Admissions Policy for Plume School from September 2013

 

ADMISSION POLICY FOR PLUME SCHOOL (MALDON’S COMMUNITY ACADEMY)

FROM SEPTEMBER 2013

 

General Principles

The main principle of admission to Plume School is to maintain the character of the school as a comprehensive school, providing for the needs of young persons within the 11 - 18 age range who live in Maldon and the surrounding areas and who are able to benefit from the educational provision offered at the school.  There is no guarantee of a place for applicants living in our priority admission area as defined below. 

 

The school will endeavour to provide places for applicants who live both in and out of our priority admission area whose parents wish them to attend Plume School, provided that they can be accommodated within the agreed admission limits and that the school can provide an education appropriate to their needs.

 

Pupils will be admitted at the age of 11+ without reference to ability or aptitude using the following criteria.  The number intended to admit in September 2012 will be 295.

 

Plume School participates in the Local Authority co-ordinated scheme and all deadlines within that should be adhered to by applicants.

 

Admission to Plume School is not dependent on any ‘voluntary’ contribution.

 

As required by the Regulations of 2005 top priority will be given to applications on behalf of children in public care (Children in Care)

 

Definitions of Priority admission area

 

Applicants living within the following areas at the time of application and determination will be given priority admission at the school providing an application form is received by the closing date.

 

Goldhanger	Purleigh
Great Totham	Tollesbury
Hazeleigh	Tolleshunt D’Arcy
Heybridge	Tolleshunt Major
Heybridge Basin	Wickham Bishops
Langford	Woodham Mortimer
Little Totham	Woodham Walter
Maldon
Mundon

 

Sibling

By sibling we mean:

• Children living at the same address who have one or both parents in common
• Children living at the same address who are related by a parent’s marriage
• Children living at the same address whose parents are living as partners at this address
• ‘Cousins’ are not included in our definition of sibling

Home address

 

Proof of residence will be required by the co-ordinated scheme.  The offer of a place may be withdrawn if proof of residency is not met.

 

Where a child lives part of the week with one parent and part with another member of the family, the ‘home address’ will be considered to be the residence where the child spends at least three nights of the school week each term time week.

 

Oversubscription

 

Where applications for admissions exceed the number of places available, the following criteria will be applied in the order set out below:

1. Looked after children
2. Children residing in the priority admission area with a sibling attending the school at the time of the application and determination with a reasonable expectation that the elder sibling will be attending Plume school at the time of the new academic year
3. Children residing in the priority admission area
4. Children residing outside the priority admission area with a sibling attending the school at the time of the application and determination with a reasonable expectation that the elder sibling will be attending Plume school at the time of the new academic year
5. Children residing outside the priority admission area

Tie-breaker

 

In the event of oversubscription in any category above, priority will be determined by the proximity of the child’s home to Plume School using a straight line distance from the main entrance of the school in Fambridge Road to the main door of the residence, with those living nearest given priority.  The LA includes this measurement as part of the co-ordinated scheme correct to 3 decimal places.

 

Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming the Plume school may override the above.

 

Waiting Lists

 

The school will maintain a waiting after the 1st September and is required to do so for the first term for Year 7.  Applications for inclusion on a waiting list must be made on the school’s appropriate form and they will be ranked according to our oversubscription criteria as described above.  The school has to admit any pupil who is the subject of a ‘direction’ by the LA or allocated according to the local Fair Access Protocol.  Any such pupils take precedence over the Waiting List.

 

We maintain Waiting Lists for all ‘full’ year groups.

 

Mid-Year Admissions

 

Admissions for all other year groups will be dealt with in accordance with this policy.

 

Appeals

 

If a place at our school is not offered, parents have the right to appeal to an independent panel.  Appeal papers will normally be sent out with offer letters to all those parents who were offered a school lower on their preference list than their first choice school.   These should be headed returned to the Clerk to the Appeal Panel c/o the school.  The closing date on the appeal application form must be adhered to.  If you are in any doubt please contact the school and we will send you appeal forms.

 

For Admission Year 6 into 7, all appeals should be heard by the same panel and it is difficult to slot in late applications.  Appeals will be heard before 6th July or the first working day afterwards if the 6th is a weekend.