Determined Admission Policy for September 2012 to August 2013

The Cathedral is a Catholic Primary School provided by the Diocese of Lancaster and maintained by Lancashire Local Authority as a voluntary aided primary school.

The Governing Body is the admissions authority and is responsible for taking decisions on applicants for admission.

The Governors welcome applications from Catholic and non-Catholic parents who would like their children educated within the aims and ethos of The Cathedral Catholic School.

The Cathedral is a Catholic Primary School in which the Catholic faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church are important aspects of school life and influence the school curriculum.

We ask all parents applying for a place here to respect this ethos and its importance to the school community. This does not affect the right of parents who are not of the faith of this school to apply for and be considered for a place here.

The Governing Body is responsible for admissions within the requirements of the law. In doing so, the Governing Body has regard for:

1. The Advice of the Diocesan Trustees on the nature and purpose of Catholic Schools.
2. The Governing Body's responsibility towards the school and the Catholic community it serves.

The Catholic character of the school and its Mission Statement.

The Governing Body Admissions Committee is comprised of the following governors: e.g. Chair of Governors, Parish Priest, Headteacher, Chair of Pupils Committee.

It is the duty of the Governors to comply with class size limits at Key Stage One. This means that the school cannot operate classes in Key Stage One of more than 30 children. No more than 30 children will be admitted to any one reception or infant class.

For September 2011 the Admission Number for The Cathedral Catholic Primary was 30. A total of 25 applications were received by the closing date.

• 17 Applicants were admitted under criterion B
• 2 Were admitted under criterion E
• 8 Were admitted under criterion H

The Governing Body has set the planned admissions number for September 2012 at 30.
The Local Authority and other parties required by law have been consulted on this.

Arrangements for Admission in September 2012.
Applications for a place at the school should be made on the Local Authority common application form or online and returned to the Local Authority no later than 15th January 2012.

Parents must complete the common application form available from the Local Authority. Parents who wish their application to this Catholic school to be considered against the priority faith criteria should also complete the school's Supplementary Information Form. If the school is oversubscribed, failure to complete the supplementary form may result in your application for a place in this school being considered against lower priority criteria, as the Governing Body will have no information upon which to assess the application on the basis of the applicant's baptism.

The supplementary information form should be returned to the school by Friday 15th January 2012.

Each Roman Catholic applicant will be required to produce a baptismal certificate or other evidence of baptism.

The admissions committee of the Governing Body will consider all applications at the same time after the given closing date.

Parents or guardians will be informed of the outcome of their application in writing by the Local Authority on 23rd April 2012.

As required by law, all children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming the school will be admitted before the application of the oversubscription criteria.

Oversubscription Criteria
The Governors will admit up to 30 children in September 2012. if the number of applications for admission exceeds the places available, children will be admitted subject to the following criteria which will be used to form a priority order.

1. Baptised Catholic children in public care.
2. Baptised Catholic children who live in the parishes of the Cathedral, St Thomas More, and Hornby with a sibling in the school at the time of expected admission.
3. Other Baptised Catholic children who live in the parishes of the Cathedral, St Thomas More and Hornby.
4. Other Baptised Catholic children with a sibling in the school at the time of expected admission.
5. Other Baptised Catholic children.
6. Other children who are in public care.
7. Other children with a sibling in the school at the time of expected admission.
8. Other children.

In the event of oversubscription in any of the above criteria places will be allocated according to the following tie breaker criterion:

Applicants living nearest to the school. The distance between an applicant's home and school is measured as a straight line from the Ordinance Survey address point of the home address to the main entrance of the school. The Ordinance Survey address point is a point within the boundary of the property and is usually located at its centre. Distances are measured using the Council' Geographic Information System. In the event of a tied distance measurement between address points the Local Authority's system of a random draw will determine which address(es) receive the offer(s)

Explanatory Notes

Children in Public Care
This means a child who is looked after by a local authority in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989. This is a child in public care who is in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by that authority.

Siblings
Sibling refers to full brothers and sisters, half brothers or sisters, adopted brothers or sisters, or the child of the parent/carer's partner where the child for whom the place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling. Stepchildren or foster children who live at the same address are also classed as siblings.

Address of Pupil
The address used on the school's admission form must be the current one at the time of application. If the address changes subsequently, the parents should notify the school. In some cases, for example, where shared parental living arrangements are in place, a child's address may be difficult to determine. In these circumstances, the address used for child benefit purposes, i.e. the address of the parent claiming the child benefit, will be used.

If you are moving house and applying for the school and it is not oversubscribed, using your new address may not be a problem. In the event of oversubscription it may be possible to consider your application on the basis of an address you are intending to move to. You must be resident at a specific address and not just a stated intention to move to an area. You must provide evidence that you have exchanged contracts on a house or have an offer of a tenancy on a property in which you intend to live and which will be in place when your child would start at the school. This evidence must be submitted as soon as possible and no later than the deadline of 15th January 2012. Further evidence e.g. utility bills will also need to be submitted by 15th January 2012.

Multiple Births
Where there are twins or multiple birth children wanting admission and there is only one single place left within the admission number, then the Governing Body will exercise as much flexibility as possible within the requirements of infant class sizes. If places for both twins or all triplets, etc cannot be offered, the family will be advised accordingly. This may also apply to siblings who are in the same year group. If only a single place can be offered then it will be up to the parents to decide if they wish to accept the place offered.

Late Application
Applications received after the closing date of 15th January 2012 will be treated as late applications. Only in exceptional circumstances, and where appropriate evidence is provided, will applications received after the closing date (but before offers of places have been made) be considered alongside those received on time.

Fraudulent Applications
Where the Governing Body discovers that a child has been awarded a place as a result of an intentionally misle4ading application from a parent, for example, where a false address has been provided, then the Governing Body is required to withdraw the offer of a place. The application will then be considered afresh and a right of appeal offered if a place is refused.

Waiting List
A waiting list for children who have not been offered a place will be kept and will be ranked according to the admissions criteria. Parents/guardians are invited to contact the school if they wish to be informed of their child's position on the waiting list. The waiting list will be closed at the end of the Autumn term.

Appeal Arrangements
If an application for admission has been turned down by the governing body parents can appeal to a independent appeals panel. This appeal should be sent in writing to the clerk to the governors at the school within 14 days of notification of refusal. The date of notification will be considered to be 2 working days after posting by first class post of the refusal to offer a place. The parents must give their reasons for appealing in writing. The decision of the appeal panel is binding on the parents and on the governing body.

In Year/Mid year/ Non Routine/ Casual Admissions
All parents requesting a school place, either because they are new to Lancaster or because they are wishing to transfer schools within Lancaster during the school year will be required to complete the relevant Local Authority Application Form.

Parents who wish their application to this Catholic school to be considered against the priority faith criteria should also complete the school's Supplementary Form and return it directly to the school. If the school is oversubscribed with mid year applications at the time of requested admission, failure to complete the Supplementary Information Form may result in your application for a place in this school being considered against lower priority criteria.

The admission of all students to Lancaster schools will be co-ordinated by the Lancaster Local Authority, in line with recent changes in legislation.

Deferred Admission
If your child is due to start school during the next academic year, it is important that you apply for a place in September. If your child's fifth birthday is between the months of September and December, then, if you wish it, admission may be deferred until January; if it is between January and April, then admission may be deferred until the start of the summer term though it is likely to be in your child's interest to start no later than January.

Part-Time Attendance
Parents can request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age.

Supplementary Information Form
If you are applying for a place for your child in Cathedral Catholic Primary School on faith grounds please complete this form in addition to the Common Application Form available online or issued by the Local Authority.

This supplementary information form will assist the Governors of the school in deciding whether your child qualifies for a place. Failure to complete the form may affect where your child is placed within the oversubscription criteria.

This form must be completed by the parent/guardian

Download the Supplementary Information Form Here

Cathedral Catholic Primary School, Balmoral Road, Lancaster, LA1 3BT, Tel: 01524 64686
The information in this website relates to the 2009/2010 school year and was correct in relation to that year on 02/07/09. It should not be assumed, however, that there will be no change affecting the relevant arrangements in some particular matters either before the start of, or during the school year in question, or in relation to subsequent school years.