Tyndale Community School Admissions Policy - Oxfordshire County Council
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Tyndale Community School
Admissions Policy
Approval Committee Full Governing Board
Review Committee Full Governing Board
Author/Responsible Person Matthew Watt
Last Reviewed March 2019
Next Review date February 2020
Required to Publish on website? Yes
Statutory? Yes
Signed
1Tyndale Community School seeks to be an inclusive school expressing a twenty-first century
Christian ethos sharing hospitality with children and families of all faiths and no faith and
drawing together a wide range of people from different backgrounds to work towards the
good of the whole community.
A. General admissions arrangements
Tyndale Community School will ensure that it provides places for children of all abilities, all
of whom will come from the local area. We intend to attract local pupils from the
immediate area surrounding the school and all our publicity and promotional material is
designed to appeal to parents and carers in the local neighbourhoods.
B. Review of Admission Arrangements in 2015
When Tyndale Community School first established its admission policy it did so unsure
where, within Oxford, the school would finally be located. Governors therefore set an initial
designated area covering postcodes OX1, OX2, OX3 and OX4.
With the school open, and permanently housed at its present address, Governors reviewed
the position for 2015 intake. They were keen to follow their original intention of attracting
local families in local neighbourhoods. They felt this is best achieved by not designating a
formal catchment area but using proximity to the school as the measurement once account
has been taken of Looked After children, siblings and those with exceptional circumstance.
This will enable the school to serve the local area.
The Governors have continued to adopt this approach for subsequent years. This will apply
for 2020 intake
C. Process of Application
As a school of religious character, if oversubscribed, our policy will be to admit up to 30% of
pupils on the basis of the Christian faith. Tyndale Community School is part of Oxfordshire
County Council's co-ordinated process. This means that arrangements for applications for
places at Tyndale Community School are made in accordance with the Local Authority’s
coordinated admission arrangements using the Common Application Form provided and
administered by Oxfordshire's Admissions Team.
A Supplementary Information Form will be required from parents and carers when applying
for a faith based school place and this is only required to provide information of current
worship practices. Tyndale Community School will use the Oxfordshire County Council’s
timetable for applications to the school each year (exact dates within the months may vary
from year to year). This will fit in with the timetable for the coordination of admission
arrangements within the Local Authority as agreed by locally coordinated processes, Local
Authority and local schools.
D. Published Admissions Numbers
Tyndale Community School has an agreed admissions number of 60 pupils into Reception
(also known as F1) for each academic year.
2E. Over Subscription criteria
Tyndale Community School will work in harmony with the locally coordinated procedures
throughout the process and will match the admissions and oversubscription criteria applied
by the Local Authority in the event of oversubscription. Where the number of applications
for admission is greater than the published admission number, applications will be
considered against the criteria set out below.
After the admission of pupils with an EHCP where Tyndale Community School is named on
the EHCP, the criteria will be applied in the order in which they are set out below:
1. Looked After Children (children in public care) and children who were
previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became the
subject of an adoption, residence or special guardianship order.
2. Faith based places:
Up to 30% of places will be allocated on the basis of faith according to the following:
2a. Children of the Christian faith who already have a sibling on roll
2b. Children of the Christian faith, with exceptional medical, social or welfare
needs which means the child must, because of those needs, attend the school.
Appropriate evidence from a doctor or social worker must be provided
2c. The third priority in this sub-category goes to those children of the faith living
closest (as defined by LA designated routes)1
3. Then, open places:
3a Siblings (and in the case of more applications than places then priority will be
given to those living closest (as defined by LA designated routes))
3b Children with exceptional medical, social or welfare needs which means the child
must, because of those needs, attend the school. Appropriate evidence from a doctor,
social worker etc. must be provided
3c The third priority in this sub-category goes to those children living closest (as
defined by LA designated routes)2
1" LA designated route" describes distances from home to school using the shortest route measured
along footpaths, roads and streets on the LA’s Directorate for Children, Education and Families’
Geographic Information System. It approximates to a walking route. Most free school, academies and
voluntary aided schools in Oxfordshire use this method as well as LA’s own schools.
3NOTES
For the avoidance of doubt, our faith criteria will be based upon those of Christian faith who
are practising Christians who attend church and participate in acts of worship. (See
Appendix 1 for the form that provides further explanation of faith based criteria)
When we use the term siblings we mean: children with a sibling (the term “sibling” means a
full, half, adopted or fostered brother or sister, or other child living permanently within the
same household) on roll at Tyndale Community School at the time of the proposed
admission.
If more children apply under faith based criteria than places available, those not successful
in gaining a faith based place will be considered under Open Places.
MULTIPLE BIRTHS
Where an application is being submitted for a child who has a sibling application in the
same year group (including children of multiple births such as twins), it will be the policy of
the Governing Body not to offer a place to one child without the sibling(s) of the same age
group. In these circumstances Governors may determine to exceed the number of places
temporarily on the understanding that this will not create a new admission number and as
soon as children leave they will revert to the published number.
Tie-break
In the event of a ‘tie-break’ situation (i.e. being unable to establish who would be closer to
the school) we would use a method of random selection, that would be supervised by
someone independent of Tyndale Community School.
F. Appeals3
There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for applicants refused
admission.
G. Waiting List
If the school is oversubscribed, or where no vacancies are available at the time of
application, unsuccessful applicants can be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list is
maintained until the end of December. The child’s ranking on the waiting list will be in
accordance with the school’s oversubscription criteria.
H. Mid-term Admissions
Tyndale Community School will work in partnership with the other primary schools in the
Local Authority in dealing with mid‐term admissions (or in year admissions). Tyndale
Community School will participate in the LA’s Fair Access policy and will participate in the
3
Details of how to submit an appeal are contained on the school website
Appeals have to be submitted within 20 school days of receiving notification that your application has
been refused
4arrangements published by the Local Authority, which provide for the allocation of places in
line with the school’s admissions policy.
5APPENDIX 1
Please complete and return to the school: William Morris Close, Oxford OX4 2JY
Tel: 01865 454400
Faith criteria for admissions policy
Those applying for a place on the basis of faith are required to submit both Supplementary
forms A & B
Supplementary Information Form A: for applicants
Do you wish your application to be considered under the faith-based criteria for admissions?
(Please tick as appropriate)
Yes
No
If applying on a faith basis, please ask your pastor, minister or spiritual leader to complete
‘Supplementary Information Form B (for church leaders)’ and append it with this form to
your application.
It is entirely the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that both forms A and B are
supplied to the admissions authority.
Signed ...........................................................................................................................................
Name ............................................................................................................................................
Name and address of your place of worship ...............................................................................
Date ..............................................................................................................................................
NOTE: We understand “those of Christian faith who are who are practising Christians” to mean:
The child or at least one parent shows evidence of living out an authentic expression of
Christian faith in their life and the community, such as:
Involved regularly in a church activity or group apart from the Sunday worship service
Involved in a Christian group that is active in the community
Serves the church community in some regular way
Serves the local community on behalf of the church
By regular attender we mean: the child or at least one parent has attended worship services
at least twice a month (or monthly if the church pattern of worship is less frequent than
weekly) for a minimum of six months prior to the time of the application.
6Please complete and return to the school: William Morris Close, Oxford OX4 2JY
Tel: 01865 454400
Supplementary Information Form B: for church leader
Please tick in the box below if it describes the child’s circumstances:
Children who themselves or whose parents/guardians are practising Christians and regularly
attend a church or place of Christian worship which is a full member of Churches Together in
Oxfordshire, and/or the Oxford Pastors Forum and/or the Evangelical Alliance.
Signed ................................................................................................................
Name .................................................................................................................
Leadership Position (Role & name of congregation) ........................................
..........................................................................................................................
Church/Place of worship attended by the family .............................................
..........................................................................................................................
Which of the above bodies is that church a member of? ................................
..........................................................................................................................
Date ...................................................................................................................
Guidance notes for persons completing ‘Supplementary Form B (for church leader)’:
The completion of this form and its return ahead of the admission application deadline is critical if
the applicant is to be considered under the faith-based admissions criteria.
Please note that the information that you provide could later be critical in determining the outcome
of an appeal at an Admissions Tribunal. Therefore it is our recommendation:
That you do not work in isolation when completing a school admission
Supplementary Information Form, but rather utilise a committee of at least 3
members who each hold positions of responsibility in your congregation.
That you make a clear record of how you have judged whether the applicant is a
‘practising Christian’ and a ‘regular attender’ at worship.
By practising Christian we mean:
- The child or at least one parent shows evidence of living out an authentic
expression of Christian faith in their life and the community. Examples would
include the following:
o Involved regularly in a church activity or group apart from the Sunday
worship service
o Involved in a Christian group that is active in the community
o Serves the church community in some regular way
o Serves the local community on behalf of the church
By regular attender we mean:
7- The child or at least one parent has attended worship services at least twice a
month (or monthly if the church pattern of worship is less frequent than
weekly) for a minimum of six months prior to the time of the application.
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