Admission to primary school

Transcription

1 Reception Year - for children born between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 Important dates: Applications open 17 September, 2012 losing date for school applications 15 January, 2013 Offer of school place 12 April, 2013 Year 3 junior school - for children born between 1 September 2005 and 31 August 2006 September 2013 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 Medway ouncil, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, hatham, Kent ME4 4TR Phone: 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: 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: ontents Welcome Section one Introduction and general information Key dates for primary admissions 2013 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...15 Section seven Free School Meals and Home to School Transport..18 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 2013 to August Details are correct at the time of going to print. 3

4 Welcome Dear parent\carer Starting full time primary school is a very exciting event in your child s life and making the right choice is a most important decision. This booklet will help you to find the information you need and identify schools you may wish to consider. Visiting a school is the best way to gain the knowledge and information you need. I know the headteacher and staff will be happy to discuss things with you, show you round and to answer your questions and concerns. All our primary, infant and junior schools are keen to give your child the best possible start to his or her school life. They are committed to working with you and your child in achieving his or her potential. In Medway, we want children to learn well, make good progress and be ambitious for themselves. Each of our primary schools is committed to keeping you in touch about progress and achievements and working with you and your child in achieving his or her potential. Please read this information booklet carefully. You will then be in the best position to express your preferences with confidence. The Student Services Admissions Team is on hand to assist you with further advice and help. llr Les Wicks Portfolio Holder for hildren s 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 2013 entry Action Date Booklets and paper application forms from Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 delivered to schools, nurseries, etc Application period opens (online applications open at 9am) Monday, 17 September, 2012 losing date for applications Tuesday, 15 January, 2013 (online and RAFs/JAFs) National losing Date Offer s and letters sent to parents Friday, 12 April, 2013 Places must be accepted/refused and requests to go By Monday, 13 May, 2013 on a waiting list and appeals must be submitted The LA re-allocates any places that have become available to w/c Monday, 20 May, 2013 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 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 2008 and 31 August 2009 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. 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 blue 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. 7

8 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 will then have to start in Year 1 and will 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 as a casual admission 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 2005 and 31 August 2006 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. 8 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. 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 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 2013, 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 schools: Sherwin Knight Infant School and Sherwin Knight Junior School Swingate Infant School and Spinnens Acre Junior School If this is approved these schools will amalgamate to make 2 all through primary schools (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 pink 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 Sherwin Knight Infant School* St Margaret s Infant School St Nicholas E V Infant School St John s E V Infant School St Peters Infant School Swingate 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 Sherwin Knight Junior School* St Margaret s E V Junior School Not paired Balfour Junior School Delce Junior School Spinnens Acre Junior School* 9

10 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, 17 September 2012 until 4pm on Sunday, 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 blue 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 pink 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 a Year R and a Year 3 place. 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 12 April 2013 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. 10

11 Please do not complete the school admissions application. 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. an I use the address of my childcare provider on the application? No. Your personal childcare arrangements cannot be taken into account in the admissions process. 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. 11

12 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 12 April 2013 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 Tuesday, 29 January 2013 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 12

13 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 2012 to 15 January 2013). 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. For parents resident in Medway on or before the closing date As far as reasonably practicable, late applications (for good reason) that are received, will be accepted provided they are received by Medway ouncil before Tuesday 29 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 12 April 2013 and will be considered at re-allocation. For parents who have moved to Medway after the closing date and by 29 January 2013 Any application received from a new Medway resident after the closing date and by 29 January 2013 will be included in the normal allocation of places on 12 April Proof of the Medway address and the date of the move must accompany such applications. This can be a copy of a signed tenancy agreement, exchange of contracts or completion documents. Any application received after 29 January 2013 All applications received after 29 January 2013 will not be considered for places on 12 April 2013, but will be included in the re-allocation of places on 20 May 2013 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 2013 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. 13

14 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 17 September 2012 until 4pm on Tuesday 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, 12 April 2013, 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 2013). 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. 14

15 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 12 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 12 April 2013 to be received in the following few days. If you, and provide an address, you will also receive an after 4pm on 12 April 2013 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 12 April 2013 and Medway ouncil will look to offer your child a place at the highest named school where a place can be offered. 15

16 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 2012, 97 per cent of children received the offer of a place at a school named on their application form on 30 March Of these 89 per cent received the offer of a place at their first preference school. For Year 3 transfer to junior school for September 2012, 100 per cent of children received the offer of a place at a school named on their application form on 30 March 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 12 April 2013 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 12 April 2013 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 12 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 16

17 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 Monday 13 May Vacant places will be re-allocated after 20 May 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. 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 12 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. Appeal requests must be lodged by Monday 13 May 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 12 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 Monday 13 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. Full details of how to appeal and an appeal form will be included with your school offer letter on 12 April You can submit more than one appeal at the same time, as the schools being appealed for will 17

18 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 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. 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. The Student Services Operations Team will carry out regular reviews and contact you for further proof of benefit, if required. 18

19 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 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. 19

20 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 may 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 and hold a valid pass 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 the subsidised yellow buses run by Medway ouncil or companies who already offer a child fare. 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 20