Admissions


SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

It is important that Town End Academy remains a school for the community and not selective. Therefore the admissions policy reflects the locally co-ordinated admissions scheme. After admitting students with a statement of SEN and looked after children, the admissions policy for the Academy will prioritise brothers and sisters of current students and those living closest to the Academy.


ADMISSIONS POLICY

The Trust Board of WISE Academies will be the Admission Authority for this academy.   The Published Admission Number (PAN) is 30.

The admissions authority acknowledges the rights of parents/carers to express a preference for the academy. However parental preference cannot be considered where the academy is over-subscribed in a particular year.

If there are fewer applicants than there are places available for entry, everyone who applies will be offered a place.

As required by law, pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs naming Town End Academy will be offered a place.

If the academy is oversubscribed (i.e. where the number of applications for admission exceeds the number of places available) the Trust Board of WISE Academies, as the admissions authority will apply the following criteria in the order set out below, to decide which applicant to admit:

  1. ‘Looked-after’ children. – The highest priority must be given to Looked After Children (that is, a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions at the time of making an application to a school) and previously Looked After Children. Previously Looked After Children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002) or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order (both defined under the Children Act 1989).
  2. an older brother/sister or older child (including adoptive or step-children) that shares the same parent/carer and lives at the same address, who will still be attending Town End Academy at the time of admission.
  3. A member of the school Nursery provision (for entry into Reception)
  4. Exceptional medical or psychological reasons – (you must include a medical or psychological report, prepared by a professional, to confirm information that you include in this section. This report should explain why only this academy could meet your child’s medical or psychological needs. Common childhood medical conditions such as asthma or giving a child’s nervousness at starting new school as a psychological reason for choosing a particular school are unlikely to be accepted as exceptional). If you intend to use this criterion when expressing a preference, please contact the Local Authority’s School Admissions Team before completing the application form. (Eligibility under this category will be considered by a meeting of senior Academy staff).
  5. Pupils for whom preferences are expressed on grounds other than those outlined above.

Within each of the above, places will be offered on the basis of distance from the centre of the home address to the main entrance to the academy building.  Priority will be given to those living closest to the academy. Distance is measured by the shortest safest walking distance, using a geographical information system (GIS).

Home address – This must be the address where parents and child normally live and they must be living there on the closing date for receipt of application. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for a part of a week, the home address will be taken as the address of the parent who receives child benefit. In cases where parents are not eligible for child benefit the address will be that of the parent where the child is registered with the doctor. Confirmation of address will be required.

The Trust Board will adopt the equal preference system, whereby all applications are considered at the same time, irrespective of the order of preference.  At the first stage of allocations there will be no distinction between 1st, 2nd, 3rdetc. preference applications. Therefore all applications will be considered equally against the admission criteria. If a pupil then qualifies for a place at more than school, the parent’s highest ranked preference will be offered and any lower ranking offers will be disregarded.

In determining allocations, priority will be given to those applications where the parental preference is received by the published deadline date.

Where parents have twins, triplets or children from other multiple births and there are not sufficient places for all of the children, the parent will be notified in writing. The decision will then lie with the parent as to whether they take up the school place. However, where parents do not take up the school place, the place will be offered to the next child on the waiting list where appropriate.

Parents who are refused a place have a statutory right of appeal. Further details of the appeals process are available by writing to the Chairman of the Trust Board at the following address: –

WISE Academies
Borodin Avenue
Town End Farm
Sunderland
SR5 4NX

For More information about nursery admissions please contact the school office on 0191 7070 123

More information on admissions to Town End Academy can be found here