Admissions policy for 2008/9
(This policy does not apply for admission to the Nursery Class)
The School serves the Hackney Catholic Parishes of St. Dominic’s (Homerton) and St. Jude’s (Clapton Park). As a Catholic school, we aim to provide a Catholic education for all our pupils. At a Catholic school, Catholic doctrine and practice permeates every aspect of the school’s activity. It is essential that the Catholic character of the school’s education is fully supported by all families in the school. All applicants are therefore expected to give their full, unreserved and positive support for the aims and ethos of the school.
Reception places
Applicants should be aware that Nursery education is a non-statutory service and that accordingly a child’s attendance in the School’s Nursery Class does not guarantee a future place in the Reception, Infant or Junior classes.
Pupil numbers
The Governing Body will ensure that the number of pupils admitted to each year group will be such as to conform to statutory legislation. The Governing Body proposes to admit 60 pupils, being the Published Admissions Number, to each year group. If there are more applications than places
available, places will be awarded in accordance with the over-subscription criteria (see below).
Application forms
Applications for the 2008 Reception Class intake must be made on the Hackney Common Admissions Form(CAF)
available from The Learning Trust, Hackney Technology &Learning Centre, 1 Reading Lane, London E8 1GQ. The CAF must be returned to the Learning Trust by 1 February 2008.
All other applications must be made on the School’s Application Form available from the School office.
Priest’s reference and supplementary information
The School will provide each applicant with a Priest’s reference and supplementary information form that must be completed
and returned to the School by the date specified on the form.
Applicants must provide the School with the originals of the
child’s birth and baptismal certificates. If neither one nor both of these certificates exist applicants should indicate in writing
the reasons for this being the case.
Applicants must provide the School with proof of their residential address. Independent verification may be sought of
the applicant's residential address.
Waiting list
If there is no place available, parents/carers must confirm in writing to the School if they wish to have their application
placed on the School’s waiting list. The waiting list will be maintained in order of the over-subscription criteria (see
below) and not in the order in which applications are received or added to the list.
Names are normally removed from the list after six months unless parents/carers submit a written request asking for their
application to remain on the waiting list.
Pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs
The admission of pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs is dealt with by a completely separate procedure.
The procedure is integral to the making of statements bythe pupil’s home Local Authority. Details of this separate procedure are included in the DfES Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
Over-subscripiton criteria
Children will be admitted to the School in the following order of priority:
- Catholic “looked after” children.
- Catholic children whose parents/legal guardians are
resident in the Hackney Catholic Deanery Parishes of
St. Dominic’s (Homerton) and St. Jude’s (Clapton Park).
- Catholic children not included in criteria 1 and 2
(see above).
- Other “looked after” children.
- Children of other Christian denominations whose
parents wish them to have a Catholic education and
whose applications are supported by a Priest, Minister
or Church Leader.
- Children not included in criteria 1 to 5 (see above).
In prioritising applications within over-subscription criteria first
priority will be given to children who will have a brother or sister
attending a Reception, Infant or Junior class at St. Dominic’s
Catholic Primary School at the proposed date of admission.
The Governing Body may increase the priority of an application within a criterion where evidence is provided at
the time of application of an exceptional social, medical or pastoral need of the child which can be most appropriately
be met at this school. The Governing Body will normally require written evidence from an appropriate professional
such as priest, doctor or social worker.
Tie-breaker
Where the offer of places to all the applicants in any of the criteria listed above would lead to over-subscription, places
up to the admission number will be offered to those children whose parents’/carers’ residential address is the shortest
distance from the main entrance of Homerton Library, Homerton High Street, London, E9 6AS.
Admission Appeals for unsuccessful applicants to the Reception Class and Years 1 to 6
Unsuccessful applicants have the right to appeal to an independent panel. Parents wishing to appeal should obtain
a form from the School. This should be completed and returned to the School, marked for the attention of Clerk to
the Admission Appeal Panel, within 21 days of receipt of the letter confirming that the application has been unsuccessful.
If an appeal is unsuccessful, the Governing Body will not consider a further application within the same school year
unless there have been significant and material changes in the applicant’s circumstances.
In year access protocols
The School is committed to taking its fair share of vulnerable children who are hard to place, in accordance with locally
agreed protocols. Accordingly, outside the normal round of admissions, the Governing Body is empowered to give
absolute priority to a child where admission is requested under any local protocol which carries the agreement both of the
Governing Body and the Diocese for the current admission year. The Governing Body has this power even when admitting
such a child would exceed the normal admission number.
Interpretation of terms used in the Admissions Policy
and over-subscription criteria
Applicants
The Parents or legal Guardians submitting an application for a place on behalf of a child.
Family
Those individuals who live at the residential address of the Parents or legal Guardians who are submitting an application for a place on behalf of a child.
Catholic
A baptised person who is a member of any Catholic Church in full communion with the See of Rome. This includes
Catechumens and members of the Eastern Christian Churches. For the purposes of this Policy it also includes
a “looked after” child who is being fostered or in the process of adoption by a Catholic family.
Brothers and Sisters
Brothers and Sisters must live permanently at the same residential address as the child for whom the application is made.
Christian
A member of one of the Churches that is a member of “Churches Together in Great Britain and Ireland”.
Looked after children
Children in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by a
local authority e.g. foster parents. (See Section 22 of The Children’s Act 1989.)
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