ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS 2011/12
Admission to Audenshaw School in September 2011
In common with other Tameside secondary schools, Audenshaw School has introduced a number of changes to its admission procedures to comply with the requirements of a qualifying scheme under the Education (Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements) (Secondary Schools) (England) Regulations 2007. Audenshaw School will operate an equal preference scheme.
Applying for a Place at Audenshaw School for September 2011
If you are a Tameside resident and your son attends a Tameside Primary School
You will have received a ‘Moving On’ booklet in September. The booklet will contain a personally addressed letter, outlining the admissions process to be followed and a Common Application Form (CAF). The completed CAF should be returned to your son’s primary school who will forward it to Tameside LEA.
If you live outside the Tameside LEA area and your son attends a Tameside Primary School
You will receive a ‘Moving On’ booklet. The booklet will contain a personally addressed letter, outlining the admissions process to be followed and an explanation of how to get the Common Application Form (CAF) for the education authority where you live. Application must be made to your own LEA even if you wish to state Audenshaw School as one of your preferred choices.
If you live outside the Tameside LEA area and your son attends a Primary School outside the Tameside LEA area.
You will receive a booklet from your own LEA which will provide details of applying to schools outside your own education authority. Applications forms need to be returned in accordance with their specific instructions and not to Tameside. Application must be made to your own LEA even if you wish to state Audenshaw School as one of your preferred choices.
If you live inside the Tameside local authority area and your child attends a Primary School outside the Tameside local authority area
You will receive an application pack from Tameside in September 2009. The pack will contain Tameside’s ‘Moving On’ booklet on secondary admissions, a personally addressed letter, outlining the admissions process to be followed and a Tameside Common Application Form. Application must be made to Tameside even if you wish to state a school in another local authority as one or more of your preferred schools.
The Process
* The Common Application Form will invite all parents to name 3 schools in order of preference. In allocating places, Audenshaw School will operate an equal preference scheme.
* The Common Application Form will give parents the opportunity to include information to support an application to Audenshaw School.
* There will be a common timetable for all including a single notification date. Late applications will be dealt with as late and ranked after all applications received by the deadline.
* Changes to preferences or ranking order will not be allowed after the closing date of 31 October 2010 except in exceptional circumstances for example, if the family has recently moved address. Evidence must be provided to support the request. No changes can be considered after 26th November 2010 when the allocations process has started.
* Primary schools will forward all application forms (CAF) to the LEA who will collate them. Applications from outside the Tameside area will be forwarded by the relevant LEA to Tameside. Any application forms mistakenly received by Audenshaw School will be forwarded to the LEA.
* Governors will apply the school’s oversubscription criteria irrespective of the preference order, and provide the Local Authority with a list of applicants ranked according to the criteria.
* Notification letters containing offers of a single school place will be sent out to parents on 1st March 2011. This is common with all other LEAs nationally. These letters will also inform parents of their right of appeal, and who to contact, if an application to Audenshaw School has not been successful.
* Parents will not receive multiple offers.
* If the school is oversubscribed Audenshaw School will maintain a waiting list. The waiting list will operate until the end of the Summer Term 2012. All pupils on the waiting list will be ranked according to the oversubscription criteria. Places will be offered, should any become available, to the highest ranked application received by the date the place becomes available. If new or late applications have a higher priority under the oversubscription criteria, they will be ranked higher than those who have been on the list for some time. A significant change of circumstances, such as a change of address, will be taken into account: evidence must be provided. Children who have been referred under the local authority’s Fair Access protocol or who are the subject of a direction by the local authority to admit will be given precedence over any other children on the waiting list.
Electronic Admissions by E-Mail
Parents with a working e-mail address have the opportunity to apply on-line. To access this facility log on to Tameside’s website (www.tameside.gov.uk), then under quick links click on ‘Admissions on-line.’ This will take you to the log on page where you will need to register before you can make an application. The LEA will send you a confirmation reply.
Each child will be issued with a unique identification number (UID) which you enter on-line along with your child’s date of birth in order to bring up your child’s details and application form. No one else will be able to access your child’s information.
Preferences can then be entered in ranked (priority) order. These may be changed at any time before the closing date of October 31. Parents can also opt to receive confirmation of their child’s school allocation by e-mail on March 1st, 2011. Letters will additionally be sent by post.
Admissions Arrangements for Audenshaw School
Boys will be admitted at age 11 without reference to ability or aptitude. The published admission number for the school is 196.
Where applications for admission exceed the number of places available, the following criteria (see also ‘Moving On’ booklet) will be applied, in the order set out below, to decide which children to admit.
ADMISSIONS SEPTEMBER 2011
SAVED ADMISSION NUMBER: 196
OVERSUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA
If the school receives more applications for places than there are places available, the criteria for over-subscription are applied to determine who should be allocated the places at the school. Children with statements of special educational needs, where Audenshaw School is the named school, will be allocated places before the oversubscription criteria are applied. The criteria for over-subscription for Audenshaw School are:
1. Children in Public Care (Looked After Children)
2. Children and families with exceptional medical or social needs
Written evidence must be provided from a doctor or other agency that he/she has exceptional needs which means that admission to a particular school is essential, reference will normally be made to the Community Health Physician, Social Services, or the Educational Psychologist, as appropriate. Members of the school’s Admission Committee will make a decision as to whether to admit a child under this criterion using the evidence provided. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.
3. Sibling: this will apply where there are brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of admission i.e. in the September when a student is admitted into Year 7. Preference will be given to pupils living nearest to the school.*
The sibling criterion includes; natural brothers; half brothers; step brothers; adopted brothers; brothers of fostered children, and in each case living at the same address. This allows for the admittance of children whose siblings will still be attending the preferred school.
In cases where twins, triplets or other multiple birth siblings are split when allocations take place, siblings will be offered a place at the same school which may not be a preference school named on the common application form.
4. Single sex education - The Common Application Form allows an expression of a general preference for single sex education. If the school is oversubscribed on this criterion preference will be given to pupils living nearest to the school.*
5. All other applications on distance. Preference will be given to pupils living nearest to the school.*
*Where oversubscription occurs in applying criterion 3, 4 or 5, Distance will be measured as a straight line from the child’s home address, using the address point assigned by the National Land and Property Gazetteer, to the main gate to the school property. Measurements will be made using the local authority’s school admissions data mapping software, which employs a Geographical Information System based on Ordnance Survey.
“In the event of distances being the same for 2 or more applications where this distance would be the last place/s to be allocated, a random lottery will be implemented between the applications where the distance is the same. The random lottery will be carried out in a public place and supervised by someone independent of the school. All the names will be entered into a hat and the required number of names will be drawn out.”
SIXTH FORM ENTRY
Admission to the co-educational sixth form will be from:
a) pupils in Year 11 at Audenshaw School
b) pupils from outside of Audenshaw School
Audenshaw school has 260 places in its sixth form. It is expected that there will be 75 qualified candidates wishing to transfer from year 11 therefore the admission number for pupils entering the sixth form from outside of Audenshaw will be 55.
Students on roll at Audenshaw School are required to apply for a place in the sixth form as are students from other schools.
The entry requirements for admission to the sixth form shall be the same for students on roll in Year 11 at the school and external applicants.
Pupils will be admitted into the sixth form at the start of the Autumn Term in each school year although there may be some occasions when students transfer during an academic year.
Minimum entry requirements
All those seeking admission to the Sixth Form must achieve the following grades:-
i. Students will be expected to have achieved a minimum of 5+ A*-C in their GCSEs.
ii. A minimum of a grade B in their chosen subjects.
Oversubscription criteria
Where the number of eligible applicants for a course of study exceeds the places available then admission will be determined in accordance with the following priority of admission criteria:
1. Children in Public Care (Looked After Children). Students with Special Educational Needs who meet the minimum entry requirements.
2. The overall strength of the student’s academic profile based on estimated grades; the academic profile will be determined annually in the light of applications received.
3. The availability of space in the subjects applied for.
The number of students who have applied for each course will be taken into account, meaning that extra students can sometimes be accommodated over the admission number if the pupils chosen course is not full.
Applications
Students wishing to apply for a place in the Sixth Form should complete an application form (available from the school). These should be returned to the school no later than 7th January 2011.
Offers of places will be made on 1st March 2011.
Waiting List
In the event of the Sixth Form being oversubscribed, a waiting list will be held by the school. Places will be offered from this waiting list based on the oversubscription criteria above.
The waiting list will be operated by the school until 30th September 2011.
Appeals
Any pupil refused the offer of a place in the sixth form has the right of appeal to an independent appeals panel (see below).
False Information
Where the school has made the offer of a place in the sixth form on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application which has effectively denied a place in the sixth form to a pupil with a stronger claim, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.
Late Applications
Late applications will be considered up to the end of the third full week of the Autumn Term.
APPEALS
Any parent who is dissatisfied with their school allocation has the right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel. For pupils with Special Educational Needs, appeal can be made to the SEN Tribunal (details are included in the Statement).
Parents, therefore, who wish to appeal against any decision of the Admissions Committee in refusing admission to the school, should do so by completing a School Admission Appeal Form, setting out clearly why your child should go to Audenshaw. These are available, and should be returned to, the School Organisation Section at Tameside MBC, Council Offices, Wellington Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancs. OL6 6DL.
The Appeals Panel will:
* be independent of the governing body;
* give the appellant at least fourteen day's notice of the time and place of the hearing;
* give the appellant, who may be accompanied by a friend or be represented, the opportunity to make oral representation;
* give the appellant at least seven day's notice of any written representations made to it by the governing body.
The appeal shall be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast, the chairman of the panel having a casting vote.
The decision of the Appeals Panel and the grounds on which it was made shall be communicated by the Clerk in writing to the appellant. That decision shall be binding on all parties.
Audenshaw School determined admission arrangements 2011/12
6