Admissions
Joining Our School
Wisbech St. Mary Church of England Academy welcomes your child to our School and looks forward to our partnership in his or her education and our community. We feel sure that your child will settle in quickly and feel happy and secure.
We like parents to get to know our school and hope you will take the opportunities available for visits, discussions, involvement in classrooms, and fundraising. This will help to build the mutual understanding that leads to a successful partnership between home and school.
The booklet below contains information regarding school organisation and teaching programmes, as well as routines and procedures that are in place.
If you would like to look round the school, or talk to the staff or myself, please make an appointment through our Office Manager, Mrs Embling.
At Wisbech St. Mary Church of England Academy we operate an open door policy. We want everyone to feel valued and welcome in our school community.
Miss J Lynch
Headteacher
How Places Are Offered
For admission into Reception each September, the LA, on behalf of the Governing Body, will offer places to up to a set number of children. This is the Published Admission Number (PAN) for that year group.
In the event that more applications than the PAN are received, the oversubscription criteria will be applied to determine priority for places. Both preferences are treated equally, regardless of whether they are first or second preference
Over-subscription Criteria
Following the allocation of places to pupils who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school as the appropriate provision, when there are more applications for places than there are places available, priority will be given in the following order:
- Children in Care, also known as Looked After Children (LAC), and children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so by reason of adoption, a residence order (now known as a child arrangement order) or special guardianship order.
- Children living in the catchment area1 with a sibling at the school at the time of admission; for definitions of measurement please see the glossary of terms in the County Admissions booklet.
- Children living in the catchment area;
- Children living outside the catchment area who have a sibling at the school at the time of admission.
- Children living outside the catchment area, but nearest the school according to the shortest straight line distance.
NB: those children with a statement of SEN / EHCP that does not name the school will be referred to the Statutory Assessment Team (SAT) to determine an appropriate place.
Where the Academy has more children applying than places remaining in any of the categories above, a distance tie break will be used to determine priority. Priority will be given to children living nearest the school by shortest straight line distance.
In criteria 4 and 5, priority in a tie-break will be given to children living nearest the school according to the shortest straight line distance. The distance is measured using a straight line from the centre point of the home to the centre point of the school as determined by the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).
Reserve Lists
When an application is refused, the child’s details are automatically placed on a reserve list for the year group, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria.
As part of the co-ordinated scheme for primary admissions, the LA Admissions Team holds the initial reserve list on behalf of the governing body until the end of the first week of the autumn term in the initial year of intake.
If A Place Opens Up
Parents will be contacted immediately if a place becomes available for their child, but should be aware that their child’s place on a reserve list may change if an application is subsequently received that meets a higher criterion than their own.
The governing body then manages the reserve list until the end of the autumn term.
Mid-Phase Applications
Where mid-phase applications are received, children’s details will be automatically placed on a reserve list for the year group, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria.
Reserve lists will be held for a period of one term following the term for which the place was refused.
Appeals
The parent of any child who is refused a place at a VA or F Primary School has a right of appeal to an independent Appeals Panel. The panel consists of three people who are independent of the school’s Governing Body and the Local Education Authority.
The panel will consider the circumstances of the case put before them and the Governing Body and parents must abide by the decision it makes.
Appeals for VA or F Primary School are currently arranged by the LA Admissions Team on behalf of the Governing Body. Further information and appeal forms are available from the Admissions Team.
Infant Class Size Review
Please note that where a child is refused a place in an infant class because of the requirement to limit class size to 30 children, parents have the right to have their decision reviewed. This process is very similar to an appeal, but the circumstances in which the panel can find in the parents favour are limited by law. For further information, please contact the school office or the LA Admissions Team.
Definitions
For the purpose of admission to the school, the Governing Body has adopted the LA’s definitions of parent, sibling and home address. Details of these can be found at the back of the LA’s admission booklet for parents.
Applications made under the religious criteria
All parents wishing to apply under the school’s religious criteria must also provide a letter from their parish priest, minister or religious leader confirming the family is known and involved in the life of the church or worshipping community.
This must be returned to the school by the LA application deadline or, for mid-phase applications, at the same time as the school’s application form is submitted.
This letter will define which admission group the child fits into (please see list above).
