Ingoldisthorpe Church of England primary school

1 Introduction

1.1 The governing body of Ingoldisthorpe C of E Primary School applies the regulations on admissions fairly and equally to all those who wish to attend this school. The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 introduced a new framework for school admissions as of September 2000. This policy conforms to the regulations that are set out in that Act and also further explained in the statutory School Admissions Code of Practice and the statutory Appeals Code of Practice.

2 Aims and objectives

2.1 We are an inclusive school that welcomes children from all backgrounds and abilities.

2.2 All applications will be treated on merit and in a sensitive manner.

2.3 The only restriction we place on entry is that of number. If the number of children applying for entry exceeds the places available, we enforce the procedure set out below in order to determine whether a child is accepted or not. It is our wish to allow parents the right to have a place at the school of their choice. However, this is not always possible, due to the excess demand on the school places available.

2.4 The level of ability of a child or any special needs that s/he may have plays no part in the admissions policy of this school.

3.0 How parents can apply for their child to be admitted to our school.

3.1 As our school is a Voluntary Aided school, the school determines the admission arrangements in agreement with the Local Authority. The Governors are therefore the ‘Admissions Authority’ for our school. The regulations for entry to each school, where the Admissions Authority is the Local Authority, are published each year by the Local Authority. Parents can receive a copy of these regulations directly from the Local Authority.

3.2 The Local Authority publishes a composite admissions prospectus each year, which gives information about how parents can apply for a place in the school of their choice. Parents have a right to express a preference for the school of their choice and they should do so on the application form. Expressing a preference does not, in itself, guarantee a place at this school. Application forms can be obtained from the Education Department of the Local Authority and should be completed by the date stipulated on the forms. In year admissions for all year groups should be made directly to the school.

3.3 The school will welcome any child irrespective of gender, race or creed.

A child with Special Educational Needs will be given equal consideration.

Children begin school at Ingoldisthorpe C of E Primary in the September of the year they become five. All pre-school children in the year before they start school can attend school in Little Owls Nursery class from the age of three. Our childcare provision includes universal 15 hours entitlement and the extended 30 hour provision (for qualifying families). Initial enquiries should be directed to the school office – phoning 01485 541402. The registration process can be accessed by contacting the school office. The Little Owls Nursery Brochure covers contractual arrangements, inclusion, fees, and childcare provision. As part of the registration process, parents/carers will be required to provide documentation to evidence their child’s date of birth. This is to confirm they have reached the eligible age for the free entitlements. A copy will not be retained, but may be requested again at a later date.

Early Education is offered within the national parameters –

• no session to be longer than 10 hours

• no minimum session length (subject to the requirements of registration on the Ofsted Early Years Register)

• not before 6.00am or after 8.00pm

• a maximum of two sites in a single day

The Admission Policy is issued to all families as part of the registration process. It is also available on our school webpage, or upon request in paper format.

Early Education is offered to families 38 weeks of the year. The funded hours can be claimed (to the maximum available) –

• Mon – 9am – 3pm

• Tues – 9am – 3pm

• Wed – 9am – 3pm

• Thur – 9am – 3pm

• Fri – 9am – 3pm

This policy has been be submitted to the LA as part of the Funding Agreement documentation.

Please refer to the SEND/Inclusion Policy concerning the SEND support on offer to children and how we support families to choose the right setting for their child with SEND.

We aim to identify all children that may attract any additional funding such as EYPP, DAF, SEND Inclusion Fund and any locally available funding streams with a view to submit a claim/application to support and improve their outcomes. We will work with parents to ensure that as far as possible the hours/sessions that can be taken as free provision are convenient for parents’ working hours.

If a situation arises where the school, is full in a particular year group the following criteria for admission will be applied:

• Children with an EHC plan or statement of Special Education Needs that names the school.
• Looked after children will be given first consideration, and previously looked after children. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after and ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a Residence Order or Special Guardianship Order.
• The catchment in which the child lives. In the event of a tie break the criteria will be direct distance from school to home.
• Any siblings (siblings as defined by NCC) already in school.
• Priority will be given to those children attending a pre-school setting and in receipt of Pupil Premium payments.
• Priority for children of Staff working at Ingoldisthorpe Primary.
• A commitment to the ethos of the Church of England. The criteria for this will be a letter from a minister confirming attendance of at least three times per year.
• Any other children.

Reception School Day Policy.

All children will be given the option of staying full time from the beginning of the autumn term if parents request this. Children can alternatively remain part time until the term following their fifth birthday or to deter entry to Reception until the term after.


4 Admission appeals

4.1 If we do not offer a child a place at this school, it is because to do so would prejudice the education of other children by allowing the numbers of children in the school to increase too much.

4.2 If parents wish to appeal against a decision to refuse entry, they can do so by applying to the Local Authority. An independent appeals panel then meets to consider all appeals by parents who have been refused a place at our school and who wish to appeal against this decision. An appeals panel’s decision is binding for all parties concerned. If the appeals panel decides that we should admit a child to our school, then we will accept this and continue to do all we can to provide the best education for all the children at our school. (Details of appeal arrangements are set out in the Code of Practice on School Admissions Appeals, which came into force in December 2014.)

5 The standard number

5.1 The standard number is the number of children the school can accommodate per year group. The standard number for our school is 15. We keep this number under review and the governors will apply to change the number if circumstances allow.

6 Class size

6.1 We teach infant children (aged five to seven) in classes that have a maximum number of 30 children. We aim to ensure no class group is greater than 30.

7 Review

7.1 This policy will be reviewed annually with the Admissions Authority in the light of any changed circumstances in our school or the local area.