Ratified FGB 9 th February 2012 Shiplake Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School Admissions arrangements for September 2013 – August 2014 Shiplake School serves a catchment area agreed with the Local Authority It covers the civil parishes of Shiplake, Binfield Heath, Eye and Dunsden and Harpsden, including Mays Green and Crowsley. (A map is available in the school office). Information regarding Home to School transport can be found in the booklet entitled Starting School in September 2013. The Governing Body of the school, not Oxfordshire Local Authority (the LA), is responsible for deciding admissions to the school. The Governing Body has made every effort to ensure that the school’s admissions arrangements comply with all relevant legislation, including that on infant class sizes and equal opportunities. Details of the LA arrangements are in the Oxfordshire booklet, available from Oxfordshire County Council (01865 815175). This also explains how parents can express a preference for a school and give reasons for that preference. Applications for entry to Shiplake C.E. School in September 2013 must be made using the Common Application Form of the local authority where the parents and children live (the home LA). All applications must be accompanied by evidence that you live at the address given in the application, for example, a recent utilities or Council Tax bill . Applications must be returned to the home LA by 15 January 2013. If you wish your application to be considered under criteria v or vi you will, in addition, need to complete a Supplementary Information Form available from the school office. The Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is required for applicants under criteria v or vi only. All SIFs must be received at the school by 15 January 2013. Decisions on which children are to be offered a place will be made by the Admissions Committee of the Governing Body. Offers of a place will be sent by the home LA on the date given in that LA’s admission booklet. Applications received after the deadline for receipt will only be considered after all those received by the deadline. This means that, if no places are left after considering all the applications received by the deadline, even if you fulfill a higher criterion than that under which offers have been made to other applicants, you will be unsuccessful. At Shiplake C.E. School, pupils are admitted at the beginning of the school year in which they reach their fifth birthday, without reference to ability or aptitude. A school year consists of 6 Terms . The school does not accept applications for earlier entry. The school's policy is to admit children to their National Curriculum year group, except in very exceptional circumstances. Children are able to join the Foundation1/Reception year at the school on a full or part-time basis. In the term (for this purpose the terms are those beginning in September, January and April) subsequent to their 5 th birthday all children attend school on a full-time basis as they reach compulsory school age at that point. Parents may request that a child’s entry is deferred to later in the school year 2013/14, where the child is not of compulsory school age. Under such circumstances, the school will hold the place for that child although, in the majority of cases, the school believes that children benefit from starting at the beginning of the school year rather than part way through it. However, if by deferment the child does not start school until the subsequent academic year (2014/2015), a place cannot be held and you will be required to reapply in the summer of 2014 for admission to the Year One class for September 2014. Parents must be aware that there may be no places available in Year 1 at that point as it could have 28 children in it who entered the school in the Foundation1/Reception Year in 2013/14. Parents also have the right under the School Admissions Code to request that their child attends part-time up until the term subsequent to them reaching compulsory school age. In such cases the parents are advised to discuss detailed arrangements with the head teacher prior to the child starting at the school. This can be reviewed on a termly basis. In the school year beginning in September 2013 the number of places in the Foundation1/Reception Year is 28. This number is set having regard to the net capacity of the school as defined by the LA. Children with statements of special educational needs naming Shiplake C.E. School will always be admitted and will be offered the first places. In the event of there being a greater demand for admission than there are places available, the Admissions Panel will rank applications using the information provided on the application form and in the Supplementary Information Form, if included. The following criteria will be applied in the order set out below: i. Looked-after children and children who were looked after, but have ceased to be so because they were adopted or because, immediately following being looked after, became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order. ii Children with a normal home address (see Note 2) within the agreed catchment area, and with a sibling (see Note 3) already in attendance at Shiplake C.E. School at the time of application and who is expected still to be in attendance at the point of entry to the school . iii Children with a normal home address (see Note 2) within the agreed catchment area at the time of entry to the school . iv Children with a normal home address (see Note 2) outside the agreed catchment area and with a sibling (see Note 3) already in attendance at Shiplake C.E School at the time of application and who is expected still to be in attendance at the point of entry to the school . v Children at least one of whose parents is a regular worshipper (at least once per month on average for the twelve months prior to receipt of the application) in the Parish of Shiplake with Dunsden, at Shiplake Church, Dunsden Church or St Margaret’s Church, Harpsden cum Bolney (see Note 4). For parents who have recently moved to the parish, please provide an additional supplementary information form with details of your previous place of worship, so that an aggregate can be calculated. vi Children at least one of whose parents is a regular worshipper (at least once per month on average for the twelve months prior to receipt of the application) at any church that is a member of Churches Together in Britain (see Note 4). vii Children with exceptional medical needs, supported by written evidence, normally given by an independent medical officer or other appropriate person (see Note 5). viii Children with exceptional social needs, supported by written evidence, normally given by a social worker, Education Welfare Officer or other appropriate person (see note 5) ix Other children Proximity of the child’s home to the school, as measured by the nearest designated public route as defined using the Directorate for Learning and Culture Geographic Information System, with those living nearer being accorded the higher Priority, will serve to differentiate between pupils in criteria i to ix if the need arises. In the event of a case where the measurement of the distance produces an identical measurement for two or more applicants, and they are not twins living at the same address and where there are insufficient places for all these children, the governors will offer places using random allocation as a tie-break. This will be by supervised drawing of lots, carried out by at least two members of Children and Young Person Services. Where fewer places can be offered at the school than there are children from a multiple birth living at a single address, the Governors will offer places to all children of the multiple birth, irrespective of the fact that to do so would breach the admission number or the number of places available in a particular year group. For entry to the Reception year in 2011, the school received 50 applications. 28 offers were made. The criteria applicable to the applications were as follows: i 1 ii 18 iii 11 iv 0 v 0 vi 0 vii 0 viii 0 ix 20 All children in category i, ii and 9 in category iii were offered places. The children in category iii were ranked in order of the proximity of the child’s home to the school, and the places were offered, with those living nearer being accorded the higher priority. 1 place was not accepted. Children in category iii and ix who had chosen to remain on the school’s register of continued interest and late applications were ranked in order of the proximity of the child’s home to the school, and the remaining place was offered with those living nearer being accorded to higher priority. A further 3 places were declined and and those remaining on the Register of Continued Interest were re-ranked in accordance with our Admissions Policy and places were offered to the highest ranked applicants. Additional places were allocated to 2 children( both in category ix) as a result of successful appeals. The School Admissions Code requires the adoption of strategies that allow all schools to admit a more even share of children with difficulties. The school participates in the Oxfordshire Fair Access Protocol which ensures that such children will be offered a place as soon as possible, even if the school is full, or will be given top priority on the register of interest.