The Blue Coat School, Oldham
Admissions: Guidance for Parents for entry in September 2011
Blue Coat School is a Voluntary-Aided, Church of England comprehensive school, and the Admissions Authority is the Governing Body of the school. Each year the governing body can admit 218 pupils to year 7.
In line with the Admissions Code of 2007, children with Statements of Special Educational Need, where the school is named on the statement, will be offered places first before any oversubscription criteria are applied.
As a Church School, Blue Coat School gives priority in admissions to members of the Church of England/Anglicans. In line with the Admissions Code of 2007, Looked-After Children/Children who are in the care of the Local Authority who are members of the Church of England have first priority. Evidence that the child and/or the family is a member of the Church of England must be provided by their Church of England clergy. In the case of children in care who have experienced upheaval and distress, a history and pattern of church attendance is not required.
Thereafter, as a Church of England school, the Blue Coat school gives priority to active Church of England families whose faith commitment is shown in the attendance of the child and one parent / legal guardian at worship over a substantial period of time which puts them at the heart of their church. Attendance at church/place of worship must be verified by the applicant’s vicar/incumbent. If the parish is in interregnum the church warden should verify the attendance.
There are five categories, and five statements about the child and parent/ legal guardian’s attendance at worship. The vicar/ incumbent must tick which description most closely applies, and sign this. If the parish is in interregnum, the church warden must tick and sign the description which most closely applies. The parent/ legal guardian must countersign that s/he has seen and agreed with the category.
After priority has been given to active Church of England families, in line with the Admissions Code of 2007, the governing body then gives priority to all other Looked-After Children/Children in the care of the Local Authority.
The school is committed to Christian ecumenism and as such gives next priority to active members of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, including membership of local Churches Together groupings, and Councils of Churches, who are at the heart of their church. There are five statements about the child and parent/ legal guardian’s attendance at worship, and the minister/ pastor/ priest/ elder must tick which description most closely applies, and sign this. The parent/ legal guardian must countersign that s/he has seen and agreed with the category. Membership of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland can be supported by reference to the national website; however, where the church is part of a local Churches Together grouping, or Council of Churches, it is the responsibility of the applicant’s parents or guardians to provide evidence of this membership.
The school is committed to inter-faith dialogue and community cohesion and as such gives priority after active Christian families to active members of a faith other than Christian, which is associated with the UK Inter-Faith Network who are at the heart of their faith’s worship. There are five statements about the child and parent/ legal guardian’s attendance at worship, and the relevant leader of worship must tick which description most closely applies, and sign this. The parent/ legal guardian must countersign that s/he has seen and agreed with the category. It is the responsibility of the applicant’s parent or guardian to provide evidence of membership of the UK Inter-Faith Network. The Network’s website provides a comprehensive list.
The school is committed to serving the wider community of Oldham and after active members of a faith other than Christian which is associated with the UK Inter-Faith Network welcomes all other children. The oversubscription criteria in this category are based on, first, whether the child has a sibling (defined as brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, half-brother, half-sister, adopted brother, adopted sister) attending The Blue Coat School as of 1st September in the year of entry, and second, geographical proximity using a straight-line measurement between the home postcode and the school postcode.
The governors allocate places to applicants in the order set out in the admissions policy, working from statement one to statement eighteen in that order.
Tie-breaks
The school’s admission number is 218 children in each year group. When the admission number of 218 is reached, the following tie-break (s) will be used in whichever of the categories 1-18 is under consideration at the time.
i. Children who have a sibling attending the school as of 1st September 2011 will be admitted first within the category. The definition of sibling includes: brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, half-brother, half-sister, adopted brother, adopted sister.
ii. If a further tie break needs to be applied between children with siblings as defined above, it will be geographical proximity using a straight line between the home postcode and the school postcode.
iii. If all children with siblings can be admitted within the category the tie-break will be geographical proximity using a straight-line between the home postcode and the school postcode.
Parents/guardians are asked to note that Blue Coat serves families throughout Oldham and beyond; annually over 40% of our intake come from outside Oldham. With the exception of children with Statement of Special Educational Needs, and children in the care of the Local Authority, it is the faith commitment of the child and parent/legal guardian which determines priority, not a sibling link or proximity to the school, except in the final category or when a final tie-break is needed.
The Application Process
There are two forms to complete for application to Blue Coat. The first is the Common Application Form from your Local Authority which lists the three school preferences. If you do not submit this form you will not have applied. All Local Authorities will have a different deadline, and it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure the Common Application Form is returned on time. The second is the Supplementary Form which provides supplementary evidence about faith commitment which enables the governors to apply the oversubscription criteria. This must be returned to school by 22nd October 2010. Parents are asked to include a small stamped- addressed envelope with the Supplementary Form so that we can acknowledge receipt. The responsibility for the return of the Supplementary Form rests with the applicant’s parent(s)/ legal guardian(s).
We recommend that
1. Parents/ legal guardians discuss the form fully and openly with their vicar or leader of worship to ensure that the category is fair and accurate.
2. Please bear in mind that the vicar/ leader of worship may have several applications to complete, and that she/ he will need to check records. You should allow him/ her at least four clear weeks to complete the form.
3. If your parish is in interregnum, you will need to discuss the completion of the form with the Church Warden(s) who can confirm attendance. If this is the case you should enclose a brief covering letter.
4. If you moved into your parish / to your church/ place of worship recently, or if you and your child attend more than one church/ place of worship, you will need to obtain additional eligibility form(s) from the school for completion with your previous vicar/ leader of worship.
5. Please remember that a sibling connection in the school is only used as a tie-breaker within a category which reflects the applicant child and parent/ legal guardian’s attendance, and that places cannot be awarded to younger children on the basis of the elder brother or sister’s attendance.
What has the pattern of admissions been in the past?
Admissions Law has changed considerably, so it is difficult to make direct comparisons. The following information is offered as an indication of patterns and trends.
1. Historically the school has been oversubscribed.
2. In 2005-06 all Anglican applicants and all applicants from Churches Together were admitted. In 2005 sixteen members of other faiths, or no faith, were admitted. In 2006 eighteen members of other faiths, or no faith, were admitted.
3. In 2007 all Anglican applicants were admitted. Thirteen applicants from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland were admitted.
4. In 2008 only Anglicans up to and inclusive of Criteria 4 were admitted.
5. In 2009 only Anglicans up to and inclusive of Criteria 4 were admitted.
The governing body welcomes the school’s inclusion in Oldham’s Building Schools for the Future programme which will enable the school, once the building work is complete, to move to an admissions number of 240 per year.
Waiting List
Where we have more applications than places, the admissions criteria will be used. Children who are not admitted will have their name placed on a waiting list. The names on this waiting list will be in the order resulting from the application of the admissions criteria. Since the date of application cannot be a criterion for the order of names on the waiting list, late applicants for the school will be slotted into the order according to the extent to which they meet the criteria. Thus it is possible for a child who moves into the area later to have a higher priority than one who has been on the waiting list for some time. If a place becomes available within the admission number, the child whose name is at the top of the list will be offered a place. This is not dependent on whether an appeal has been submitted.
Appeals
Where the governors are unable to offer a place because the school is over subscribed, parents have the right to appeal to an independent admission appeal panel, set up under the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998, as amended by the Education Act, 2002. Parents should notify the clerk to the governors at the school within 14 days of receiving the letter refusing a place. Parents will have the opportunity to submit their case to the panel in writing and also to attend in order to present their case. You will normally receive 14 days’ notice of the place and time of the hearing.
Please note that this right of appeal against the governors’ decision does not prevent you from making an appeal in respect of any other school.
Fraudulent Applications
If the governing body discovers that a child has been awarded a place as a result of an intentionally misleading application from a parent (for example a false claim of involvement in a place of worship) which effectively denies a place to a child with a stronger claim, then the governing body is required to withdraw the offer of the place. The application will be considered afresh and a right of appeal offered if a place is refused.
