Secondary Junior Primary Pre-School (3 and 4 Year Old Provision) Powys County Council Information for Parents 2018/2019 Primary and Secondary Schools Information and Admission Arrangements Introduction Dear Parent/Guardian, Starting primary school or secondary school is a huge milestone in the lives of you and your child. It is an exciting time for children and parents. However it can also be a time of anxiety as you decide which schools to apply for and wait to see if your application has been successful. This booklet produced by Powys County Council is designed to make the application process as smooth as possible and to provide information that will help you make an informed decision about the schools that will best meet the needs of your child. There is a lot of information available about any school. It is recommended that you obtain a copy of a school’s prospectus and visit your local schools. There is also information about all 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 Every parent and carer wants their child to thrive and achieve well at school. Excellent attendance and punctuality are important in this. Your support in ensuring this will enable your child to make the most of their time in school. Our aim is to provide a first class education for the children of Powys, working in partnership with schools, governors, parents and carers. We want all children and young people in Powys to have the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and characteristics to achieve their potential. I wish your child every success for their future. Yours sincerely Ian Budd Cyfarwyddior Addysg / Director of Education 2 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. 3 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: Contact Anne Wozencraft - Principal Officer Admissions & Transport Tel: 01597 826477 Admissions and Entitlement Officers Clare Davies Delyth Powell (part –time) Rachel Davies (part –time) Tuesday to Friday Monday to Wednesday Monday, Thursday and Friday Tel: 01597 826477 E-mail: [email protected] General enquiries - 0845 6027030 Llandrindod Wells Head of Schools Service Powys County Council County Hall Llandrindod Wells Powys LD1 5LG Passenger Transport Unit 01597 826438 North Powys (inc. Presteigne area) E-mail: [email protected] 01597 826678 South Powys (inc. Llandrindod area) 01597 826509 Special Schools The on line Primary and Secondary Schools Information and Admission Arrangements Booklet is available on the Powys website at www.powys.gov.uk/en/schools-students/apply-for-a-school-place/ 4 Other Useful Contacts Gareth Jones Interim Head of Schools Schools Service Tel: 01597 826422 E-mail: [email protected] Hayley Smith Challenge Advisor Early Years and Primary Education Tel: 01597 826705 E-mail: [email protected] Imtiaz Bhatti Senior Manager Additional Learning Needs and Inclusion Tel: 01597 826448 E-mail:[email protected] Eurig Towns & Lynette Lovell Interim Senior Challenge Advisors Tel: 01597 826453 / 01686 614047 Schools Service E-mail:[email protected] [email protected] Simon Anderson ALN Manager ALN / SEN (Schools and Schools Services) Tel: 01597 826425 E-mail: [email protected] Sarah Astley Schools Transformation and Welsh Medium Officer 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] To be appointed ALN Manager Behaviour and Attendance E-mail: [email protected] To be appointed Manager for Looked After Children Looked after children in Powys Free School Meals Tel: 0845 602 7032 E-mail: [email protected] 5 Contents Important Key Dates for 2018 / 2019 Academic Year Part 1 1. Age of Admission Page 9 2. Criteria for Admission to a School Page 12 3. Choice of Schools Page 15 4. Attendance at Schools not Maintained by the Powys Authority Page 16 5. The use of the Welsh Language in Powys Schools Page 17 6. Application for Admission to Primary Schools Page 18 7. Application for Admission to Junior Schools Page 19 8. Application for Admission to Secondary Schools Page 19 9. Infant Class Sizes Page 19 10. Feeder Primary Schools Page 20 11. Early & Late Applications Page 20 12. Early or Delayed Transfer to Secondary School Page 20 13. Admission at Other Times Page 21 14. Transfer Between Schools Page 21 15. Applying for school transport Page 22 16. Primary School Transport Page 22 17. Secondary school transport Page 23 18. Vacant Seat Payment Scheme Page 23 19. Post 16 Transport Page 23 20. Enrty for Public Examinations Page 24 21. Sixteen Plus Provision Page 24 22. Refusal of Admission Page 24 23. Appeals Against Admission Decisions Page 24 24. Admission Appeals Relating to Statutory Infant Class Sizes Page 25 25. Numbers of Pupils to be Admitted to Particular Schools Page 25 26. Individual Schools Page 26 27. Complaints Procedure Page 26 28. School Meals and Milk Page 26 6 Contents Part 2 - Special Education Provision 29. Identification and Assessment Page 28 30. Specialist Centre Provision Page 28 31. Sensory Impairment Page 29 32. Transport Page 29 33. General Page 29 Appendices Appendix A Details of Primary Schools Appendix B Details of Secondary Schools Appendix C Admission Arrangements - Voluntary Aided Schools 7 Important Key Dates for 2018 / 2019 Academic Year Important Dates Reason PRE-SCHOOL ADMISSION ROUND (Pupils Born Between 1/9/15 – 31/8/16) Friday, 25 May 2018 Pre-School Admission Round Closes Friday, 12 October 2018 Pre-School Offer Date THERE IS NO RIGHT OF APPEAL PRIMARY SCHOOL ADMISSION ROUND (Pupils Born Between 1/9/13 – 31/8/14) Monday, 02 October 2017 Primary School Admission Round Opens Friday, 12 January 2018 Primary School Admission Round Closes Wednesday,18th April 2018 Primary Common Offer Date Friday, 04 May 2018 Latest date by which appeal must be received Friday, 08 June 2018 Latest date by which appeals are heard JUNIOR SCHOOL ADMISSION ROUND (Pupils Born Between 1/9/10 – 31/08/11) Monday, 02 October 2017 Junior School Admission Round Opens Friday, 08 December 2017 Junior School Admission Round Closes Wednesday, 18 April 2018 Junior Common Offer Date Friday, 04 May 2018 Latest date by which appeal must be received Friday, 08 June 2018 Latest date by which appeals are heard SECONDARY SCHOOL ADMISSION ROUND (Pupils Born Between 1/9/06 – 31/08/07) Monday, 25 September 2017 Secondary School Admission Round Opens Friday, 17 November 2017 Secondary School Admission Round Closes Thursday, 01 March 2018 Secondary Common Offer Date Monday, 26 March 2018 Latest date by which appeal must be received Friday, 04 May 2018 Latest date by which appeals are heard 8 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 and application for a place in a school 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, funded pre-school education setting. Children eligible for free part time education will only receive the funded place if they are attending an approved funded pre-school education 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.