Secondary Schools City of Bradford Metropolitan District 2015-16
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A guide for parents about admission arrangements to Secondary Schools City of Bradford Metropolitan District 2015-16 Closing date 31 October 2014 Apply online at www.bradford.gov.uk/admissions Department of Children’s Services – Aiming high for children Timetable for applications to start secondary school for the school year 2015-2016 Monday 8 September 2014 Online applications can be made by logging on to Bradford Council’s website, www.bradford.gov.uk and clicking on ‘Online School Admissions’. Common application forms and booklets are available t from you child’s primary school. Friday 31 October 2014 Closing date to complete online applications or to return common application forms. Also deadline for t supplementary information forms to be sent to the relevant schools. Sunday 1 March 2015 If you have applied online, you will receive an email telling you which school your child has been offered. All applicants will be sent a confirmation letter informing t them of the school offered on Monday 2 March 2015 Monday 16 March 2015 Deadline to return acceptance slips and waiting list t forms (if required). t Friday 27 March 2015 Deadline for the return of appeal forms t April 2015 onwards Re-allocations from waiting lists if places become available t June – July 2015 Appeal hearings take place t Closing date for applications is 31 October 2014 This deadline is important. If you do not apply by this date, it is unlikely that your child will get a place at your preferred school. Online applications You can apply for a school place online by visiting the Bradford Council website: www.bradford.gov.uk/onlineschooladmissions There are many advantages of applying online: l It’s quick, easy and secure l It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week from 8 September 2014 until the closing date on 31 October 2014, and you can apply from home, work, a library or from your mobile phone as long as you have an email address. l You will get an email to confirm that your application has been received. l The system helps you by checking for mistakes. l You can view your application at any time and make changes up to the closing date. l There is no need to fill in a paper application form. l You will receive an email on 1 March 2015 to tell you the result of your application. Contents 3 Inside front cover Section 2 - Schools admission policies Timetable for applications to start secondary school 18 Appleton Academy 4 Introduction 18 Bingley Grammar (Voluntary-Aided) 19 Bradford Academy Section 1 21 Bradford Forster Academy (proposed) 22 Bradford Girls’ Grammar (Free School) 5 Changes for 2015 23 Dixons Allerton Academy 5 Co-ordinated admission arrangements 25 Dixons City Academy 6 Types of schools 26 Dixons McMillan and Dixons Trinity Academies 6 How do I decide which schools to apply for? 27 Feversham College (academy) - Bradford Council and School websites 28 Immanuel College (voluntary-aided) - Visiting schools 29 Kings Science Academy - Other information to consider 30 Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College 7 How does this information help me? (Foundation) 7 How do I apply? 31 Oakbank School - Supplementary information forms 32 One in a Million - Fair banding assessments 34 St Bede’s and St Joseph’s Catholic College - How do I fill in the common application form? 35 The Holy Family Catholic School (voluntary-aided) 9 How do you deal with my application? - Am I more likely to get a place at my first preference school? - What happens if I miss the deadline or want to Section 3 change my preferences? - Does moving house affect my application? 37 List of secondary schools in the Bradford Metropolitan - How do you decide who is offered a school place? District - Would you ever withdraw the offer of a school 41 List of special schools in the Bradford Metropolitan place? District 11 What happens if I don’t get the school I want? 41 List of neighbouring Local Authorities - Waiting lists - Independent appeals - Can I educate my child at home? Section 4 11 Special educational needs - What should I do if my child has special 42 Maps of priority admission areas educational needs? - What happens if my child has a statement of special educational needs? 12 What can I do to help my child succeed at school? - Attendance - Holidays in term-time - What happens if my child is too ill to go to school? 13 In year admissions and transfers - What if my child wants to transfer to another secondary school? - Fair Access Protocol 13 Financial help - School meals and clothing - The journey to school 15 Secondary school open evenings – questions to ask and points to consider 4 Introduction This booklet tells you about the secondary schools in the district and how you can find out more about them. It explains how we deal with your request for your child to start secondary school and gives advice about how you can get financial help with paying for travel. We have written this booklet for you if you have a child who is due to start Year 7 at secondary school in September 2015. These are children born between 1 September 2003 and 31 August 2004. We hope you find this booklet useful in helping you decide on a school for your child. We have split the booklet into four sections. l The first contains general information. l The second contains policies on admissions (decisions schools make on which children they take). l The third contains details about every secondary school in the Bradford district. l The fourth contains maps showing schools with priority admission areas. A growing number of secondary schools are becoming academies and it is the school governing body that makes decisions on who to offer places to. You can find details of these in section 2. If you would like general information about schools, you should go to their open evenings or look at their websites. If you need information about applying for schools, please You can get advice on free school meals from any council contact the Admissions Team at the address below. advice and information centre, phoning 01274 432772 or from the council’s website. Admissions Team Department of Children’s Services We have used the term ‘parent’ throughout this booklet to Future House refer to the person or people who are legally responsible Bolling Road for the care of a child. Bradford BD4 7EB Many schools are popular and oversubscribed so it Phone: 01274 385967 is important that you are fully aware of the admission Email: [email protected] process and ensure your application is completed properly and on time. We will do our best to offer you a place at one You can get independent advice from the Choice Advisor, of the schools you list on your application form. Last year based at Barnardo’s Bradford Parent Partnership Service around 96% of children starting secondary school were by phoning 01274 481183 or emailing him at offered a place at one of their preferred schools. [email protected] This booklet was accurate at the time of printing If you have any questions about assistance with travel, (September 2014). However, it is possible there could be you can contact the School Travel Team by phoning some changes before, during and after the 2015/2016 01274 385581 or emailing them at school year. [email protected] The council’s website, www.bradford.gov.uk gives general information on all the schools in the Bradford area. You may download a copy of this booklet from there. s e c t i o n 5 Changes for 2015 Co-ordinated admissionone arrangements l Bradford Forster Academy Under the Education Act 2002, local authorities (LAs) must draw up a scheme which co-ordinates admission ‘Bradford Forster Academy’ is a new 11-16 academy arrangements for all secondary schools (but not special which will be situated on Fenby Road in the BD4 schools) in their area. area of Bradford. The Academy proposes to open in September 2015 and will provide places for 210 year 7 Our co-ordinated admission arrangements make sure that pupils initially. The school will build upwards from year every parent of a pupil living in the Bradford local authority 7 and will reach full capacity by September 2019. area who has applied for a secondary school place during the normal admission round receives an offer of one Bradford Forster Academy is a member of the Bradford school place on the same day. Each authority exchanges Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT) which operates a information about any preferences for a school outside the number of academies in the Bradford Area, including LA in which the pupil lives with the ‘home’ authority. its sister school, Bradford Academy. You can apply for up to five secondary schools on one For admissions into 2015 only, applicants must form (known as the ‘common application form’) or apply apply direct to Bradford Forster Academy using the on-line. The offer of a place is the responsibility of the academy’s application form. If applying on faith ‘home’ authority. grounds, applicants must also complete the joint ‘supplementary information form’. Both forms can be We have fully co-ordinated admission arrangements obtained from the Bradford Forster Academy website with Calderdale, Kirklees, North Yorkshire and Leeds www.bradfordforsteracademy.co.uk or from Bradford authorities. This means that after information has been Academy on Teasdale Street, BD4 7QJ. Both forms exchanged, if more than one LA can offer a place at your must be returned to Bradford Academy by 4pm on 31 preferred school, the ‘home’ authority will offer a place at October 2014.