Applying for a Primary, Infant Or Junior School
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APPLYING FOR A PRIMARY, INFANT OR JUNIOR SCHOOL 2019/2020 Everything you need to know SECTION 4 HOW WE ALLOCATE PLACES . 36 SECTION 1 Oversubscription criteria for community and voluntary controlled primary and infant schools . 38 BEFORE APPLYING FOR A SCHOOL PLACE . 4 Oversubscription criteria for community and voluntary controlled Important dates to remember ....................................... 5 junior schools ...................................................................... 39 Different types of primary, infant and junior schools Admissions criteria for voluntary aided schools and academies . 42 in Leicester city .......................................................... 7 Details of our schools ................................................. 10 SECTION 5 How places were allocated for oversubscribed schools last year (16 April 2018) ......................................................... 22 RECEIVING YOUR OFFER OF A SCHOOL PLACE . 68 Maximise your chances ............................................... 25 What can I do if I am not happy with the school place offered? �����������������68 Choose your preferred schools carefully ........................... 26 How does the appeal process work? . 69 When should my child start school? . 26 How do I defer admission to an infant or primary school? ........ 27 SECTION 6 How do I apply for a year 3 place for my child at a primary school 27 MOVING HOUSE . 70 SECTION 2 What happens if I change address during the admission process? 70 What if I move to the area when my child would not normally . MAKING AN APPLICATION 28 change school? .................................................................. 71 Applying online ........................................................ 30 In-year fair access protocol ................................................... 71 The Choice Advice Service ............................................ 31 Moving school if you have not moved house . 71 What happens if my application is late? ........................... 32 Applying for a school on religious grounds ........................ 32 SECTION 7 Special educational needs (SEN) .................................... 32 Moving house / change of address .................................. 33 TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT TO SCHOOL . 72 What if I want to change my preferences after Some of the terms we use ..................................................... 73 submitting my application? .......................................... 34 Useful websites ................................................................. 73 SECTION 3 SECTION 8 HOW WE PROCESS YOUR APPLICATION . 35 SCHOOL MEALS . 74 Don’t forget to apply by the closing date - midnight 15 January 2019 2 Data protection We have a legal requirement to make sure you know what we intend to do with your information and who it will be shared with. In order to provide you with a school admissions service, there may be occasions when your information is shared with schools, other council departments and the Department of Education. The details you provide on your form will also be shared with other council departments, including the Corporate Contact information Investigations Team. They will compare the details you provide If you need more information about the against records held by the council, including council tax records, admissions process, please contact us using one and those held by other organisations including credit reference of the methods shown below: agencies. They will check that the details provided match. Any You may find the answer on our website: applications identified that are deemed to be fraudulent or otherwise questionable will be investigated further. www .leicester .gov .uk/admissions By email at: We have a duty to: admissions-online@leicester .gov .uk • keep sufficient information to provide services and fulfil our legal responsibilities By telephone to our Customer Service Centre: 0116 454 1009 (option 1) • keep your records secure and accurate Telephone opening hours are: • only keep your information as long as is required 8.30am – 5pm on Monday to Thursday • collect, store and use the information you provide in a manner 8.30am – 4.30pm every Friday that is compatible with the General Data Protection Regulation Visit our Customer Service Centre: and the Data Protection Act 2018. 91 Granby Street We will always try and keep your personal data secure, whether Leicester City Council it is held on paper or electronically. Please see our Privacy LE1 6FB Notice at www.leicester.gov.uk for more details Don’t forget to apply by the closing date - midnight 15 January 2019 3 SECTION BEFORE APPLYING 1 FOR A SCHOOL PLACE 1 Visit the schools and have a look on their into account how many pupils each websites school can accommodate and how many Our schools will be happy to arrange for children in Leicester need a school place. you to visit them and have a look around. The number of places for each school is 5 Do use all three of your preferences shown on pages 9-20. Also visit the schools websites where you Carefully consider three different schools will find useful information about the Read the admissions criteria for each to list. If you only list one school, you school. Contact details and the website school and look to see the priority that may end up with one that is much addresses for each school are shown on applies to your child. This will give you an further away. pages 10-21. idea of how likely it is you will gain a place 6 If you feel your child is not ready to at a preferred school. You can also find 2 Read useful reports about the schools start school out about how places were allocated last You can find information on school year which can be found on pages 21-24. By law, a child does not have to attend performance at https://www.compare- school full-time until the start of the term school-performance.service.gov.uk/. To 4 Consider how your child will travel to following their fifth birthday. Until this view the most recent Ofsted report for a and from school time, you can request a part time place school, please visit www.ofsted.gov.uk It is your responsibility as a parent/ carer or a place to start later in the year. to get your child to school. You must think There are also separate rules for summer 3 Consider how many places are available at born children and these are explained on each school and who these are offered to very carefully about the distance and how your child will travel to school. The page 24 in this booklet. Each school has a limited number of majority of children are not eligible for places and this is known as the published free transport to school. admission number. This number takes Don’t forget to apply by the closing date - midnight 15 January 2019 4 Important dates to remember From 12 September 2018 Application process begins Online system opens for applications to be submitted. Midnight 15 January 2019 Closing date for applications Please ensure that you apply ahead of this date as leaving it until the last minute may mean you miss the closing date if there are any technical issues. If you miss the closing date, this will significantly reduce your chances of getting a place at the school you want. 11 February 2019 If you have missed the deadline we may still accept your application as on-time but only if there are good reasons for this and if it is submitted up to this date. See page 32 for more details March and April 2019 All on-time applications are processed 16 April 2019 Offers of school places are sent out for all on-time applications We will send you an email with your application outcome. We will also send offers letters by second class post. Please be aware that some email providers may delay sending the messages to account holders – applicants will need to check with their own email service suppliers in this regards. Leicester City Council has no control over email delivery times once they have left our servers. Don’t forget to apply by the closing date - midnight 15 January 2019 5 Important dates to remember 20 May 2019 If you want to appeal for a place at one of the schools we manage the appeals process for, you will need to do so by this date. This will ensure that it can be considered by an independent panel before the start of the new term. The appeals will usually be heard between early June and August each year. 6 May 2019 We will start to make further offers from the waiting list to those who were considered as applying on time. 13 May 2019 First round of late applications will be considered (applications received between 16 January 2019 and 16 April 2019). 3 June 2019 Remaining late applications will be considered from this date (those received after 17 April 2019) including change of preference requests. August 2019 Children start at their new school. Don’t forget to apply by the closing date - midnight 15 January 2019 6 Different types of primary, infant and junior schools in Leicester If you live in Leicester City, we will process your application for any school, even if the school is outside of Leicester City. Your child may start their education at either a primary or infant school. They will then progress through the tiers shown. Primary school Infant school age 4 - 11 age 4 - 7 years reception to 6 years reception to 2 Junior school age 7 - 11 years 3 - 6 Secondary school age 11 - 16 (or 18) years 7 - 11 (or 13) Don’t forget to apply by the closing date - midnight 15 January 2019 7 We have five different types of Leicester Voluntary aided schools primary, infant and junior schools: Voluntary-aided schools are religious or • Community schools faith schools. The governing body employs the staff and sets the entrance criteria. • Voluntary controlled schools School buildings and land are usually owned • Voluntary aided schools by a charity, often a church. • Academies • Free schools Academies Academies are independently managed Each school has a limited number of schools set up by sponsors from business, places and this is known as the published faith or voluntary groups in partnership with admission number.