In line with the statutory duty of admission authorities to consult on admissions arrangements, please find the proposed admissions arrangements for admissions into September 2023 onwards.  Areas highlighted in green show the changes for which we are consulting.  We request that any feedback and comments on the policy in the consultation period running from 16^th December 2021 to 27^th January 2022 are sent to headteacher@blaconhigh.cheshire.sch.uk

All pupils with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) or statement of special needs which names the school, will be admitted before any other places are allocated.

1. ‘Cared for Children’. A ‘cared for child’ is a child who is in the care of the local authority or provided with accommodation by that authority (as defined in section 22 of the Children Act 1989) at the time of application and who the local authority has confirmed will still be cared for at the time of admission to the school. These determined arrangements contain the statutory requirement of the School Admissions Code (December 2014) to include a variation to the “Looked After Child” criterion which is to include a child who was previously looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements, or special guardianship order). Formal consultation on this change did not take place as this amendment was a mandatory requirement.

2. Children for whom there are particular medical or social reasons which, in the Governors’ view, justifies admission to a particular school. Supporting evidence from a registered professional, such as a medical practitioner, psychologist or social worker, must be provided which sets out the particular reasons why the school in question is the most suitable school and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. A panel of Governors will consider the information presented and will determine whether the evidence is sufficiently compelling to apply this criterion to the application. The Governors, if it is considered appropriate, will seek the views of the School Doctor or Educational Psychologist in the event of parents requesting admission on medical or psychological grounds. This criterion cannot be considered if the required documents have not been received. Few applications fall within this category.

We are proposing to remove criteria 2 in line with the practice of Cheshire West and Chester.

3. Siblings – students with elder brothers or sisters, step-brothers or step-sisters, half-brothers or half sisters, adopted brothers or adopted sisters living together as part of one household, already attending the preferred school, and expected to continue at the school in the following school year.

We are proposing to add `Siblings in Years 7 – 11 attending the school at the time of application.’

4. Children resident within the designated catchment zone of the school. Children will be classed within this category if they and their parents/carers are resident within the area served by the school on the closing date for applications.

https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/education-and-learning/school-admissions/school-admission-arrangements/catchment-areas/secondary-school-catchment-are.aspx

5. Children not resident within a school’s local catchment zone but attending a school designated as a partner school for admissions purposes, as out-of-zone students. Our partner schools are – JH Godwin Primary School, Dee Point Primary School, Highfield Primary School, The Arches Primary School and St Theresa’s RC Primary School.

6. Students living nearest to the school (Distance) measured in a straight line from the centrally plotted Basic Land and Property Unit point (BLPU) of the child’s home address to the centrally plotted BLPU point of the school as defined by Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG).