Secondary School Admissions Guide for September 2018 Closing date: 31 October 2017 APPLY FOR A SCHOOL PLACE - ENTRY 2018 ent on – At all parents If your child is born 1st September 2006 – 31st August 2007 you need to apply for a Secondary School place by 31st October 2017 “I’m going to big school“ School Admissions Drop in sessions Tuesday 26th September, 2:00pm – 5:00pm School Admissions North Swindon Library Drop in sessions Orbital Shopping Centre Thamesdown Drive Friday 5th October, Swindon 2:00pm – 5:00pm SN25 4AN Swindon Borough Council Offices Committee Room 2 Civic Offices Euclid Street “I will SN1 2JH make lots of friends at school” School Admissions, Swindon Borough Council, Beckhampton Street, Swindon SN1 2JH 2 2 Tel: 01793 445500 Fax: 01793 465770 Email: [email protected] Closing date: 31 October 2017 | Apply online at www.swindon.gov.uk/secondaryschoolplaces Contents Page Introduction by David Haley and Peter Nathan 4 Section 1: Application information Co-ordinated Scheme 5 Considering your application 6 Making your application 7 Appeals 14 Special Educational Needs 15 Section 2: School Information and Policies Key 18 Secondary School Information 19 Applications to Other Authorities 32 Applying to UTC Swindon (Year 10) 34 Applying to a Sixth Form (Year 12) 36 Section 3: Further Information Transferring Schools In-year 37 Fair Access Panel 39 Home to School Transport 40 Free School Meals 42 Other Education Services 43 Contacts 45 Section 4: Cut out and keep section Frequently Asked Questions 47 Online Questions and Answers 48 Application Checklist 50 Application Form 51 School Admissions, Swindon Borough Council, Beckhampton Street, Swindon SN1 2JH 3 Tel: 01793 445500 Fax: 01793 465770 Email: [email protected] Closing date: 31 October 2017 | Apply online at www.swindon.gov.uk/secondaryschoolplaces Dear Parent / Carer Welcome to the Swindon School Admission Service. I am delighted to introduce the new Secondary Admission Guide for 2018-19. Swindon Borough Council is committed to working in partnership with schools and parents/carers to achieve the best outcome for Swindon children and young people. Securing a school place is important to help this. This booklet has been produced to make the admission’s process easy to understand. The information aims to help parents/carers of children who are due to start a secondary school for the first time in September 2018. It also provides information about transferring to the University Technical College, (Year 10), which the Local Authority no longer coordinates. The information in this guide will help you make informed decisions about the schools you wish to apply for. It outlines the arrangements for offering children’s places at Swindon schools and other matters that could affect their education. All our schools welcome enquiries and Head Teachers will be happy to make arrangements for you to visit their schools. Seeing a school at work will give you a much clearer picture of its expectations of the children, its approach to partnership with the parents and the community it serves. You will also want to ensure that your child is safe, happy and able to get the best from their education. To gain a full and clear picture of the schools you are considering, we do suggest you visit before making your preferences. To make applying for your child’s school place even easier, you can apply online. Just go to www.swindon.gov.uk/secondaryschoolplaces and follow the steps to applying for your child’s place. This system will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can make changes to your online application right up to the closing date of 31st October 2017 and you will receive an automatic email response to confirm the status of your application. The Admissions Team will hold drop in sessions on the 26th September from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the North Swindon Library, and on the 6th October from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Swindon Borough Council Offices (please see details on page 2), for you to come and ask questions regarding the admissions process. Finally, I would like to wish your child every success and happiness in their school life. I hope they will make all the progress you and we would wish. Yours sincerely. David Haley Peter Nathan Corporate Director: Children’s Services (DCS) Head of Education (Commissioning) School Admissions, Swindon Borough Council, Beckhampton Street, Swindon SN1 2JH 4 Tel: 01793 445500 Fax: 01793 465770 Email: [email protected] Closing date: 31 October 2017 | Apply online at www.swindon.gov.uk/secondaryschoolplaces The Co-ordinated Admissions application process as this is handled separately to the process administered by the Council. Scheme for Secondary Schools for September 2018 Parents will be asked to express no more than 3 preferences in ranked order and will be given All applications to start school to start Secondary the opportunity to express reasons for their School (Year 7) should be made to the Local preferences. In addition the Governing Body of Authority (LA) where the child is resident (the Home a Foundation, Voluntary Aided, Free School or Authority). This is to ensure that the Council is Academy may also request further information to informed about children living within their area and be provided on a Supplementary Form, but only if to ensure that every child has the offer of the information is needed to determine additional only one school place. criteria to the application. An application is not valid if only the Supplementary Form is completed. A If you live within the Swindon Borough you parent must submit a Common Application Form in should make your application to Swindon. order for the application to be valid. Parents can make an application either online or by Swindon Borough Council must receive an online using the Council’s hardcopy Common Application application or the hardcopy Common Application Form. If an online application is made, a hard copy is Form by the closing date of 31st October 2017 for not necessary. The online system will be available to the application to be considered as ontime. Hard make applications from 1st September 2017 until the copy applications received after this date will be treated as late. national closing date of 31st October 2017. The online or hardcopy application can be used Applications for the University Technical by Swindon residents wishing to apply for schools College (UTC) maintained by Swindon or schools outside of the Please note that for September 2018 the Local Swindon area. Authority is no longer coordinating admissions The application form can be used to apply for applications as the UTC has opted out of the LA’s community, voluntary aided, academy or free coordinated scheme. As such, any parents that wish schools. However, if you wish to apply for a fee- to apply for a place at the UTC for September 2018 paying / independent / private school you should need to apply direct to the College and need to approach the individual school to understand the contact them for all details. KEY DATES Application process opens Friday 1st September 2017 National closing date for ontime applications Tuesday 31st October 2017 Swindon will send applications to other Local Authorities and own admitting authority schools Friday 1st December 2017 Ranked lists to be returned by Swindon admission authorities Friday 12th January 2018 Deadline for proof and changes of address to be received Friday 12th January 2018 Swindon LA to notify schools of offers made Friday 16th February 2018 Offers made to Swindon residents Thursday 1st March 2018 Deadline for parents to accept place Thursday 15th March 2018 School Admissions, Swindon Borough Council, Beckhampton Street, Swindon SN1 2JH 5 Tel: 01793 445500 Fax: 01793 465770 Email: [email protected] Closing date: 31 October 2017 | Apply online at www.swindon.gov.uk/secondaryschoolplaces Considering your application 3. Complete an application • You can make an application by either 1. Gather information completing a paper application or complete an application online at http://www.swindon.gov. • Read the admissions information provided. uk/secondaryschoolplaces • Check your catchment/designated area school. If applying by paper application, the form must You can do this by using the maps available in • be returned to School Admissions at Swindon this guide or by contacting School Admissions Borough Council. on (01793) 445500. Do not send the application to the school. • Make appointments to visit schools or attend Check you are applying on the correct form. the school’s Open Days or Admissions Drop • in sessions. • Do not name the same school twice, this will not increase your chance of gaining a place. • Obtain prospectuses or view school’s websites. • Complete all sections of the application form. 2. Decision Time • Complete a Supplementary Form if required by the school. • To make the admissions process easier for parents/carers, the application form gives the • Sign and date the form (only signed forms opportunity to name three preferred schools. are accepted). Ensure the application reaches the School • We encourage parents/ carers to fill in all • three preferences, as this will increase the Admissions Team by the closing date. chance of your child being allocated a school • Keep a record of the key dates and your that you have selected. application by using the checklist on p50. • When considering your preferences you • Please refer to FAQs on p47-49. should think about whether your child has a reasonable chance of being offered a place Please note – School Admissions do not at the school you have named on the acknowledge the receipt of paper applications. application form. You can contact us if you wish to check we have • To assist you with this, you should consider received your application.