Primary and Secondary Schools Information and Admission Arrangements
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Secondary Primary Junior Primary and Secondary Schools Information and Admission Arrangements Information for Parents 2017/2018 PSSIAA-10-705-2016-bi Dear Parent/Guardian, Starting school, either primary or secondary is a huge milestone in the lives of you and your child. This booklet has been produced by Powys County Council to give general information about the school admission policy as managed by the Local Authority. It will be of particular interest to parents/ guardians of children who are about to start school or move to secondary school. As a parent/guardian you will want the best for your child to ensure that your chosen school meets the needs of your child. There is much information available and it is recommended that you visit your local schools and obtain a copy of the school’s prospectus. There is also information about all of the schools in Powys on the Welsh Government My Local School website with the address being http://mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk/index.html?iaith=eng I wish your child every success in the future. Yours sincerely Ian Roberts Pennaeth Gwasanaeth Ysgolion / Head of Schools Service Information and Advice The Admissions and Transport Team are based in Powys County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, and are always available to give any advice on school admissions and transport policy and entitlement on the following contact details: Anne Wozencraft Principal Officer Admissions & Transport Tel: 01597 826477 Rachel Davies (part –time) / Delyth Powell (part –time) Admissions and Entitlement Officer Tel: 01597 826477 Clare Davies Admissions & Entitlement Officer Tel: 01597 826477 E-mail: [email protected] General Enquiries - 0845 6027030 Llandrindod Wells Brecon Head of Schools Service Area Office Powys County Council Schools Service County Hall Powys County Council Llandrindod Wells Neuadd Brycheiniog Powys Cambrian Way LD1 5LG Brecon Powys LD3 7BB Newtown Area Office Schools Service Powys County Council Old College Off Station Road Newtown Powys SY16 1BE Additional hard copies of this booklet are available from the Admissions & Transport Team and is available on the website at www.powys.gov.uk Argraffwyd ar bapur wedi’i ailgylchu Printed on recycled paper Other Useful Contacts Gareth Jones Senior Manager Central Services School Modernisation - Funding, Tel: 01597 826429 Admissions & Transport E-mail: [email protected] Hayley Smith Challenge Advisor Early Years and Primary Education Tel: 01597 826705 E-mail: [email protected] Keith Brelstaff Senior Manager Additional Learning Needs and Tel: 01597 826448 Inclusion E-mail: [email protected] Yan James Senior Challenge Advisor Schools Service Tel: 01597 826453 E-mail: [email protected] Ann Thomas School Effectiveness Team Officer Responsible for Working with Others Tel: 01874 612204 (Additional Learning Needs-ALN) E-mail: [email protected] Sarah Astley Welsh Education Strategic Plan Co-ordinator Central Support Services Team Tel: 01597 826265 E-mail: [email protected] Alun Flynn Principal Educational Psychologist Educational Psychology Service Tel: 01686 626395 E-mail: [email protected] Imtiaz Bhatti School Effectiveness Team Officer Responsible for Working with Others Tel: 01597 826401 (English as a Second Language) E-mail: [email protected] Steve Adams Manager for Looked After Children Looked after children in Powys Tel: 01597 826985 E-mail: [email protected] Free School Meals E-mail: [email protected] Tel No : 0845 602 7032 Introduction Section 84 of School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the Welsh Government’s School Admissions Code (July, 2013) and the School Admission Appeals Code (December, 2013), www.wales.gov.uk/educationandskills lays down specific requirements concerning the information to be made available to parents regarding schools and the admission arrangements to them. This booklet has been produced to give you that information. You may express a preference for admission of your child to any primary or secondary school listed in this booklet. If for any reason you are unable to obtain a place for your child at the school of your preference, you have the right of appeal to the Appeals Panel established by the Local Authority (L.A) for that purpose. Applications should be made to the Principal Officer, Admissions & Transport, Schools Service, Powys County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 5LG. Further information in respect of the Admission Appeals process is shown at Sections 22 & 23 of Part 1 of this booklet. If you wish to know more about a particular school, the school prospectus, which is a more detailed booklet, may be obtained direct from the school concerned. If you would like to enquire about the availability of this booklet in another language, Braille, Large Print, Tape or other electronic formats please contact the Admissions & Transport Team. If you think there are any ways in which this booklet could be improved to make it easier to understand and use, please feel free to contact the School Admissions Officer at the address and telephone number given on the previous page. Contents Part 1 1. Age of Admission Page 7 2. Criteria for Admission to a School Page 8 3. Choice of Schools Page 10 4. Attendance at Schools not Maintained by the Powys Authority Page 11 5. The use of the Welsh Language in Powys Schools Page 11 6. Application for Admission to Primary Schools Page 12 7. Application for Admission to Junior Schools Page 13 8. Application for Admission to Secondary Schools Page 13 9. Infant Class Sizes Page 13 10. Feeder Primary Schools Page 14 11. Early & Late Applications Page 14 12. Early or Delayed Transfer to Secondary School Page 14 13. Admission at Other Times Page 14 14. Transfer Between Schools Page 15 15. Primary School Transport Page 15 16. Secondary School Transport Page 16 17. Post 16 Transport Page 16 18. Vacant Seat Payment Scheme Page 16 19. Entry for Public Examinations Page 16 20. Sixteen Plus Provision Page 17 21. Refusal of Admission Page 17 22. Appeals Against Admission Decisions Page 17 23. Admission Appeals Relating to Statutory Infant Class Sizes Page 18 24. Numbers of Pupils to be Admitted to Particular Schools Page 18 25. Individual Schools Page 18 26. Complaints Procedure Page 18 27. School Meals and Milk Page 19 Part 2 - Special Education Provision 28. Identification and Assessment Page 20 29. Specialist Centre Provision Page 20 30. Sensory Impairment Page 21 31. Transport Page 21 32. General Page 21 Contents Appendices Appendix A Admission to Junior School and Timetable for Appeals Appendix B Admission to Secondary School and Timetable for Appeals Appendix C Details of Primary Schools Appendix D Details of Secondary Schools Appendix E Admission Arrangements - Voluntary Aided Schools Part 1 Before you choose the school you wish your child to attend, you will need to consider whether you would like your child to be educated through the medium of Welsh or English. Welsh-medium education is available across Powys, and it is available to children from non-Welsh speaking homes as well as those from Welsh speaking backgrounds. Further information about Welsh- medium education in Powys is available in Section 5. 1. Age of Admission a) 3 and 4 Year Old Provision (Pre-School) The Welsh Government funds the Local Authority to ensure that all children in Wales have access to free part time Early Years Education from the beginning of the term following the child’s third birthday. Each qualifying child can receive a maximum of 12.5 hours per week of funded Early Years Education if they attend an approved and funded setting. Children eligible for free part time education will only receive the funded place if they are attending an approved and funded setting. The table below shows when your child will become eligible for up to 5 terms of funded part time pre-school provision:- If your child was born between Eligible Term 1st April & 31st August Autumn Term after their 3rd birthday 1st September & 31st December Spring Term after their 3rd birthday 1st January & 31st March Summer Term after their 3rd birthday Funded early years education can only be accessed in settings that are approved and funded as providers by Powys County Council. Providers include playgroups, Cylch Meithrin, Day nurseries and school based settings. Activities are based on Foundation Phase principles and offer good quality experiential learning. Learning will be informal and appropriate to the age and stage of the child. All settings approved as providers of funded early years education will be monitored by the Powys Foundation Phase Team, Care & Social Standards Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) and by HMI Inspectorate (Estyn). Early Visits to Primary Schools for pre-school age pupils Pre-school age children are entitled to visit a school prior to commencing on a full or part time basis, which will be during the Summer Term prior to commencement of the school year. These visits should be for a maximum of 2 full days or 4 half days, on dates to be arranged with the school. b) Admission to Primary Schools Unless other acceptable arrangements are made, a child is required to attend school full-time from the beginning of the term following the fifth birthday. From the commencement of the Autumn Term, September 2018 in Powys a child may be admitted to school, at the parents’ request, on either a full-time or part-time basis at the beginning of the Autumn Term following the fourth birthday. (One intake each academic year). Viz: Pupils born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 will, in most circumstances, have been allocated a place under the previous admissions arrangements and, therefore, commenced a Powys school on a full time basis on or before September 2017.