Dear Visitor

It is a legal requirement for all school admission's authorities to consult on their 2010-2011 Admissions Proposals. Below is the proposed policy for Cookham Dean C.E. Aided primary School. Should you wish to comment on this policy you may do so before 28th February 2009. You may either add a comment here or send your comments to the school.

The Governors

COOKHAM DEAN CHURCH OF ENGLAND
AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL

ADMISSIONS POLICY
2010 – 2011

THE ADMISSION AUTHORITY

The admission authority for a Voluntary Aided school such as Cookham Dean is the Governing Body. Parents can express a preference for a school and give reasons for that preference. A common application form for admissions can be obtained from your Local Authority.

This policy complies with all statutory requirements and relevant legislation, including the School Admissions Code, infant class size and equal opportunities.

APPLICATIONS FOR FIRST TIME ADMISSION

This admissions policy relates to children born between 1st May 2005 and 30th April 2006. In general the school offers places for children to start school at the beginning of the term following its fifth birthday, as set out below:

– Birthday between 1st May and 31st August – the child will enter Year 1 in September 2010
– Birthday between 1st September and 31st December – the child will enter Foundation/Reception Year in January 2011
– Birthday between 1st January and 30th April – the child will enter Foundation/Reception Year in April 2011.

* To be in line with the policy of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, April born children have the choice of starting after Easter or in September, whichever the parents prefer. Any parent wishing to choose entry for the September once offered for the April intake, would have to reapply for the next academic year. Therefore please note that September 2011 places are allocated in the Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for 2011/12.

In order to balance the termly intakes throughout the year the school may offer children a “rising 5” place, with the child starting at the beginning of the term in which it has its fifth birthday. Parents reserve the right to accept or refuse this offer without any prejudice to the offer of a place at the standard entry time. Such an offer would only be made to children who have birthdays between 1st September 2005 and 31st March 2006.

Other applications for early admission may be considered when, to admit a child early, would be in the best interest of the child as recommended by an appropriate professional body (ie social worker, doctor etc).


RISING 5 ADMISSIONS
At the time of drafting this policy, the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead had agreed to start the consultation process with regards to adopting a Rising 5 admission policy across the borough. Once the consultation process has finished and if a rising 5 admission policy is formally adopted, Cookham Dean School plan to adopt the same admissions policy subject to appropriate consultation requirements. If this process is not completed within the statutory timescales the school will seek a variation to this policy from the School Adjudicator to allow for Rising 5s to be admitted. Should the LA’s policy on Rising 5s change, then entry in the academic year September 2010 - August 2011 will be open to all children born between 1st May 2005 and 31st August 2006.

Parents of Reception aged children (i.e. children starting school prior to statutory school age) may defer entry into the school until later in the same academic year. Children are admitted without reference to ability or aptitude. The number of intended admission for that year will be 20 for Reception aged children. The number of children to be admitted straight into year 1 will depend on the number of children admitted in to the Reception Year group under the 2009-2010 admission policy. The admission number for this group of children will be 20 less the number of children already admitted before 1st September 2010.

It is envisaged the following timetable will be followed:

Children born 1st May 2005-31st December 2005 will be admitted in September 2010.

Children born 1st January 2006 - 31st August 2006 will be admitted in January 2011

The closing date for all these children will be 8th January 2010.


APPLICATION DATE

Dates and processes of application will be in accordance with the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme. The details of which will be as published in the LA’s composite booklet on admissions.

The Governors will not reconsider an application for a child who has already been considered for a place in that academic year, unless there has been a material change in circumstances, for example a change of address giving a higher priority under the admission criteria for the school.

Late applications will be dealt with in line with the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme.

Admissions outside the normal entry point – often termed ‘casual admissions’ will be considered by the Admissions Committee and, where the relevant year group is below the Published Admission Number, the child will be offered a place in the relevant year group.


ADMISSION NUMBER

The school admits 20 pupils a year into Reception/Year 1 (please see section on Rising 5’s Admissions for clarification on the admission number should the Borough adopte a Rising 5 policy). The school admits a total of 22 pupils a year into Year 3, which includes any pupils in the infant department who reach Year 3 status at the start of the school year. The number of vacancies to be filled will depend on the number of children transferring to Year 3. Pupils already in the infant department, whose numbers could exceed the infant admission number of 20 in certain circumstances e.g as a result of successful appeals against non-admission, will automatically transfer into Year 3 before any remaining vacancies, if any, are filled.


ADMISSION CRITERIA

All children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming Cookham Dean CE Aided Primary School will be admitted regardless of whether places are available or not.
In the event of there being a greater demand for admissions than there are places available then places will be offered in the following order.

1) Looked after children (ie those in the care of the Local Authority.

2) Children of compulsory school age whose home address is in the area of the ecclesiastical parish of St John the Baptist, Cookham Dean. (A map of the parish showing boundaries is available in the school office).

3) Children of compulsory school age, having a brother or sister attending the school at the time of admission. (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.)

4) Children of compulsory school age whose parents choose the school on denominational grounds. The category is further sub-divided into:

4a) First Priority:
Children who are living outside the parish but with one or both parents being regular worshippers at St John the Baptist church, Cookham Dean. **
4b) Second Priority:
Children who are living outside the parish but with one or both parents being regular worshippers at another Church of England church. **
4c) Third priority:
Children who are living outside the parish but with one or both parents being regular worshippers at another Christian church. **
4d) Fourth Priority:
Children who are living outside the parish but with one or both parents being regular attendees at another place of worship. **

** Regular worshipper means attending services at least twice a month for the two years preceding the closing date for all applications under the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme.

NOTE: All applications for admission on denominational grounds will require a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to be completed. This form can be obtained from the school office and must be returned to Cookham Dean C.E. Aided Primary School no later than Friday 8th January 2010.

5) Children of compulsory school age with a strong claim on medical or social grounds for admission e.g. serious social problems in the family or any chronic medical condition affecting the pupil that only Cookham Dean CE Aided Primary School can deal with. An application under this category is subject to verification and requires supporting evidence from appropriate professional bodies (for example a letter from a registered health professional such as a doctor or a social worker). Such an application should be accompanied by a letter setting out the particular reasons why the school is the most suitable one and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. These documents should be supplied to Cookham Dean C.E. Aided Primary School no later than Friday 8th January 2010.

6) Children of compulsory school age whose parents have any other reasons for their choice.

IF NECESSARY, PRIORITY UNDER ANY ONE CATEGORY WILL BE MEASURED AS A STRAIGHT LINE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND THE SCHOOL USING A MATHEMATICAL FORMULA MAPPING SYSTEM BASED ON ORDNANCE SURVEY. THIS WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF WINDSOR AND MAIDENHEAD.

Proof of residency (e.g. Council Tax bill, utility bill etc) will be required upon the request of the Admissions Committee.


MULTIPLE BIRTHS

If children of a multiple birth fall either side of our admission number of 20 in order of priority, then all multiple birth children will be offered a place subject to Infant Class Size Prejudice legislation. Should Infant Class Size Prejudice legislation come into force by offering more than one child a place in a multiple birth then the children will be prioritised in alphabetical forename order.


FAIR ACCESS PROTOCOL

The Governors of Cookham Dean C.E. Aided Primary School subscribe to the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s Fair Access Protocol. The school will admit a child when directed to do so by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, even if the published admission number for that year group has already been met.


HUMAN RIGHTS/EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

No child will be disadvantaged under any of the above categories due to race, family circumstances, colour, gender, creed, special needs or behaviour.

There will be no priority given to a child because of other links with the school e.g. child of a previous pupil, past siblings, a child of a current or past employee of the school.

PREVIOUS ADMISSIONS

In the academic year 2008/9 the following children were admitted into Cookham Dean CE Aided Primary School in Year 1/Reception under the following categories:

Parish: 12 Siblings: 8

Through the coordinated admissions scheme there were 96 applications. 4 of these not offered places appealed against the decision. 3 of these appeals were successful so that 23 children were admitted during the year. A further 3 children requested to be placed on the waiting list.


WAITING LIST

The school will operate a waiting list for those children not offered a place in accordance with the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenheads Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme. Parent/s may elect to place their child on the waiting list but must ask to have their child’s name recorded. The order of priority on the waiting list is the same as the Admission Criteria stated above. No account can be taken of the length of time a child is on the waiting list. The school will periodically seek confirmation that parents wish a child to remain on the waiting list.

RIGHT TO APPEAL

There are established arrangements for appeals if a place is refused. Details are available from the school. It should be noted that, in the event of an unsuccessful appeal against non-admission to the school, the Governors will not consider any further application for that child in the same academic year (1st September 2010 – 31st August 2011) unless there has been a material change in circumstances such as a change of address giving a higher priority under the admission criteria for the school.


FURTHER INFORMATION

If you require further information please contact:

Mrs C. McCaffrey School Administrator or
Mrs P. Thompson (Headteacher)

Cookham Dean CE Aided Primary School,
Bigfrith Lane,
Cookham Dean,
Berkshire,
SL6 9PH

Telephone: 01628 482734


GLOSSARY

Parent(s) - A parent is any person who has parental responsibility for or is the legal
guardian of the child.

Late applications - those received after the LA published date for receipt of applications but before any offer of places are made

Casual - Relates to people moving into the catchment area or simply wishing to transfer from another school with an application made outside of the stated time frame. This applies to all year groups.

Looked After Children - Children in the care of a local authority.

Infant Class Size Prejudice - Legislation states that no more than 30 children are taught in an infant class.

Home Address - Place where the child resides for the majority of the time i.e. during the school week. In the case of a rented property evidence of a minimum of a 12 month lease is required from the time the child starts school.