Education Finding a school place Issue 7 Information for parents about applying for a school place during the school year 1 Welcome Dear parents and carers Welcome to the borough of Barking and Dagenham. We are very pleased that you are considering sending your child to one of our schools. This e-booklet is designed to help you through the ‘In-year application process’. Barking and Dagenham is a small, friendly borough with schools and other learning opportunities close to all neighbourhoods. The borough has a good reputation for its teaching and learning. We are very proud of our schools’ achievements. We have a total of four all-through schools, 44 infant, junior and primary schools, 8 secondary schools and one technical and training school. All our schools are fully comprehensive and have a clear commitment to raising the levels of achievement for all their pupils and students. We believe that attending any of the schools in Barking and Dagenham will provide the educational opportunities your child needs to prepare for future life. By law, all children aged between 5 and 18 must be receiving an education or taking part in training. There is a different process for dealing with applications for children with special needs or those aged 16 to 19. If your child has a statement of special educational need or Educational Health Care (EHC) plan you must contact the EHC Team (see page 33). If your child is aged 16 to 19 they must receive education, employment or training, and the 16 to 19 Careers Guidance and Information Service will deal with your request (see page33). Children aged between 5 and 16 must receive an education. If you would like to apply for a place at any of our schools during the school year, you will need to apply to the School Admissions Team, and not directly to the schools. This e-booklet is designed to help you through this ‘In-year’ process. Councillor Evelyn Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement 2 Contents Welcome to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. This e-booklet gives you all the information you need when applying for a school place in this borough during the school year. If you have any questions, or need more information, please contact us (the School Admissions Team). Postal Address: School Admissions Team, Town Hall, Barking, Essex, IG11 7LU Phone: 020 8215 3004 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.lbbd.gov.uk/admissions Welcome 2 Admission criteria for our voluntary-aided faith schools 15-20 Introduction 4-5 All Saints Catholic School 15 In-year admission 6-8 Important notes for Catholic primary schools 16 How to contact us 9 St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School (Barking) 17 St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School (Dagenham) 17 Transferring between our schools 10 St Peter’s Catholic Primary School 17 Admission criteria for St Teresa Catholic Barking and Dagenham schools 11 - 19 Primary School 18 Admission criteria for places St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School 18 at primary-phase schools 11 St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School 19 Admission criteria for Goresbrook School in order of priority 12 William Ford Church of England Junior School 19 Admission criteria for places at our other What you need to know 21-27 secondary-phase schools 13 Options for children aged 14 and over 28 Admission criteria for technical and training school 14 Useful information and services 29-34 Elutec 14 Other London authorities’ school admissions sections 35 Map of our schools 36 Contact details of our schools 37 Glossary 38 3 Introduction We, the School Admissions Team, have been attending the school Our voluntary-aided (faith) process applications for school since reception, year 3, year 7 or primary and junior schools places for children from reception year 9 (depending on whether it to age 16. There are four different is a primary, junior, secondary or We have seven voluntary-aided (VA) primary schools and one processes. How and when you a technical and training school). voluntary-aided junior school. apply depends on the child’s date Places only become available when of birth and your circumstances. These are run by the Catholic or children leave and we do not know This e-booklet gives information Church of England authorities when, in what year group and at about applying for a school place and are listed on page 37 of this during the year and transferring which school this will happen. e-booklet, starting with F. Before between schools. you apply for a place at any of In-year admissions our faith schools, you must read If your child is three or four years the school’s admission criteria of age, please see our e-booklet This process is for parents who have just moved into the borough (pages 15 to 20) and follow the ‘Starting school full time’, which instructions on page 8. explains the process of applying and need to apply for a school for a reception school place (the place for their child. Please follow All other Barking and the in-year admissions process on first year of school). If your child is Dagenham infant, junior 10 or 11 years of age and is in their pages 4 to 27. Use our in-year hub last year of primary or junior school, to apply online (see page 9 for the and primary schools please see our booklet ‘Moving full website address). All other Barking and Dagenham to secondary school’, which infant, junior and primary schools explains the process of applying Transferring between our The George Carey Church of for a year-7 place (the first year of schools secondary school). If your child is England Primary School is a 13 or 14 years of age, please see If your child is already at a school voluntary-aided school. Dorothy our booklet ‘Technical and training and you would like them to move to Barley Junior, Eastbury Primary, schools’, which explains the another, you will need to follow the James Cambell Primary, Thames View Infants and Thames View process of applying for a place at transfer process set out on pages Juniors are academies and these types of schools. Please see 10 and 21 to 27 of this e-booklet. our website for more details. Riverside School is a free school Schools available with academy status. These If your child is aged 16 to 18, schools are their own admissions please see pages 28 for details There is a map with a list of our authority. However, they follow about applying for a place in all-through, infant, junior, primary, the same admission criteria as education, employment or training. secondary and technical and our community infant, junior If you have just moved to the training schools on page 37 in this and primary schools and we will borough and would like to apply e-booklet. As the council has had offer places on their behalf. The for a place at a Barking and to increase the number of places locations of these schools are listed on page 36. The admission criteria Dagenham school at any other at some schools over the years, for infant places (from reception to time during the school year (except the published admission number when starting school for the first year 2) and junior school places (PAN) for each school has changed (years 3 to 6) are listed on page 11. time, moving to a secondary from year to year. Please contact school for the first time or moving us in writing if you would like us to to a technical and training school), give you this information. you will need to follow the in-year process. This process includes There are six infant schools in the Important note moving your child from their current borough for children aged four to For a definition of words used school to another and this is called seven. Each infant school is linked the transfer process. in this e-booklet, please see the to a junior school for children aged glossary on page 38. At the time of your application, most seven to 11. There are 31 primary schools will be full with children who schools for children aged four to 11. 4 Introduction Technical and training schools We have one of these types of schools called Elutec and its location is on page 36. Before you apply for a place at this school, you must read the school’s admission criteria on page 14. All-through schools Sydney Russell School is run by the Partnership Learning Trust. This school is its own admissions authority, but it will follow the same admission criteria for Barking and Dagenham community schools and we will offer places on its behalf. Eastbrook School and Eastbury Community School are governed by the local authority and will also use the same admission criteria. Goresbrook School is an academy governed by The United Learning Trust and uses the local authority criteria for primary places but uses England School is a voluntary- the name of the site you its own criteria for secondary places. controlled school, Greatfields and would like your child The locations of these schools are Riverside are free schools with to go to. However, if listed on page 36. Before you apply academy status and the Warren your application is not for a place at these schools, please School is an academy governed by successful you can only read the admission criteria (pages the Loxford School Trust. All these appeal for a place at the 11 to 13).