Useful websites and phone numbers ACE (Advisory Centre for Education) Phone: 0808 800 5793 www.ace-ed.org.uk Ofsted www.ofsted.gov.uk Wirral SEND Partnership www.wired.me.uk Wirral Website www.wirral.gov.uk Admissions Portal www.wirral.gov.uk/schooladmissions Secondary Education in Wirral 2016-2017 Information for parents Children and Young People’s Department Hamilton Building, Conway Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside CH41 4FD s n Phone: 0151 606 2020 Fax: 0151 666 4207 Email: [email protected] w o si o is n m e d la n o i o Wirral Council’s Children and Young People’s Department can not be held responsible for misleading, out of date or incorrect information held on cached l h pages accessed through or maintained by individual search engines, online forums or internet third party sites. n sc o k/ u The information in this booklet relates to the school year 2015 to 2016. However, there may be changes before the beginning of that year or during that year. ly v. go p l. p ra A ir w 365Jun14SK . w w w Contents September 2015 Dear Parent I hope that you will find this booklet helpful. It provides information about secondary education in Wirral and in particular about the arrangements for transferring to secondary school. It is available to all parents whose children are in their last year of Types of school 4 Transport policy 10 primary education and to all parents who tell us that they are moving into the borough with children of secondary school age. All-ability and grammar schools 4 Walking to school 11 Admission arrangements - introduction 4 School meals 11 If your child is due to transfer to secondary school in 2016 and you want to apply Admission numbers 5 Financial assistance for 16 to 19 year olds 11 for a place in a school outside Wirral, you need to read this booklet carefully. We co-ordinate applications from Wirral parents for places in schools maintained by Making an application 5 Special educational needs 12 other authorities. Considering your preferences 5 Transport to special schools and classes 12 This booklet is particularly important to you if your child is transferring to secondary Children who do not live in Wirral 5 What happens if my application is refused? 13 school next September. It sets out the arrangements for allocating (offering) places in Reasons to refuse your preferences 5 Special education support service (SESS) 13 secondary schools and lists the schools for which you may express a preference. If, Important information about preferences 6 Wirral SEND Partnership 13 after reading the booklet, you would like further information or advice, please consult the headteacher of your child’s current school or the Mainstream Admissions team. Admission criteria for community schools 6 Equal opportunities 14 Admissions to academy, foundation, trust and The school curriculum 14 You may find that you need to consult this booklet from time to time during the voluntary-aided schools 7 year, so please keep it where you can easily refer to it. Religious education 14 Admission to grammar schools 7 Sex and relationship education 14 A separate booklet provides information about primary education and is available online Assessment arrangements for non-Catholic at www.wirral.gov.uk/schooladmissions or by calling 0151 606 2020. grammar schools 7 Physical Education 15 Late applications 8 Careers education 15 Finally, may I say that we are very proud of our schools. The standards of achievement Allocation of places 8 Health Services in Schools 15 are high, and the Council is committed to helping schools to maintain those standards and improve on them. Appeals against admission decisions 8 Music 15 Waiting lists for community schools 8 More about the National Curriculum 15 I hope that your child will settle happily into his or her new secondary school and be Autumn Term - Waiting lists for community schools 9 Educational Social Welfare Service 15 successful there. Timetable for admissions to secondary schools 9 Glossary of terms used in the booklet 17 Yours sincerely Admissions to schools in other local authority areas 9 Open days and evenings 18 Parents who live outside Wirral 9 Map 19 Transfer between schools and children moving to Wirral 9 List of Secondary Schools 20 Grammar assessment arrangements for Julia Hassall children aged over 11 10 Special schools and resourced provision 21 Director of Children’s Services Fair access policy 10 Questionnaire 23 Education after age 16 10 s n w o si o is n m e d la n o Apply online now i o l h You can fill in a preference form online. The web address to the Admissions Portal is www.wirral.gov.uk/schooladmissions and n c /s you will also be able to access the online admission forms from the side menu. o k u ly v. go p l. p ra A ir .w w w w Introduction This booklet provides information about all the different types of maintained secondary schools in Wirral, other than independent schools. If you want to apply for a school place outside the Wirral area, you will need to say this on the Wirral Parental Preference Form. You can get details of schools outside the area from the relevant authority. Types of school All-ability and grammar schools Admission numbers Schools where the governing body is the admission authority are provided with application information to enable In terms of governing schools there are five types of school - Wirral has all-ability (comprehensive) schools and grammar Each school has an admission number, which is the number of them to apply their own admission criteria and rank applicants. academy, community, foundation, trust and voluntary aided. schools. The all-ability schools cater for the whole ability range places in the year group in which children start at the school This does not include what order you have put that school in There are various differences between the different categories and take children without assessing their ability. Grammar (Year 7). You will find the admission number of each school in your application, because schools are not allowed to use the of school, but for admissions, the differences relate to the schools assess children’s ability and admit children who have the list at the back of this booklet. Pupils will be admitted up to order of parents preference in their admission criteria . They responsibilities of the governing bodies of the schools. reached the required standard. The grammar school might not a schools’ admission number. will not know whether you have put their school first, second There are 29 secondary schools in Wirral. This includes be able to admit all the children who achieve the standard for or third. five special schools, a pupil referral unit and an all-age grammar school. Making an application If you have given a preference for a school in another hospital school. You will find a list of all the maintained and Academy English authority, that authority will tell us whether they can Community schools are non-denominational. In other secondary schools at the back of this booklet. Each school Wirral’s online admission system can be accessed from offer your child a place in that school. words, they are not linked to any particular faith. The governors publishes a prospectus. You can ask the school for a copy. Schools www.wirral.gov.uk/schooladmissions . If you are successful in meeting the criteria for more than have responsibility for the overall conduct of the school but also offer parents the opportunity to visit them before the Applying online is quick and simple to do. You will receive one school, we will offer you the school which you listed as the admissions are the responsibility of the local authority. preference forms are due to be returned. an automatic email so that you know your application has been highest preference. Foundation and Trust schools are schools, usually non- received by CYPD. On allocation day, online applicants will receive It can happen that all the schools given as a preference by denominational, where the governors are responsible for the an email with their child’s allocated place. The deadline for online a parent are oversubscribed (in other words, there are more admission arrangements. Admission arrangements - applications to be submitted is 31 October 2015 . applications than places available) and it is not possible to Academies are publicly funded independent schools. The introduction You can put up to three schools in the order of your offer a child a place at any of them. If this happens, your child academy trust is responsible for admissions. preference. It is always recommended to put more than one will be given a place at the nearest appropriate school with a The governors of voluntary-aided schools are responsible The arrangements described below apply to children born school in your preferences in case you are not allocated your place available. for their own admission arrangements. You can get more between 1 September 2004 and 31 August 2005. We will not first choice. information about Catholic voluntary aided schools from: normally offer places in community secondary schools to children If you want to give a preference for a school outside Wirral, Children who do not live in Wirral born after 31 August 2005. you will need to include this as one of your preferences. CYPD will Director of Education, Shrewsbury Diocese Places at community schools are decided by the Director of tell other local authorities about parents’ preferences for schools Requests from parents of children living in other authorities are Phone: 0151 652 9855 Children’s Services according to the arrangements made by the in their area by 15 November 2015.