Admissions

Admissions Policy for 2019 Intake

1. Bourne Grammar School became an Academy on 1 January 2012. The School’s Governing Body is the Admissions Authority for Bourne Grammar School.
2. In accordance with legislation the allocation of school places for qualified children with the following will take place first; a statement of special educational needs (Education Act 1996) or an Education, Health and Care Plan (Children and Families Act 2014). We will then allocate the remaining places in accordance with this policy.
3. The PAN for 2018 entry is 240.
4. For entry into Year 7 in September we will allocate places to parents who return an application before we consider any parent who has not returned one.
5. The oversubscription criteria are listed in order. Words marked with a number, for example 1, 2 and 3 are explained separately in the definition and notes section.

Oversubscription criteria

1. The child is in public care or has previously been in public care. (1)
2. There is a brother or sister (2) on roll at the School at the time of application.
3. Children of staff (3)
4. The distance from the home to school. Priority will be given to the child living nearest the School, as defined in note 4. If two or more children are tied for the last place a lottery will be drawn by an independent person, not employed by the School or working in Children’s Service Directorate at the local authority.

Bourne Grammar School is selective. Children who want a place at the School must firstly have qualified under the selection arrangements. They must also fill in the common application form or apply online. In the event of the School being oversubscribed by qualified applicants, governors will allocate places using the criteria listed above.

The qualifying standard is an aggregate standardised score of 220 in a verbal reasoning test and a non-verbal reasoning test. This standard is intended to identify the top 25% of children by ability that live in an area of Lincolnshire served by a grammar school. This means the percentage pass rate may vary from one area to another and from one year to another, depending on the abilities of the children in a local area in any one year.

Sixth Form admissions

All applicants (internal and external) need to meet the School’s overall academic standards for admission to the Sixth Form and additionally any specific requirement for the particular subject. These will be published in the Sixth Form Prospectus for 2018 Entry. If there are more internal applicants for a particular subject than there are places available for that subject, then the oversubscription criteria detailed below will be applied.

The PAN for Year 12 is 50 places (PAN is the minimum number of places available for external applicants). If there are more applicants than places available, then external applicants will be offered places in accordance with the oversubscription criteria detailed below:

1. Students in public care or who have previously been in public care.
2. The highest grade achieved in the relevant subject or subjects, or for those subjects not available at GCSE or equivalent, a relevant subject specified in the School’s Sixth Form Prospectus for 2018 Entry.
3. The highest average points score achieved across all GCSE subjects taken by the applicant.
4. Driving distance from home to the School, with the applicant living nearer to the School having priority. This would be the tie-breaker if necessary.

Definitions and notes

1. A child in public care, sometimes referred to as ‘looked after’ is a child who is in the case of a local authority or provided with accommodation by them in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989 at the time of application. This definition includes previously looked after children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted, or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order.
   1. A ‘looked after child’ is a child who is (a) in the care of the local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.
   2. This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Childrens Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).
   3. Child arrangements orders are defined in s.8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by s.12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order.
   4. Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).
2. Brother or sister
   1. A full brother or sister, whether or not resident in the same household.
   2. Another child normally living for the majority of term time in the same household, where an adult in the household has parental responsibility as defined by the Children Act 1989. Or any child in the household where an adult in the household is defined as a parent for the purposes of Section 576 of the Education Act 1996.
   3. In the case of siblings in the same year group, where there is only one place available in the School, all will be considered together as one application. The School will be allowed to go above its admission number.
3. The governors give priority in their oversubscription criteria to children of staff in both of the following circumstances:
   1. Where the member of staff has been employed at the School for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the School is made, or
   2. The member of staff has been employed to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
4. The nearest address to the School is found by measuring the distance from your address to the School by driving distance as calculated by Lincolnshire County Council School Admissions Team. Driving distance is calculated electronically to three figures after the decimal point (e.g. 1.543 miles) from the Post Office Address Point of the home to the Post Office Address Point of the school.
   
   1. By home we mean the address where the child lives for the majority of term time. A parent as defined in section 576 of the Education Act 1996 who has parental responsibility for the child as defined in the Children Act 1989.
      
   2. Where your child lives normally during the school week with more than one parent at different addresses, we will take as the home address, the address where the child spends the majority of term time. If you can show your child spends an equal amount of time at both addresses during school term time, you can choose which address to use on the application.
      
   3. If you have more than one home, we will take as the home address the address where you and your child normally live for the majority of the school term time.
      
   4. As an admission authority we have the right to investigate any concerns we may have about your application and to withdraw the offer of a place if we consider there is evidence that you have made a fraudulent claim or provided misleading information, for example a false address was given which denied a place to a child with a stronger claim. We reserve the right to check any address and other information provided so we can apply the oversubscription criteria accurately and fairly.
      
5. For admission into Year 7 the governors will keep a waiting list which we will call a reserve list. In this School we will only add to the reserve list children who have achieved the required standard in the selection tests. If we have to refuse a place at our School a qualified child automatically put on the reserve list, unless a higher preference school has offered a place. This list is in the order of the oversubscription criteria as required by the school admissions code. This means names can move down the list if someone moves into the area and is higher placed on the oversubscription criteria. The governors must not take account of the time you have been on the list. The list is kept by the Schools Admission Team until the end of the coordinated admission round in August each year. After this the School will keep the reserve list until any mid-year admissions have taken place. After this date, unsuccessful parents may elect to place their child’s name on a waiting list. Students will be placed on the waiting list in strict order according to the School’s oversubscription criteria. If a place becomes available at the School, the place will be allocated in accordance with the over-subscription criteria. The waiting list will be held from the allocation of places date until the end of Year 9.
   
6. If any of the oversubscription criteria have too many applicants and the distance criterion is not sufficient to distinguish between two or more applicants and two or more children are tied for the last remaining place then a lottery will be drawn by an independent person, not employed by the School or working in the Local Authority Children Services Directorate at the local authority.
7. Children of UK Service Personnel (UK Armed Forces)
   1. For families of service personnel with a confirmed posting to the area, or Crown servants returning to live in the area from overseas, the Governors have adopted the following arrangements.
   2. In relation to late co-ordinated applications and mid-year applications we will aim to remove any disadvantage to UK service personnel (UK Armed Forces) by applying the school’s oversubscription criteria to their address. We will check to see if the address is within the distance of the last child admitted in the last admission round that was oversubscribed on offer day. If the address is within the distance the governors will be asked to consider admitting providing all children in public care and siblings have already been admitted and there is no child with higher priority under the oversubscription criteria on the reserve list. This will be irrespective of the fact that the School has had appeals or appeals are scheduled.
   3. It may be that the governors still cannot admit because of organisational or curriculum difficulties within the school. As Bourne Grammar is selective, the child must have qualified as well as live within the distance.
   4. We will need the notice of posting or official government letter and posting address that declares a relocation date and a unit postal address or quartering area address before we can consider an application under these arrangements. A decision is then reached as soon as possible by applying the policies and practices that we normally follow.
   5. The governors will not refuse a service child because the family does not currently live in the area.
8. Mid-Year Admissions
   1. The governors will accept admissions into other year groups if there are places available and your child has qualified. If there are more applications than places then the oversubscription criteria will be used to decide who should be offered the place. If there are no places, then you will be told of the independent appeal system. Mid-Year testing for Year 7 will consist of the VR and NVR 11+ tests taken by the students currently in Year 7. A qualification score of 220 and above is required. Mid-Year testing for Years 8 and 9 will consist of a VR and NVR 12+ test. A qualification score of 220 and above is required. Any parent wishing to arrange a mid-year test should, in the first instance, contact [email protected].
9. Admission of children outside their normal age group
   1. Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group, for example, if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.
   2. Parents wishing to make these requests must contact their home local authority for guidance on the procedure to follow.
   3. It is important for parents to note that they will have the opportunity and responsibility to provide whatever evidence they wish to support their request.
   4. This School will make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned.
   5. This will include taking account of:
      1. the parent’s views;
      2. any available information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development;
      3. where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional;
      4. whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; any evidence that the child may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely
      5. the views of the Headteacher of the child’s current school
10. Appeals
    1. The procedure for appeals relating to admissions will be in accordance with all relevant legislation. They are independent and entirely separate from the admission system. The decision of the independent appeal panel is binding on all parties. The governors will not consider a repeat appeal in the same academic year unless there has been a relevant change in circumstances.
11. Fair Access Protocols
    1. Local Authorities are required to have Fair Access Protocols in order to make sure that unplaced children who live in the home local authority, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. This includes admitting children above the published admissions number to schools that are already full.
12. Fraudulent or misleading applications
    1. As an admission authority we have the right to investigate any concerns we may have about your application and have to withdraw the offer of a place if we consider there is evidence that you have made a fraudulent claim or provided misleading information, for example a false address was given which denied a place to a child with a stronger claim.
    2. We reserve the right to check any address and other information provided so we can apply the oversubscription criteria accurately and fairly.
    3. Arrangements for applications for places in Years 7 to 11 at Bourne Grammar School will be made in accordance with Lincolnshire County Council's co-ordinated admission arrangements; parents resident in Lincolnshire can apply online at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions, they can also apply by telephone, or ask for a hard copy application form, by telephoning 01522 782030. Parents resident in other areas must apply through their home local authority.
    4. Bourne Grammar School will use the Lincolnshire County Council's timetable published online for these applications and the relevant Local Authority will make the offers of places on their behalf as required by the School Admissions Code.