Admissions Policy

For entry in September 2024

 

1. Admissions process

The academy is a two (3) form of entry junior school for boys aged 7–11 years. The Platanos Trust is committed to continuing the present admissions policy for the academy with respect to its character and age range.  The following arrangements with respect to admissions will apply to all applications.

The academy will accordingly provide for the admission of 90 pupils into Year 3 each year if sufficient applications for entry are received. Where fewer than 90 applications are received, the Academy Trust will offer places at the academy to all those who have applied.

The academy participates in the Local Authority co-ordinated admission procedure for the normal admissions round and all deadlines within that should be adhered to by applicants.

 

2. Priority admissions

As according to the Admissions Code, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming the school will be admitted. The school will also give top priority to applications on behalf of children in, or previously in, public care (‘looked after children’) residing with the primary carer with the relevant documentary evidence, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

 

3. Oversubscription

If the number of applications to the Academy is higher than the number of places available, the allocations will be made as according to the oversubscription criteria as set out in the order below.

1. Children in the care, or previously in the care, of a Local Authority (‘looked after children’; see Note 1 below), including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. Children with an EHCP with supporting evidence naming the school are automatically admitted.
2. Children attending Winterbourne Nursery and Infant School at the time of application.
3. Siblings: children with a brother who is in attendance at Winterbourne Boys’ Academy or at Winterbourne Nursery and Infants School at the time of enrolment of the new pupil (see Note 2).
4. Medical: children with serious medical reasons for needing to attend the Academy. Supporting evidence should set out particular reasons why the Academy is the most suitable and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. The medical reasons must be verified by a GP or consultant and declared at the time of application if known at the time (see Note 3).
5. Distance: priority will be given to pupils living nearest to the Academy as measured in a straight line (see Notes 4, 5 and 7).

4. Waiting lists

The local authority will operate a waiting list for each year group. Where in any year the academy receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate. This will be open to any parent/carer to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list.

Children’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. Where places become vacant they will be allocated to children on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria above.

 

5. Admissions outside of the normal age group

Parents/carers may, under certain circumstances, request that their child be admitted to a year group outside of their normal age group.

The Academy Trust is the admission authority for considering such requests and will decide whether the individual circumstances make it an appropriate arrangement on educational grounds, based on the professional judgment by the school of what is in the best interest of the child and taking into account the evidence and rationale provided by the parents/carers. The school may request supporting professional evidence from a relevant professional. Where a child has been educated out of their normal age group previously, the parent/carer may again request admission out of the normal age group when they transfer to the school. However, it will be for the Academy Trust to decide whether to admit the child out of their normal age group.

Parents/carers must consider the impact this may have and, where relevant, should submit evidence of support from a relevant professional along with their application, and set out the year group in which they wish their child to be allocated and the reasons for their request. Once a year group has been identified and agreed, the same oversubscription criteria will be applied. Please contact the school for further information.

The Academy Trust will comply with section 2.17 of the Admissions Code, that: “Admission authorities must make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned. This will include taking account of the parent’s views; information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development; where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional; whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; and whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely. They must also take into account the views of the head teacher of the school concerned.”

Parents requesting admission to an age group below the child’s actual age should submit an application for the child’s actual age group before the relevant closing date. The request for later admissions should accompany the application. This enables the application to be processed and a school place secured in the child’s actual age group if the request is refused by the school (subject to the application of the oversubscription criteria). Parents will be informed of the outcome of their request.

If the Academy Trust agrees to the request, the same oversubscription criteria above will be applied.

 

6. Making an application

Parents/Carers resident in Croydon must ensure that they complete the Local Authority (Croydon) Common Application Form (CAF). This is now frequently completed online. Please ensure that we are clearly listed as one of the preferred schools on the CAF. All CAFs must be submitted to the home borough.

Applying to us from another borough other than Croydon. Parents/Carers resident in another borough are welcome to apply to our school for their child. Please contact your home borough for a CAF and instructions on how to apply to a school in a different borough.  Ensure that we are clearly listed as one of the preferred schools. You should also contact Croydon and request an admissions booklet, which will contain further information such as entry arrangements.

For 'In-Year' applications (i.e. applying to join the school in the middle of the academic year) please contact Croydon Council who administers ‘in-year’ applications. An ‘in-year’ admissions form will need to be completed and this is found on the council’s website.

 

7. Late applications

All applications received by the Local Authority after the deadline will be considered to be late applications. These will be considered after those received on time. If all available places are allocated to children whose applications were received on time, parents/carers who have made a late application may request that their child is placed on the school’s waiting list.

 

8. Appeals

Appeals against admission decisions are heard by an Independent Admissions Appeal Panel and will be in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code. An appeal against a refusal of a place must be made within 20 school days of the date of the refusal letter. The appellant should contact the school directly.

The appeals process is run in accordance with the statutory processes and timescales set out in the School Admissions Appeals Code.

 

Note 1

‘Looked-after children’ are defined as children in public care at the date on which the application is made.

‘Previously looked-after children’ are all children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order, immediately after being looked after. This includes children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of (or were accommodated) by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

If an application is made under the ‘looked after’ criterion, it must be supported by a letter from the relevant Local Authority Children’s Services Department and/or relevant documents.

Note 2
Winterbourne Boys’ Academy is a boys’ school. A sibling is therefore defined as a brother, half- brother, step-brother, foster-brother or adopted brother whose main residence is at the same address.

Note 3
Claims for priority of admission on medical grounds will not be considered if submitted after a decision on the original application has been made.

All requests for priority consideration must be supported in writing by a doctor or consultant. It must be made clear in the professional support the reason why it is necessary for the child to attend this school in particular.

Note 4
"Home" is defined as the permanent address where the child normally resides as their only or principal residence. Addresses of child minders, business or relatives cannot be considered.

Parents/carers will be asked to provide documentary evidence to confirm an address and parental responsibility. The Academy should be notified of changes of address immediately. Failure to do so could result in the child being denied a place at the Academy.

Note 5

Child's permanent address. The child's address should be that of the child's permanent place of residence. A business address, work place address, or child-minder's address will not be accepted. A relative's or carer's address can be considered ONLY if those person(s) have legal custody of the child. In these circumstances, evidence of legal custody/parental responsibility, i.e. a court order must be supplied.

Note 6

Change of address. Changes of address can be considered only where the Academy receives either a letter from a solicitor confirming the exchange and completion of contract for the new place of residence, or a copy of the new tenancy agreement stating commencement date.

Note 7
Distance will be measured in a straight line from the centre of the pupil’s main home to the designated main entrance, nominated by the Academy, with those living closer to the Academy receiving higher priority. For shared properties e.g. flats, the centre will be taken from the centre of the building.

Note 8
Child-minding arrangements cannot be taken into account when allocating places if the Academy is oversubscribed.

Note 9

Tiebreaker: In the event of oversubscription and applicants cannot be separated by the above admissions criteria (even after taking into account distance), then the place will be allocated by random allocation.

Note 10

Shared custody. If parents share custody of a child, only one address must be provided in the application. It must be the address where the child normally resides, and the applying parent must prove the child's residency at this address, e.g. relevant court documents or the address where the child benefit is payable. If the child resides with each parent for an equal amount of time each week we will treat the address at which the child benefit is payable as the normal place of residence.