Abbey Catholic Primary School
Abbey Catholic Primary School

Admissions

Policies and Forms

Admission Appeals

Arrangements for Admission

Prospective parents seeking admission to Reception Class are required to access the online process on the Birmingham City Council website

Information must be read very carefully as there will be strict deadlines to meet.

Parents must also complete a Supplementary Information Form which can be found above, or by collecting a paper copy from the school office.

Proof of baptism must also be supplied. If there are not enough baptised Catholic children to fill the places available, the remaining places will be filled following the selection criteria outlined below.

Selection Criteria

The policy on admissions which the Governors have adopted seeks to reflect the aims of the school. The Governors have decided that the number of pupils to be admitted to any class will be 30.

The Governors have made a special arrangement with the LA (under Section 6(6) of the 1980 and Section 30 of the 1988 Education Act) in order to preserve the Catholic character of the school.

All admissions to the school are to be determined by the Governing Body. If the number of applications exceeds the standard number, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

  1. Baptised Catholic children who are in the care of a local authority (looked-after children) or provided with accommodation by them (eg children with foster parents) (Section 22 of the Children Act 1989).
  2. Baptised Catholic children living within the Parish of St Augustine who have a brother or sister in the school at the time of admission.
  3. Baptised Catholic children living within the Parish of St Augustine.
  4. Other Baptised Catholic children who have a brother or sister in the school at the time of admission.
  5. Other Baptised Catholic children.
  6. Non-Catholic children who are in the care of a local authority (looked-after children) or provided with accommodation by them (eg children with foster parents) (Section 22 of the Children Act 1989).
  7. Non-Catholic children who have a brother or sister in the school at the time of admission.
  8. Non-Catholic children
    i Children with a statement of special need that names the school must be admitted. This will reduce the number of places available to applicants.
    ii The definition of a brother or sister is:
    – A brother or sister sharing the same parents;
    – Half-brother or half-sister, where two children share one common parent;
    – Step-brother or step-sister, where two children are related by a parent’s marriage;
    – Adopted or fostered children.
    iii If there is over subscription within a category, priority will be given to children living closest to the school determined by the shortest straight line distance measured from the main door of the school to the home address.

The above arrangements are reviewed annually.

In-Year Admissions

An application can be made for a place for a child at any time outside the admission round and the child will be admitted where there are available places. An application should be made to the school by completing the in-year admissions application form which is available on our website. A hard copy of the application form can be obtained by contacting the school office. Miss S Reid (Secretary) or Mrs M Figgins (Bursar) will deal with your enquiry.

Completed application forms must be returned to Miss S Reid (School Secretary), St. Augustine’s Catholic Primary School, Avenue Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, B21 8ED.

Where there are places available but more applications than places, the published oversubscription criteria, as set out in the admission arrangements for the relevant year will be applied. The full admission arrangements can be read above, or by contacting the school office to request a hard copy. Parents are advised to read the admission arrangements carefully before making their application.

If there are no places available, the child will be added to the waiting list and further information relating to this will be included in the letter sent from the school advising you of the outcome of your application. Please see the admission arrangements for more details.

You will be advised of the outcome of your application in writing as soon as possible. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of an application within 15 school days of its receipt but the aim is to notify applicants of the outcome of applications within 10 school days of receipt.

You have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel if your application is unsuccessful.

If you have any questions in relation to in-year admissions, please contact Miss A McGrath, Deputy Headteacher on a.mcgrath@staugust.bham.sch.uk. You may also wish to discuss in-year applications with the local authority admissions@birmingham.gov.uk or 0121 303 1888.