Admissions Policy

BRANKSOME HEATH MIDDLE SCHOOL

ADMISSIONS POLICY

The aim of the Governors is to provide a school to serve our local community.  Due regard is paid by the LA's Admissions Policy and is used to keep us in line with all Poole Schools to ensure consistency across the Authority.

Parents and children are always welcome to visit and find out more about our school.

To assist parents of prospective pupils joining us from our Pyramid First Schools, there are a series of Open Mornings during the Autumn Term, when parents and youngsters are given a guided tour by the Headteacher. In addition we host an Open Evening during the Autumn term to allow parents who cannot come during the day to look round the school.

Once places at the school have been offered by the Local Authority, there is a further information evening during the Summer Term.
 

                               
BOROUGH OF POOLE

ADMISSIONS POLICY 2008/9
 

COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED FIRST, PRIMARY, COMBINED AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS (INCLUDING MAINTAINED NURSERY CLASSES)

All the admission authorities within Poole operate an equal preference admissions  system. This means that all first, second and third preference applications are considered together. The local authority will offer the highest ranked preference possible.

Where there are more applications than places available the following criteria will be used, in numerical order, to decide the priority list for the offering of places up to the school's Published Admission Number for the admission year group:

1 Pupils who are  "Looked After Children" (see Note 1)

2 Pupils who live (see Note 2) within the school's catchment area. If there are too many applications from the catchment area, criteria 3 (a) to (e), will be used in order to prioritise the applications with criterion 4 used as the final determining factor.

3 Pupils who live (see Note 2) outside the school's catchment area, in the following priority order:

 a) Pupils who have a sibling (see Note 3) who is already on the roll of the school and will continue to attend the school for the 2008/9 academic year.

 b) Pupils who have a significant medical or psychological condition where the application is supported by appropriate written evidence from a Consultant for medical grounds or a Clinical Psychologist for psychological grounds, giving reasons why only a specific school can meet the medical or psychological needs of the individual pupil.

 c) For Church of England Voluntary Controlled schools only - children who are  members of the Anglican Church who attend worship at least once a month and whose parents request admission on denominational grounds (see Note 4).

 d) For Church of England Voluntary Controlled schools only - children who attend a mainstream Christian church  and who attend worship at least once a month and whose parents request admission on denominational grounds (see Note 5).

 e) All other pupils who do not qualify in any of the categories (a) to (d) above.

4 If a school is oversubscribed in any of the categories 1, 2, and 3 (a) to (e) above, pupils who live closest to the school will be given priority. The distance is measured by a Geographical Information System using the shortest, safest and practicable walking route using the centre line of public roads and footpaths from a point outside the centre of the pupil's home address (see Note 2) to a point opposite the nearest school gate that is for the use of pupils. If applicants live in the same block of flats the allocation of places will be made by way of drawing lots (see Note 6).
 
Pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs.
Pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs issued by a local authority naming a specific school where a pupil should receive his/her education will be admitted to that school before preferences are considered for admission in September.

Admissions arrangements.
Admission to all Poole schools will be in accordance with the agreed primary scheme for co-ordinated admission arrangements 2008/9.

Transfer from Nursery to Reception.
At schools that have Nursery classes, parents should be aware that transfer to the Reception year is not an automatic process. Parents must fill in and submit an application form. Applications for places in the Reception Year from parents with children already attending a Nursery class will be considered at the same time as applications from parents whose children are not attending the school's Nursery. If there are more applications than places available places will be allocated in accordance with the priorities set out in 1 - 3 above, with distance as described in 4 being used to prioritise applications. Children currently attending the Nursery class do not receive priority when applications are considered.

Deferred entry.
Children born between 1 September 2003 and the 28 February 2004 will attend part-time in September 2008 moving to full time attendance after the Autumn half term.  Parents of children born between 1 March 2004 and 31 August 2004 can defer entry to the Reception Year until the start of Spring term in January 2009 at which time the child will attend full-time. A place that has been offered will be kept available for those parents wishing to defer their child's entry.

Applications for a place in any year group other than a pupil's correct age related National Curriculum year group.
Applications for pupils to be educated outside their normal national curriculum year group will be considered by a specialist panel comprising:  a Senior Officer from the School Admissions Team in Pupil, Parent and Youth Services, The Principal Educational Psychologist or her representative in Pupil, Parent and Youth Services and the Headteacher of the school concerned.

Applicants must provide with their application form the following information in support of their request:

1. Clear, documented evidence that to place the pupil in his/her normal age group would be detrimental to his/her educational progress or likely exam performance.

2. Clear evidence that it is in the interests of the pupil's social and emotional development to be forward/back yeared.
3. Clear evidence that the pupil has previously been back/forward yeared and this has had positive benefits.

(A pupil would need to meet Criteria 1 and 2 above in all cases, for agreement of an out of year group admission. The existence of Criterion 3 would serve to strengthen a case.)

Applications from separated parents.

Only one application can be considered for each pupil. Where parents are separated it is essential that agreement is reached by both parties concerning the nominated preferred schools. If agreement cannot be reached the local authority will only consider the application from the parent who is the prime carer for the child. The prime carer is the parent in whose name Child Benefit payments are made.

Applications for children of multiple births.
If there are insufficient places to accommodate all the children of a multiple birth (i.e. twins, triplets etc) the parents of the children will be asked to nominate the child or children to take up the available number of places.

Notes
1. "Looked After Child" means any child who is the care of a local authority in accordance with Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.

2. The local authority will consider that a child lives at the address at which he/she lives during the school week. Where a child lives at more than one address during the school week the local authority will consider the home address as being where the prime carer resides. The "prime carer" is the person in whose name Child Benefit payments for the individual child are made.

3. "Sibling" means a full brother or sister, and a half brother or half sister, adoptive brother or sister and non-blood related children who live with married or cohabiting parents in the same household.

4. In criterion 3(c), applications on denominational grounds must be supported by a signed statement by a parish priest confirming attendance at worship at least once a month.

5. In criterion  3(d), applications on denominational grounds must be supported by a signed statement by a priest, minister or leader of the church. "Mainstream Christian church" means a church which subscribes to Churches Together in Britain and Northern Ireland.

6. If there are insufficient places to accommodate all applicants and the distance criterion is used, applicants living in the same bock of flats eligible for the remaining places the local authority will use random allocation. Applicants will have their names drawn as lots to see who should be offered the place(s). The person drawing the names will be an officer within Pupil, Parent and Youth Services who has no involvement in the school admissions process.