The Admissions Policy of St Michael’s CE (VA) Primary School for the school year 2006 – 2007 is published here by the Governing Body, the school’s admission authority, for your convenience. The Governors make arrangements to consult other neighbouring authorities each year. Decisions regarding admissions are the responsibility of the Governing Body.
The school aims to provide a place for all children whose address is within the catchment area, defined in the school’s trust deed as being the area within the ecclesiastical boundaries of the parish of Lyme Regis. An applicant’s address is taken as the place where a child is permanently resident with his/her parents or legal guardians. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility each part of the week, the ‘home’ address will be considered to be the address of the person whose name is on the child benefit book. This may be a different address to that printed on the book itself. However, parents/guardians should not assume that a place will automatically be allocated to their child.
The Admissions Policy of St Michael’s CE (VA) Primary School is to offer a place to all applicants irrespective of sex, religion, ethnicity or country of origin, disability or academic ability. Our school’s mission statement is:
We aim to help every child to make the most of his/her unique gifts, to provide a Christian environment and to teach Christianity as true.
Applications in writing for places at the school for 4-year-olds to commence in September each year need to be received at the school by the deadline date in the Autumn term preceding the year of entry. Following a decision on admission, parents/guardians will receive written notification of the outcome in the Spring Term following. Formal applications received after the deadline date will be considered in order of receipt. In these cases, written notification will be given as soon as possible after the applications have been received. We encourage parents/guardians not to hold more than one offer of a school place.
Children who are 4 years of age will be admitted to the school as a single entry group at the beginning of the school year in which they reach the age of 5. Initially, all these children will be admitted on a part-time basis for 5 morning sessions a week. After this initial period of part-time attendance, the increase from part-time to full-time attendance will take place for all these children at the commencement of the Spring Term.
If a parent is offered and accepts a place in the Reception year for a child below compulsory school age during the normal admission round, but asks to defer their child’s entry to school until he or she is of compulsory school age, the Governing Body may agree to the parent’s request for deferment till later in the school year. This is conditional on the place being taken up within the same academic year. On the expiry of the period for deferment and the place not being taken up in that time, the Governing Body may offer the place to another child.
The school’s Admission Number is 27 and the Standard Number for each year group is currently set at 27. These arrangements would realise a total of 189 in the school if all year groups reached their maximum number. Admissions are subject to there being adequate places available in class and adequate teaching capacity / support.
Priority will be given by the Governing Body to all those children aged between rising 4 and 11 years old whose parents/guardians have expressed a written preference to send them to St Michael’s CE (VA) Primary School. If there are more applicants than places available, or adequate resources / capacity do not exist, or where an admission would conflict with the school fulfilling class size legislation, the Governors will admit children in the following priority order:
Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs which specifies attendance at St Michael's School;
- Vulnerable Children;
- children who are looked after by the local authority
(The term "looked after" specifically relates to children with either a care order (full or interim) or who are accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 within the care of Dorset County Council, i.e. children in residential homes or foster care)
- children of families with confirmed refugee status
- children with a medical condition
(Children with a medical condition where written evidence is available from a senior clinical medical officer and the general practitioner or specialist showing that it would be detrimental to the child’s health not to admit him/her)
Catchment area siblings; (Consideration is given if an older sibling is attending as at the deadline date, excluding pupils in Year 6. The term ‘sibling’ also includes step, half and foster siblings living in the same family)
Children who are regular worshippers at St Michael’s Parish Church, Lyme Regis – attendance certified in writing by the Vicar;
Children who are regular worshippers at another Christian Church – attendance certified in writing by the Priest or Minister;
Other children living in the catchment area; (Children resident within the catchment area who do not qualify under one of the criteria given above)
Any other children. (Out of catchment area children and children for whom none of the above apply)
If in the categories listed above the number of children seeking admission exceeds the number of places available, decisions as to which children will be allocated a place will be made in the following way:
in the event of there being more children than places available in any of the categories given previously, the children’s proximity to the school will be the determining factor, with the closest to the school having priority. The measuring of distances from home to school is done by the shortest walking route, as in school transport cases.
Applicants who live in the catchment area and have been refused a place will automatically be placed on the waiting list. The names on the waiting list will be ranked according to the categories given previously.
Parents have a right of appeal to an independent panel against the decision of the Governing Body to refuse application for a school place. Details of the appeals procedure are sent out with all refusal letters.
Parental preference applicants will be placed on the waiting list if they go to appeal and are subsequently turned down.
The Admissions Policy is reviewed each year by the Governing Body.
Enquiries about this policy should be addressed to The Clerk to the Governors, c/o St Michael’s CE (VA) Primary School – tel 01297 442623.
There is a school uniform, which is strongly encouraged by Governors and the Headteacher. We believe it increases a sense of belonging to the school as a community and contributes to a general, visual impression of smartness.
Uniform
Red sweathshirts and P.E. shirts may be ordered and purchased through the School Office cost varying according to size.
Sweatshirt - £8 - £8.75
P.E. Shirt - £4.25 - £4.75
(Please note, these may vary according to manufacturer's prices and sizes?
Girls
Grey skirt or pinafore, White blouse or shirt, Red sweatshirt, Flat black shoes (not boots or trainers).
Red and White check gingham dresses for the Summer.
Boys
Grey trousers, White shirt, Red sweatshirt, flat black shoes (not boots or trainers).
P.E. Kit
For all children:
White T-shirt with school motif
Navy blue shorts
White socks
Black plimsolls for indoor use
For the Junior Age Groups, additional kit:-
Trainers for outdoor use
Red football shirt and shorts, football boots
Netball skirt
Swimmimg
Children in all classes will require a swimming costume (girls one piece, please), and a towel for a series of swimming lessons as the local pool at some point in the school year. |