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Admissions

If you want your child to attend Sidney Stringer Academy then you need to go to the Local Authority and apply. They manage all of our admission requests and appeals.

PROCEDURE FOR ADMITTING PUPILS TO THE ACADEMY

Admissions Number

The Academy Trust has the following agreed admissions number for the Academy for the year 2011/2012 and, subject to any changes approved or required by the Secretary of State, for subsequent years:

a) The Sidney Stringer Academy has an agreed admission number of 210 pupils, to be admitted into year 7 each year, if sufficient applications are received.
b) The Academy operates a sixth form for a maximum of 300 students.

Process of Application

Arrangements for applications for places at the Sidney Stringer Academy will be made in accordance with the LA’s co-ordinated admission arrangements and will be made on the Common Application Form provided and administered by the relevant local authority.
The Academy Trust will use the following timetable for applications to the Sidney Stringer Academy each year (exact dates within the months may vary from year to year) which, whenever possible, will fit in with the common timetable agreed by the Coventry Admissions Forum, Coventry LA, local authorities admissions, local Academies and local Admissions Forum.

a) By September - The Academy Trust will publish in the Sidney Stringer Academy’s prospectus information about the arrangements for admission, including oversubscription criteria, for the following September (e.g. in September 2009 for admission in September 2010). This will include details of open evenings and other opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents to visit the school. The Academy Trust will also provide information in relation to the Sidney Stringer Academy to the Coventry LA for inclusion in the composite prospectus, as required;

b) September/October - The Academy Trust will provide opportunities for parents to visit the Sidney Stringer Academy;

c) October – Common Application Form to be completed and returned to the child’s home LA to administer;

d) Late November - LA sends Sidney Stringer Academy applications to the Academy Trust;

e) February - Coventry LA applies agreed scheme for own schools, informing other LAs of offers to be made to their residents.

f) 1st March each year or next working day - offers made to parents.

Consideration of Applications

The Academy Trust will consider all applications for places at the Sidney Stringer Academy. Where fewer than the published admission number for the relevant year groups are received, the Academy Trust will offer places at the Sidney Stringer Academy to all those who have applied.

Procedures where the Sidney Stringer Academy is oversubscribed

Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the published admission number and after the admission of Children with statements of Special Educational Needs where the Sidney Stringer Academy is named on the statement, applications will be considered against the criteria set out below.

a) Children who at the time of admission, are in the care of a Local Authority or provided with accommodation by an Authority (looked after children). A looked-after child is defined in Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.

b) Children who live in the catchment area* served by the school, who have a brother or sister at the school and who will continue to do so on the date of admission. The definition of brother or sister includes step-brothers, step-sisters, half-brothers, half-sisters and adopted brothers and sisters living at the same permanent address.

c) Other children who live in the catchment area* served by the school.

d) Children living outside the catchment area* served by the school with a brother or sister who currently attends the school and who will continue to do so on the date of admission. This criterion applies to all children who live outside the school catchment area but have a brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, half-brother, half-sister, adopted brother or sister who already attend the school requested and who will continue to do so on the date of admission and live at the same permanent address.

e) If after the application of the above over-subscription criteria, there are still places available; applicants will be prioritised by reference to the straight line distance. The straight line distance will be measured from the centre of the child’s residence to the centre of the school site, using a computerised mapping system. The shortest measurement will have the highest priority. This criterion will also be applied as a tie-break in criteria b, c and d if the academy is oversubscribed within these criteria. Where the final place can be taken by two or more applicants living an equal distance from the Academy, then the admissions number for that particular year only, will be raised accordingly to accommodate each of the applicants.

* The catchment area of the school can be obtained from the Academy upon request.

A pupil’s home address is considered to be a residential property that is the child’s only or main residence. Proof of permanent residence at the property concerned may be required. If an offer is made on the basis of an address that is subsequently found to be different from a child’s normal and permanent address, then that place may be liable to withdrawal.
Whilst the Academy will give priority to brother and / or sister connections in its policy for allocating places, in the case of over subscription there can be no guarantee that places will be available to all siblings. Where the final place in a year group is offered to one of twins or triplets etc the parent will decide which child takes up the place.

Post 16 admission criteria

The Academy operates a sixth form for a maximum of 300 students. The admission number to year 12 is 150 minus those pupils eligible to transfer from the Academy’s year 11. If the Academy is oversubscribed with those eligible to progress from its own year 11, the Academy will not admit any external applicants. When the sixth form is undersubscribed all applicants meeting the minimum entry requirements for sixth form will be admitted.
Both internal and external pupils wishing to enter the sixth form will be expected to have met the minimum academic entry requirements for the sixth form. These requirements will form part of the admission arrangements and so will be consulted upon and published in the Academy’s prospectus and in the LA’s composite admissions prospectus. In order to pursue their preferred courses both internal and external pupils will also be expected to meet the requirements for the course(s) for which they are applying. If either internal or external applicants fail to meet the minimum course requirements they will be given the option of pursuing any alternative courses for which they do meet the minimum requirements. These requirements will also be published annually in the Academy’s prospectus.
When there are more external applicants that satisfy any minimum course requirements, and once any statemented pupils whose statement names the Academy and which the Academy has agreed have been admitted, the oversubscription criteria will be applied.
There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for internal pupils refused transfer and external applicants refused admission.

Operation of waiting lists

Subject to any provisions regarding waiting lists in the LA’s co-ordinated admission scheme, the Academy will operate a waiting list. Where in any year the Sidney Stringer Academy receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate until 31st December of the same year (e.g. for applications for entry in 2012 the waiting list will operate until 31st December 2012) . This will be maintained by the Local authority and it will be open to any parent to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application. At the 31st December, the local authority will contact the parents advising them that their child’s name will be removed from the waiting list, unless they confirm directly with the Academy Trust that they wish for it to remain. This waiting list will then operate until the end of the school year.
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.

Arrangements for Admitting Pupils to Other Year Groups, Including to Replace any Pupils Who have Left the Sidney Stringer Academy

Subject to any provisions in the LA’s co-ordinated admission arrangements relating to applications submitted for years other than the normal year of entry, the Academy Trust will consider all such applications and if the year group applied for has a place available, admit the child unless one of the permitted reliefs apply. If more applications are received than there are places available, the child’s name will be placed upon the waiting list. Parents whose application is turned down shall be entitled to appeal.

Download the Draft Admission of Pupils (Annex B) Document