Admissions

Wrotham School Governors have adopted the same definition of terms as used by Kent County Council. Before the application of the oversubscription criteria, children with a Statement of Special Educational Need or Education, Health Care Plan, which names Wrotham School will be admitted. As a result of this the published admissions criteria will be reduced accordingly.

If the number of preferences for the school is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order:

1.            Children in Local Authority Care or previously in Local Authority Care A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order.  A looked after child is child who is (a) in the care of the local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(a) or the Children Action 1989). This includes , looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order).

2.            Current Family Association – A brother or sister attending Wrotham School when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers and sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or stepsisters and foster brothers and sisters.

3.            Health and Special Access Reasons – Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school.

4.            Distance from the school to the home, Nearness of children’s homes to school – we use the distance between the child’s permanent home address (defined in KCC’s annual admissions prospectus) and the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the child’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody. When we apply the distance criterion for the school, these straight-line measurements are used to determine how close each applicant’s address is to the school. Where applications are made from properties or abodes that are not registered to the NLPG, including new build properties, KCC may be required to use planning sites or other relevant co-ordinates. In exceptional circumstances where alternative co-ordinates are not available, measurements will be determined by a Senior Admissions Officer and confirmed by Head of Service.

If you live separately from your partner but share responsibility for your child, and the child lives at two addresses during the week, we will regard the home address as the one at which the child sleeps for the majority of weekdays.

A block of flats has a single address point reference, so applicants living in the same block will be regarded as living the same distance away from the school.  In the unlikely event that two or more children live in the same block and in all other ways have equal eligibility for the last available place for the school, the names will be issued a number and drawn randomly to decide which child should be given the place.

Past admission trends can only be taken as a guide and not a guarantee for admission.

In a tie breaker situation the nearness of an applicant’s home to school will be the decider.  If in the event more than one applicant has the same distance from home to school, as measured by the Local Authority, then a random selection will be applied.

5.            For families of service personnel with a confirmed posting, or crown servants returning from overseas, we will allocate a place in advance of the family arriving in the area (as long as one is available), provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date. We will not refuse to process an application and must not refuse a place solely because the family do not yet have an intended address, or do not yet live in the area. We will use the address at which the child will live when applying their oversubscription criteria, as long as the parents provide some evidence of their intended address. Where required we will use a Unit or quartering address as the child’s home address when considering the application against our oversubscription criteria, where a parent requests this.

Requests for admission outside of the normal age group

These should be made to the Headteacher as early as possible in the admissions round associated with that child’s date of birth. This will allow the school and admissions authority sufficient time to make a decision before the closing date. Parents are not expected to provide evidence to support their request to defer their application, however where provided it must be specific to the child in question. This might include medical or Educational Psychologist reports. There is no legal requirement for this medical or educational evidence to be secured from an appropriate professional, however, failure to provide this may impede a school’s ability to agree to deferral. Parents are required to complete an application for the normal point of entry at the same time, in case their request is declined. Deferred applications must be made via paper CAF to the LA, with written confirmation from each named school attached. Deferred applications will be processed in the same way as all applications for the cohort in the following admissions round, and offers will be made in accordance with each school’s oversubscription criteria.

In Year Admissions – Years 7-11

Wrotham School will offer a place to in year applications where space is available – see PAN.

If multiple applications are received and no places are available we will apply the same over subscription criteria as above and retain a waiting list – in the order of these criteria at the parent’s request. A place will be offered when available using this list.

The waiting list is reserved for those who have made a formal application. No child will be added to this list without this having been received.

We will inform the applicant of the outcome in writing within 10 days of receiving their application or earlier and without delay. Where an application is refused the school will outline the reasons for this.

Details on the right to appeal a decision can be found here:

https://www.wrothamschool.com/information/admissions/

Once an application is successful, the school will ensure the student can start as soon as is practically possible to avoid delay in resuming education and avoiding any unnecessary gaps in learning.

The school will notify the local authority of every application and decision within a reasonable time period and keep the local authority up to date (within 2 days of request) of current student numbers.

To apply for an “in year” place at the school, please contact Mrs D Emptage, admissions officer and submit a standard application form by emailing admissions@wrotham.kent.sch.uk. You can also collect a paper copy of the application form by visiting the school reception.

Once submitted you will receive notification regarding the success of your application within 5 working days. Once this is received, you can expect your child to be invited to an admissions meeting with the relevant pastoral team to ensure your child starts at the school without delay. If an admissions meeting cannot be attended the child may be able to start at the school, without delay, but this meeting will need to take place as soon as possible. Admissions meetings can also take place online.  Applications for a start in a new term must be submitted before the school closes for the holidays. The school will only process applications during periods where the school is open.

Applications sent in advance of a student starting at the school will only be processed and added to waiting lists 3 weeks before the requested date of starting. Please be aware that open places at the school may be allocated to those with earlier start dates as a priority before this time. This also applies to the school waiting list.

Waiting lists

In order to join the school place waiting list parents must submit a full application to the school. The school waiting list is a “live document” that is updated daily or as required.

The waiting list is ranked on our oversubscription criteria.

Where parents have requested to be added to the waiting list following an unsuccessful application they should ensure the following:

•        The child is available and ready to start as soon as a place becomes available.

•        That the school is notified if plans change and the waiting list place is no longer required.

APPEALS

If your application for a place at the school has been unsuccessful you can apply for an appeal by competing the following form. If you need support with this please contact our admissions officer on the contact details provided above:

Secondary-appeal-form-2025

Your appeal will then be forwarded to an independent appeals panel who will arrange a hearing.

Fair Access Protocols

The school participates in the process of IYFA groups in the local area under the direction of the local authority.

Fair access protocols are used to place the following groups of students if they are having difficulty in securing a school place, in year, when demonstrating reasonable measures have been taken to find a place through the standard in year admissions procedures:

•        children either subject to a Child in Need Plan or a Child Protection Plan or having had a Child in Need Plan or a Child Protection Plan within 12 months at the point of being referred to the Protocol;

•        children living in a refuge or in other Relevant Accommodation at the point of being referred to the Protocol;

•        children from the criminal justice system;

•        children in alternative provision who need to be reintegrated into mainstream education or who have been permanently excluded but are deemed suitable for mainstream education;

•        children with special educational needs (but without an Education, Health and Care plan), disabilities or medical conditions;

•        children who are carers;

•        children who are homeless;

•        children in formal kinship care arrangements;

•        children of, or who are, Gypsies, Roma, Travellers, refugees, and asylum seekers;

•        children who have been refused a school place on the grounds of their challenging behaviour and referred to the Protocol in accordance with paragraph 3.10 of this Code;

•         children for whom a place has not been sought due to exceptional circumstances;

•        children who have been out of education for four or more weeks where it can be demonstrated that there are no places available at any school within a reasonable distance of their home. This does not include circumstances where a suitable place has been offered to a child and this has not been accepted; and

•        previously looked after children for whom the local authority has been unable to promptly secure a school place

There is no duty for local authorities or admission authorities to comply with parental preference when allocating places through the Fair Access Protocol, but parents’ views should be taken into account.

Eligibility for the Fair Access Protocol does not limit a parent’s right to make an in-year application to any school for their child. The school must process these applications in accordance with their usual in-year admission procedures. They must not refuse to admit such children on the basis that they may be eligible to be placed via the Fair Access Protocol. The parent will continue to have the right of appeal for any place they have been refused, even if the child has been offered a school place via the Fair Access Protocol.

Where it has been agreed that a child will be considered under the Fair Access Protocol, the school place must be allocated for that child within 20 school days.

Other Notes

•        Supplementary Forms are not required.

•        The school keeps records of any decisions relating to admissions including in year applications throughout a successful applicant time at the school or for 5 years following application.

•        Decisions on admissions and refusal of admissions that we cannot accommodate are made by the Admissions Team – This is made up of the Headteacher, Attendance and Admissions Officer and The Executive Headteacher. The decisions are monitored and by the governing body as required.

•        The school informs the LA of all admissions, applications and outcomes as soon as is reasonably practical.

•        Where the school receives an in-year application for a year group that is not the normal point of entry and it does not wish to admit the child because it has good reason to believe that the child may display challenging behaviour, it may refuse admission and refer the child to the Fair Access Protocol.

•        The school may refuse admission on the grounds of behaviour/ Permanent exclusion if it feels it already has a particularly high proportion of either children with challenging behaviour or previously permanently excluded pupils on roll compared to other local schools and it considers that admitting another child with challenging behaviour would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources. This cannot be used to refuse admission to looked after children, previously looked after children; and children who have Education, Health and Care Plans naming the school in question. The school will not refuse to admit a child thought to be potentially disruptive, or likely to exhibit challenging behaviour, on the grounds that the child is first to be assessed for special educational needs.

•        Where a child has been permanently excluded from two or more schools the school is not required to meet the needs of “parental preference” for a period of two years from the last exclusion. The twice excluded rule does not apply to the following children:

a) children who were below compulsory school age at the time of the permanent exclusion;

b) children who have been reinstated following a permanent exclusion (or would have been reinstated had it been practicable to do so);

c) children whose permanent exclusion has been considered by a review panel, and the review panel has decided to quash a decision not to reinstate them following the exclusion; and

d) children with Education, Health and Care Plans naming the school.