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Admission arrangements

Note: These admission arrangements are for Year 7, September 2011

Places on offer

1. The Saint Paul's Academy plan to admit 240 students in Year 7 for the year 2011/2012.

Consideration of applications

2. The Saint Paul's Academy will consider all applications for places. Where fewer applications are received than the agreed admissions number, the Academy will offer places to all those who have applied.

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2 above, the Saint Paul's Academy may refuse admission to particular applicants in cases where fewer than the Published Admission Number have applied. These are applicants who have been excluded from two or more other schools and the ability to refuse admissions runs for a period of two years from the last exclusion. Exclusions, which took place before the child concerned reached compulsory school age, do not count for this purpose.
Procedures where the Academy is oversubscribed

4. Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the published admissions number, applications will be considered against the criteria set out below. After the admission of pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs where the Saintt Paul's Academy is named on the statement, applicants will be considered as set out in clauses 5, and 6 below.

5. When the number of applications for admission is greater than the published admissions number, the oversubscription criteria set out in clause 6 will be applied.

6. There will be two categories of entrant to the Academy:

a) Catholic and other faith entrants

Applicants applying for a place under this category should complete a Supplementary Information Form. Applications made without a completed SIF will be considered as an application for a community place.

Up to 160 of the remaining places, subject to the number of Catholic Entrants admitted with statements of Special Educational Need, will be available Catholic Entrants, who will be considered according to the following criteria, in order of priority:

i. Children in public care who are baptised Catholics or looked after by Catholic families.

ii. Baptised Catholic children from families where at least one parent/guardian/carer or the child is a practising Catholic and, who at the time of their application, resides (+) in the following local parishes:

  • Holy Cross, Plumstead Common
  • Our Lady of Grace Charlton
  • Our Lady Star of the Sea Greenwich
  • Saint Benet's Abbey Wood
  • Saint David's Abbey Wood
  • Saint John Fisher, Kidbrooke
  • Saint John Fisher, Thamesmead South
  • Saint Joseph's, Greenwich
  • Saint Joseph's, Shooters Hill
  • Saint Patrick's, Plumstead
  • Saint Paul's Thamesmead Central
  • Saint Peter's, Woolwich
  • Saint Stephen's, Welling
  • Saint Thomas More, Bostall Park

(Parish boundaries are available upon request from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark).

Practising Catholic is defined by frequency of Mass attendance as shown on the SIF. Applicants will be ranked weekly, fortnightly, monthly, occasionally, with those ranked weekly being given the highest priority.

iii. Baptised Catholic children from families where at least one parent/guardian/carer or the child is a practising Catholic and, who at the time of their application, live in parishes other than those named in 2 above. If there is oversubscription in this category, priority will be given on levels of mass attendance as indicated by the Parish Priest or his named representative.

iv. Other baptised Catholic children.

v. Children enrolled in the catechumenate where there is support from a Parish Priest or his named representative;

vi. Children of other faiths who are in public care;

vii. Baptised Eastern Orthodox children;

viii. Children of other Christian denominations whose applications are supported by a Minister of Religion of a designated place of worship;

ix. Children of other faiths whose applications are supported by a statement from the religious leader of a designated place of worship.

Notes: Under each of the above criteria, priority will be given in order to applicants who:

  • Have siblings(*) at the Academy at the proposed date of admission of the applicant;
  • Have a professionally supported medical, social or special educational need for whom it is essential to be admitted to the Academy as determined under arrangements agreed from time to time and published by the Governing Body.

b) Community entrants

Up to 80 of the remaining places, subject to the number of Community Entrants admitted with statements of Special Educational Need will be available to Community Entrants, who will be considered according to the following criteria, in order of priority:

i. Children in public care;

ii. Children, who have a professionally supported medical, social or special educational need for whom it is essential to be admitted to the Academy as determined under arrangements agreed and published by the Governing Body;

iii. Children who are the siblings(*) of pupils at the Academy at the date of admission of the applicant;

iv. Those who live closest to the main entrance of the site for the new Academy measured in a straight line using the Greenwich GIS system.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Clause 5, the Secretary of State may direct the Academy to admit a named pupil on application from an LEA. The Secretary of State shall, in such circumstances, consult the Academy before making such a direction.

Additional information

7. The following sub-criteria will be used to determine the rank order of applicants:

  • The presence of sibling(s) who will be attending the school at the time of the child's admission. The term 'sibling' here means children who live as brother and sister, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers or sisters.
  • Serious medical grounds supported by a consultant's letter at the time of application, considered at the discretion of the Governing Body. This supporting evidence should set out the particular reasons why this school is the most suitable and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school.
  • Proximity to the school, measured by the shortest distance (ie straight line as determined by the Greenwich LA GIS system) from the front door of the child's home to the front door of the main school building.

Arrangements for appeals panels

8. The arrangements for appeals will be in line with the Code of Practice on School Admission Appeals published by the Department for Education and Skills as it applies to Foundation and Voluntary Aided Schools.

9. Parents will have the right of to an Independent Appeals Panel if they are dissatisfied with an admission decision of St Paul's Academy.

(+): resides refers to the permanent home address at which the child lives for the majority of his/ her time and with the parent who is in receipt of benefit.

(*): Sibling, blood relative, step siblings, adopted & fostered siblings living at the same addres.

Waiting list

10. Unsuccessful applicants will automatically be placed on the waiting list. Should a vacancy occur, the Governing Body will apply the above Admissions Criteria to determine who should be offered a place. Names will remain on the waiting list until the end of the academic year 2010/11.

11. Parents/guardians wishing to remain on the waiting list must put this in writing at the start of each subsequent academic year (addressed to The Clerk to the Governing Body c/o the school) when they will be considered alongside all those on the waiting list should a vacancy arise.
In year admissions

The above Admissions Criteria will apply to determine the prioritisation of such applications.