Admissions Policy
Please see our Admissions Policies on our Policy Page.
Rationale
The admissions policy has been created to reflect the Christian foundations and the community focus of the school. As Church of England Voluntary Aided school, Oliver Tomkins School the Governors seek to fulfill the aim of providing educational excellence within a Christian context to members of the local community and offer places to children who regularly attend worship and who live in the parish, also to children living close to the school according to the order of criteria below and within current government legislation or National guidelines.
We believe that the education of children should be a partnership of parents, teachers and governors, working together in the best interests of all the children. We strive to be a place where Christian priorities and values inform every subject in the curriculum and are reflected in the day-to-day life of the school. A child who has a statement of special educational needs that names Oliver Tomkins CE Schools will be admitted The Local Authority is responsible for issuing the Statement and consulting parents and the governing body of Oliver Tomkins CE Schools, if a preference has been made for the school, before the school is named in the statement.
Our Nursery:
At Oliver Tomkins CE VA Infant and Nursery we are proud of our maintained nursery which offers 26 part-time or full time places. Your child is entitled to a free nursery place in the term after their third birthday. Admission to our nursery class is offered for a half-day session, either morning or afternoon, 5 days a week. This is a total of 15 hours a week. Places are allocated according to our admissions policy. Places are offered are for 15 hours. Parents are under no obligation to send their child for 15 hours, however, if parents choose not to (once accepting a place) this must be agreed with the school and parent. The needs of the child will be paramount in this discussion.
From September 2018 we will be extending our provision by offering up to 65 places (full and part-time).
Criteria
The following criteria will be applied in the numerical order they appear in the event that the number of applicants for places exceeds the school admission number, the school admission number is set at 60 per year group.
If the school is over subscribed in any of the categories below, priority for admission will be established in accordance with Swindon Authorities’ over-subscription criteria i.e. priority will be established based on the distance in a straight-line from the centre point of the rooftop of the school to the child’s home address with priority given to those whose homes are closest to the school.
1 Looked after children [1] and children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they became subject to an adoption, special residency or guardianship order.,
2 Children of Christian parents or carers who desire their children to have a Christian education [2]
3 Children living in the designated area for the school. . Priority within this category will be given to:
- Siblings of children who are currently attending Oliver Tomkins
- Other children from the designated area
4 Children not living in the designated area for the school. Priority within this category will be given to:
- Siblings of children who are currently attending Oliver Tomkins
- Other children not living in the designated area.
Definitions:
1 A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order. A ‘looked after child’ is a child who is (a) in the care of the local authority, or (b) being provided accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989)
2. The Governors offer up to a total of 36 places of the admission number to applicants from this category. Part A of the Supplementary Information Form must be completed by hte parents or carers of the child for whom a place is being applied and Part B of the form should be completed by a minister of the church and submitted with the application form. Evidence of church membership/attendance and the written support of the pastor/minister must be required as a condition of entry. Preference will be given to children of families who regularly attend worship (defined as a minimum of 3 out of 4 weeks per month for a period of not less than 6 months prior to application) The “applicant worshipper” could be the child for whom application is made or one or both parents. Parish is determined as boundary map a copy of which is in the school office.
3 Sibling as defined in Swindon Authorities’ admissions guide i.e. “Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent / carer's partner where the child for whom the school place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling." at the time that the applicant is due to start. This excludes siblings who attend or have been allocated a place in the nursery facility at Oliver Tomkins.
4 The home address given on the application form must be the address where the child resides for most of the week with his or her parent or carer. The school will not accept more than one address as the child’s home address. The terms of a residency order may clarify the home address. Where necessary to determine which address to recognise and in the absence of a residency order, the school will consider the home address to be with the parent with primary day to day care and control of the child. In reaching this decision, evidence may be requested to show the address to which any Child Benefit is paid and from which the child is registered with a medical GP. Any other evidence provided by parents will also be considered in reaching a decision on the home address for admissions purposes. This may be necessary for instance where parents do not agree on the child’s home address.
Multiple Births:
The school will endeavour to place siblings born at the same time (e.g. twins, triplets etc). If necessary the school will admit over it’s PAN to accommodate such children. In the case of Infant Class Sizes (Reception, Year 1 and Year2) class sizes must not contain more than 30 pupils with a single school teacher. However, additional children may only be admitted in limited exceptional circumstances, and in accordance with the School Admissions Code , twins and children from multiple births are classed as ‘excepted pupils’ to this legislation.
If parents choose to defer entry for their child this must be agreed between the school and the parent, and this could mean that the child would start an academic year later than other children in the same class.
Parents are under no obligation to send their child to school before the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday but they must have registered their child at school before the closing date for primary applications If parents choose to defer entry for their child this must be agreed between the school and the parent, and this could mean that the child would start an academic year later than other children in the same class.
(Where a place for a child to start the September after their 4th birthday has been offered there must be exceptional reasons for their child not to attend full-time initially, and this would involve a discussion between the headteacher and the parent to see whether an alternative arrangement is possible.)
Waiting List
A waiting list for the year of entry will operate from the day places are first allocated. . Oliver Tomkins Church of England School holds and maintains its own waiting list. Placement will be determined by applying Oliver Tomkins School over- subscription criteria. Names will be removed from the lists if requested or if the offer of a place that becomes available is not accepted. Positions on waiting lists may change due to new applications.
Placing a child's name on a waiting list does not affect the parents’ right of appeal against an unsuccessful application.
Parents may only apply and appeal once per school per academic year.
Applications after the normal admission round
There is an in year transfer form for pupils wishing to transfer schools after the normal admissions round, or for years other than the normal year of entry. All applications will be considered against the oversubscription criteria. Parents applying for places in an oversubscribed school will be informed of their right of appeal.
Appeals Procedure
Parents have the right to appeal against the refusal by the Governors to admit their child, and should put their appeal in writing to Clerk to the Governors at the school within 21 school days of receiving the refusal letter. Appeals will be arranged by an Independent Appeals Clerk and conducted in accordance to the Appeals Code.
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