Admissions Policy

Admissions Policy
2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024

The Admissions Policy is also available in PDF Format here - - Issue date: February 2022

Policy Ethos

This policy reflects the aim of the Altus Education Partnership (AEP) to build a sense of pride in the academy, in the community and in Britain. This aim is reflected in the academy’s admissions policy which ensures that the academy is for the local community. The 11-16 academy is non-denominational and co-educational with 10 forms of entry to meet the local need and support the local authority to meet its statutory duty to provide a school place for every child. As an Academy, the Academy Trust (AEP) is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for taking decisions on applications for admissions. The Trust will use the local authority’s co-ordinated admissions scheme as the administrative means of admission to the academy.

In-Year Transfers

Parents/Carers who would like their child to transfer to Kingsway Park from another secondary school must complete an In-Year Transfer Application Form and return this to the School Admissions Team at Rochdale Local Authority. If places are available, children qualifying under the published admissions criteria will be admitted. If there are more applicants than places available, then the published oversubscription criteria listed below will be applied.

The Policy

Kingsway Park has an admission number of 270 students for entry in year 7
The academy will accordingly admit at least 270 Year 7 students each year if sufficient admissions / applications are received
All applicants will be admitted if there are 270 or fewer applications
If there are more than 270 applications the following oversubscription criteria will

apply in the following order:

Children with statements of Special Educational Needs or an Education Health and Care Plan. (EHCP)

Where students have a statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan that names this school, then Kingsway Park High School has a statutory duty to admit these students. This means that children with such a statement will be allocated a place at Kingsway Park High School before any other places are allocated to other students.

Children in the care of the Local Authority (Looked after Children – LAC)

Children who are in public care, or children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they became adopted or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order

Children with exceptional medical needs or exceptional welfare considerations which are directly relevant to Kingsway Park High School

Exceptional medical needs must be supported at the time of application by a letter from a GP, hospital consultant or other medical professional indicating how a student’s medical condition relates to the preference for Kingsway Park High School.

Exceptional welfare considerations (such as children at risk must be supported at the time of application by a letter from a supporting agency (e.g. Social Worker, Family Support Worker, Education Welfare officer) indicating how the circumstances relate to Kingsway Park High School. These criteria will consider issues relevant to the child and/or the family in line with the Equalities Act 2010. If exceptional medical or welfare grounds are claimed after the allocation procedure has been completed, it might not be possible to allocate a place at Kingsway Park High School under this priority.

Children with an older sibling attending the school at the time of admission

A sibling is defined as a brother or sister, stepbrother or stepsister, and half-brother or half-sister. A sibling must be living at the same address and not be a cousin or other relative. You may only claim this priority if your child has an older sibling who will be in attendance at Kingsway Park High School when your child starts in SEPTEMBER 2022.

Children eligible for service premium

Children eligible for admission under this priority are those where: -

One of their parents is serving in the regular armed forces
One of their parents served in the regular armed forces in the last 3 years
One of their parents dies while serving in the armed forces and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme (WPS)

Proximity and ease of access – where you live

Once places have been allocated using the criteria 1-5 then any remaining places are allocated on the basis of relative proximity and ease of access to Kingsway Park High School.

Distances will be determined by measuring the shortest suitable walking distance to Kingsway Park High School and deducting the shorter suitable walking distance to alternative schools. This figure will give the difference in distance that one child would have to travel compared to another, and so establish a priority ranking. This will mean that those living furthest from an alternative school will have priority for their nearest school. These schools will include all communities, voluntary controlled, foundation and academy schools whether in the Rochdale Borough or not.

It should be noted that in looking at ease of access bus routes are NOT used.

Children of staff at the school

Children are defined as son/daughter or stepson/stepdaughter
Any member of staff employed at the school at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made and/or
The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage

Allocation of places to twins/multiple births/same year group siblings

Where a single place remains at Kingsway Park High School and the application being considered is for twins or children from multiple births or same year groups siblings then a place will be offered ABOVE the PAN to accommodate each child.

The Right to Appeal

If an application for admission or a within year transfer request has been turned down by the Governing Body of Kingsway Park High School, then parents/carers can appeal to an Independent Appeals panel. This appeal must be made in writing to Rochdale Local Authority Legal Service Team within 20 school days of notification of refusal.

The decision of the appeals panel is binding on all parties.

Within year transfers and application outside the normal admission round in September

Parents/carers who would like their child to transfer to Kingsway Park High School from another school must complete a WITHIN YEAR transfer application form (Online) and return this to the school Admissions Team at Rochdale Local Authority. This form can be obtained from the local Authority or completed on its website.

If places are available, children qualifying under the published admission criteria will be admitted.

Kingsway Park High School will process these applications within 10 days of receipt.

Policy Review and Consultations

Kingsway Park High School Governing Body will review and approve the Admissions policy annually.

Consultation on admission arrangements will take place whenever there are significant changes to the policy or every 7 years if there are no significant change.

Consultation will be a minimum of 8 weeks and will take place between 1^st November and 1^st March in the academic year before the arrangements are to apply.

Tie-breaks

Proximity to Kingsway Park will first be applied if the school is oversubscribed in criteria above with those living closest to the academy having priority for admission. Applicants living nearest to the school will be given priority. Random allocation will be used as a tie-break to decide who has highest priority for admission if the distance between a child’s home and the academy is equidistant in any individual case. For random allocation the children’s names go into a hat (metaphorically) and the first ones drawn out by someone unconnected with the school get in. However, if children of multiple birth (twins and triplets) are tied for the final place, those siblings will be admitted over PAN.

Waiting lists

Where in any year Kingsway Park receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate.
This waiting list will be maintained by Kingsway Park High School, and it will be open to any parent to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application.
A students position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.
Where places become vacant, they will be allocated to students on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria
The waiting list will be reordered in accordance with the oversubscription criteria whenever anyone is added to or leaves it.

Appeals

All applicants refused a place have a right of appeal to an independent appeal panel constituted and operated in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code
Information on the appeals process is on our website.
If an application for admission or an In-year transfer request has been turned down by Kingsway Park High School, parents/carers can appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel. This appeal must be made in writing to Rochdale Local Authority Legal Services Team within 20 school days of notification of refusal. The date of notification of the appeal date will be shared with you and a decision following the appeal should be with you within two working days after posting by first class post. The decision of the appeals panel is binding on all parties.

RMBC School Admissions Team

Number One Riverside

Smith Street, Rochdale

OL16 1XU

Tel: 0300 303 0340

Email: school.admissions@rochdale.gov.uk

Website: http://www.rochdale.gov.uk RMBC Legal Services Team

School Admissions Appeals

Number One Riverside, Floor 2