Applications to attend any of the academies in Waycroft MAT are welcomed from all families.
The Trustees of the MAT are responsible for their own Admission Policy and arrangements are in line with the Admissions Code of Practice and the Bristol City Council Coordinated Admissions Schemes.
Pupils will normally be admitted at age 4 in Waycroft and Woodlands and 7 in Wicklea in the September of the school year during which they reach their fifth or seventh birthday. Parents have the right to defer their child’s admission to the start of any subsequent term up to and including the term after their child reaches the age of 5, providing the offer of a place has been made and accepted during the normal admissions round.
All parents and carers must complete the common application form for the Local Authority in which the child is resident, known as the “home” Local Authority.
Applications for Reception places for children resident in Bristol must be made on the Bristol common application form. The Local Authority will take all reasonable steps to ensure that every parent and carer of a child of Reception year age and a resident of Bristol will receive information about the coordinated admissions scheme. The application form may be used to express a preference for any school in Bristol or another Local Authority. The common application form cannot be used to express a preference for an independent school.
Applications for places at schools in Bristol made by parents and carers of children residing outside the Bristol Local Authority area will be made on a common application form issued to them by the Local Authority in which they are resident, known as the “home” Local Authority. The home Local Authority will notify Bristol Local Authority of applications received for schools in Bristol. Bristol will inform the relevant Local Authority of any applications received for Bristol resident children for schools outside Bristol.
Bristol uses a standard Common Application Form for all schools including academies for children resident in Bristol. This is available from early September.
The closing date for applications (which must be submitted to the Local Authority on the Common Application Form) will be 15th January 2024. Applications submitted after the closing date will be considered as “late” applications and will be dealt with at a later stage when all “on-time” applications have been processed. In very exceptional circumstances e.g. illness of a lone parent, a “late” application may be considered as “on-time” if the application is made before 29th January 2024, the date the authority exchanges application details with other admission authorities.
Bristol will not accept more than one address as the child’s home address. Where a child regularly lives at more than one address the Local Authority will have to reach a conclusion about which should be counted as the main address when allocating places. This will normally be the address where he child is registered with a medical GP. Where parents are living separately and do not agree on the child’s home address, they are urged to reach agreement. If this does not happen Bristol will determine the address used for allocating a school place.
Parents and carers must inform Bristol of any change of address as soon as possible. Failure to do so may result in any offer of a place being withdrawn. Documentary evidence will be required before any change is accepted. Examples of independent confirmation of a change of address are a solicitor’s letter confirming the exchange of contracts with a completion date, or a tenancy agreement signed by both parties.
The final date for changes of address to be accepted, for the initial round of allocations, will be 19th January 2024. Changes received after this date will be taken into account of any subsequent allocations.
The Local Authority will send details of applications for schools outside Bristol to the relevant Local Authorities by 29th January 2024. Details of applications for own admission authority schools in Bristol will be sent to the relevant schools by 2nd February 2024.
The LA will draw up a list of children who will be admitted to one of the MAT academies checking that parents are given their highest possible preference. If the Academy is oversubscribed Bristol will use the oversubscription criteria as specified later in this policy.
The LA will send offer letters to parents on the National Offer Day 16th April 2024 on behalf of the Academy.
By 25th March 2024 Bristol Local Authority will inform other Local Authorities of the initial outcome of applications by their residents for schools in Bristol. Other Local Authorities will inform Bristol of the initial outcome of applications for schools in their area by Bristol residents by the same date.
Where the child is not eligible for a place at any of the nominated schools, Bristol Local Authority will consider how to place them in a school within its area giving regard to any reasons expressed by the parent or carer for their (unsuccessful) preferences. This may include approaching other admission authorities in Bristol with vacancies should this be appropriate.
By 25th March 2024, Bristol Local Authority will send electronically to its neighbouring Local Authorities the final list of pupils to be allocated places.
On 16 April 2024, the Local Authority will make the offer of one place at a primary or infant school to the parents and carers of children due to start school in September 2024. Parents and carers will be notified of the outcome of their application by 1st class post or e-mail.
Parents and carers not offered a place for their child at their preferred school(s) will be offered a place at a school with a place available.
All parents and carers refused a place for their child at any preferred school will be informed of their other options at that stage, including their right of appeal.
Parents and carers will be requested to respond to the offer of a place direct to the Local Authority by 30th April 2024.
On time appeals need to be submitted by 3 June 2024.
Any change in preference received before the closing time and date will override all previous applications which will be withdrawn.
Applications received after the closing date given above will not be considered until all on-time applications have been assessed according to the priority criteria below.
For undersubscribed schools, late applicants will be offered a school place on 16 April 2024, or as soon as possible after that date. Applications received after the submission date will be dealt with in order of date of receipt in School Admissions.
If any undersubscribed school becomes full, any places which subsequently become available will be offered to any late applicants by applying the published admissions criteria.
On-time appeals where Bristol City Council presents appeals for schools or academies need to be submitted by 3rd June 2024.
All parents and carers may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group.
In addition, the parents and carers of a summer born child (children born between 1 April and 31 August) may choose not to send their child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted to reception rather than year 1.
Where Parents and carers wish to make an application for a place outside of their normal age group an application must be made by 15th January 2024, together with written reasons for wishing to delay admission. Parents and carers will receive the response to their request before primary national offer day of 16 April 2024.
Decisions are made on an individual basis, in the best interests of the child. When making the decision the Multi Academy Trust will take account the views of; parents, professionals (E.g. medical) together with information concerning academic, social and emotional development.
If the request is refused, the parents or carers must decide whether to accept the offer of a place for the normal age group, or to refuse it and make an in-year application for admission to Year 1 for the September following the child’s fifth birthday.
The statutory right of appeal does not apply if a place is offered at the preferred school but not in the preferred age group.
The oversubscription criteria are as follows:
Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan follow the transfer arrangements set out in the SEN Code of Practice and associated regulations and are not subject to the general admission arrangements.
Other children without a Statement of SEN/Education, Health and Care Plan will be subject to the general admission arrangement.
Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner where the child for whom the school place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling.
Each individual Academy is responsible for co-ordinating all in-year admissions. An application form will need to be completed for children wishing to apply after the normal admissions round, or for years other than Reception. This form must be completed online on the academy website of the Academy applied for. The Academy will then inform the parent/guardian of the decision. Parents/carers applying for places in an oversubscribed school will be informed of their right of appeal.
Where a place at the Academy of choice cannot be offered, parents/carers will be able to request that their child’s name is placed on a waiting list.
Where an application is received the child’s name will be retained on the Academy waiting list until the end of the academic year. If a place becomes available at the school, the place will be offered in accordance with the published oversubscription criteria and not the length of time a child’s name has been on a waiting list. Names will be removed from the lists if requested or if the offer of a place that becomes available is not accepted. Positions on waiting lists may change due to new applications received.
Placing a child’s name on a waiting list does not affect the parents’ right of appeal against an unsuccessful application.
Parents have a right of appeal to an independent panel against any decision made by the Trustees regarding the admission of their child.
Information about the appeal procedure will be provided where a place at Waycroft MAT has been refused. Please read this in conjunction with Bristol City Council Admissions Policies which give further information including When the academy has the right to withdraw an offered place.
Contacts:
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