The King's CofE Academy

Admission arrangements 2023/2024, 2024/2025 & 2025/2026

Introduction

The King’s CE (A) School welcomes children from all backgrounds, faiths and no faith and is committed to developing an inclusive school that reflects the diversity of whole community in Kidsgrove and the surrounding area. 

The Governing Body is responsible for the admission of students to The King’s and admits up to 150 students to Year 7 each September. 

Out of the 150 places, the Governing Body intends to allocate up to 25 “Foundation Places” (for practising Christians) and at least 125 “Open Places” for the whole community. 

Children with a Statement of Educational Need or an Education, Health and Care Plan that names The King’s will have absolute priority in admissions for both Foundation and Open Places in Year 7 and for admission to Year 12. 

Parents/carers must submit a separate application for each child, including multiple-birth applications. When considering twins, triplets or larger number of siblings, which are the product of a multiple birth, where there are insufficient spaces for all siblings, the School will exceed its admission number so that same family twins, triplets etc. do not have to attend separate schools. 

Foundation Places

The Governing Body has designated up to 25 places to be offered to students, at least one of whose parents (see Note 1) is a faithful and regular worshipper (see Note 2) at a church which is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) or Churches Together in England. 

Written evidence of applicants’ commitment to their place of worship (in the form of The King’s Supplementary Information Form) will be required at the time of application. If there are more than 25 applicants for Foundation places, the places will be allocated according to the following criteria. These are stated in order of priority: 

1. Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order), including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

2.  Children with known medical or social or pastoral needs who have an exceptional need for a place at The King’s (see Note 3) 

4.  Children who have a sibling in the school at the time of application and at the time of admission (see Note 4) 

5.  All other children, at least one of whose parents (see note 1) is a faithful and regular worshipper (see note 2)at a Christian church which is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) or Churches Together in England. 

Tie Break

If two or more applicants still have equal right to a place under these criteria, then the Governing Body will use as a tie-break the distance from the home address (see Note 5) to the School, as measured by the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System.  The distance is measured in miles and calculated using Ordnance Survey (OS) data from an applicant’s home address to the main front gate of the school.  The coordinates of an applicant’s home address are determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point data. 

Unfilled Foundation Places

If there are fewer than 25 qualified applicants for Foundation places, any unfilled places will become additional Open places. All applicants for Foundation places will also be considered for Open places, and if they are successful in gaining a Foundation place, their name will be removed from the list of Open candidates. 

Open Places

The Governing Body has designated at least 125 places each year as Open places, to be offered to students who do not qualify for a Foundation place, but whose parents have chosen The King’s CE (A) School. If there are more applicants than the available number of Open places, places will be allocated according to the following criteria. These are stated in order of priority: 

1. Children in care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order), including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted 
2. Children with known medical or social or pastoral needs who have an exceptional need for a place at The King’s (see Note 3) 
3. Children who will have a sibling in the School at the time of application and at the time of admission (see Note 4) 
4. Children who have attended one of the following primary schools: A. St. Thomas’ CE (VA) School B. St. Saviour’s CofE Academy C. Springhead Community Primary School D.  The Reginald Mitchell Primary School 
5. Children of members of staff, who have been employed by The King’s CE (A) School for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made 
6. All other children.

Tie-Break

In the event that two or more applicants have equal right to a place under criteria (3)-(7) above, the Governing Body will give priority to children living closest to the school by a straight-line measurement from the school gate to the home address (see note 5) as measured by the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System.  The distance is measured in miles and calculated using Ordnance Survey (OS) data from an applicant’s home address to the main front gate of the school.  The coordinates of an applicant’s home address are determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point data. 

Applications into Year 12   

All students need to apply and must meet the published post 16 entry requirements for admission into Year 12. The number of students to be admitted from outside the School to Year 12 is 50. All places in Years 12 and 13 are deemed to be Open Places. 

In the event that there are more than 50 applications from outside the School to Year 12, after the admission of students with a Statement of Educational Need that names The King’s, places will be prioritised on the following basis: 

1. Children in Care and children who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order) as defined by the Children Act 1989 
2. Children previously in care outside England or Wales who ceased to be in care because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order
3. Children with known medical or social or pastoral needs who have an exceptional need for a place at The King’s (see Note 3) 
4. Children who will have a sibling in the school at the time of application and at the time of admission (see Note 4) 
5. Children of members of staff, who have been employed by The King’s CE(A) School for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made 
6. All other children.

Tie-Break

In the event that two or more applicants have equal right to a place under criteria (3)-(6) above, the Governing Body will give priority to children living closest to the school by a straight-line measurement from the school gate to the home address (see note 5) as measured by the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System.  The distance is measured in miles and calculated using Ordnance Survey (OS) data from an applicant’s home address to the main front gate of the school.  The coordinates of an applicant’s home address are determined and provided by the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and OS Address Point data. 

Casual Admissions/ln Year Applications

The School will consider all such applications and, if the year group applied for has a place available, admit the child. If more applications are received than there are places available, the oversubscription criteria shall apply. 

Parents whose application is refused are entitled to appeal in writing addressed to the Clerk to the Governing Body c/o The King’s CE (A) School, First Avenue, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 1DP. Appeal forms are available, upon request, from the Bursar at the above address. 

Appeals should detail clearly the reason for the appeal and enclose any documents or evidence to support the appeal. Families will be notified of the decision within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged. Applications may be refused if any information provided is found to be fraudulent or misleading. 

Further information may be obtained from: 

The Admissions Officer, The King’s CE (A) School, First Avenue, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent 

Notes

1.   Parents

For admission purposes a parent is defined as the ‘Prime Carer’. 

2.   Applications on faith grounds

“Faithful and regular worshipper” is defined as worshipping at least twice a month for a period of one year prior to application. 

Parents applying for a place on faith grounds must complete the Supplementary Information Form (which can be obtained from The School Admissions Officer, The King’s CE (A) School, First Avenue, Kidsgrove, ST7 1DP. Tel: 01782 783281, Email: enquiries@thekings.staffs.sch.uk or from the Local Authority) and return this form direct to the School Admissions Officer, signed by an appropriate faith leader. 

3.    Medical or social or pastoral needs

Any application based on medical or social or pastoral needs must be supported by (an) appropriate professional reference(s) submitted in writing, e.g. doctor, social worker, educational psychologist, priest or faith leader. Applicants should be able to demonstrate why The King’s is the most suitable school and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. 

4.   Siblings

“Sibling” refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, stepbrother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner where the child for whom the school place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling.

5.   Home Address

The home address of a pupil is considered to be the permanent residence of a child. The address must be the child’s only or main residence for the majority of the school week. Documentary evidence may be required. Where care is split equally between mother and father, parents must name which address is to be used for allocating a school place. 

Waiting Lists

Waiting lists will be held where in any year the School receives more applications for places than there are places available. Waiting lists will be held for each of the two admission categories (Foundation and Open places). Waiting lists for Year 7 will be maintained by the local authority until 31 August 2020. From 1 September 2020 the waiting list will be maintained by the school and will operate until 31 December in the year of admission. It will be open to any parent to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application. 

Children’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria set out above. Priority will be given first to Foundation place applicants and then to Open place applicants. Waiting lists are held in admission criteria order. 

Appeals

Parents who are not offered a place for their child have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. Parents wishing to appeal should write to the Clerk to the Appeal panel c/o The King’s CE (A) School, by the deadline date as stated in the offer letter. The appeal will be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals. Should an appeal be unsuccessful, the governing body will not consider further applications from those parents within the same academic year unless there have been significant and material changes in their circumstances. 

General

Admissions to the School will be coordinated through the Local Authority’s Coordinated Scheme and its timetable. Applicants for Foundation places will be required to complete the King’s Supplementary Application Form. 

This Policy will be reviewed on a regular basis in line with the timetable in the School admissions annex, the School Admissions Code and statutory requirements. 

Admission Outside the Normal Age Group

Parents may seek to apply for their child’s admission to school outside their normal age group, for example if the child is exceptionally gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.

These parents will need to make an application alongside children applying at the normal age which should explain why it is in the child’s best interest to be admitted outside their normal age which may include information such as professional evidence as to why this is the case and why an exception should be made in the case of the child. A decision whether this is an appropriate course of action will be made by the Governing Body who will take into account the circumstances of the case and views of the headteacher. Parents do not have the right to insist that their child is admitted to a particular year group.