Admission Policy 2019/20

Deer Park School – Admissions Policy 2019/20

PAN and Oversubscription Criteria

The published admission number is 60 places into Reception for September 2019. The school will admit up to this number each year to the Reception year and when full the school will have 420 pupils on roll.

In accordance with the law, children with statements of Special Educational Need (or with an Education Health and Care Plan) will be admitted to the school where the Local Authority has specifically named Deer Park School as the most appropriate placement.

Where there are fewer applicants than places available all applicants will be admitted. In the event of there being greater demand than there are place available to the school and after the admission of children with a statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health and Care Plan that names the academy, places will be offered using the following oversubscription criteria in keeping with the School Admissions Code 2014:

1                    Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children.  This category includes children in the care of the Local Authority as defined in the Children Act 1989 or children who have previously been looked after and immediately after being looked after became subject to adoption, child arrangements order or a special guardianship order. Applications made under this criterion must be accompanied by details of circumstance and professionally supported evidence.

2                    Children with a sibling at the school at the time of admission.

3                    Children of staff at the school.

4                    Proximity to the school. This will be measured by the straight line distance from the pupil’s home, to the main entrance point of the school using a GIS computerised mapping system.

 

Notes

  1. A child looked after is a child in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by that authority in accordance with Section 22 of the Children Act 1989. An adopted child is defined by section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 or section 12 of the Adoption Act 1976. A child arrangement orders is defined by section 14 of the Children and Families Act 2014. A special guardianship order is defined by section 14A of the Children Act 1989.

 

  1. Priority to children of staff will be given in either or both of the following circumstances:

(i)             Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission is made; and/or

(ii)           The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage

 

  1. Proximity of the child’s home to the school, with those living nearer being accorded the higher priority, will also serve to differentiate between pupils in criteria 2-4 if there are more applicants than available places under each criterion. Proximity to the school will be measured in a straight-line measurement.  Applicants will be prioritised by distance (starting with the nearest). For the purpose of calculating distances, the home address is identified by using the address point supplied by the Post Office to the main entrance of the school at its permanent location (Ryde House).  Where applicants have identical distance measurements, priority amongst them will be determined at random. In blocks of flats, where applicants have identical distance measurements, priority amongst them will be determined at random

 

  1. Sibling is defined in these arrangements as; a brother or sister, a half brother or sister, an adopted brother or sister, a step-brother or sister or the child of the parents’ partner where the child for whom the school place is sought is permanently living in the same family unit and at the same address as that sibling or a foster child permanently living in the same family unit whose place has been arranged by the social service department of the Local Authority. Children residing in the same household as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as siblings. Proof of the sibling relationship will be required.

 

  1. For families living on boats, distance will be measured from the authorised mooring point. If the family is itinerant, the nearest mooring point will be used on the closing date for the receipt of applications.

 

  1. Where parental responsibilities are equally shared, the home or residential address will be considered to be with the parent/carer with whom the child spends the majority of time and nights Monday to Friday. This will normally be expected to be with the parent/carer that receives the Child Benefit. This address must be used for all preferences.

 

  1. In cases of multiple births where there is only one place available, and the next child on the list is a twin, triplet, or other example of multiple birth, we would admit both twins (and all the children in the case of other multiple births) even if this meant exceeding the agreed admission number of 60 for reception 2018/19 or the number of places in other year groups.

 

Tie Breaker

In the event that two or more children live at the same distance from the school, the tie breaker will be random allocation, where the supervised drawing of lots by an independent responsible person of good standing will be used to decide which child(ren) will be allocated the remaining place(s).

 

Method of Applications for Reception.

The school will be participating in coordinated admission arrangements administered by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Parents/carers must apply on Common Application Form of the local authority where they live. This can be completed online via http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/children_and_family_care/schools_and_colleges/school_admissions/primary_school_admissions.htm or on a paper form available from their local council’s School Admissions Team.  The closing date for reception class applications will be 15th January 2019.  Notification letters will be sent out on 15th April 2019 by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.  Applications received after the set closing date will be accepted, but will not normally be considered for a place at the school until after the initial offer date.

Fair Access Protocol

All schools are under a legal duty to participate in their local authority’s Fair Access Protocol to ensure that un-placed children (in particular those most vulnerable) are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. Deer Park School recognises that pupils identified as coming within the protocol will have priority on waiting lists over pupils in schools seeking a transfer.

Waiting List

Unsuccessful applicants (including any applications received after the closing date) will be included on the school’s waiting list ranked in order of priority under the published oversubscription criteria, without regard to the date that the application was received. Please note a child’s position on the waiting list can go down as well as up. For example, if a new application is received or if a child on the list moves nearer to the school, the waiting list will need to be revised. The offer of a place does not depend on the length of time your child’s name has been on the waiting list.  Waiting lists will be held by the school for one school year after the Year of entry.

Appeals

Parents who are not offered a place for their child have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. Parents wishing to appeal should obtain an appeal form from Deer Park School office or from the school website at www.deerparkschool.org.uk.  The form should be sent to reach the Clerk to the Appeal Panel for Deer Park School at the Deer Park School address, within 20 school days of the date of the letter confirming the Governors’ decision not to offer a place.  The school will publish an appeals timetable annually on its website showing the relevant deadlines.

In Year Admissions

For in year admissions, parents/carers must apply to the school on the In Year Admission Application Form.

Applications will be considered in accordance with above oversubscription criteria. In the event that it is not possible to offer a place the child will be added to the waiting list and the appeals procedures described above will apply.

Date of Admission/Deferred Entry

Children will normally be admitted to the reception year in the September following their fourth birthday.

In line with the Admissions Code, parents can defer their child’s entry to the reception year until later in the school year, where they have been offered a place at a school to start before they are of compulsory school age.  Where entry is deferred, the school will hold the place for that child and not offer it to another child.  However, entry cannot be deferred beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the beginning of the final term of the Reception Year.  Parents can also request that their child attends part-time until he/she reaches compulsory school age.

Admission of children outside their normal age group

Children will normally be admitted to the reception year in the September following their fourth birthday and the vast majority of pupils are educated within their normal chronological age group.  Any request for admission outside of the child’s chronological year of entry will be considered in accordance with paragraphs 2.17-2.17B of the Admissions Code.  Such requests would normally apply to children that are summer born and there are significant reasons that would benefit the child’s academic, social and emotional development by starting Reception in the following year as opposed to Year 1.

Requests will be considered on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned.  This will include taking account of the parent’s views; 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; and whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely. The Headteacher’s views will also be taken into account.  Each case must be supported by a letter from a professional (e.g. GP, Hospital Consultant, Social Worker) that provides the reasons for admissions outside of the chronological year group.  If the request is approved, the application will then be considered in accordance with the school’s oversubscription criteria in the event of oversubscription.

Parents have a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place at the school but this right does not apply if they are offered a place at the school but it is not in their preferred age group.