Admissions

ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS

For Littleport & East Cambs Academy

 

 

 

 

 

Admission Arrangements for 2019 -2020

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Active Learning Trust schools follow the Admissions Code and the law relating to admissions. This accords with the Trust’s funding agreement with the Department for Education.

Local Governing Bodies consider annually whether arrangements are satisfactory, taking into account issues that have arisen throughout the last year, and any changes in accommodation.  Should a Local Governing Body wish to suggest amendments to existing arrangements, they need to make recommendations to the Active Learning Trust board, which is the admission authority for all its schools. Amendments can only be made following consultation in accordance with the School Admissions Code para 1.42 – 1.49.

As part of the admission arrangements for each Academy/School, an admission number for each ordinary year of entry to the school, including reception, Year 7 and sixth form, will be determined.  This is known as the Published Admission Number (PAN).  

PUBLISHED ADMISSION NUMBER:  The PAN for Littleport & East Cambs Academy is 120 in Year 7 for 2018/19.

2. ADMISSION TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Cambridge Local Authority (LA) currently co-ordinates the admission of Year 7 age students.    Parents/Carers apply for a school place through the LA’s admission process.  The LA allocates places (following consultation with academies/schools) for students at the beginning of their secondary education.

3. ADMISSION CRITERIA

Children who have a statement of special educational or an EHCP fall outside the ordinary admissions system and therefore do not feature within the oversubscription criteria.

In the event of a year group being oversubscribed, and after the admission of pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an EHCP where the school is named, priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below, in order:-

A:            A ‘looked after child’ or child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order.  A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of its social services functions (see definition in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989.

B:            Children with a sibling attending the school at the time of application who is reasonably expected to still be attending the school at the proposed time of admission

C:            Other children by distance from the school with priority for admission being given to those who live nearest to the school as measured by a straight line.

TIE BREAKER

In each criterion above, if there are more applicants fulfilling the criterion than there are places available then priority will go to children living nearest the school as measured by a straight line.  If the distance between two or more children’s home addresses and the school is the same then random allocation will be used to decide who has highest priority for admission.  The random allocation process will be independently verified.

4. DEFINITIONS FOR ADMISSION CRITERIA

Distance from School: The distance from the home address to the school, for admissions purposes, is calculated electronically by the LA using up-to-date methods of measuring (provided jointly by the Post Office and Ordnance Survey).   Distances are measured by a straight line, plotting the co-ordinates of each property to provide the address-point between which straight line distance is measured and reported to three decimal places.  Where there is more than one home within a single building (for example apartments) measuring is to a single point within that building irrespective of where those homes are located.   For families who live outside the area covered by County mapping system, distances are determined using a combination of local maps and on-line resources.

 Dual Residence: Where children spend time with parents at more than one address, the address used to allocate an Academy/School place will be the one at which the pupil spends the majority of school nights (Sunday to Thursday). Where children spend equal amounts of school nights with both parents, the address listed should be the address agreed between both parties.

 Future House Moves: Except in the case of families of service personnel with a confirmed posting to the area, or crown servants returning from overseas to live in the area, places cannot be allocated on the basis of an intended future change of address, unless the new address has been confirmed by exchange of contracts for a house purchase or the signing of a formal lease agreement. The parent or carer will be expected to provide documentary evidence in support of any anticipated move date given.

Siblings: are deemed to be children, aged between 4 and 16, who live together in the same family unit.

Waiting lists: will be kept for places when a year group is full until the end of the first full week of the Spring term.  The waiting list will be ranked in line with the order of priority set out in the above oversubscription criteria.  Priority will not be given to children based on the date their application was received or the date when their name was added to the list.  When children are added to the list, they will be slotted in according to where they come in the oversubscription criteria.  This means that a child on the list can move up and down the list.  Any children admitted in accordance with the Local Authority’s fair access protocol will take precedence over the waiting list in accordance with 2.14 of the Admissions Code.

5. IN-YEAR ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

The Active Learning Trust, as the Admitting Authority, is responsible for in-year admission arrangements.   Parents who wish to transfer their child during the course of a school year will be advised to contact the Admissions Officer at LECA (contact ALT central offices until LECA is open Tel: 01223 728403)

If the school is full a place will be refused and the applicant will be placed on the waiting list (while it operates) and will be offered an appeal.

The Academy will, upon receiving an application for an in-year place, notify the LA of both the application and its outcome to enable the LA to keep up-to-date figures on the availability of places.

6. ADMISSION OF CHILDREN OUTSIDE THEIR NORMAL AGE GROUP

Parents of gifted and talented children, or those who have experienced problems or missed part of a year, for example due to ill health, can seek places outside their normal age group. Where a child is already attending a school this discussion will take place between the headteacher and the parents, and will be decided on the individual circumstances of each request.   

When it is agreed that a child can be admitted out of their normal age group the application will be processed as part of the main admissions round (unless the parental request is made too late for this to be possible) and on the basis of the determined admission arrangements only, including the application of oversubscription criteria where applicable.   Parents/Carers wishing to apply for admission outside the normal age group should contact the school office for further guidance.  Application forms are available on the School website.

7. SIXTH FORM ADMISSIONS

Please note that Littleport & East Cambs Academy does not offer sixth form provision for 2018/19.

8. ADMISSION APPEALS

As part of the funding agreements, The Active Learning Trust is required to comply with the School Admissions Appeals Code.    All admission appeals should be referred to the ALT Central Office (admin@activelearningtrust.org or Tel: 01223 728403), and appeal hearings will be organised where appropriate.  All letters refusing admission will give details of how to appeal the decision.

9. REVIEW

The Admissions Arrangements at Littleport & East Cambs Academy are reviewed annually.