2017 Admissions Policy

Admissions Policy 2017

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Date of Policy: September 2015

Member of staff with overall responsibility: Sharon Campbell

Governing Body Sub-Committee with reviewing responsibility: Admissions

Stretford Grammar School is a foundation mixed Grammar School. The student admission number is 128 for Years 7 – 11. The School has no religious affiliation.

Definitions (for the purpose of this Admissions Policy)

 ‘Looked after children’ has the meaning set out in the Education Act 2002

 ‘Residence’ means the main permanent home of the applicant

 ‘The School’ means Stretford Grammar School

 ‘Sibling’ means any person (full, half, step, adopted or foster brother or sister) of admissions age who is residing permanently at the same address as the candidate and will be in attendance at Stretford Grammar School at the time of the proposed admission.

Admission at Age 11

The number of admissions into Year 7 for the year commencing 1st September 2017 will be 128. Candidates who attain the required standard in the School’s testing arrangements for selection by ability (as set out in this Policy) will be eligible for admission to the School.

Applicants must have a date of birth between 1st September 2005 and 31st August 2006.

a) Application Procedure for Admission to Year 7 September 2017

1. All parents/carers of candidates who wish to take the Tests for entry to Stretford Grammar School in September 2017 must complete the School Registration Form on-line, via the school website, by noon on 27th June 2016.

2. The School is part of the Trafford Local Authority Co-ordinated Scheme. Parents/carers of children who wish to apply for a place at the School must indicate Stretford Grammar School on their home Local Authority Admissions Form. If the specified date is not met for completion of the Admissions Form further testing may be left until after the 1st March 2017.

3. Candidates who move into the area (as defined by criteria 3 of the over-subscription criteria) by the 31st October 2016 and who submit an on-time application to their Local Authority including Stretford Grammar School as a preference will be given consideration from the address given on the original application made to the school until after the first round of offers. Thereafter, the new address will only be considered if and when the following evidence and legal documentation in relation to the change of residency have been supplied to the school:

a. Evidence and legal documentation to the effect they have purchased or exchanged contracts on a property is produced and proof of disposal of the previous home.

b. For leasing agreements a minimum of 24 months is required and legally supported documentation produced and proof of disposal of the previous home.

c. The applicant and his/her parents/carers became resident at the new home.

Applicants who move further away from the School after the date of application will be considered from their new address with immediate effect.

4. Access arrangements for the Testing can only be based on support a child regularly receives in school (normal way of working). For example large-print test papers for visually impaired pupils, the use of magnifying aids, coloured filters, templates or the provision of a scribe to record the child’s answers. Requests for Access Arrangements should be made at the same time as an application form is submitted to the School and should be accompanied by a current Statement of Special Educational Needs or a current School Action Plus Report (an assessment by a specialist teacher). A letter advising the candidate’s normal way of working should be provided by the Primary School and sent with the official Report. ALL Reports must be current and be dated no more than 2 years before the testing date.

All Access Arrangement requests, including additional time for all test papers to a maximum of 25%, will only be approved in exceptional circumstances. Access Arrangements must not provide an unfair advantage over others. If you think your child is eligible to Access Arrangements you should contact the School and each case will be considered on its own merit by the School SENDCO and Admissions Officer.

All paperwork/requests for Access Arrangements and/or extra time must be received by the closing date for applications.

b) Arrangements for Testing

1. Arrangements for the Stretford Grammar Entrance Test will be available on the website from April 2016.

2. The Stretford Grammar Entrance Test will consist of Verbal, Non Verbal and Mathematic questions, set and standardised by our service provider. The standardisation will take into account the applicants’ date of birth.

3. To be eligible for consideration of a place at the school a candidate must achieve the following:

 Candidates who achieve a score of 334 or above will be deemed to have qualified for consideration for admission to Stretford Grammar School. This does not in itself guarantee a place

Candidates who achieve a score of between 324 to 333 (inclusive) will be deemed to have qualified for the right to be reviewed by the Review Panel

 Outcomes and scores for the main testing will be communicated by Stretford Grammar School to parents/carers prior to the 31st October 2016. No results will be given over the telephone or via e-mail. The result for any other testing will be when it is available.

c) The Review Procedure

1. All candidates whose standardised score is between 324 and 333 (inclusive) will have their application reviewed. The Review will take account of the following:

 The test score achieved by the applicant.

 Any special circumstances that the School have been advised of on or prior to the date of the examination or in the week immediately after the testing (if your child is ill immediately prior to or on the day of the exam, please do not bring them, alternative arrangements can be made).

 Any supporting official documentation requested by Stretford Grammar School.

 The invigilator’s Report

2. The Review Panel will consist of the Headteacher, the Deputy Headteacher, the Head of English, the Head of Mathematics and a current primary school Headteacher. No other representation will be relevant at this stage. Statutory appeals may follow in the Summer term – see “Right of Appeal” section.

3. Those candidates whom the Review Panel deem to have qualified for admission under the Right of Review will have their Test score amended to 334R

d) The Over-subscription Criteria

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 (Under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (see section 46 (adoption orders)).

2. Children who will have a sibling attending the School within Years 7 to 11 at the time of admission (September 2017).

3. The top 20 scoring candidates, irrespective of home residence, will be allocated a place. Candidates with equal scores to the lowest candidate in this allocation will also be offered places.

4. Children who live nearest to the School, measured in a direct straight line from the child’s permanent place of residence to the School.

If there are more applicants than can be accommodated at the School in criteria 1, 2 and 3 places will be offered to those children in each criteria whose place of residence is nearest to the School as defined in criterion 4. This will be measured using property co-ordinates provided through a combination of the Trafford Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666), other LA data and Royal Mail Postal Address Information. In the case of a child living in a block of flats, the distance will be measured in the same manner. Support •Challenge •Succeed

Random allocation will be used as a tie-break to decide who has the highest priority for admission where the qualifying score and the distance between two applicants’ home and the school is the same.

Parents/carers should note that although Stretford Grammar School will inform them of their child’s assessment result prior to 31st October 2016, allocation letters will be sent on the 1st March 2017 (or the next working day) by their home authority on behalf of the Governing Body of the School.

Please Note: The child’s home address means the address where the child normally and permanently lives on a full-time basis, not the address of any child-minder, grandparent or any other relative. In the case of parents/carers who are separated or divorced and where child-care arrangements are shared between two addresses, the average of the distances of the two addresses from the School will be used for the purpose of determining priority for admission. You may be required to provide proof of residency. Failure to do so may result in the offer of a place being withdrawn.

The School may withdraw a place at a later date if false, incorrect or misleading information has been provided which has advantaged the applicant in the priority order for over-subscription. Parents/carers must inform the School of any changes to their address or circumstances.

e) Waiting List

The school will operate a waiting list for Year 7 admission in September, following the completion of the allocation and appeals process. Should a place become available, the oversubscription criteria will be applied to those on the waiting list.

f) Right of Appeal

Under the terms of Education Act 1998, all parents/carers of candidates refused admission have the right to an Independent Appeals Panel against any decision made by the School. The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on both the School and parents/carers. An appeals timetable is published on the school website by 28th February each year.

Appellants considering making a complaint regarding an appeal may contact:

The Local Government Ombudsman

PO Box 4771

Coventry

CV4 0EH

Admission for Candidates applying to enter Years 7 to 9 (from another secondary school)

1. These procedures apply both to candidates who have previously been unsuccessful in the School’s Testing procedure and to candidates who have not previously been tested. Candidates who have previously applied and sat the School’s In-Year Testing and who have not achieved the qualifying score for admission cannot re-apply in the same academic year and must leave a minimum of 12 months before applying for re-assessment.

2. Candidates who have previously been unsuccessful in the School’s Entrance Examination procedure are able to be reassessed in Summer Term 2017 and if assessed as suitable, and places being available, are able to start in September 2017.

3. Candidates will be assessed for their suitability for admission to the School using the following procedure:

 candidates will receive a Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) which comprises verbal, quantitative and non-verbal sections and their score will be standardised

 the school will ask for a letter from the candidate’s current school, setting out the candidate’s current level of attainment and progress and asking for the results of any nationally-taken tests or exams

 a scrutiny of the candidate’s work, including Maths, English, Science, Modern Foreign Languages, History and Geography. Candidates may bring work in other subjects if they wish.

4. Under the terms of Education Act 1998, all parents/carers of candidates refused admission have the right to an Independent Appeals Panel against any decision made by the School. The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on both the School and parents/carers.

5. Year 10 candidates will sit a bespoke testing, if applicable, which will be advised on application.

6. Applications for candidates in Years 7 to 9 who have previously qualified for Stretford Grammar School will be considered in light of the availability of places and their position on the waiting list. Applicants who are currently in Year 9 and above who have previously qualified will be required to re-qualify.

7. Please note a successful outcome from an assessment does not guarantee a place at the school. If any places are available we apply our over-subscription criteria.

8. Positions on the waiting list are subject to change and as such a candidate may move up or down the list.

9. To register your child for re-assessment please contact the Admissions Officer on 0161 866 0130.

Admission to the Sixth Form

1. The Sixth Form intake will be dependent on the number of students in Years 7-11 and the maximum capacity of the school. When Years 7-11 are fully subscribed, admission to Year 12 will be such that the total number of Sixth Form students does not exceed 192. The school does not enrol students at the beginning of Year 13.

2. The minimum academic requirement for entry into the Sixth Form is five GCSE passes, four at Grade B and one at Grade C. All students must have a minimum Grade C in English Language and Mathematics and a minimum Grade B in the subjects to be studied at AS or A Level. Additional academic requirements apply as set out in paragraph three and four.

3. Students who have studied Core and Additional Science at GCSE and who wish to study the sciences must satisfy the following minimum requirements:

 To study 3 Sciences: GCSE Core Science A* and Additional Science A

 To study 2 Sciences: GCSE Core Science A and Additional Science B

 To study 1 Science: GCSE Core Science B and Additional Science B

Students with only GCSE Core Science will not be enrolled to study Science in Sixth Form.

4. Applicants who wish to study Psychology, Sociology or Government and Politics but have not had the opportunity to take a GCSE in the subject, must have at least a grade B in English Language. Applicants who wish to study Economics, Business Studies or Computer Science must have at least a grade B in Mathematics.

5. Applicants who have completed their secondary education in schools other than in England and Wales and have taken IGCSE or O-level qualifications will be subject to the same requirements as stated in paragraphs three and four. Students who take qualifications other than GCSE, IGCSE or O-level must have equivalent qualifications as defined and verified by NARIC (www.ecctis.co.uk/naric) and be able to demonstrate that they are working at a level comparable to the minimum academic requirement for entry into the sixth form. Equivalent qualifications will only be accepted if the course content provides suitable preparation for A Level study and students will only be enrolled once qualifications have been verified in writing.

6. Internal Year 11 students will be asked to indicate whether they wish to progress to Sixth Form in the first half of the Spring Term and to give an initial choice of subjects.

7. Internal applicants, who meet the entry requirements and who enrol on or before GCSE Results and Enrolment day, will be given priority over all other applicants and guaranteed a place in the Sixth Form, on courses of their choice, within the option lines available. Internal applicants who enrol between GCSE Results and Enrolment day and the first school day of the Autumn Term may be enrolled, subject to availability of places on the courses of their choice. The maximum class size for any A Level class will be 25.

8. Year 11 applicants from other schools should return completed application forms between October and mid-February each year; the deadline date is the end of the first half of the spring term. Their school will be asked to provide information to verify the suitability of the candidate’s choice of courses and to ensure Stretford Grammar School is able to provide appropriate support to meet individual student needs. Proof of qualifications, identity and residency, will also be required.

9. Year 11 students from other schools (external applicants), who apply and accept a conditional offer during the Spring Term, meet the entry requirements and enrol on or before 21st August will be allocated a place in the Sixth Form, on courses of their choice, within the option lines available.

10. Year 11 external applicants, who apply after the February deadline will only be offered places subject to availability and only once all qualifying students in paragraphs 6 to 9 have received conditional offers.

11. Any student who enrols in the Sixth Form but fails to attend on the first day of the Autumn Term, without prior notice being given, may have their place withdrawn.

12. Applications to re-take year 12 will only be considered if there are places available after all qualifying year 11 students have enrolled. Such applications will be considered on an individual basis, taking account of any extenuating circumstances and priority will be given to students already at the school. Following discussions with the student and their parent/carer to ascertain whether it is in the student’s best educational interest, the school may refuse requests to retake Year 12.

Over-Subscription Criteria for Sixth Form Places

Where eligible applications for admission exceed the number of places in the Sixth Form, or the number of applications for a course exceeds the places available on that course, the following criteria will apply:

2. Those highest in rank order of Average Rank Score (ARS) for entry into Year 12 or onto the course.

3. In the event of tied scores resulting in more than one applicant being eligible for places then the applicant living nearest to the school as measured using the property co-ordinates

provided through a combination of the Trafford Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666), other LA data and Royal Mail Postal Address Information. In the case of a child living in a block of flats, the distance will be measured from the communal entrance of the building.

4. Random allocation will be used as a tie-break to decide who has the highest priority for admission where the qualifying score and the distance between two applicants’ home and the school is the same.

Progression to Year 13

Students who fail to achieve a minimum of grade E in 2 or more subjects at AS Level, at the end of Year 12, will be invited, with their parents/carers, to a consultation to discuss whether progression to Year 13 is in the best interest for their continuing education. The school may advise that the student should retake Year 12 or seek alternative qualifications more suited to their individual needs at another college.

Please Note:

Proof of qualifications, identity and residence may be required from applicants. The School may withdraw a place at a later date if false, incorrect or misleading information has been provided. Parents/carers must inform the School of any changes to their address or circumstances.

Right of Appeal

Under the terms of Education Act 1998, all candidates and parents/carers of candidates refused admission have the right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel against any decision made by the School. The decision of the Independent Appeals Panel is binding on both the School