Admission Policy
SAINT WILFRID’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL & TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE
ADMISSION TO THE SIXTH FORM
The Governors welcome applications from all students.
1. ADMISSION POLICY
1.1 The Sixth Form at Saint Wilfrid’s provides for up to 200 students in each of Years 12 and 13. The admission number, for students admitted to the school for the first time in Year 12 is 60, this being an estimate of the minimum number of external candidates likely to be admitted.
1.2 Admission is open to students from Year 11 at Saint Wilfrid’s and other schools (see paragraph 1.4).
1.3 The offer of a place in the Sixth Form is dependent on the appropriate academic attainment to meet the entry requirements for each student’s preferred subjects. A minimum requirement of 5 GCSE’s at level C or above, to include English Language and Maths for A/S or A2 level and 4 C’s for applied A levels. Additional entry requirements for individual courses are set out in the Sixth Form brochure which is obtainable on request to the school.
1.4 If there are more applications than places available for students outside Saint Wilfrid’s, then the following order of priority will be used in the allocation of places to students who meet the academic requirements for entry. The criteria below will also be used where individual subjects are oversubscribed.
1. Children in public care as defined by the Children Act 1989.
2. Children with medical and/or social needs, for whom the Governors accept that there are exceptional circumstances specifically relevant to attendance at St Wilfrid’s rather than another school, supported by professional medical and/or social evidence.
NOTE: Professional supporting evidence from e.g. a doctor, psychologist, social worker, is essential if admission is to be made under the criterion for special medical or social circumstances, and such evidence must set out the particular reasons why the school in question is the most suitable school and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school.
3. Children whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) show evidence of being active members of the Church of England, or any church in membership (see note a) of Churches Together in England, the Free Churches Group, Free Methodists or the Evangelical Alliance by worship attendance.
4. Children whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) show evidence of being active members of a faith other than Christian which is associated with the UK Inter-Faith Network by worship attendance.
5. Other children on the basis of distance from the front door of their home to the school, measured in a straight line from the Duckworth Street pedestrian gate, giving priority to those living nearest the school. Within this category, first priority will be given to siblings (see note b) of pupils who are on the school roll both at the closing date for applications and the time of transfer. Where the cut off point is for addresses within the same building, then the single measure between address points will apply and the Local Authority’s system of a random draw will determine which address(es) receive the offer(s).
Notes:
a) The church concerned must be in membership of one of the organisations listed on 1st September in the year of application.
b) Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent(s)/carer(s) partner, and in every case, the child should be living in the same family unit at the same address.
c) The distance criterion set out in Category 5 will be used as the tie-breaker in categories 3-4 if the admission number of 200 is reached during consideration of applications in any of these categories.
2. WAITING LIST
When all the places have been allocated a waiting list will be kept. If vacancies occur, places will be offered from the waiting list using the priority order set out above.
3. APPEALS
Where the governors are unable to offer a place because the school is over subscribed, parents have the right to appeal to an independent admission appeal panel, set up under the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998, as amended by the Education Act, 2002. Parents should notify the clerk to the governors at the school within 14 days of receiving the letter refusing a place. Parents will have the opportunity to submit their case to the panel in writing and also to attend in order to present their case. You will normally receive 14 days’ notice of the place and time of the hearing.
4. PROCEDURE
Initial applications for places should be made by prospective students by 14th January 2011. guidance discussions will be held with all students who have expressed an interest (there are no formal interviews).
Provisional offers of places (subject to GCSE results) and the opportunity to formalise applications will be made by the February half term holiday and a deadline set for the return of these places.
Confirmed offers of places will be made by the Tuesday, following notification of GCSE results, provided the composition of option groups allow.
