How To Get Into Medway School

Transcription

1 Reception Year - for children born between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 Year 3 junior school - for children born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007 Important dates: Applications open 16 September, 2013 losing date for school applications 15 January, 2014 Offer of school place 16 April, 2014 September 2014 entry Admission to primary school A guide for parents Apply online:

2 it ticks all the boxes Online Admissions is the quickest, easiest and safest way to apply for your primary school place. Make a note of your log in details - you will need this information every time you visit the website. If you give us your address when applying you will: receive confirmation your application has been received; receive details of the school offered on the offer day, without having to wait for your offer letter.

3 ontacts Medway ouncil Student Services Admissions Team The Admissions Team based at Gun Wharf in hatham, co-ordinates all primary admissions for entry into Year R and transfer to Year 3 in a junior school. Medway ouncil, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, hatham, Kent ME4 4TR Phone: admissions@medway.gov.uk Medway ouncil Student Services Operations Team This Operations Team deals with free school meals, transport to school (except for those attending special schools) and casual admissions. Medway ouncil, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, hatham, Kent ME4 4TR Phone: schoolstransportandfreemeals@medway.gov.uk casualadmissions@medway.gov.uk Medway ouncil customer services Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm. alls to customer services may be recorded or monitored for security and staff development purposes. Phone: Minicom: Kent ounty ouncil Kent ounty ouncil Admissions and Transport Room 2.24, Sessions House, ounty Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ Phone: kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk ontents Welcome Section one Introduction and general information Key dates for primary admissions 2014 entry Section two Starting school in Medway - admission to Reception year Section three Transfer from infant to junior school in Medway - admission to Year 3 in junior schools only Section four The school application process Section five The online admissions system Section six The school offer (allocation) process and next steps...16 Section seven Free School Meals and Home to School Transport..19 Section eight Other useful information and common oversubscripton criteria Section nine Individual school s oversubscripton criteria Section ten The schools Disclaimer The information given in this booklet relates to the academic year, September 2014 to August Details are correct at the time of going to print. 3

4 Welcome Dear parent/carer, Preparing for your child to start full time education is a very exciting time filled with opportunities. Making the right decision about which schools you would like your child to attend is an important, but concerning time for parents/carers. This booklet is designed to give you the information you need to understand the admissions process and start to identify the schools you may wish to consider for your child. I would encourage you to contact and visit the schools you wish to consider to help you make informed decisions about what they can offer your child and whether you feel they are the right environment for your child. Headteachers and staff will be happy to discuss things with you, show you round and answer your questions and concerns. All Medway primary, infant and juniors schools are committed to giving your child the best possible start to his or her school life. They are keen to work with you and your child to ensure that he or she is achieving their full potential. I encourage you to read this booklet carefully, ask any questions you may have and visit the schools you are interested in. This will help to put you in the best position to express your preferences with confidence when applying for schools. The Student Services Admissions Team is available to offer you additional help and support, should you require it during the admissions process. I wish you and your family every success and a happy school career. llr Mike O Brien Lead Portfolio Holder for hildren s Services Dear parent/carer, The start of your child s full time school life is an exciting time for both you and them. It can also be a time full of questions and concerns about choosing the right school, deciding where they will be happiest and where is best to help them achieve their potential. The information in this booklet is provided to assist you in making the most informed decisions about the schools to name on your application for your child. I would actively encourage you to contact the schools you are interested in, visit and look around, ask your questions and feel positive about the decisions you are making with regard to your preferences. Medway schools are happy to try and accommodate requests for visits and to help you throughout this admissions process. Medway primary, infant and juniors schools strive to provide high quality teaching and learning for all children and help every pupil reach their full potential. Whilst we all want young people to achieve academically, we equally want young people to build on their talents, skills and interests to ensure that they have the best school careers possible. After reading this booklet, please feel free to contact the Student Services Admissions Team who will try to answer any questions you may have. The Student Services Admissions Team are here to support you throughout the entire process and will be happy to talk with you. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your child the best for the start of their full time school career. Barbara Peacock Director of hildren s and Adult Services 4

5 Section one Introduction and general information hoosing the right school for your child to start their education can be a difficult and anxious time for parents and children. Medway ouncil s Student Services Admissions Team is here to help you understand the process and make the right decisions for your child. It is very important that you read carefully, and understand, the information in this booklet regarding how the admissions process works and how school places are allocated before you submit your school application. Throughout this booklet we have provided useful information to help you make the most informed decisions possible. We encourage you to use this information, do your own research on schools and visit the schools you are interested in if you can. It is also important to help your child feel happy and comfortable about starting their education, so you may want to involve them in the process. If you have any questions, please contact: Student Services Admissions Team Medway ouncil, Gun Wharf, Dock Road hatham, ME4 4TR Phone: Fax: admissions@medway.gov.uk Key dates for primary admissions 2014 entry Action Date Booklets and paper application forms by Thursday, 12 September, 2013 delivered to schools, nurseries, etc Application period opens (online applications open at 9am) Monday, 16 September, 2013 losing date for applications Wednesday, 15 January, 2014 (online and RAFs/JAFs) National losing Date Offer s and letters sent to parents Wednesday, 16 April, 2014 Places must be accepted/refused and requests to go By Tuesday, 20 May, 2014 on a waiting list and appeals must be submitted The LA re-allocates any places that have become available to w/c Monday, 2 June, 2014 those who have asked to go on the waiting lists for each school Medway ouncil works within the guidelines set out in the School Admissions ode published by the Department for Education. Details of the School Admissions ode can be found at an I visit the schools I m interested in? Schools will be happy for you to contact them to discuss whether you can visit the school at any time. School s may not have scheduled open sessions but may be happy to consider requests for a tour. It is up to individual schools whether they will permit this or not. What happens if my child has as Statement for Special Educational Needs (SSEN)? If your child is statemented, they do not need to go through this admission process. You will be discussing you school preferences with the Special Educational Needs Team to determine which school is right for your child. Please do not complete the application for this admissions process as the allocated school will be named in your child s statement. For more information, please contact the SEN Team on

6 What are the different age ranges of schools? In Medway we have: Infant schools for children aged 4-7 years old. The point of entry is Year R (Reception). Primary schools - for children aged 4-11 years old. The point of entry is Year R (Reception). Junior Schools - for children aged 7-11 years old. The point of entry is Year 3. Do schools offer before and after school facilities? Many Medway schools already provide breakfast and/or after school clubs and it is envisaged that more will be setting these up in the future. To find out more information on these services, please contact the relevant school directly or the Medway Family Information Service on What does it mean? A guide to some of the terms used in the admissions process The following information will help you to understand the meaning of some of the different terms you will read or hear about throughout the admissions process. There may be other terms we haven t listed here. If you are unsure of the meaning of anything in this booklet, please contact the Student Services Admissions Team who will be happy to help you. Term Oversubscription criteria Equal preference scheme Home local authority School status Supplementary information form Meaning Any application for a school is ranked (prioritised) against the schools oversubscription criteria. This is a set of criteria that details the order of priority in which places will be offered. Each school has it s own criteria and the details of these can be found later in this booklet. This means that school places are not offered based on which preference you name a school. Your application will be considered and ranked against the schools oversubscription criteria. The schools you name will not be told by Student Services which preference you named them. The order of your preferences is between you and Student Services only. When allocating places, Student Services will look to offer your child a place at the highest named school where a place can be offered. It is important to list the schools in your preferred order. This is the local authority where the child lives and is the local authority to which applications must be made for school places. The easiest way to determine which local authority you live in is to look at whom you pay ouncil Tax to. For example: If you pay ouncil Tax to Medway ouncil you must apply for schools through Medway ouncil. If you pay your ouncil Tax to one of the 12 district councils of Kent (e.g Tonbridge and Malling or Swale) you must apply for schools through Kent ounty ouncil. You can name schools in any local authority, but you must apply through your home local authority. All schools have a particular status and this is, basically, the type of school it is. You will hear about Academies, ommunity Schools, Foundation Schools, Voluntary Aided Schools and Voluntary ontrolled schools. The status of each school will be shown alongside the school details later in this booklet. Please speak to the school to find out more about what they can offer your child. Some schools require you to complete and additional supplementary information form or SIF. The information requested on these forms is in addition to your application and is required by the school to help apply their oversubscription criteria. Please note that completing a SIF does not mean you have applied for the school. You must complete and submit the application for your home Local Authority as this is the only application that can be processed. 6

7 Admissions drop-in sessions To help you understand the admissions process and the steps you need to take, Student Services are holding a number of drop-in sessions across Medway. The drop in sessions will tell you about the entire admissions process, help you understand the important dates and the actions you need to take. You will also be able to ask any questions you may have to help you make decisions about which schools to name on your application. These are being held in various libraries and cover the whole of Medway, so you should be able to find a date, time and location convenient for you to attend if you wish to. You do not need to book a time, just turn up at the session that suits you best. It is hoped that there will also be computer facilities available at the sessions, should you wish to at the time. Date Venue Time Monday, 23 September Rainham Library 1-3pm Birling Avenue, Rainham, Gillingham ME8 7LR Monday, 30 September Hoo Library 10am-12noon hurch Street, Hoo, Rochester ME3 9AL Grain Library 1-3pm The hapel, hapel Road, Grain, Rochester ME3 0BZ Monday, 7 October uxton Library 1-3pm Bush Road, uxton, Rochester ME2 1EY Monday, 14 October Lordswood Library 10am-12noon Kestrel Road, Lordswood, hatham ME5 8TH Luton Library 1-3pm 2 Nelson Terrace, Luton, hatham ME5 7LA Monday, 21 October Twydall Library 1-3pm 14/15 Twydall Green, Gillingham ME8 6JY Monday, 28 October Walderslade Hook Library 10am-12noon King George Road, Walderslade, hatham ME5 0TZ Walderslade Village Library 1-3pm Walderslade entre, Walderslade Road, hatham ME5 9LR Monday, 4 November Wigmore Library 1-3pm 208 Fairview Avenue, Wigmore, Gillingham ME8 0PX Monday, 11 November Strood Library 10am-12noon 32 Bryant Road, Strood, Rochester ME2 3EP Monday, 18 November Hempstead Library 10am-12noon Hempstead Road, Hempstead, Gillingham ME7 3QG Monday, 25 November Rochester ommunity Hub 10am-12noon Eastgate, Rochester ME1 1EW Monday, 2 December hatham ommunity Hub 10am-12noon Gun Wharf, Dock Road, hatham ME4 4TX Monday, 9 December Gillingham ommunity Hub 10am-12noon High Street, Gillingham ME7 1BG 7

8 Section two Starting school in Medway - admission to Reception year Reception year (Year R) is the first compulsory year in education and is the year in which your child reaches compulsory school age. When is my child due to start school in Year R? hildren born between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 are due to start school in September Legally a child reaches compulsory school age and must be in school by the term following their fifth birthday. What schools can I apply for and how many can I name? You can name infant and primary schools. Details of the Medway infant and primary schools are provided later in this booklet. 8 If you live in Medway, you can also apply for schools outside of Medway, but these must be named on your Medway application. You can name any school you wish your child to be considered for. Medway invites parents to name up to four schools on the Medway application. You don t have to name four, but it is important to understand that naming only one school does not give you a stronger claim to a place. Please only name each school once. If you name a school more than once it will only be considered as one preference. What application form do I need to complete for Year R? For admission into infant and primary school in Year R you can either or you can complete the pink paper Reception ommon Application Form (RAF), which is available from Medway infant and primary schools or from the Student Services Admissions Team. I have already put my child s name down at a school, is that enough? No. A large number of parents may have already visited schools and asked for their child to be added to a list held by the school regarding place. This does not mean that an application has been made, it is only an expression of interest. You must complete and submit the council application in order for your child to be considered for a place at the school. Your child will not be considered for a place if an application is not received by Medway ouncil to be processed. My child attends the nursery/pre-school attached to the school. Does this mean I will definitely get a place at the school? No. Attendance at a nursery or pre-school which is attached to a infant or primary school does not guarantee your child a place at the school and it does not give your child a higher priority for a place. You still need to complete the application and it will be considered against the school s published oversubscription criteria. Will my child start part-time or full-time? Individual schools organise their own starting arrangements and you will need to speak to the school your child is offered to confirm what these arrangements are. It is your right to request for your child to start full-time on the first day of school if you wish to, even if the school suggests a part-time start initially. It will be up to you to make your individual arrangements with the school.

9 an I defer my child s starting date? hildren must, legally, be in school the term following their fifth birthday as they have then reached compulsory school age. You may wish to defer your child s start at school, particularly if they are younger, but they must start school the term after they turn five. After you have applied and been offered a school place, if you then choose to defer entry you will need to make your individual arrangements with the school offered and the place will be held open for your child. If your child is born between 1 April and 31 August then you may choose to defer your child s start at school until September However, it is important to understand that should you choose to do this your child may then have to start in Year 1 and may miss Year R. If you opt to do this, the place offered will not be held open for your child and you will have to re-apply nearer the time you want your child to start school. If you would like to discuss these options before you submit your application, please contact the Student Services Admissions Team. Section three Transfer from infant to junior school in Medway - admission to Year 3 in junior schools only If your child is in an infant school they will finish at the end of Year 2 and must transfer to Year 3 in another school. When is my child due to start school in Year 3? hildren born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007 are due to transfer in Year 3 in September What schools can I apply for and how many can I name? You can name junior schools only. Details of the Medway junior schools are provided later in this booklet. If you live in Medway, you can also apply for junior schools outside of Medway, but these must be named on your Medway application. You can name any junior school you wish your child to be considered for. Medway invites parents to name up to four schools on the Medway application. You don t have to name four, but it is important to understand that naming only one school does not give you a stronger claim to a place. Please note that if you name a primary school on your junior application it will be deleted as only junior school preferences can be considered. Please only name each school once. If you name a school more than once it will only be considered as one preference. If my child is in a primary school, do I need to apply to transfer to Year 3? No. If your child is in an all-through primary school (where they will remain until the end of Year 6), you do not need to apply for transfer to Year 3. This admission process is only for children seeking places in Year 3 in junior schools only. The majority of these children will currently be attending infant schools, but if your child is in Year 2 in a primary school and you wish them to transfer to a junior school, then you can apply through this process. My child is in an infant school, but I want them to go to a primary school. an I apply through this process? No. This process is for admission to Year 3 in junior schools only. If you wish to apply for a place in primary school you must complete a casual admission application form (which is available from all Medway schools). 9

10 It is important to understand that you would have to apply for a place in Year 2 for immediate start, as places in primary schools cannot be offered and held open until September. If you wish to apply for a Year 3 place in a primary school for September 2014, you will not be able to do so until the end of June We would advise that you should still apply for a place at a junior school to ensure that your child has a school place for September This does not stop you from also applying as a casual admission for primary schools if you wish, but you must complete the separate casual admission application form. lower oversubscription criterion than children in the paired infant school. The following table shows which infant and junior schools are paired. Important to note* At the time of going to print consultation is taking place on the amalgamation of the following school: Gordon Infant School and Gordon Junior School If this is approved these schools will amalgamate to make an all through primary school (where children attend from Year R to Year 6) and your child will automatically carry on into Year 3 in the school if they currently attend the infant school. However, as this is not yet approved, you will need to apply for a place in the junior school at this stage. Once a decision has been made on the amalgamations, Medway ouncil will inform you whether your child will automatically continue into Year 3 or whether the application for transfer to the junior school will still be processed. What application form do I need to complete for Year 3? For admission into junior school in Year 3 you can either or you can complete the orange paper Junior ommon Application Form (JAF), which is available from Medway infant schools or from the Student Services Admissions Team. What does pairing mean? The majority of Medway infant schools are paired with a junior school. This means that children in the infant school have a higher priority for a place in the paired junior school than children not in the infant school. You can still name any junior school you wish to (even if it is not paired with your child s infant school), but your child will be considered under a Infant school: Balfour Infant School Bligh Infant School uxton ommunity Infant School Delce Infant School Featherby Infant School Gordon Infant School* Greenvale Infant School Hempstead Infant School Horsted Infant School Luton Infant School Parkwood Infant School St Margaret s Infant School St Nicholas E V Infant School St John s E V Infant School St Peters Infant School paired with: Balfour Junior School Bligh Junior School uxton ommunity Junior School Delce Junior School Featherby Junior School Gordon Junior School* Phoenix Junior Academy Hempstead Junior School Horsted Junior School Luton Junior School Parkwood Junior School St Margaret s E V Junior School Not paired Balfour Junior School Delce Junior School 10

11 Section four The school application process When can I apply for school places? Medway ouncil s applications for admission to Year R and transfer to Year 3 in junior schools are open from Monday, 16 September 2013 until 4pm on Wednesday, 15 January Who do I apply to? You must submit your school application to the local authority where you live (home local authority). If you live in Medway, ie pay your council tax to Medway, then you submit your school application to Medway ouncil. If you live in Kent (ie pay you ouncil Tax to one of the 12 district councils of Kent, for example Swale) then you must submit your school application to Kent ounty ouncil. How do I apply for schools? You can apply for your child online at Or For admission to Year R - You can complete a pink RAF (Reception ommon Application Form) and return it to the Student Services Admissions Team (address details can be found in section 1) or any Medway infant or primary school. For transfer to Year 3 in junior schools You can complete a orange JAF (Junior ommon Application Form) and return it to the Student Services Admissions Team (address details can be found in section 1) or your child s infant school. Please note that you can only use one of these methods. We cannot accept more than one application per child. If you, please do not complete a paper form and vice versa. I need to apply for more than one child. What do I do? You will need to complete a separate application for each child. If you are applying online, please ensure that you start a fresh application for each child and do not overwrite one child s application with the other child s details. If you do this, the first application will become invalid. Are there any benefits to applying online? When applying online, you will receive an confirmation that your application has been received. Application made on paper forms will not be acknowledged. Please also see section 5. Parents who for schools, and provide us with an address, will be sent an after 4pm on 16 April 2014 advising them of the school place offered, as well as being sent a formal offer letter which provides information on what to do next. I live outside of Medway, how do I apply? If you live in another authority you must submit your school application through that authority. You can still name schools in Medway, but the application must go through your home local authority. If you require information on their schools, please contact the relevant local authority to ask for a copy of the primary admissions booklet or visit their website. I live in Medway, but want to apply for school outside Medway. What do I do? You must submit your school application to Medway ouncil. You can name schools outside of Medway and we will liaise with the relevant local authority to see if a place can be offered. My child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, can I apply? If your child is statemented you would have already had discussions with the SEN Team regarding which schools you wish your child to be considered for. Your child will not go through the main admissions process. Please do not complete the school admissions application. 11

12 If you have any questions regarding the SEN admissions process, please contact the SEN team on I live in Medway, what schools can I apply for? Details of the Medway infant, primary and junior schools are provided later in this booklet. You can also apply for schools outside of Medway, but these must be named on your Medway application. You can name any school you wish your child to be considered for. Medway invites parents to name up to four schools on the Medway application form. You don t have to name four, but it is important to understand that naming only one school does not give you a stronger claim to a place. Please only name each school once. If you name a school more than once it will only be considered as one preference. Is the order I name school important? It is important that you name the schools in you preferred order. Medway operates an equal preference scheme, which means that school places are not offered based on which preference you name the school. Your application will be considered and prioritised against the named school s oversubscription criteria. Medway ouncil will not tell the schools which preference you named them. The order of your preference is between you and Medway ouncil. When school places are being offered, Medway ouncil will look to offer your child a place at the highest named school where a place can be offered. I need to apply for children of multiple birth, for example twins. What do I need to do? You will need to complete a separate application for each child. You need to ensure that you tick the appropriate box on the application to indicate that your children are of a multiple birth. Please see the oversubscription criteria section, later in this booklet, for more details on how places are allocated for children of multiple birth. Why is my address important? The address you give on your school application is very important and will be used to calculate home to school distance for the schools you have named. This will have an effect on your child s application when it is considered against the school s oversubscription criteria. It is important that the address you provide is your child s main place of residence. This means that they must live at this address permanently or, in the case of separated families; it must be the address of the parent where your child spends the majority of the school nights. Please be aware that only one address can be used on the application. We can send duplicate correspondence to another address as long as all parties are in agreement. If you are unsure of the address to be used in your circumstances, please contact the Student Services Admissions Team who will be happy to assist you. I have childcare arrangements in place for my child. Are these taken into account? No. Your personal childcare arrangements cannot be taken into account in the admissions process even if they are a factor in the schools you name as a preference on your application. Places are offered against oversubscription criteria, which do not include childcare or attendance at nursery/pre-school. 12

13 an I use the address of my childcare provider on the application? You must provide the address details of where your child permanently lives or, in the case of separated families, the address of the parent where your child spends (sleeps at) the majority of the school nights. How do you define the majority of the school nights? For the purposes of the admissions process, school nights are defined as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This is because children will be going to school on the following morning. To determine how many school nights your child spends with each parent, please use this definition. For example, if your child sleeps Sunday, Monday, Tuesday at your address and Wednesday, Thursday at their other parent s address, the admission process would determine that your address is where your child spends the majority of the school nights. This is because they will be going to school from your address on three school days and from their other parent s address on two school days. If you are unsure of how this will be defined in your personal circumstances, please contact the Student Services Admissions Team for advice and assistance. My child comes from a separated family. What happens if you receive an application from me and one from my child s other parent? If Medway ouncil receive two applications for your child (one from each parent), we will contact both parties to seek written agreement on the following: 1 The child s main address to be used for the application. 2 The schools to be considered on the application. 3 The preference order of the schools to be considered. Whilst awaiting written agreement from both parties, the applications will be removed from the process and held pending. Once written agreement is received from both parties, your child s application will be included in the process with the agreed details. If written agreement from both parties is not received your child s application will continue to be held pending until the matter is resolved. In these situations parents may wish to seek their own independent legal advice on how to resolve the situation. It is important to understand that, if both parties cannot reach agreement and the situation remains unresolved, your child may not be offered a school place on 16 April 2014 or until the matter is settled. This means that your child could be disadvantaged because agreement on the application has not been reached. I am moving shortly, what address do I use? You must use the address you are living at on the closing date for school applications, 15 January If you are moving after you have submitted your application, you will need to provide the Student Services Admissions Team with proof of your move. This proof can be in the form of a copy of your exchange of contracts or tenancy agreement. Any request for a change of address can be accepted up until Friday, 31 January 2014 if accompanied by sufficient evidence. What happens if I give false information? If you deliberately provide false information on your school application, such as an address, and a place is granted on the basis of this information that wouldn t have otherwise been offered we can, and will, withdraw the offer of a school place. If you believe that someone has provided false information on their school application, we ask that you contact The Student Services Manager 13

14 at Medway ouncil. All such contacts will be treated in confidence and we will not disclose any of your information. If any part of your application is thought to be false, we will investigate and the emphasis will be on parents to provide satisfactory evidence proving the point being queried. What do Medway ouncil accept as proof of address, if required, for the admissions process? If Medway ouncil request you to provide proof of the address where your child is living for the admission process, a copy of one of the following will be acceptable: A hild Benefit letter A hild Tax redits award letter A copy of your child s medical card showing the address they are registered from with their GP A copy of your most recent ouncil Tax bill. opies of any letters or bills provided must be dated during the application period (September 2013 to 15 January 2014). Any evidence provided dated outside the application period may not be accepted as you will be requested to prove your child s address at the time of application. What happens if I miss the closing date for applications? The closing date for applications is 15 January Late applications cannot be made online. All late applicants must complete a paper application form and return it direct to the Student Services Admissions Team. As far as reasonably practicable, late applications (for good reason) that are received, will be accepted provided they are received by Medway ouncil by close of business on Friday, 31 January These applications must be accompanied by a written explanation of the reasons for late submission. Only exceptional circumstances (good reason) can be considered by the Student Services Management Team. If it is decided that the reason for late submission does not constitute good reason, the application will be held until after allocation on 16 April 2014 and will be considered at re-allocation. If you have moved into Medway between 15 January 2014 and when you submit your application, proof of the Medway address and the date of the move must be provided. This can be a copy of a signed tenancy agreement, exchange of contracts or completion documents. Any application received after 31 January 2014 will not be considered for places on 16 April 2014, but will be included in the re-allocation of places on 2 June 2014 and after consultation with the relevant admission authority for the named schools. The child s name will automatically be placed on the waiting list for any schools named that are unable to offer a place. an I change my preferences after the closing date? hanges to preference are not allowed after the closing date for applications, 15 January 2014 other than in exceptional circumstances. If you feel that your circumstance fall into this category, please submit your request in writing to the Student Services Management Team for consideration. Please note any request for changes made after 31 January 2014 will not be considered. 14

15 Section five The online admissions system Medway ouncil would like to encourage all parents/carers of children resident in Medway to submit their school application online. Applying online offers you a quick, easy and secure option for submitting your application. You can at When can I? Medway ouncil s applications for admission to Year R and transfer to Year 3 in junior schools are open from Monday 16 September 2013 until 4pm on Wednesday 15 January We cannot accept any online applications made outside of these times. What are the benefits of applying online? You can submit your application at a time that suits you, anytime, day or night, during the periods shown above. The online system provides a safe, fast and easy method of sending us your application and provides you with a full confirmation that it has been received. After 4pm on the offer day, 16 April 2014, Medway ouncil will send details, by , of which school has been offered to parents who successfully submitted an online application and provided an address. What do I need to do to? Firstly, you will need to register with the website. You will be asked to create a username and password for yourself. We suggest that you make these easy to remember and keep a note of these (space is provided on the inside front cover of this booklet), as you will need these in the future to access your application. You will then need to enter your details and your child s details, add your school preferences and reasons, then submit your application for processing during the dates shown above. If you provide an address in your information, you will receive an confirmation of the application you have submitted. This will be a full copy of the information you have provided. an I change my application or my information after I have submitted it? Yes, You can make any changes to your application up until the closing date for applications (15 January 2014). You will need your username and password to re-enter your application and make any changes. It is vitally important that you remember to resubmit your application after you have made your changes as we can only process the last submitted application after the closing date. If you make changes and do not re-submit the application for processing, your changes will not be included when the application is processed. Will I still get a letter telling me my child s school offer? Yes, all applicants receive the formal offer letter. Online applicants, who have provided an address, also receive an advising them of the school place offered. an I submit an online application and a paper application? No, we can only process one application for each pupil. If you have applied online, do not complete a paper application as well. Please note, if you submit an online application this will override any paper application we receive for your child unless you contact us prior to the closing date to cancel your online application. 15

16 Section six The school offer (allocation) process and next steps When will I find out my child s school offer? School places are offered on 16 April All parents will be sent a formal offer letter advising them of the school offered and what to do next. These letters will be posted by Medway ouncil by 1st class post on 16 April 2014 to be received in the following few days. If you, and provide an address, you will also receive an after 4pm on 16 April 2014 advising you of your child s school offer. You will still receive a formal letter and will need this to take the next steps. Who will I receive my offer from? You will receive your school offer letter from your home local authority. This means, if you live in Medway (ie pay you ouncil Tax to Medway ouncil), you will receive your letter from Medway ouncil. If you live in Kent (ie pay you ouncil Tax to one of the 12 district councils of Kent, for example Swale) then you will receive your offer letter from Kent ounty ouncil. Why does it take so long from applying for schools to receiving the school offer? There are many procedures that need to be undertaken by councils to process applications including exchanging data with other councils and schools, working with schools to prioritise applicants, etc before school offers can be made. How does Medway ouncil work out what priority my child has for a place at the schools I have named? All school places are allocated in accordance with the individual school s published oversubscription criteria. Full details of each school s criteria can be found later in this booklet. The Student Services Admissions Team work in partnership with each school to ensure that all applicants are prioritised (ranked) correctly against the published oversubscription criteria. How does Medway ouncil work out which school is to be offered to my child? Medway ouncil operates an equal preference scheme, which means that school places are not offered based on which preference you name the school. Your application will be considered and prioritised against the named school s oversubscription criteria. Medway ouncil will not tell the schools which preference you named them. The order of your preference is between you and Medway ouncil. When school places are being offered, Medway ouncil will look to offer your child a place at the highest named school where a place can be offered. What happens if more than one of the school s I name can offer my child a place? You will only receive the offer of one school place on 16 April 2014 and Medway ouncil will look to offer your child a place at the highest named school where a place can be offered. 16

17 What about children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs? hildren with a Statement of Special Educational Needs do not go through this admissions process and any places being offered to a Statemented child at a school will be allocated before all other places. The school s published admission number (PAN) will be adjusted to take account of any Statemented children offered and The Student Services Admissions Team will offer up to the remaining number of places available at the school. Am I guaranteed to get one of the schools named on my application? Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that we can offer a place at one of your named schools. It will depend on how oversubscribed the schools named are and where your child is prioritised against the schools over subscription criteria. We strongly advise you to name more than one school on your application to give you the most opportunity to receive the offer of a place at a school you are satisfied with. Medway residents can name up to four preferences. For Year R admissions for September 2013, 96 per cent of children received the offer of a place at a school named on their application form on 12 April Of these 88 per cent received the offer of a place at their first preference school. For Year 3 transfer to junior school for September 2013, 99.5 per cent of children received the offer of a place at a school named on their application on 12 April Of these 99 per cent received the offer of a place at their first preference school. What happens if you can t offer my child at a school named on my application? The council have a duty to ensure that a school place is offered on 16 April 2014 to every child who has applied for a school place by the closing date. If we are not able to offer a place at one of your preferences, we will look to allocate a place at the nearest appropriate school to your home address that have a place available. If I am not happy with the school place offered, what can I do? Full details of the next steps you can take following the school offer made on 16 April 2014 will be provided along with the offer letter. You have a number of options including requesting to be placed on a waiting list, to be considered at re-allocation and lodging a school admission appeal. Brief details of some of these options are listed below: Waiting lists / Re-allocation: You will be sent a waiting list request form along with your school offer letter on 16 April Using this form you can request to be placed on the waiting list for any of the schools you originally named on your application form and/or any other Medway school* Your child will not automatically be added to a waiting list unless you have submitted a request form. The only exception to this is where an appeal has been lodged. hildren who have appealed will also be added to the relevant schools * waiting list. *Please note that, under the transfer to junior school processes, you can only request to go on the waiting list for a Medway junior school. The Student Services Admissions Team will then collate all waiting list requests and look to re-allocate (offer) any vacant places that may become available in schools to children who have requested to be placed on the waiting list. A child s position on a school s waiting list will be decided in accordance with the school s 17

18 published oversubscription criteria. Places are not held on a first come first served basis. It is important to understand that a child s place on the waiting list may change (up or down) dependent on the eligibility of other children who have requested to be on the waiting list. Waiting list requests must be submitted by Tuesday 20 May Vacant places will be re-allocated after 2 June NB: If you are offered a school place at one of the schools you have named on your waiting list request, any other school offer will be automatically withdrawn to be re-allocated to another child. You will not have a claim on the original place offered if you change your mind and will need to request to be added to that school s waiting list for consideration at future re-allocation. Appeals: You have the right of appeal to any of the schools you have named on your application form that has not been able to offer your child a place. You cannot lodge an appeal for a school you have not named on your application form. Full details of how to appeal and an appeal form will be included with your school offer letter on 16 April You can submit more than one appeal at the same time, as the schools being appealed for will not be aware that you have appealed for another school. Who you submit your appeal request to will depend on the school being appealed for and details of where you need to send you form will be included with your letter on 16 April An Independent Appeal Panel will hear admission appeals. They are independent of the school and the ouncil and their decision is binding on the school and the ouncil. an I go on the waiting list and lodge an appeal for the same school? Yes. You can submit a waiting list form and lodge an appeal for the same school. The two processes are independent of each other and, being on the waiting list will not affect your appeal and vice versa. How do I accept or refuse the school place offered? You will receive an Acceptance/Refusal form with your school offer letter on 16 April You will need to complete this form and return it to the school being offered with your decision. Acceptance/refusal forms must be returned to the schools by Tuesday 20 May If I refuse the place offered, do I have a better chance being offered a place from the waiting list or being successful at appeal? No. Vacant places are only offered from waiting lists in accordance with the school s oversubscription criteria, not dependent on whether you are holding the offer of a school place or not. In a similar way, appeal decisions are based on the cases heard by the Independent Appeal Panel and not on whether you are holding a school place or not. Appeal requests must be lodged by Tuesday 20 May

19 Section seven Free School Meals and Home to School Transport The following information on Free School Meals and Home to School Transport is correct at the time of going to print. Please check the Medway ouncil website for the most up to date information nearer the time of your child starting school. Free School Meals Will my child be entitled to Free School Meals? Your child may qualify to receive free school meals if you receive certain qualifying benefits. At the time of printing this booklet, these are: Income Support Jobseeker s Allowance (income based) Employment and Support Allowance (Income related) The Guarantee element of State Pension redit Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 hild Tax redit, but not entitled to Working Tax redit, and whose annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty s Revenue and ustoms) does not exceed 16,190. As the Government is looking to change the benefits system, please be aware these could have changed by September Do I need to complete the application form for all Medway schools? A number of academies in Medway are now processing their own free school meals and therefore Medway ouncil are unable to deal with your entitlement. Please contact the school direct to make your application. For a list of schools and academies please visit and search free school meals. How do I apply for Free School Meals? You will need to complete the free school meals application form. If applying during the school holidays, you will need to send the completed form to the freepost address on the bottom of the form. If applying at any other time, as well as this option, you can take it into your child s school office. You can obtain an application form by ringing the Student Services Operations Team on , or collecting one from your child s school office, Medway s contact points, or the main libraries: Gillingham, hatham, Rochester and Strood. Do I need to provide proof of benefit with my application? You do not need to provide proof of benefit at this time. By signing the form you are allowing the Student Services Operations Team to verify your claim. If free school meals cannot be verified, the team will ask for an up to date, full copy of the proof of benefit you are receiving, to reassess your claim. 19

20 Do I have to renew my application for free school meals and if so, when? No, you do not have to renew your application if all your details have remained the same. 20 The Student Services Operations Team will carry out regular reviews and contact you for further proof of benefit, if required. Who do I contact if any of mine and/or my child s personal details change, or I stop receiving benefit, once I am receiving free school meals? Please contact the Student Services Operations Team on to update your details. If you have moved address, you will be asked to complete a new application form. If you do not notify the team, it could result in you having to repay the cost of any free school meals that your child has received. Home to School Transport How do I know if my child is eligible for free home to school transport? If you feel your child is eligible for free home to school transport, you need to complete an application form; the Student Services Operations Team will assess it and send written confirmation of the decision. Where can I get an application form? You can get an application from any Medway school, Medway contact points or the main libraries (Gillingham, hatham, Rochester and Strood). Alternatively, you can contact the Student Services Operations Team on What is the current transport policy, including the minimum distances? At the time of going to print, the basic qualifying criteria to be eligible for free home to school transport is the following: if your child is up to eight years old, you must live more than two miles from the primary school your child will be attending and it must be deemed as the nearest appropriate school to your home address if your child is eight years old and above, you must live more than three miles from the primary school your child will be attending and it must be deemed as the nearest appropriate school to your home address. How are distances measured for home to school transport? It is important to understand that the school admissions policies and the home to school transport policies are completely separate and do not interlink. Distance for home to school transport are calculated using the geographical information software available to Medway ouncil. The distance is calculated from the home address to the school address by the shortest available walking route. It may take account of footpaths, public rights of way, etc. The shortest available walking route is one along which a child can walk to school, accompanied as necessary, with reasonable safety. What does nearest appropriate school mean? This means the school geographically nearest to your home address that is suitable to a child s age, ability and aptitude. Only one school can be the nearest appropriate school from your home address. If you express a preference for a school which is not the nearest appropriate school and you are offered a place, you will not qualify for free transport, even if the school is more than the minimum distance from your home address. an I get free home to school transport if I am on a low income? Yes. If you are on a low-income you can qualify for free home to school transport if you live more than two miles, but not more than six miles from one of your three nearest appropriate schools. Low-income families are defined as children who are entitled to free school meals (see details on page 18), or if parents receive the maximum level of working tax credit. When returning the application form you will need to provide an up to date full copy of

21 your proof of benefit in order for us to assess your claim. an a child get free home to school transport from two addresses if their parents are separated and they live part time with each parent? No. Medway ouncil can only issue one travel pass for one return journey from home to school each day. We can only assess a transport application from the address that is the child s main place of residence. If you have any specific questions regarding these situations, please contact the Student Services Operations Team on Will my child receive free home to school transport automatically if they have medical or special educational needs? If a child has specific medical needs for transport, you will need to provide medical evidence to be assessed by the Student Service Operations Team. This evidence must provide sufficient detail to enable an assessment to be carried out. If a child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, you will need to discuss their transport needs with the SEN team on and they will advise what information they need to assess the case. I have chosen a school on faith grounds; can I get free home to school transport? If your child attends a school chosen on denominational grounds, the council will count this as your nearest appropriate school. To qualify your child must be a regularly practising member of a church of the same denomination as the school concerned. If you apply for travel assistance on denominational grounds you will need your vicar or priest to sign the appropriate section of the transport application form. The minimum distances still apply. If you are on a low-income, you will be entitled to free transport if you live between two and 15 miles from the school and your child is a regularly practising member of a church of the same religion as the school, if you send in confirmation in writing, by the church and proof of your benefit. My child will be attending a private/ independent school or a non-medway school. an I still apply for home to school transport? Medway ouncil do not provide home to school transport for children attending private/ independent schools. If your child will be attending a non-medway school, please contact the Student Services Operations Team to discuss your child s individual circumstances. We cannot guarantee that they will be eligible for home to school transport. What if I don t agree with the decision? If you feel that the decision that your child is not eligible for free home to school transport is incorrect or that your child s circumstances warrant an exception to be made, you can submit an application form enclosing a letter explaining the reason why you wish your child s case to be looked at further. The Student Services Management Team will look at this. If we are refused free transport again, is there a right of appeal? If the Student Services Management Team refuses your application for free home to school transport again, you may wish to make a formal appeal to Members of Medway ouncil against this decision. Further details of how to appeal to the Medway ouncil School Transport Appeals ommittee will be provided if your application is not granted. How do I find out what bus routes and companies cover the journey to my child s chosen school? Arriva Bus ompany operates the majority of bus routes in Medway. You can contact them for advice on or visit their website to find out the service numbers, times, boarding points etc. Tenders for bus services are often renewed, so at the time of printing this booklet, the following bus companies also operate in certain parts of Medway. To find out if they operate near you, please contact them on the numbers below: Nu Venture Bus ompany Farleigh oaches Red Route ASD oaches If my child does not qualify for free home to school transport, are there any other schemes available in Medway? Medway Youth Pass (young persons half-price bus fare scheme) - this entitles all young people who live in Medway to pay half the adult fare at all times when travelling on any local bus service. The journeys must start in Medway and can be to any destination in Medway or Kent, as long as any changes of bus are in Medway. This pass is not valid on buses run by companies who already offer a child fare. 21

22 You can apply for this scheme and find out the cost by ringing the Student Services Operations Team on , or collecting a form from your child s school office, Medway s contact points, or the main libraries - Gillingham, hatham, Rochester and Strood. Vacant Seat Payment Scheme - hildren who do not qualify for free home to school transport may apply for a vacant seat on a hired school vehicle, if one operates on the route required, at a cost. It is important to understand that the seat on the transport may be withdrawn at any time if it is required by a child eligible for free home to school transport or if the transport is withdrawn. Further information on this scheme can be obtained from the Specialist Transport Unit on If my child has a free bus pass and misbehaves on the bus, will the pass be taken away? All transport provided is subject to your child behaving in an acceptable manner while travelling. If however, the transport company feel that your child s behaviour is unacceptable, their ticket can be withdrawn. In such cases, Medway ouncil will cease to accept liability for travel arrangements and you will have to make your own arrangements from then on. Section eight Other useful information and common oversubscripton criteria Other useful information hoosing to educate at home You may choose to educate your child at home. If you elect to do this, the ouncil has a duty to ensure that your child is receiving suitable and efficient full time education. If you wish to consider educating your child at home, please contact the Inclusions Team on for more information. You will be asked to provide full details on the arrangements you are making. Advisory entre for Education (AE) AE has been supporting families on education issues for over 50 years. They provide information, support and advice to parents on many aspects of their child s education. You can contact them on or visit School Term dates Full details of the Medway ouncil defined Term dates for the academic year September 2014 to July 2015 can be found on the Medway website Please be aware that some schools may operate different term dates to the Medway ouncil defined ones and you will need to speak to individual schools about their arrangements. The Physical and Sensory Service (PASS) PASS is part of Medway s learning support service and is actively working with children and young people with physical, hearing and visual impairment from birth to 19 year old. It operates an open and responsive referral system and aims to provide the earliest possible intervention to inform and advise on access to learning opportunities in schools, early years settings and the home environment. For more information, please contact PASS on Sustainable School Travel Strategy Medway ouncil is keen to ensure that their own plans support school travel plans (STP), so that the schools can develop a long-term commitment to implementation, monitoring and development. Working with schools, Medway ouncil has developed a number of initiatives, in support of a sustainable school transport sytem. Further information can be found at travel_strategy_summary.pdf 22

23 ommon oversubscription criteria The opposite table provides some definitions for the most common oversubscription criteria used by schools. The definitions quoted are those of Medway ouncil and may be different for an individual school. Please ensure you read each individual school s oversubscription criteria in Section 9 to ascertain exactly what their oversubscription criteria is and what it means for your child. *Please note that, at the time of going to print, the Student Services Admissions Team are researching the use of new distancing software. Please check the website, and look at o-ordinated Admission Scheme for Primary Admissions September 2014 for the most up to date information on how distances are calculated. riteria hildren in public care/looked after children and previously looked after children Sibling hild s health reasons Nearness of children s home/distance* Definition Looked after children are children who are (i) in the care of a local authority, or (ii) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (as defined in Section 22(1) of the hildren Act 1989) at the time of making the application for a school. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (under the terms of the Adoption and hildren Act 2002, Section 46) or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order (under the terms of the hildren Act 1989, Section 8 and Section 14A). Please note that the ouncil may ask for a copy of the adoption/residence order to validate this criterion. Sibling means children who live permanently as brother/sister in the same house and includes natural siblings, adopted siblings, foster siblings and step siblings. Extended family, for example cousins, living in the same house do not qualify as siblings. The sibling must be attending the named school at the time of application and at the time the younger child would start (September 2014). Medical evidence must be provided to the Student Services Admissions Team. This evidence must demonstrate a specific link between the child s medical conditions and needs and how the named school can meet these needs. The distance calculated is the shortest available safe walking route known to the geographical information software used by Student Services Admissions Team. This geographical information software may not know all footpaths that are in existence and certain new roads may not be known. Where a footpath or new road is not known to the software an alternative route will be used. Where a child s home is situated on a new road the distance calculation will begin from the nearest available known road plotted in the software. New developments may be subject to this. In certain cases it may not be possible to calculate a distance where the entire route is deemed as a safe walking route. In these circumstances the distance calculated is used purely to prioritise an application for admission. There is no expectation that the walk should be taken. 23

24 Section nine Individual school s oversubscripton criteria The oversubscription criteria listed on pages 24 and 25 relate to the following schools. This table lists Medway community and voluntary controlled schools. In addition, recently converted academies are also listed because they were community schools at the time the oversubscription criteria was determined. School name All Saints of E Primary School (SIF required) Allhallows Primary School Balfour Infants School Balfour Junior School Barnsole Primary School Bligh Federation - Infants Bligh Federation - Juniors Brompton Westbrook Primary School Burnt Oak Primary School and hildren's entre Byron Primary School edar Primary School uxton ommunity Infant School uxton ommunity Junior School School type Deanwood Primary School and hildren's entre Delce Infant School, Nursery and hildren's entre Delce Junior School * Fairview ommunity Primary School Featherby Infant and Nursery School V A School name School type Featherby Junior School Greenvale Infant and Nursery School Halling Primary School Hempstead Infant School Hempstead Junior School Hilltop Primary School Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and Marlborough entre Horsted School - Infants Horsted School - Juniors Kingfisher Primary School and hildren's entre A Lordswood School * Luton Infant and Nursery School Luton Junior School Maundene School Miers ourt Primary School Napier ommunity Primary and Nursery School New Road Primary School Oaklands School Park Wood Infant School Park Wood Junior School Riverside Primary School and hildren s entre Saxon Way Primary School A Oasis Academy, Skinner Street St Helen's of E Primary School (SIF required) V School name School type St John's E Infants School (SIF required) V St Margaret's at Troy Town of E (V) Primary School and hildren's entre (SIF required) V St Margaret's of E Junior School V St Margaret's Infant School St Nicholas' E Infant School (SIF required) V St Peter's Infant School Stoke ommunity School Swingate Primary School Temple Mill Primary School Thames View Primary School The Gordon School - Infants * The Gordon School - Juniors * The Pilgrim School (SIF required) V Twydall Primary School Wainscott Primary School Walderslade Primary School Wayfield ommunity Primary School * Woodlands Primary School A = ommunity A = Academy V = Voluntary ontrolled * Scheduled to become an academy prior to Steptember

25 This section provides you with the details of the oversubscription criteria for each Medway infant, primary and junior school. For all schools, places will first be offered to children with a statement of special educational needs, which names the school. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (under the terms of the Adoption and hildren Act 2002, Section 46) or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order (under the terms of the hildren Act 1989, Section 8 and Section 14A). If there are more applications for a school than places available, all other applications for the above schools will be prioritised using the school s published oversubscription criteria. Oversubscription criteria ommunity and voluntary controlled schools The over-subscription criteria for all ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled primary schools are: 1 hildren in public care/looked after children and previously looked after children - (see note 1) 2 Attendance at a paired infant school - (see note 2) 3 Sibling (a brother or sister attending the named schools at the time of application and who will still be attending in September 2014) (see note 3) 4 Denominational preference (for Voluntary ontrolled church schools only) A supplementary information form is also required (see note 4) 5 hild s health reasons (see note 5) 6 Nearness of children s home and (for Halling Primary School only) ease of access to the school (see note 6) Please note for children of multiple birth In the event of a school being oversubscribed where the parent/carer for the final qualifying place(s) available is the parent/carer of twins, triplets or other multiple birth, the ouncil will give multiple birth applications a higher priority for place than other applications with the exception of children in public care. Parents/carers/carers must tick the appropriate box on the application to indicate the children are of multiple birth. Tiebreaker in the event of a tie within any criterion 1-5 (i.e. if two or more children have the same priority in any criterion), places will be allocated to those living closest to the school measured by the shortest available walking route. Definitions and notes 1 Looked after children are children who are (i) in the care of a local authority, or (ii) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (as defined in Section 22(1) of the hildren Act 1989) at the time of making the application for a school. Please note that the ouncil may ask for a copy of the adoption/residence order to validate this criterion. 2 This criterion applies to applications for Year 3 in junior schools only where a paired school is named in this co-ordinated scheme and the admission booklet. 3 We give priority to children who have a sibling at the named school. Sibling means children who live as brother/sister in the same house and includes natural siblings, adopted siblings, foster siblings and step siblings. Extended family, for example cousins, living in the same house do not qualify as siblings. The sibling link also applies across paired schools. This means if parents/carers are applying for Year R in the infant school and have an older sibling in the paired junior school the sibling link will be considered and also if the parent is applying for Year 3 in the junior school and has a younger sibling in the paired infant school the sibling link will apply. Please note: a If the older sibling is in Year 6 at the time of application, the link cannot be considered, as they will not be in the school when the younger child would start in September

26 b The sibling must be attending the named school at the time of application AND at the time of admission, when the younger child would start the school. Any sibling admitted to the named school after the closing date for applications as a casual admission would not be considered as a sibling link because they were not at the school when the application was made. 4 When a parent/carer applies for a place at a Medway Voluntary ontrolled hurch of England School, such application must be supported by evidence that either the child or at least one parent/carer is a regular worshipper (the level of attendance should be at least once a month) at a church affiliated to, or represented at hurches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance and has been for at least 12 months prior to the application being made. Parents/carers must ensure that they have also completed the supplementary information form (SIF) for Medway Voluntary ontrolled church schools. The SIF is available from and returnable to any Medway Voluntary ontrolled church schools (as listed below) and is also available on the ouncil s website ( The SIF does not constitute an application for the school and parents/carers must complete the ouncil application as well (either online or paper). The SIF on its own will not be processed unless there is also a valid application for the school. The SIF must be returned to the school by the closing date for applications Medway Voluntary ontrolled church schools All Saints E Primary School St Helen s E Primary School St John s E Infant School St Margaret s at Troy Town E V Primary School St Margaret s E Junior School St Nicholas E Infant School The Pilgrim E Primary School 5 Medical evidence must be provided to the Student Services Admissions Team. This evidence must demonstrate a specific link between the child s medical condition and needs and how the named school can meet these needs. Only the child s medical /health reasons can be considered, not the parents/carers or those of a sibling. 6 The distance calculated is the shortest available safe walking route between the child s home and school using roads and footpaths known to the mapping layer used by the Student Services Admissions Team within the Geographical Information Software (GIS). The start point -The centre point of the nearest road or footpath known to the GIS to the seed point of the child s home (The seed point is a grid reference for the property taken from Ordnance Survey mapping data). This may not always be the postal address road, in rare circumstances where an alternative road or footpath is actually nearer to the seed point of the property this will be used. The end point - A pre defined centre point of the road adjacent the school site or a pre defined centre point within the school site. The same end point is used for all distance calculations to the school concerned. The distance - The distance calculated is the shortest available safe walking route known to the Medway GIS using the centre point of streets and other available safe walking routes. The Medway GIS may not know all footpaths that are in existence and certain new roads may not be known. Where a footpath or new road is not known to the GIS an alternative route will be used. Where a child s home is situated on a new road the distance calculation will begin from the nearest 26

27 available known road plotted in the GIS. New developments may be subject to this. In certain cases it may not be possible to calculate a distance where the entire route is deemed as an unsafe walking route. In these circumstances the distance calculated is used purely to prioritise an application for admission. There is no expectation that the walk should be taken. Halling Primary School only This school will use the ease of access part of criterion 6, which means: Places are first offered to children living in Upper Halling (as defined in the hatched area on a map which is available at the school), which includes Ladds Farm and lements Farm areas. Secondly, places are offered to those children living in Halling (as defined in the checkered area on a map which is available at the school) including Formby ottages to the north and Ladds Lane area to the south. Any remaining places at Halling Primary School will be offered on nearness of children s homes to the school. Oversubscription criteria for Medway voluntary aided, foundation schools and academies All Faiths hildren s ommunity School AADEMY Following receipt of parental/carer preferences, places will be offered to those children with statements of special educational needs where All Faiths hildren s ommunity School is named. Then, if the number of requests received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order: 1 hildren in public care - as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 2 urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September 2014). 3 hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason, which requires a child to attend All Faiths hildren s ommunity School. 4 Multiple birth children, as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 5 Nearness of child s home to school measured using Medway ouncil s criteria. Where criteria involves measuring distance to a child s home, the Local Authority s procedures for ascertaining the shortest available safe route between home and the school will be used. In the event of a tie within any criterion before the last, places will be allocated to those living the closest distance to the school as mentioned above. Allhallows Primary School AADEMY Please note: This school became an academy on 1 September 2013 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. hattenden Primary School AADEMY Following receipt of parental preferences, places will be offered to those children with statements of special educational needs where hattenden Primary School (Peninsula Gateway Academy Trust) is named. Then, if the number of requests received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order: 1 hildren in public care as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 2 urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September 2014) as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 3 hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason which requires a child to attend hattenden Primary School (Peninsula Gateway Academy Trust). 4 Multiple birth children where hattenden Primary School (Peninsula Gateway Academy Trust) is the nearest school to the child s home. 5 Nearness of child s home to school measured using Medway ouncil s criteria. 27

28 Where criteria involves measuring distance to a child s home, the LA s procedures for ascertaining the shortest available safe route between home and the school will be used. In the event of a tie within any criterion before the last, places will be allocated to those living the closest distance to the school as mentioned above. liffe Woods Primary School AADEMY Following receipt of parental preferences, places will be offered to those children with statements of special educational needs where liffe Woods Primary School is named. Then, if the number of requests received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order: 1 hildren in public care - as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 2 hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason, which requires a child to attend liffe Woods Primary School. 3 urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September 2014). 4 Multiple birth children where liffe Woods Primary School is the nearest school to the child s home. 5 Nearness of child s home to school measured using Medway ouncil s criteria. Where criteria involves measuring distance to a child s home, the LA s procedures for ascertaining the shortest available safe route between home and the school will be used. In the event of a tie within any criterion before the last, places will be allocated to those living the closest distance to the school as mentioned above. Delce Junior School AADEMY Please note: This school is scheduled to become an academy prior to September 2014 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. Elaine Primary Academy AADEMY Following receipt of parental preferences, places will be offered to those children with statements of special educational needs where Elaine Primary Academy Primary School is named. Then, if the number of requests received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order: 1 hildren in public care (as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme) 2 urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason which requires a child to attend Elaine Primary Academy Primary School. 4 Multiple birth children where Elaine Primary Academy Primary School is the nearest school to the child s home. 5 Nearness of children s home measured using Medway ouncil s criteria. Where criteria involves measuring distance to a child s home, the LA s procedures for ascertaining the shortest available safe route between home and the school will be used. In the event of a tie within any criterion, before the last criterion, places will be allocated to those living the closest distance to the school as mentioned above. English Martyrs Roman atholic Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1 Looked after children (as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admissions scheme). 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. 28

29 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, hurches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 5 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 6 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required. ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (eg qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). The Gordon School (name subject to change) AADEMY Please note: This school is scheduled to become an academy prior to September 2014 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. High Halstow Primary School AADEMY Following receipt of parental preferences, places will be offered to those children with statements of special educational needs where High Halstow Primary School is named. Then, if the number of requests received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order: 1 hildren in public care (as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme). 2 hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason which requires a child to attend High Halstow Primary School. 3 urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September 2014). 4 Multiple birth children where High Halstow Primary School is the nearest school to the child s home. 5 Nearness of children s home measured using Medway ouncil s criteria Where criteria involves measuring distance to a child s home, the LA s procedures for ascertaining the shortest available safe route between home and the school will be used. In the event of a tie within any criterion, before the last criterion, places will be allocated to those living the closest distance to the school as mentioned above. Kingfisher Primary School AADEMY Please note: This school became an academy on 1 September 2013 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. Lordswood School AADEMY Please note: This school is scheduled to become an academy prior to September 2014 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. New Horizons Primary School AADEMY Following receipt of parental preferences, places will be offered to those children with statements of special educational needs where New Horizons Primary School is named. Then, if the number of requests received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order: 1 hildren in public care as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 2 urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September 2014). 3 hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health 29

30 reason which requires a child to attend New Horizons Primary School. 4 Multiple birth children as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 5 Nearness of child s home to school measured using Medway ouncil s GIS system. Where criteria involves measuring distance to a child s home, the LA s procedures for ascertaining the shortest available safe route between home and the school will be used. In the event of a tie within any criterion before the last, places will be allocated to those living the closest distance to the school as mentioned above. Oasis Academy: Skinner Street AADEMY Please note: This school became an academy on 1 September 2013 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. Phoenix Junior Academy AADEMY Where the number of applications received via the Medway co-ordinated scheme exceeds the school PAN, places will be allocated in the following priority order: hildren in public care as defined in the Medway ouncil o-ordinated admissions scheme. Attendance at Greenvale Infants School (paired infants). urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September 2014). hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason which requires a child to attend the preferred school. Nearness of children s homes and ease of access to schools (in the event of a tie within any criterion, before the last criterion, places will be allocated to those living closest to the school measured by the shortest available walking route.) Evidence of residence may be required. Saxon Way Primary School AADEMY Please note: This school became an academy on 1 September 2013 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. St Augustine of anterbury atholic Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1 Looked after children (as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admissions scheme). 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, churches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 5 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 6 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required. ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g. qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). St Benedict s atholic Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. 30

31 Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1 Looked after children (as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admissions scheme). 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. Baptism certificates need to be produced and should be in the school by the closing date for the application process. 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, churches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 5 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 6 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required. ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g. qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). St James hurch of England Primary Academy AADEMY A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. If the number of preferences received via the coordinated scheme is more than 30, places will be offered in the following priority order: 1 St James will give the highest priority to looked after children, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the School Admissions ode. 2 Regular church attendance, where the child or at least one parent/carer is a regular worshipper (the level of attendance should be at least once a month) at a church affiliated to, or represented at hurches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance and has been for at least 12 months prior to the application being made. NB: If oversubscribed, at least 50 per cent of the places available each year will be allocated without reference to any faith-based admission criteria. 3 urrent family association brother or sister at school at the time of admission. The definition of this includes stepbrothers and sisters and children living as a family unit. 4 hild s health reasons medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason that requires a child to attend the preferred school. 5 Nearness of children s homes to the school. Distance will be measured in a straight line from the front door of the child s home address (including flats) to the main entrance of the school, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority. If a child has more than one permanent home address, the nearest will be used for admission purposes. Note: If in categories 2-5 above, a tie-break is necessary to determine which child is admitted, the child living closest to the school will be given priority for admission. Distance is measured from the child s home to the front gates of the school in a straight line. Random allocation will be used as a tie-break in categories 2-5 above to decide who has highest priority for admission if the distance between a child s home and the academy is equidistant in any two or more cases. St Mary s atholic Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 31

32 1 Looked After hildren (as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admissions scheme). 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, churches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 5 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 6 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required. ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g. qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). 32 St Mary s Island E Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. If the number of preferences received via the co-ordinated scheme is more than the number of places available, children in public care (as defined by government regulations) will have priority in both categories 1 and 2 below. The planned admission number (PAN) is If there are more applicants for the one-third church places than places available, preference will be given to children who are on the electoral rolls of St Mark s Gillingham (which includes the ecumenical hurch of St Mary s Island), and of St Luke s Gillingham, our Foundation churches, and then any other Anglican churches. Any remaining places will be offered to children from those families who, in the opinion of the governing body of the school, demonstrate the highest level of hristian commitment as evidenced by the church leaders. In the event of a tie, the criterion of nearness to the school will apply. If the church places are undersubscribed, any spare places will be offered as below. 2 The remaining two thirds of places will be allocated in the following order of priority: a - Siblings of children in school at the time of entry. (A sibling is defined as any child living permanently within the same family.) b - Other island residents. c - Those not resident on the island. In the event of a tie within (b) or (c) above, preference will be given to those who live nearest to the school. For island residents, this will be measured as the crow flies. For non-island residents, distance will be measured by road. St Michael s R Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1 Looked after children. 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, churches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 5 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 6 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required.

33 ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g. qualified medical practitioner, attendance advisory practitioner, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). St Thomas More atholic Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1 Looked after children (as defined in the Medway co-ordinated admissions scheme). 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, churches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 5 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 6 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required. ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g. qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). St Thomas of anterbury Roman atholic Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1 Looked after children (as defined by the Medway co-ordinated admissions scheme). 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, churches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 5 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 6 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required. ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g. qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). 33

34 34 St William of Perth R Primary School VOLUNTARY AIDED A supplementary information form (SIF) is required for this school in addition to the Medway school application. You must collect this, complete it and return it to the school by the closing date for applications. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places, the governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated: 1 Looked after children as defined in Medway co-ordinated admission scheme. 2 Baptised atholic children. Evidence of baptism will be required. 3 hildren enrolled in the catechumenate (preparing to become atholics). Evidence will be required. 4 hildren who are baptised members of Eastern Orthodox hurches. Evidence of Baptism will be required 5 hildren baptised or dedicated into other hristian denominations, churches affiliated to or represented at hurches Together in England and Evangelical Alliance. Evidence will be required. 6 hildren who are members of other faiths, whose parents wish them to receive a hristian education. This should be supported by a letter and evidence of their faith will be required. 7 Any other children. The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications. i A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission (as defined by Medway ouncil). Evidence of the relationship may be required. ii Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g. qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker or priest). iii Distance from home to school (as defined by Medway ouncil). Warren Wood Primary School FOUNDATION Where the number of applications received via the Medway co-ordinated scheme exceeds 55, the school PAN, places will be allocated in the following priority order: hildren in public care as defined in the Medway ouncil co-ordinated admissions scheme. urrent family association (a brother or sister in the school at the time of application and still attending in September 2014). hild s health reasons. Medical evidence must be provided which demonstrates a specific health reason which requires a child to attend the preferred school. Nearness of children s homes and ease of access to schools (in the event of a tie within any criterion, before the last criterion, places will be allocated to those living closest to the school measured by the shortest available walking route.) Evidence of residence may be required. In cases of over subscription, parents can ask for the children s names to be placed on a waiting list held by the Local Authority for a place at Warren Wood Primary School. The children will be ranked according to the school s over subscription criteria and the co-ordinated scheme and not according to the date when the child s name was added to the list. Wayfield Primary School AADEMY Please note: This school is scheduled to become an academy prior to September 2014 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools. The Academy at Woodlands Woodlands Primary School AADEMY Please note: This school became an academy on 1 April 2013 and, therefore, their oversubscription criteria were determined whilst they were still a community school. As such the details of their oversubscription criteria can be found under ommunity and Voluntary ontrolled Schools.

35 Section ten The schools How to use the school pages Supplementary information form School contact details The areas of Medway are colour coded hatham Gillingham Hoo Lordswood Rainham Rochester Strood Twydall Walderslade Wigmore/Hempstead Department for Education unique school number Published admission number for 2014 Area of Medway School type community (); voluntary controlled (V); foundation (F); voluntary aided (VA): academy (A) or community (*) scheduled to become an academy Number of preferences received by the school in 2013 Number of places offered on 12 April 2013 (offer day) Last criteria applied for offers in 2013* Last distance criteria applied for offers in 2013* * If these sections are blank it means the school was under subscribed on 12 April 2013 and LA allocations (where preferences can t be met) were made. 35