Admissions to the School

POLICY ON ADMISSION TO THE SCHOOL - 2009-2010

St John the Baptist School is a Voluntary Aided School in the Catholic Diocese of Arundel & Brighton. It was founded for the education of Catholic children and it is the intention of the Governors that the Catholic character of the school will always be maintained.

The Governors expect that parents applying for places for their children will accept and uphold the Catholic character and ethos of the school. Nevertheless, the school fully respects the beliefs of parents and children from all denominations and faith backgrounds. Students are taught respect and tolerance for others and there is provision in the religious education programme for the study of different faiths.

The school serves primarily the Catholic community of the Woking Deanery, which comprises the parishes of Woking with Send, Camberley, Camberley North with Bagshot, Frimley, Knaphill and West Byfleet. The deanery primary schools located in that community which are the feeder schools for St John the Baptist School are:

  • St Dunstan’s Primary School, Woking
  • St Augustine’s Primary School, Camberley
  • St Hugh of Lincoln Primary School, Knaphill
  • The Marist Primary School, West Byfleet

If you would like to visit the school to discuss the entry of your child please telephone our Admissions Officers:

Year 7 - 11
 Mrs Lucia Davis 01483 729343 ext 123
 
Year 12-13 Mrs Nicola Risman 01483 729343 ext 154

An Open Evening is held in October when interested families may look round the school and meet the Headteacher and staff. The school brochure and application form for admission are available at the Open Evening or at any time from the school office.

A New Parents’ Evening is held in July for all new students, their parents and families. Parents and prospective students are also welcome to visit the school at any time. Students are admitted to all other year groups only if places are available. Parents are requested to make an appointment to see the Deputy Head, Mr Alan Mitchell, in the first place.

Procedures for Admission

Parents of students who are applying for a place in Year 7 from our feeder deanery primary schools will receive a Supplementary Information Form for admission to St John the Baptist School, which should be completed and returned to the school.

Parents of those applying for a place in Year 7 from other schools should apply to the Admissions Officer for a Supplementary Information Form, which should be completed and returned to the school.

Please note that the Supplementary Information Form is in addition to the Local Education Authority Surrey Preference Form which must also be completed for every student applying. For students coming from Surrey state schools this form should be returned to their primary school; for students coming from independent schools it should be returned to the Local Education Authority.

These forms collect essential information to allow the school to put all applicants in order of priority for admission, using the school’s admissions policy. The Governors are responsible for deciding the order of priority for admissions to the school.

Policy for admission

It is very important to read the Notes as well as the main section of this document. The Notes add detail and provide explanation and are part of the policy.

The published admission number (PAN) for the school will be 180 children in Year 7. If there are 180, or fewer applications, all applicants will be allocated a place. The school received 573 applications for places in September 2008 of which 180 were successful.

If there are more than 180 applications received, places will be allocated according to the following categories, proportions and priorities:-

  1. ‘Looked after’ Catholic children, who are in the care of the Local Authority
  2. Catholic children in our feeder schools who have a sibling at St John the Baptist School
  3. Catholic children not in one of our feeder schools who have a sibling at St John the Baptist School
  4. Other Catholic children in our feeder schools
  5. Other Catholic children living in the Woking Deanery
  6. Other Catholic children not living in the Woking Deanery
  7. ‘Looked after’ children who are in the care of the Local Authority but are not Catholic
  8. Non-Catholic children in our feeder schools who have a sibling at St John the Baptist School
  9. Non-Catholic children not in one of our feeder schools who have a sibling at St John the Baptist School
  10. Other non-Catholic children in our feeder schools
  11. Other practising Christian children with a supporting letter from the Minister of their church.

Note 1. The Governors reserve the right to grant a small number of places to children who in their opinion have a clear and pressing medical, social, compassionate or family need where placement at St John the Baptist School would be supportive. The Governors also follow the Code of Practice on Admissions and Special Educational Needs with regard to children who have Statements.

Note 2. Catholic children: children who are baptised members of the Catholic Church.

Note 3. Sibling: a biological or adoptive brother or sister who will still be on roll at the time of admission.

If accepting all applicants in a particular category would cause the school’s admissions in that year group to exceed 180, the tie-breaker will be those children living nearest to the school gates ‘as the crow flies’. The school operates a waiting list for any places which may become available during the year and applicants will be ranked in the same order as the categories listed above.

Parents who are unsuccessful in their application for a place for their child at the school are entitled to appeal to an independent panel if they disagree with the decision. Any appeal should in the first instance be directed to the Headteacher, who will explain the procedure.