Admissions 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 4
Places will next be given to children who will have a sibling attending the school in year 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 council will apply a tie breaker decision based on geographical distance.
Siblings for the same year group (for example, twins/triplets)
Where there are twins or triplets 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 5
Places will next be given to those children who live closest to the school.
This will be determined by measuring the distance using a geographical information system (GIS) from the pupil’s home to the main school gate, as determined by the ocal council and priority will be given to those living nearest to the school.
Appeals
- Any parent whose child is not offered a school place for which they have expressed a preference has the right to appeal to an independent appeals panel.
- Parents who intend to make an appeal must request a Notice of Appeal and return the form by the stated date.
- Normally appeal hearings will be held within six weeks of the closing date for receiving the notice of appeal.
- 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 requests it.
- 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 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.
Once an offer of a school place has been made it may only lawfully be withdrawn 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. 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 a case, 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.
In Year Fair Access
This refers to the council’s duty to ensure that access to education is secured quickly for children who have no school place and those with challenging behaviour are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible.
The council accordingly has a protocol detailing arrangements for the placement of pupils who may be hard to place due to a history of challenging or disruptive behaviour, to other vulnerable pupils who may be at risk of being out of school for periods of longer that 15 days and those pupils who may require a managed transfer to a new school for the purpose of making a fresh start.
Pupils moving into the area (during the academic year)
Parents who move into North Lincolnshire and wish their child to attend the catchment school can contact that school direct. Subject to a place being available, a place will be allocated when the pupil becomes resident. If you are not sure which school is the catchment school please contact the admissions team tel 01724 297133/4.
If you wish your child to be considered for a place at school, other than your catchment school, please contact the admissions team. Subject to a place being available at your preferred school, a place will be allocated when the pupil becomes resident.
Any parent refused a place will be offered their right to appeal against the decision to an independent appeals panel. This is likely to occur where the year group is full.
Admission number for all secondary schools within North Lincolnshire
|
Secondary school |
Admission number |
| Baysgarth School – A Specialist Technology College |
193 |
| Brumby Engineering College |
160 |
| Foxhills School Technology College |
203 |
| Frederick Gough School - a Specialist Language College |
244 |
| High Ridge School Specialist Sports College |
132 |
| Huntcliff School - a Specialist College for Engineering and Technology |
179 |
| North Axholme Comprehensive School |
112 |
| Saint Bede's Catholic School - a Specialist Mathematics and Computing College |
135 |
| Sir John Nelthorpe School – A Specialist Technology College for Science, Mathematics and Computing |
160 |
| South Axholme Community School - an Arts Technology College |
186 |
| Melior Community College for Business, Enterprise and The Arts |
318 |
| Vale of Ancholme Technology College |
131 |
| Winterton Comprehensive School with Specialist Status in Engineering |
144 |
* The number for Melior Community College will reduce to 190 when the new school is built. This is expected to be September 2010. The school will continue to operate on two sites until then.