School Admissions Policies 2024-2025

Admission Policy for Entry to School 2024-25

School name: Aston All Saints Church of England Primary School

A school in the Diocese of Sheffield Academy Trust

In Partnership with Rotherham Local Authority

Head of School: Mrs H Hall

Telephone: 0114 2872100

INTRODUCTION

Aston All Saints Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in the Diocese of Sheffield and is maintained by Rotherham Local Authority (LA.)

The school provides a distinctively Christian education for children aged 4 to 11 years.

Historically, Anglican schools were parish schools providing education for the community in accordance with the principles of the Church of England. Thus the majority of Sheffield Diocesan schools were established to provide education for the children of the parish within a Christian context.

The school is a Voluntary Aided School in which the Governing Body is the Admission Authority and responsible for admissions. It is guided in that responsibility by the requirements of law, the school trust deed, by advice from the Diocesan Board of Education and its duty to the community and the Common Good.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the booklet “Admission to Primary Education” published by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. (the Admissions Booklet),

The admission number for this year is 30 and all children will be admitted during the Autumn Term prior to their 5th birthday.

Children will usually be admitted during the autumn term following their 4th birthday. However, parents can request

1. That the date their child is admitted to school is deferred until later in the year or until the term in which the child reaches compulsory school age. (Please note that parents cannot apply for and accept a Reception place and then defer that place until the beginning of Year 1); and
2. Parents can request that their child takes up the place part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age

PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU NEED ANY HELP TO COMPLETE THE COMMON APPLICATION FORM OR THE SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION FORM

PARENTAL PREFERENCE

The local education authority Common Application Form provides the opportunity for parent(s) to express up to three choices of schools in rank order of preference.

PLEASE NOTE HOWEVER that ALL applications will be considered by the admission authority of this school on an equal preference basis. This means that all applications for a place at this school will be assessed according to the admission criteria and no priority will be given according to the ranking.

Ranking by your preference will only be used in the final allocation of places within the LA’s co-ordinated scheme where there is more than one potential offer.

CO-ORDINATED SCHEME FOR ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

The co-ordinated scheme for admissions is a mechanism that ensures that all parents who have expressed a preference for a Rotherham school before the closing date will receive a single offer of a school place on the same day from the Authority.

In order to provide every parent with an offer of one single place the Authority will be working with the Governing Bodies of the Voluntary Aided primary schools within the Rotherham area, including Aston All Saints Church of England Primary School. Details of the co-ordinated scheme can be obtained from the Authority.

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION

A small number of children will have an Education Health Care Plan that names this school and these children must be admitted to the school if named as part of that process.

The majority of children with special educational needs will not require an Education Health Care Plan. Applications for children who have special educational needs but no Education Health Care Plan, will be considered on the basis of the Admission Authority’s published admissions criteria.

Where there are more applications for admission than the planned admission number stated, the Governing Body’s Admissions Committee will apply the criteria in strict order of priority.

Tie-breaker – if the admission number is reached mid-category, applications within each of the numbered criteria will be prioritised as follows:

Should the published admission limit be reached mid category, the Governing Body, as the admissions authority will make a decision based on the shortest distance between the applicant's home and the school by the most direct route as measured by Rotherham Authority. A Geographical Information System is used which applies seed points as determined by Ordnance Survey. Measurements are taken from the seed point of the ordinary plac e of residence to the seed point of the school. Where the school has more than one seed point, the seed point closest to the geographical centre of the complex is used.

Church attendance must be confirmed by completing BOTH sides of the form “MINISTER OF RELIGION REFERENCE FORM” TO MAKE AN APPLICATION FOR A CHURCH OF ENGLAND AIDED SCHOOL” supplied with the Admissions  Booklet, and attaching it to the Common Application form  

Criteria for Admission  

• Children who have a statement of special educational need and the school is named as the most appropriate education setting for the child will be admitted  

Oversubscription Criteria:  

1. Children who are in Public Care (Looked After Children)(see definition 1)  
2. Children with special medical or social circumstances where these needs can only be met at this school. This is not about educational needs.
   Professional supporting evidence must be provided if admission is to be made under this criterion. A professionally qualified person such as a medical doctor, psychologist or social worker must set out the particular reasons why the school is the suitable one for the child and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school  
3. Children who will have an older brother or sister attending the school at the anticipated time of admission. [see definition 7]  
4. Children whose parent(s) live in the Parish and regularly attend the Church of All Saints Aston or Holy Trinity Ulley. [see definition 2 ,4 and 5]  
4. a. Children who live in the Parish and regularly attend the Church of All Saints Aston or Holy Trinity Ulley. [see definition 4 and 5]  
5. Children whose parent[s] live outside the Parish and regularly attend the Church of All Saints Aston or Holy Trinity Ulley. [see definition 2, 4 and 5]  
5. a  Children who live outside the Parish and regularly attend the Church of All Saints Aston or Holy Trinity Ulley. [see definition 4 and 5]  
6. Children whose parent[s] live in the Parish and regularly attend another Christian denomination participating in “Churches together in England” [see definition 2, 4 and 5]  
6. a   Children who live in the Parish and regularly attend another Christian denomination participating in “Churches together in England” [see definition 4 and 5]  
7. Children whose parent[s] live outside the Parish and regularly attend another Christian denomination participating in “Churches together in England” [see definition 2 and 5]  
7. a Children who live outside the Parish and regularly attend another Christian denomination participating in “Churches together in England” [see definition 5]  
8.  Children whose parent[s] live in the Parish and are practising members of a Faith other than the above mentioned. [see definition 2 and 5]  
8. a  Children who live in the Parish and are practising members of a Faith other than the above mentioned. [see definition 5]  
9.  Children whose parent[s] live outside the Parish and are practising members of a Faith other than the above mentioned [see definition 2 and 5]  
9. a  Children who live outside the Parish and are practising members of a Faith other than the above mentioned. [see definition 5]  
10.  Children of staff of the school (see definition 3)  
11.  Children who live in the Parish. [see definition 5]  
12.  Children who do not live in the Parish [see definition 5]  

Definitions  

“Churches Together in England” means:  

The Baptist Union of Great Britain

Lutheran Council of Great Britain

Cherubim and Seraphim Council of Churches

Methodist Church

Church of England

Moravian Church

Church of Scotland

New Testament Assembly

Congregational Federation

Religious Society of Friends

Council of African and Afro-Caribbean Churches

Roman Catholic Church

Russian Orthodox Church

Council of Oriental Orthodox Christian Churches

Salvation Army

United Reformed Church

Free Churches’ Council

Wesleyan Holiness Church

Greek Orthodox Church

Ichthus Christian Fellowship

Independent Methodist Churches

International Ministerial Council of Great Britain

Joint Council for Anglo-Caribbean Churches

Ref: www.cte.org.uk  

The waiting list will be operated in accordance with the Rotherham LA Scheme  

FALSE INFORMATION  

Where the Governing Body has made an offer of a place on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent, which has effectively denied a place to a child with a stronger claim, the offer of a place will be withdrawn  

Where a child starts attending the school on the basis of fraudulent and intentionally misleading information, the place may be withdrawn depending on the length of time that the child has been at the school. Where a place or an offer has been withdrawn, the application will be re-considered and a right of independent appeal offered if the place is refused.  

APPEALS AGAINST THE GOVERNING BODY’S DECISION  

Details of the appeals process will be made available to all unsuccessful applicants.  

 Admissions Policy 2024 25 

Appeals must be submitted in writing to the LA within 21 days of the date of the notification that the application for a place at the school was unsuccessful.

The Appeal Clerk, Legal and Democratic Services  

Town Hall, The Crofts, Moorgate Street Rotherham S60 2TH  

HOW TO APPLY FOR A PLACE FOR YOUR CHILD AT ASTON ALL SAINTS CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL  

Early in the Autumn Term of the academic year prior to the one in which your child  will  start  school,  you should  receive from the  Local  Authority  an information booklet containing two forms:  

• COMMON APPLICATION FORM FOR ENTRY TO PRIMARY SCHOOL  
• MINISTER OF RELIGION REFERENCE FORM TO MAKE AN  APPLICATION FOR A CHURCH OF ENGLAND AIDED SCHOOL  (Additional Information Form)  

These forms should be returned to the Local Authority by the closing date. 

The closing date for receiving applications by the Local Authority and the Offer Day will be as stated on the Common Application Form.  

Documentation  

1. The school requests additional information not contained on the Common Application Form. This additional information is needed to place your application in the correct priority of admission category..
2. The Supplementary Information Form should be completed, securely attached to the Common Application Form and returned to the LEA  
3. Where regular attendance at a place of worship is to be taken into account, you should also fill in the “Minister of Religion Referral Form” (on the reverse of the Supplementary Information Form) and get it countersigned by your Minister of Religion.  
4. The Supplementary Information Form is not an application for admission to the school and its return does not guarantee a place at the school. However, failure to complete and return the Additional Information Form may affect which priority of admission category your application is placed in.  

Applications should be sent to:  

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council  

Children and Young People’s Services  

School Planning, Admissions and Appeals Service  

Riverside House, Second Floor, Wing C, Main Street, Rotherham, S60 1AE