Admissions

St Andrew’s C of E (VC) Primary School

Great Yeldham

 Admissions Policy

General Principles

  • Admissions to the School will not be influenced in any way on the grounds of race, religion, gender, ability, disability or social status.
  • It is recognised that the physical structure of the available accommodation dictates that the School will be organised as mixed year group classes with the Admissions Number (see below) of children in each year group.
  • The Admission Number for the school is 20. The Admission Number refers to the maximum number of children who may be admitted to a year group. The Admission Number is decided following consultation with education authorities.  The number relates to the assessed capacity of the school.  Parents wishing for a place at our St Andrew’s should contact the school office through admin@st-andrews.essex.sch.uk or 01787 237235 during school hours, for further details.

Special Educational Needs

  • The School recognises fully it’s responsibilities to admit children with special educational needs, except where the County Council decides that for a child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs, the school is not an appropriate placement.  The school also accepts fully its responsibility under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Admissions to Reception/Early Years

  • All children start full time in the September of the academic year in which they are five, if their parents so wish.  They will  enter the Early Years class and follow the curriculum as specified in the ‘Early Learning Goals’.  St Andrew’s includes a part time induction period of 2 weeks, for the Spring and Summer born children.

Admissions Procedure

There is no guarantee of a place for children living in priority admissions area.  In the event of over subscription places will be allocated using the following criteria in the order given:

  1.     children looked after;
  2.     children living in the catchment priority admissions area with a sibling attending the school; 
  3.     other children living in the priority admissions area;
  4.     children living outside the priority admissions area with a sibling  attending the school;
  5.     remaining applications.

In the event of oversubscription within any of the above criteria, priority will be determined by straight line distance from home to school, those living closest being given the highest priority.

Exceptional medical circumstances (supported by medical evidence) may override the above.

Agreement for children living in the priority admission area

The LA may offer places above the published admission number (during and after the normal time of admission) in the following exceptional circumstances:

  1. for infant classes at the class size limit: if the next nearest school with a space is not within a reasonable distance of the home address; or
  2. for junior classes or where the admission would not breach the infant class size limit: if the journey to the next nearest school with a space is not reasonable in terms of distance, accessibility or cost.

Children who live outside the Priority Admissions Area

If places remain after admission of priority children, children living outside the designated priority area will then be in the same priority as for priority admissions children (see above).
Appeal Mechanism

Where parents are unsuccessful securing a place at their preferred school the following arrangements for an appeal within the terms of the 2002 Education Act apply:

Parents have the right to appeal against admission decisions to an Independent Appeal Panel.  Information about how to appeal against a refusal of a school place will be sent with the offer pack.   Notice of appeal should be sent to the Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel, PO Box 11, Chelmsford, CM1 1LX.