Guide for Parents A guide to the policies and procedures for admission of children to secondary schools 2020/2021 www.wakefield.gov.uk AppendixForeword 1 Dear Parent/Carer This guide contains information about the We are proud of the achievements of the admission of children to secondary schools in district’s schools in educating young people the Wakefield district. It includes a summary and promoting skills, enterprise and work. of all admissions policies and procedures - In 2018, 40.4% of the young people in our the rules we, and schools, must follow. schools achieved Grade 5 or above in We hope that you will find it informative and English and Maths GCSEs. useful. All of us in the Children and Young People Reading this “Guide for Parents” now may Service want your child to be happy and prevent misunderstanding and disappointment successful throughout their time at school. later. If, having read this booklet, you need We do hope that will prove to be the case, more details please visit the council’s website and that your child will take full advantage at www.wakefield.gov.uk where you will find of the high standard of teaching in our all of the relevant Admissions Policies and schools and the wide range of extra- Co-ordination Schemes. curricular activities available to them. Alternatively, you can get in contact with the Children and Young People Service School Admissions Team at Wakfield One. Staff will do all they can to help you. Starting a new school can be a worrying time for both parents and children. We aim to make the school admissions process as painless and trouble-free as we can. Produced by Wakefield Council School Admissions 09/19; document number 154995/20v2 2 AppendixIntroductionAppendix 11 How to complete your application form 1All children born between 1 September 2008 and 1 31 August 2009 are due to transfer to a secondary school in September 2020. All parents must make arrangements for their child’s secondary education. All schools have agreed to participate in a co- ordinated secondary school admissions scheme. Wakefield’s Children and Young People Service will oversee this scheme and will offer places to all parents with a child who lives in the Wakefield district. All applications should be made through Wakefield Council's online application system. 3 AppendixSection 1 1 How to complete your application form 1Every parent/carer who lives within the Wakefield Please note: if you apply for a place at a Voluntary district needs to apply to Wakefield Council for their Academy, you will also need to complete an additional child’s secondary school place. You still need to paper 'Supplementary Information Form'. apply to Wakefield even if one (or more) of your You need to contact the school directly and ask for this preferred schools is within another district. form. Please return the completed form to the school. APPLY ONLINE In Wakefield we have two secondary Voluntary APPLY ON TIME Academies: Complete your online application form at • St. Thomas á Becket Catholic Secondary School - a Voluntary Academy www.wakefield.gov.uk/admissiontoschool • St. Wilfrid’s Catholic High School & Sixth Form College - and submit it by the closing date of a Voluntary Academy 31 October 2019 If you need any help with your online application form Last year, 94% of on-time applicants got a place at their 1st preference school, compared to only 43% please contact: of late applicants. School Admissions Team Telephone: 01924 306052 • You can get lots of online advice and support. Email: [email protected] • There are clear, simple prompts to help you complete your application form. To prepare for completing the online application form, and • You will get an email to confirm that your to find out about the application process, please make sure application has been submitted and received. you read this guide. • The system helps you by checking for errors. Some parents try to get a place at their preferred • You can change the details on your application school by giving false or misleading information. form as often as you like before you submit it. Wakefield Council has the right to challenge the • The system will store your information securely. information you provide. We will contact schools, other • You can find out about your offer of a school council departments, other admissions authorities and place online from 12:30am on 2 March 2020, the health authority to check if the information given is instead of having to wait for the post. correct. You may also be asked to provide evidence. Access to the internet Examples of evidence that might be requested include: All of our libraries provide customers with free • full birth certificates; access to library computers for two hours, including • Court orders; free internet access. Please contact your local • Home Office documents; library for further details. • residence orders; If you are unable to access the internet, please • parental responsibility orders; contact School Admissions on 01924 306052, or • proof of address. write to: Wakefield Council, School Admissions Supplying false or misleading information may result Room 42, County Hall in the offer of a school place being withdrawn. Wakefield WF1 2QL Submitting a late application may affect your offer of a school place. 4 AppendixSectionAppendix 1 11 HowHow toto completecomplete youryour applicationapplication formform 1 APPLY ONLINE • Rank the schools in order of preference - your favourite 1 complete the online application form at as 1st Preference, second favourite as 2nd Preference, www.wakefield.gov.uk/admissiontoschool and so on. • Do not select the same school more than once - this will • Use the address at which your child is normally not increase your chance of being offered a place there. resident - their permanent address, where he or she lives with a parent (as defined in Section 576 of the • Tell us about older brothers or sisters who attend any Education Act 1996; this includes any person who is of your preferred schools. Please do not include them if not a parent but who has parental responsibility). they will have left the school before September 2020, • Where there is split custody, please use the address or if they will be in the sixth form as of September 2020. where the child lives for most of the school week. For • You may give reasons for your preferences. example, if a child lives with mother from Monday to • Complete one application per child. You can change your Thursday and father from Friday to Sunday, the preferred schools at any time but this may affect your mother’s address would be used. offer of a school place (see pages 10-11). We will use • If custody is split equally, both parents must agree the latest-dated application that we have received. on the schools they select as preferences. However, there is no guarantee of a place at a school that is Please note: accessible from both addresses; places are • Each school has a catchment area. Use the 'School allocated as outlined on page 8. catchment area search' on Wakefield Council's • If your child’s address changes, or is due to change, website to confirm which catchment area you live in. before September 2020 you must notify the School • If your child is not eligible for a place at any of the Admissions Team immediately as this may affect your schools that you selected as preferences, they will be offer of a school place (see pages 10-11). offered a place at the school (non-faith or Academy) (B) Parent or Carer Details nearest to their address that has a place available. • Give your title, first name and surname. • Attendance at a particular primary/junior school does • You need to give your address only if it is not guarantee a place in any secondary school. different to your child's. • Give your contact details. Make sure you submit your application. • Tell us your relationship to the child and confirm whether you have parental responsibility. We will respond by email to confirm receipt of your application - you should receive the email as soon as (C) Special Educational Needs and Children in Care the application is submitted. It is your responsibility to contact the School Admissions Team if you do not Tick the appropriate box if your child: receive this email confirmation. • Is subject to a care order, interim care order, or SGO; The closing date for all applications is • Is accommodated by a Local Authority in a full-time 31 October 2019 placement; Submitting a late application may affect your offer of a • Has an Education, Health & Care Plan. school place. Last year, 94% of on-time applicants got a place at their 1st preference school, compared to D) Preferences only 43% of late applicants. Select your preferred schools - you can select up to five schools within the Wakefield district or other You can log in to the online application system any local authority district. time after 12:30am on 2 March 2020 to find out about your offer of a school place. We will also send you an email - and a letter - with details of your offer. 5 AppendixSection 2 1 How to apply for your child's secondary place 2We have tried to make the admissions and application The two Voluntary secondary schools in Wakefield 2 process as fair and easy as possible. are also now Academies - publicly funded We have done this by: independent schools, free from local authority • Allowing parents/carers to select their five preferred control (see below for more information). They are schools, in order of preference, on one application. both operated by the Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust.