Admissions Policy 2023 - 2024

ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024

May all who come to you be glad and joyful.

(Ps 40:16)

These Admissions arrangements been approved and adopted by the Governing Body in January 2022 and will be reviewed in January 2023.

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for children of Catholic families. Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will always be given to Catholic children in accordance with the oversubscription criteria listed below. The school is conducted by its governing body as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its trust deed and instrument of government] and seeks at all times to be a witness to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As a Catholic school, we aim to provide a Catholic education for all our pupils. At a Catholic school, Catholic doctrine and practice permeate every aspect of the school’s activity. It is essential that the Catholic character of the school’s education be fully supported by all families in the school. We therefore hope that all parents will give their full, unreserved and positive support for the aims and ethos of the school. This does not affect the right of an applicant who is not Catholic to apply for and be admitted to a place at the school in accordance with the admission arrangements.

The governing body is the admission authority and has responsibility for admissions to this school. The local authority undertakes the co-ordination of admission arrangements during the normal admission round. The governing body has set its admission number at 30 pupils to the Reception year group in the school year which begins in September 2023.

Exceptions – children that may be admitted above the PAN.

1. Children of UK service personnel can be admitted as excepted pupils for Infant Class Size purposes under the School Admissions Code: (para. 2.15 f) where the applications are received outside the normal admissions round. However, to ensure that the school can reasonably accommodate children admitted and not prejudice the efficient education and efficient use of resources, the Governing Body have agreed that 1 child in each Year R, 1 and 2 class may be admitted under these circumstance. 
2. ​​​​​​​The governing body will, where logistically possible, admit twins and all siblings from multiple births where one of the children is the last child ranked within the school’s Published Admissions Number (“PAN”).

These Admissions Arrangements are drafted to ensure that the School conforms to the School Admissions Code 2021, which can be found at the Department for Education website (www.education.gov.uk  at the time of drafting) and all equalities legislation.

Pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan or a Statement of Special Educational Needs (see note 1)

Note 1: This is for admission to the school at the start of the school year in September and not for applications made in-year.

The admission of pupils with a Statement of Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan is dealt with by a completely separate procedure. Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school must be admitted. Where this takes place before the allocation of places under these arrangements this will reduce the number of places available to other children.

Oversubscription Criteria

Where there are more applications for places than the number of places available, places will be offered according to the following order of priority.

1. Catholic looked after and previously looked after children. (see notes 2&3)
2. Catholic children of regularly practicing Catholic families who are resident in the parish of St John the Baptist, Andover. (see notes 3,4&10)
3. Catholic children of occasionally practicing Catholic families who are resident in the parish of St John the Baptist, Andover. (see notes 3,4&10)
4. Other Catholic children of regularly practicing Catholic families.  (see notes 3&4)
5. Other Catholic children of occasionally practicing Catholic families.  (see notes 3&4)
6. Other Catholic children. (see note 3)
7. Other looked after and previously looked after children. (see note 2)
8. Members of an Eastern Christian Church. (see note 5)
9. Children of other Christian denominations whose membership is evidenced by a minister of religion. (see note 6)
10. Children of other faiths whose membership is evidenced by a religious leader. (see note 7)
11. Any other children

Within each of the categories listed above, the following provision will be applied.

The attendance of a brother or sister at the school at the time of enrolment will increase the priority of an application within each category so that the application will be placed at the top of the category in which the application is made (see note 8).

Tie Break

Priority will be given to children living closest to the school determined by the shortest distance. Distances are calculated using Hampshire County Council’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine distances measured as a straight line (normally from the Ordnance Survey home address point to the school office).  

In the event of distances being the same for two or more children where this would determine the last place to be allocated, random allocation will be carried out and supervised by a person independent of the school. All the names will be entered into a hat and the required number of names will be drawn out.

Application Procedures and Timetable

To apply for a place at this school in the normal admission round^[1], you must complete a Common Application Form available from the local authority in which you live. You are also strongly requested to complete the Supplementary Information Form if you wish to apply under oversubscription criteria 2 to 6 and 8 to 10. The Supplementary Information Form should be returned to Mrs Corney (school office) by 15^th January 2023.

A Common Application Form – apply online through Hampshire County Council (https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions).

Supplementary Information Form – available to download from the school website. Alternatively, contact the school office. https://www.sjbschool.co.uk/admissions/

Information and a map detailing the parish boundaries can also be found on the school website: https://sjbschool.co.uk/hants/primary/st-john/arenas/websitecontent/web/Andover%20parish-5618_unused.pdf

You will be advised of the outcome of your application on 16^th April or the next working day, by the local authority on our behalf. If you are unsuccessful (unless your child gained a place at a school you ranked higher) you will be informed of the reasons, related to the oversubscription criteria listed above, and you have the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel.

If you do not provide the information required in the SIF and return it by the closing date, together with all supporting documentation, your child will not be placed in criteria 2 to 6 or 8 to 10, and this is likely to affect your child’s chance of being offered a place.

All applications which are submitted on time will be considered at the same time and after the closing date for admissions which is 15^th January 2023.

Late Applications

If places remain, applications received after 15 January 2023 will be considered after 3 May 2023.

Places for late applications will be allocated using the same criteria as for applications received by the due date.

Admission of Children below Compulsory School Age and Deferred Entry

A child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday. A child’s parents may defer the date at which their child, below compulsory school age, is admitted to the school, until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach compulsory school age, or beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which an offer was made. A child may take up a part-time place until later in the school year but not beyond the point at which the child reaches compulsory school age. Upon receipt of the offer of a place a parent should notify the school, as soon as possible, that they wish to either defer their child’s entry to the school or take up a part-time place.

Admission of Children outside their Normal Age Group

A request may be made for a child to be admitted outside of their normal age group, for example, if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health. In addition, the parents of a summer born child, i.e. a child born between 1^st April and 31^st August, may request that the child be admitted out of their normal age group, to reception rather than year 1.

Any such request should be made in writing to the headteacher at the same time as the admission application is made. The governing body will make its decision about the request based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child. In addition to taking into account the views of the headteacher, including the headteacher’s statutory responsibility for the internal organisation, management and control of the school, the governing body will take into account the views of the parents and of appropriate medical and education professionals, as appropriate.

Waiting Lists

In addition to their right of appeal, unsuccessful children will be offered the opportunity to be placed on a waiting list. This waiting list will be maintained in order of the oversubscription criteria set out above and not in the order in which applications are received or added to the list. Waiting lists for admission will operate throughout the school year. The waiting list will be held open until 31 July unless applicants request in writing to remain on the list. 

Inclusion in the school’s waiting list does not mean that a place will eventually become available.

In-Year Applications

An application can be made for a place for a child at any time outside the admission round and the child will be admitted where there are available places. Application should be made to the school by contacting Hampshire School Admissions:  https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions

Where there are places available but more applications than places, the published oversubscription criteria, as set out above, will be applied.

If there are no places available, the child will be added to the waiting list (see above).

You will be advised of the outcome of your application in writing, within a maximum of 15 school days of receipt, and you have the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel

Fair Access Protocol

The school is committed to taking its fair share of children who are vulnerable and/or hard to place, as set out in locally agreed protocols. Accordingly, outside the normal admission round the governing body is empowered to give absolute priority to a child where admission is requested under any locally agreed protocol. The governing body has this power, even when admitting the child would mean exceeding the published admission number (subject to the infant class size exceptions).

The governing body reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a place or, where the child is already attending the school the place itself, where it is satisfied that the offer or the place was obtained by deception.

Right of Appeal

In accordance with the 1998 Education Act, parents whose children are refused admission to the school have the right to an appeal by an independent panel.  The appeal should be made in writing within 20 school days of the receipt of the notification of the unsuccessful application.  Information on the Appeal Procedure is available from the school office or on the school website www.sjbschool.co.uk.

Parent(s) considering or making an appeal are advised to ask for the child’s name to be added to the Admissions Waiting List for possible subsequent acceptance, according to the priorities as detailed in the Admissions Arrangements.  No priority is given for having gone to appeal.

Notes (these notes form part of the oversubscription criteria)

1. A Statement of Special Educational Needs is a statement made by the local authority under section 324 of the Education Act 1996, specifying the special educational provision for a child. An Education, Health and Care Plan is a plan made by the local authority under section 37 of the Children and Families Act 2021, specifying the special educational provision required for a child.
2. A ‘looked after child’ has the same meaning as in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989, and means any child who is (a) in the care of a local authority or (b) being provided with accommodation by them in the exercise of their social services functions (e.g. children with foster parents) at the time of making application to the school. A ‘previously looked after child’ is a child who was looked after but ceased to be so because he or she was adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order.  Included in this definition are those children who appear (to the governing body) to have been in state care outside of England and who ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
3. ‘Catholic’ means a member of a Church in full communion with the See of Rome. This includes the Eastern Catholic Churches. This will normally be evidenced by a certificate of baptism in a Catholic Church or a certificate of reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church. For the purposes of this policy, it includes a looked after child living with a family where at least one of the parents is Catholic. For a child to be treated as Catholic, evidence of Catholic baptism or reception into the Church will be required. Those who have difficulty obtaining written evidence of baptism should contact their parish priest who can consult with the diocesan Catholic Academies and Schools Office if they need further guidance.
4. For the purpose of this policy practice is defined as attendance at Sunday (or Saturday evening) Mass over the last 12 months.  Practice is broken down into the following two levels:-

Regular: attendance at Sunday (or Saturday evening) Mass weekly

Occasional: attendance at Sunday (or Saturday evening) Mass at least monthly

Priority will be given to applications in the above order.

In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of these [admissions] arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church [or relevant place of worship] or alternative premises have been available for public worship. 

If the church, relevant place of worship or alternative premises have been unavailable to the public for Sunday Mass for the entire period covered by this policy then this oversubscription criteria will not apply.

5. ‘Eastern Christian Church’ includes Orthodox Churches and is normally evidenced by a certificate of baptism or reception from the authorities of that Church.

6. “Children of other Christian denominations” means children who belong to other churches and ecclesial communities which, acknowledge God’s revelation in Christ, confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures, and, in obedience to God’s will and in the power of the Holy Spirit commit themselves: to seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another in the Church, which is his body; and to fulfil their mission to proclaim the Gospel by common witness and service in the world to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. An ecclesial community which on principle has no credal statements in its tradition, is included if it manifests faith in Christ as witnessed to in the Scriptures and is committed to working in the spirit of the above.

All members of Churches Together in England and CYTÛN are deemed to be included in the above definition, as are all other churches and ecclesial communities that are in membership of any local Churches Together Group (by whatever title) on the above basis.

7. “Children of other faiths” means children who are members of a religious community that does not fall within the definition of ‘other Christian denominations’ at 6 above and which falls within the definition of a religion for the purposes of charity law. The Charities Act 2011 defines religion to include:

• A religion which involves belief in more than one God, and
• A religion which does not involve belief in a God.

Case law has identified certain characteristics which describe the meaning of religion for the purposes of charity law, which are characterised by a belief in a supreme being and an expression of belief in that supreme being through worship.

8. Siblings (brother or sister) includes:

1. all natural brothers and sisters, half brothers and sisters, adopted brothers and sisters, stepbrothers or sisters, foster brothers or sisters, whether or not they are living at the same address, and
2. the child of a parent’s partner where that child lives for at least part of the week in the same family unit at the same home address as the child who is the subject of the application.

​​​​​​​9. ​​​​​​​A ‘parent’ means all natural parents, any person who is not a parent but has parental responsibility for a child and any person who has care of a child.

10. For the purposes of this policy, parish boundaries are as set out on the school website https://www.sjbschool.co.uk/admissions/  A paper copy is available on request.        

11.  A child’s “home address” refers to the address where the child usually lives with a parent or carer and will be the address provided in the Common Application Form (“CAF”). Where parents have shared responsibility for a child, and the child lives for part of the week with each parent, the home address will be the address given in the CAF, provided that the child resides at that address for any part of the school week.