Admissions for 2009/2010

The school has a planned admissions number of 60. There are two categories of entry to Reigate Parish Church School: Foundation Places and Community Places. Reigate Parish Church School works with Surrey County Council using the equal preference admissions’ procedure under their co-ordinated admissions’ scheme.
 
ALL applicants MUST return the Surrey County Council application form to highest ranked school by the declared closing date. Applicants for Foundation Places MUST return the Supplementary Admission Form to Reigate Parish Church School before the declared closing date.

Applications received after the closing date will be considered after places have been offered to those who applied by the closing date. After the initial offers are made, late applicants will be included on the appropriate waiting list.

Separate waiting lists are kept for Foundation and Community places for each year group and the published admissions’ policy criteria are applied when spaces become available. We will hold these lists until the end of the summer term 2010. Looked After Children will be given priority ahead of any other applicant regardless of the category in which the vacancy arises. The Governing Body will not consider further applications or changes to applications after the declared closing date unless there is a significant or material change, in accordance with the Surrey County Council guidelines.

If your child is not offered a place, you have the right to appeal to an independent panel.

Definitions used in this policy [PLEASE READ THESE CAREFULLY AS THEY ARE USED THROUGHOUT THE POLICY]

• “Active participation”- is taken to mean adult membership as usually understood by the relevant church along with regular attendance at organised worship or spiritual gathering (not necessarily on a Sunday but not including business or social events).
• “Brothers and sisters” – are related brothers and sisters, step-siblings, foster and adopted siblings who share the family home.
• “Closest to the School” - is defined as the closest, as the crow flies, measured by the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System (GIS) software computer programme available on the Surrey County Council website, based on the child’s home address at the date of application as stated on the application form. Where a child resides at more than one home, the main residence will be taken as the child’s home address.
• “Local Anglican Church” is taken to mean St Mary’s Parish Church or one of the neighbouring Anglican (Church of England) Churches of St Mark’s, St Luke’s with St Peter’s, Holy Trinity, St Philip’s,                St Matthew’s and St John’s.
• “Medical or Social need” - is taken to mean an exceptional and professionally supported medical or social need for a place at this school. This must be supported by written evidence, eg, from a doctor, social worker, or educational psychologist, which sets out the reasons why this school is the most suitable school and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school.
• “Other local Christian Churches” is taken to mean local churches and chapels of any Christian denomination (namely members of Ecumenical Bodies:- Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and The Evangelical Alliance) within the Reigate Deanery, as set in September 2005.
• “Parents” – in this policy means one or both parents, or at least one legal guardian.
• “Regularly Worship” - is taken to mean that the parents* regularly attend their church a minimum of twice per month during the eighteen months preceding the date of application.

FOUNDATION PLACES
The Governors have designated 30 places each year as Foundation Places. These places will be offered to children whose parents* are active participants* of, and regularly worship* in a local Anglican Church* or other local Christian Churches* in the following order of priority:

• F1. Children in public care (looked after children).
• F2. Brothers and sisters* of pupils attending the school at the time of the younger sibling’s admission whose parents* are active participants* of, and regularly worship* in a local Anglican Church* .
• F3. Brothers and sisters* of pupils attending the school at the time of the younger sibling’s admission whose parents* are active participants* of, and regularly worship* in other local Christian Churches*.
• F4. Children whose parents* are active participants* of, and regularly worship* in a local Anglican Church*.
• F5.  Children whose parents* are active participants*of, and regularly worship* in other local Christian Churches*.

A written reference from a member of the clergy of the Church you have recorded on the Supplementary Admission Form will be required for all the above. If the reference does not vouch for the active participation* and regular worship* of the parents* then a Foundation place cannot be offered. Identical distances will be determined by the drawing of lots. If, by the Surrey County Council declared closing date, we are oversubscribed and there are fewer than 30 applicants for Foundation places, any unfilled places will be offered to Community applicants.
If there are too many Foundation Place applicants for the number of places, unsuccessful Foundation applicants can, on written request, be placed on a Foundation Place waiting list. The waiting list will be administered in accordance with the admissions’ policy.

COMMUNITY PLACES
The Governors have designated 30 places each year as Community places. Parents applying for a Community place do so knowing that the school provides an education based on Christian principles. The Governors hope that all pupils will take part in the Christian worship and religious education.
Order of priority:

• C1.  Children in public care (looked after children).
• C2. Brothers and sisters* of pupils attending the school at the time of the younger sibling’s admission.
• C3.  Children whose homes are closest to the school*.

If it becomes necessary to choose between children in a particular category, available places will be awarded to children whose homes are closest to the school*. Identical distances will be determined by the drawing of lots. If, by the Surrey County Council declared closing date, we are oversubscribed and there are fewer than 30 applicants for Community places, any unfilled places will be offered to Foundation applicants. Unsuccessful Community applicants can, on written request, be put on a Community Place waiting list. The waiting list will be administered in accordance with the admissions’ policy.

If there are any unallocated places by the declared Surrey County Council closing date, any further applicants will be considered on an individual basis by the Admissions’ Panel in accordance with the admissions’ criteria.

EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS
At the sole discretion of the Governing Body, children with a known medical or social need* to come to Reigate Parish Church School, will be considered in priority to other applicants, other than looked after children. The Exceptional Circumstances Supplementary Admission Form, available from the school office, must be completed and returned to Reigate Parish Church School before the declared closing date, accompanied by appropriate written evidence. This applies to both community and foundation applications.

Admissions policy published April 2008, amended September 2008.