How To Apply For A Place At Wootton Upper School

Transcription

1 WOOTTON UPPER SCHOOL & Arts College How to apply for a place at Wootton Upper School Making an Application for a child in Year 8 for a place in Year 9 in September 2013 If you live in Bedford Borough or Central Bedfordshire please refer to the Transfer Booklet available on the relevant Local Authority s website from the end of September: Bedford Borough _to_apply_-_school_place.aspx Central Bedfordshire Your request for a place at an Upper School will be co-ordinated by the Local Authority in which you and your child normally live. For most applicants to Wootton this usually means either Bedford Borough Council or Central Bedfordshire Council. Parents who live elsewhere will need to apply directly to their home local authority. Local Authorities encourage parents to apply on-line as it is quick and easy to do; you will get confirmation that your application has been received and there is no risk that your application will get lost in the post. The deadline for online applications is Wednesday 31st October If you choose to complete a paper application form this must be returned either to your child s current Middle School or to the School Admissions Service not later than Wednesday 31st October Since this date falls within the half term holiday, parents are strongly recommended to return paper application forms to Middle Schools by Friday 26th October In practice local Authorities will accept late applications until Friday 11th January where there is a good reason. However after this date the allocation procedure begins; there is no guarantee that late applications received after this date will be considered. Parents will be informed of the outcome of their applications on National Offer Day - 1st March. Parents who apply online will receive notification on Friday 1st March; families who submit paper applications will have the outcomes posted, second class, on Friday 1st March and therefore will probably not receive notification until Monday 4 March 4th or Tuesday 5th March. It is your responsibility to MUST remember to apply for a place; nobody will do this for you. If you apply for a place on-line you should get a receipt for your application. In 2012 a number of families did not apply until after the deadline. It was not possible to offer these families places even though they lived in the catchment area. Some of these families went to appeal and were unsuccessful.

2 Frequently asked questions by parents applying for a place during Year 8 What are the school s admissions criteria for 2013? Overriding priority is given to any child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs. Then places are offered to children in the following order: 1. All looked after children or children who were previously looked after children. 2. Children whose home is in the catchment area and with siblings at the school. 3. Children whose home address is in the catchment area. 4. Children with siblings at the school and who are likely to remain in the school the following academic year. 5. Children who currently attend, and have attended for at least two academic years, either Holywell or Marston Vale Middle School. 6. Children who currently attend either Holywell or Marston Vale Middle School. 7. Children of staff employed by Wootton Academy Trust for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission is made. 8. Any other children. How many children live in the catchment area? The number of children living in the catchment area tends to vary a little from year to year. This has an affect on the number of places which may be available in the final criterion, namely other children Number of children in catchment area ??? How many places are there for children in Year 9 in September 2013? There are 297 places available. How many applications have been made in recent years for places in Year 9? The school has been over-subscribed every year since Number of applications received

3 What proportion of applicants to Wootton gained places in the last three years? % of applicants gaining places % % % % % How many children are offered places in the final criterion (any other children)? Normally there are very few offers made to children in this criterion as all the places are allocated to children with higher priority see admissions criteria above). 26 offers of places were made in the any other children criterion for September 2012 entry. 10 offers of places were made in the any other children criterion for September 2011 entry. 1 offer of a place was made in the any other children criterion for September 2010 entry. How many applications were there in each criterion last year and how many places were offered? Criterion Number of requests Places offered Looked after children. 2 2 Children whose home is in the catchment area (the parishes of Cranfield, Houghton Conquest, Lidlington, Marston Moretaine, Stewartby or Wootton) with siblings in the school Other children whose home is in the catchment area Children whose home is not in the catchment area with siblings in the school Other children who currently attend, and have attended for at least two academic years, either Holywell or Marston Vale Middle School. Other children who currently attend either Holywell or Marston Vale Middle School Any other children Total

4 Do you have any idea how many applications there will be for places in September 2013? We produce an estimate for parents using the best information available. Criterion Estimated number of requests 1. All looked after children or children who were previously looked after children Children whose home is in the catchment area and with siblings at the school Children whose home address is in the catchment area Children with siblings at the school and who are likely to remain in the 25 school the following academic year. 5. Children who currently attend, and have attended for at least two 24 academic years, either Holywell or Marston Vale Middle School. 6. Children who currently attend either Holywell or Marston Vale Middle 5 School. 7. Children of staff employed by Wootton Academy Trust for two or 2 more years at the time at which the application for admission is made. 8. Any other children. 60 Total 348 Additionally if a child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs they are given overriding priority if their statement names the school. This could mean, if our estimate is accurate, that: there will be very few, if any places left for children whose applications are assessed under the any other children criterion; it is not guaranteed that all applications assessed under the Feeder School criterion will be successful, although we would very much hope that they are. What can parents do if their application is unsuccessful? All applicants who are unsuccessful will be offered the right to appeal against this decision to an independent appeals panel. The appeals panel has no connection with the school and they will listen to your reasons for challenging the decision as well as listening to the school s reasons for being unable to offer more places. In 2012, appeals were made on behalf of twelve applicants; one appeal was upheld. In 2011, appeals were made on behalf of twelve applicants; one appeal was upheld. In 2010, appeals were made on behalf of nineteen applicants; one appeal was upheld. In 2009, appeals were made on behalf of eighteen applicants; four appeals were upheld. In 2008, appeals were made by fifteen applicants; three appeals were upheld.

5 What happens to my child if I do not submit an application by January 11th 2013? If you do not apply for a place by the 11th January 2013 deadline, either on-line or by paper application, you cannot be considered for a place by any school. This means you will not be offered a place for your child in March You will be responsible for finding an alternative school from a list of schools which your Local Authority will have with spaces available. You will be responsible for meeting the costs of transport for your child to and from this school. In around ten families did not apply on time meaning that they had to find places at other schools. Can I request a change of preference after the form has been submitted? It is possible to request changes in the preference order you list the schools on the application form up to the point of allocation January We would offer a note of caution if you decide that Wootton is not your first preference and if you are offered your higher preference then it will be very difficult to change your mind and request Wootton later and be offered a place. This is because Wootton is always oversubscribed and places will have been offered to other children. Places cannot be taken away once they have been offered, unless applications have been made fraudulently. Where can I get more information? Our advice to you is to speak to your Local Authority s School Admissions Team. Alternatively you can speak to either Mr. Withell, Headteacher or to Mr. Gleeson, Deputy Headteacher. Waiting Lists Pupils not offered a place at their highest preference school or academy or at any of their preferred schools or academies are kept on a waiting list to be re-allocated if places become available. Where a pupil has been offered a place at their highest ranked school or academy, they will not be considered for re-allocation, unless there has been a significant change in their personal circumstances. Waiting lists will be maintained until the end of the Autumn Term Parents wishing their children to remain on the waiting list for a Bedford Borough school or academy beyond that time will have to notify the School Admissions Service in writing. A revised waiting list will then be drawn up and maintained until the end of that academic year.