ANNEX 3

CO-ORDINATED ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS IN OXFORDSHIRE

PROPOSED ADMISSION RULES FOR COMMUNITY AND 
VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN 2005

Introduction

Parents/carers will be able to list up to three maintained schools on the common application form.

Each preference will be considered as a separate application.

If there are more applications than places available at the school, all applications will be considered against the published admission rules for that school, irrespective of the preference expressed.

If a child meets the admission rules for more than one of the preferred schools a place will be made available at the highest ranked of the schools that could be offered. This avoids the possibility of multiple offers to some children while others receive no offer of a place.

Unfortunately the County Council cannot guarantee that a child will receive a place at one of the schools for which a parent/carer has expressed a preference.

The Admissions Rules

The admission rules are given below in descending order of priority.

1. 	Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs that names the school in Part 4 of the Statement. 

2.	 Looked After Children for whom there is an agreement between a designated officer acting on behalf of the County Council as Corporate Parent and a designated officer of the LEA that the school will more appropriately meet the child’s needs than the child’s catchment school.

3.	Disabled children who need to be admitted to an accessible school. The definition of disability is that contained within the Disability Discrimination Act as amended.

4. 	Children living in the school’s designated catchment area. If there are more applicants than places in this category priority will be given in the following descending order:

(a)	First priority in category 4 will go to those children who have siblings already at the school. However, if there are more applicants than places in category 4(a) priority will be given, within this group, to those children who live closest to the school using the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate for Learning and Culture’s Geographic Information System. 
 
(b)	Second priority in category 4 will go to those children who live closest to the school by the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate for Learning & Culture’s Geographic Information System.

5.	Children living outside the designated catchment area who have siblings who already attend the preferred school. If there are more applicants than places in this category priority will be given within this group to children who live closest to the school by the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate for Learning & Culture’s Geographic Information System.

6.	Children who attend a Foundation Stage Unit attached to the school or a Partner Foundation Stage Unit. If there are more applicants than places in this category priority will be given to those children within this group who live closest to the school by the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate for Learning & Culture’s Geographic Information System.

7.	Those children who live closest to the school by the nearest designated public route as defined on the Directorate for Learning & Culture’s Geographic Information System.

In- Year (Casual) Admissions, Years F1 to Year 6 inclusive

The Code of Practice on Admissions recommends the adoption of strategies that allow all schools to admit a more even share of children with difficulties.  In accordance with this guidance one additional place in each year group may be made available to children in groups judged to be at significant risk of underachievement. These groups are shown below:

•	Children “Looked After” by Oxfordshire County Council

•	Children permanently excluded from another school or at significant risk of permanent exclusion

•	Traveller children

•	Child refugees/asylum seekers

Where necessary these children will be admitted above the admission number that applied to the year group at entry to F1. 

Continued Interest Lists

Parents/carers will be able to place their children’s names on the continued interest list for a community or voluntary controlled school.

These lists will be discontinued at the end of the F1year in the case of infant and JMI schools. In the case of admissions to junior schools continued interest lists will be discontinued on 30 September 2005.

No continued interest lists will be maintained for any other type of transfer or year group.