NETTLEHAM CHURCH OF ENGLAND VOLUNTARY AIDED JUNIOR SCHOOL

ADMISSIONS POLICY (2024-25)

The Governors plan to admit 60 pupils to Year 3 every September. This published admission number has been agreed between the Governors and the Local Authority. The Governors of aided schools are responsible for the Admissions Policy which is submitted annually to the Diocesan Director of Education and to the Local Authority.

In accordance with legislation the allocation of places for children with the following will take place first: Education, Health and Care Plan (Children and Families Act 2014) naming the school on the plan. Remaining places will be allocated in accordance with this policy.

Where there are more applications than places available, the Governors will admit pupils according to the following criteria, in order of priority. All children will be considered equally at the time the allocations are made regardless of where they have listed this on their application form.

1) Looked after children and previously looked after children including those children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted;

2) Children living within the geographical area bounded by the combined civil and ecclesiastical parish boundaries of Nettleham (a map is available at Nettleham Parish Council); https://nettleham.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/

3) Children who have siblings currently attending the school and who will still be attending at the time a place is required;

4)  Children are faithful and regular worshippers at a Christian Church. (Applicants are asked to provide written evidence of their commitment from their priest or minister) (Regular will be defined as at least once a month)

4) Where there is evidence and expression of a clear religious affiliation. This will be assessed using the following criteria:

a) Children are faithful and regular worshippers at a Christian Church.

(Applicants are asked to provide written evidence of their commitment from their priest or minister) (Regular will be defined as at least once a month)

b) Children are practising members of another faith and their families would like them to attend a Christian school because of its religious emphasis and ethos.

(Applicants are asked to provide written evidence of their commitment from a recognised religious leader).

5) Other children.

Tie-break

If any of the criteria are oversubscribed, the final tie-break will be straight line distance with the child living nearest being offered the place. If two or more children are tied for the last place, a lottery will be drawn by an independent person, not employed by the school or working in the Children’s Service Directorate at the Local Authority.

 

DEFINITIONS

1          Looked after children and previously looked after children including those children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

A 'looked after child' is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order).  This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children's Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).   Child arrangements orders are defined in s.8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by Section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order.   Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians). 

2          Children living within the geographical area bounded by the combined civil and ecclesiastical parish boundaries of Nettleham:

The address where the child lives for the majority of the school term time with a parent who has parental responsibility as defined in the Children Act 1989, or any child in the household where an adult in the household is defined as a parent for the purposes of Section 576 of the Education Act 1996 (this could include a person who is not a parent but who has responsibility for her or him). 

It could include a child's guardians but will not usually include other relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. unless they have all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities, and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and their property.

Where your child lives normally during the school week with more than one parent at different addresses, the home address for the purposes of school admissions will be the address provided by parents in the initial application to the school.

If you have more than one home, we will take as the home address the address where you and your child normally live for the majority of the school term time.

Reference to parents includes either or both parents or a sole parent and where only one of two parents satisfies the criterion the application will be treated equally with applications where the criterion is satisfied by both parents.

The expression ‘parents’ includes legal guardians.

3          Children who have siblings currently attending the school and who will still be attending at the time a place is required:

            The definition of ‘sibling’ includes:

• Sibling: A full brother or sister, whether or not living in the same household. Another child normally living for the majority of term time in the same household, for whom an adult in the household has parental responsibility as defined in the Children Act 1989 or Section 576 of the Education Act 1996 including halfsiblings, Step-siblings and foster siblings.

      Twins and other siblings from a multiple birth:

In these cases all the children will be considered together as one application.  If one or more can be admitted the school will admit all the children unless this would prejudice the education of the other children. Multiple birth children are 'excepted pupils' to infant class limits if allocated in this way.   

Brothers and sisters in the same year group:

Where there is only one place available in the school the children will be considered together as one application. The school will go above its admission number as necessary to admit all the children unless this would make the class too large and prejudice the education of the other children.

4          Where there is evidence and expression of a clear religious affiliation:

A child who usually attends at least a monthly service or is regularly, that is, at least once a month, involved in a weekday church activity including an element of worship – we would expect this to be demonstrated over a period of at least two years.  To accommodate difficult patterns of work and family relationships, account will be taken of weekday worship and the availability of worship offered locally. Where the act of worship is held in a Church of England school, it must be specifically Christian, voluntary and extra-curricular. ‘Christian’ is defined as belonging to a church, which subscribes to the Doctrine of the Trinity.

‘Other faiths’ is defined as belonging to a major faith community having representation within ‘The Inter Faith Network UK’. Nettleham Church of England Aided Junior School, as a Church of England school, may also offer places to the children of other faith communities, using the same underlying definitions for patterns of worship or religious devotion as those who are members of the Christian church.

Applicants new to the area will need to provide evidence from a previous church or other place of worship.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Appeals

In all cases where a place is refused at a school the applicant will be informed of their right of appeal to an independent panel. The decision of the independent panel is binding on all parties. Details of how to appeal a decision to refuse admission will be communicated to the applicant at the time of the refusal and will also be available on the Lincolnshire County Council website.

Parents who are not offered a place for their child have a right to appeal to an independent appeal committee under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Parents wishing to appeal should do so through Lincolnshire County Council’s ‘Appeal a School Place’ process which you can find here https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/school-admissions/appeal-school-place.

Applications process for the normal intake year

Arrangements for applications for places in Year 3 at Nettleham Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School will be made in accordance with Lincolnshire County Council’s co-ordinated admission arrangements.  Parents resident in Lincolnshire can apply online at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions . They can also apply by telephone, or ask for a paper application form, by telephoning 01522 782030. Parents resident in other areas must apply through their home local authority but may list the school on their application.  Nettleham Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School will use the Lincolnshire County Council’s timetable published online for these applications and the relevant Local Authority will make the offers of places on their behalf, as required by the School Admissions Code.

Children of UK Service Personnel and Crown Servants

For families of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting to the area, or crown servants returning to live in the area from overseas, the Governors will:

• Process an application in advance of the family arriving in the area provided it is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date and a Unit postal address, intended address or quartering area address to use when considering the application against the school’s oversubscription criteria
• Accept a Unit postal address or quartering area address for admission purposes for a service child where the parent requests this.
• The Governors will not refuse a service child a place solely because the family does not have an intended address or does not yet live in the area.

Evidence of an intended address will be required such as a tenancy agreement, or mortgage statement. Please contact the school for more details.

For late coordinated applications and in-year applications supported by the appropriate military documentation, we will aim to remove any disadvantage to UK service personnel (UK Armed Forces).

The governors will consider whether:

• An application from that address would normally succeed in an oversubscribed year
• There is any child on the reserve list with higher priority under the oversubscription criteria
• The prejudice from admitting an extra child would be excessive.

The governors have discretion to admit above the admission number in these circumstances if they wish but are not obliged to do so. If a place is refused, you will be informed of your right of appeal.

 

Fair Access Protocols

Nettleham Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School will participate in Lincolnshire County Councils the fair access protocol. Students allocated under fair access protocols will take precedence over those on a waiting list.

Local Authorities are required to have Fair Access Protocols in order to make sure that unplaced children who live in the home Local Authority, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. This includes admitting children above the published admissions number to schools that are already full.

 

Fraudulent or Misleading Applications

We reserve the right to check any address and any other information provided so we can apply the oversubscription criteria accurately and fairly. As an admission authority we have right to investigate any concerns we may have about your application and to withdraw the offer of a place if we consider there is evidence that you have made a fraudulent claim or provided misleading information, for example a false address was given which denied a place to a child with a stronger claim. If a place is withdrawn, the application will be considered afresh and you will be advised of you right to appeal if a place is refused.

 

In Year Admissions

The Governors will accept admissions into other year groups if there are places.  Applications should be made on the common application form through the local authority Schools Admission Team.  If there are more applications than places, then the oversubscription criteria will be used to decide who should be offered the place.  If there are no places available, the application will be unsuccessful but parents and guardians will be given the opportunity to access an independent appeals system.

For further information please click HERE

Link to Lincolnshire County Council Website

All information that you need with regard to applying for school places can be found HERE

Measurement of distance

Straight line distance as calculated electronically to three figures after the decimal point (e.g. 1.543 miles) by Lincolnshire County Council school admissions team from the Post Office Address Point of the home to the Post Office Address Point of the school.

Out of cohort admissions

Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group,

Parents wishing to make these requests must contact their home local authority for guidance on the procedure to follow.  Parents resident in Lincolnshire should call 01522 782030 or email outofcohortadmissions@lincolnshire.gov.uk for advice on the procedure to follow.

It is important for parents to note that they will have the opportunity and responsibility to provide whatever evidence they wish to support their request.

The Governors will make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. This will include taking account of:

• The parents’ views;
• Any available information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development;
• Where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional;
• Whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group;
• Any evidence that the child may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely;
• The views of the Headteacher.

Reserve Lists

For admission into Year Three the governors will keep a waiting list which we call a reserve list until the end of the autumn term.  If you were not offered a place and you named us as a higher preference, your child is automatically put on the reserve list, unless you have been offered a higher preference school. 

This list is in the order of the oversubscription criteria, as required by the School Admissions Code.  Names can move down the list if someone moves into the area and is higher placed on the oversubscription criteria.  The Governors must not take account of the time you have been on the list.

The Year Three admissions reserve list is kept by the Schools Admission Team until the end of August but is held by the school after that until the end of the autumn term.

We hold a reserve list for each year group, which is kept from the beginning of Autumn Term until the end of Summer Term each year; parents who would like to remain on the reserve list beyond this point should contact the school directly.

The Admissions Policy was determined by the Governors in February 2023