3.    The admission arrangements for Grace Academy Coventry for the year 2011/2012 and, subject to any changes approved or required by the Secretary of State, for subsequent years are:

1. Grace Academy Coventry has an agreed admission number of 210 students at year 7 entry level. Grace Academy Coventry will accordingly admit at least 210 students in the relevant age group to year 11 each year if sufficient applications are received.
2. Grace Academy Coventry has an agreed admission number of 150 students at year 12 entry level. Grace Academy Coventry will accordingly admit up to 150 students in year 12 and year 13.
3. Grace Academy Coventry may set a higher admission number as its Published Admission Number for any specific year. Before setting an admission number higher than its agreed admission number, Grace Academy Coventry will consult those listed at paragraphs 16 below. Students will not be admitted above the Published Admission Number unless exceptional circumstances apply and such circumstances shall be reported to the Secretary of State.

4.    Applications for places at the Academy will be made in accordance with the Local Authority’s co-ordinated admission arrangements and will be made on the Common Application Form provided and administered by the Coventry Local Authority. Grace Academy Coventry will use the timetable detailed in paragraph 19 for applications each year which, whenever possible, will fit in with the common timetable agreed by the Coventry Local Authority Admissions Forum or Local Authority.

1. By July - Grace Academy Coventry will publish in its prospectus information about the arrangements for admission, including oversubscription criteria, for the following September (e.g. in July 2011 for admission in September 2012). This will include details of open evenings and other opportunities for prospective students and their parents to visit the school. Grace Academy Coventry will also provide information to the Local Authority for inclusion in the composite prospectus, as required;
2. July, September/October - Grace Academy Coventry will provide opportunities for parents to visit the Academy.
3. October – Common Application Form to be completed and returned to the Local Authority to administer.
4. The Local Authority will act as a 'clearing house' for Grace Academy Coventry and forward the list of students to be offered places in accordance with the criteria.
5. The Academy Leadership Team are responsible for admissions and will confirm to the Local Authority those children who are to be offered places.
6. February – Local Authority applies agreed scheme for own schools, informing other Local Authorities of offers to be made to their residents.
7. March - offers made to parents by the Local Authority on behalf of Grace Academy.

5.    Grace Academy Coventry will consider all applications for places. Where fewer than the published admission number for any relevant age group are received, Grace Academy Coventry will offer places to all those who have applied.

6.    Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the published admissions number, applications will be considered against the criteria set out below. After the admission of students with statements of Special Educational Needs where Grace Academy Coventry is named on the statement, the criteria will be applied in the order in which they are set out below:

1. Children who, at the time of admission, are in the care of a local authority or are provided with accommodation by the authority (looked after children).
   A looked-after child is defined in Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.
2. Children who live in the catchment area served by the Academy, who have a brother or sister attending the Academy provided that the brother or sister will continue to attend the Academy the following year.
3. Other children who live in the catchment area served by the Academy.
4. Children living outside the catchment area with a brother or sister who currently attends the Academy, provided that the brother or sister will continue to attend the Academy the following year.
   This criterion applies to all children who live outside the Academy catchment area, but have a brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, half-brother, half-sister, adopted brother or sister who will continue to attend the Academy in the following year and live at the same permanent address.
5. Children by reference to the distance to the Academy.
   If it is not possible to meet all of the requests in any one of the categories described above, the Academy governors will prioritise the requests by reference to distance.

There are no aptitude/ability tests involved in gaining admittance to Grace Academy Coventry. There is also no admittance granted in line with the Academy specialism.

Priority will be given to children who are in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by an authority. A looked after child is defined in Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.

If a child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs which names the Academy, they will be admitted.

The Academy sees the benefits of children from the same family attending the same school and gives priority to brother and / or sister connections in its policy for allocating places. The definition of brother or sister includes step-brothers, step-sisters, half-brothers, half-sisters and adopted brothers and sisters living at the same permanent address. However, if the Academy was to be over-subscribed no guarantee can be given that places will be available for brothers and sisters. Where the final place in a year group is offered to one of twins or other multiple births the parent has to decide which child will take up the place.

If it is not possible to meet all of the requests in any one of the categories described above, the Academy Leadership Team will prioritise the requests within that category by reference to distance. A straight-line measurement will be made, using a computerised mapping system, from the centre of the child's residence - to the centre of the Academy site. The address used must be the child's permanent home address. The shortest measurement will have the highest priority. Where the final place in a year group can be taken by two or more children living an equal distance from the Academy, the Academy Leadership Team will select by drawing lots.

A student's home address is considered to be a residential property that is the child's only or permanent residence. At the time places are allocated, proof of permanent residence at the property concerned may be required. Where documentary evidence can substantiate to the satisfaction of the Academy that care is split equally between parents at two homes, parents must name the address to be used for the purpose of allocating a place.
If a place at the Academy is offered on the basis of an address that is subsequently found to be different from a child's normal and permanent home address, then that place is liable to withdrawal.

One of the aims of the Academy is to serve its neighbourhood and develop links with the local community to strengthen the Academy and the community. The area served by the Academy is known as the catchment area.

All applications received up to and including 31 October 2010 will be treated as on time. Applications received after this date due to a house move will be treated as on time up to 31 December 2010. All other applications received after 31 October 2010 will be considered to be late and may not be processed until after 1st March 2011.

7.    Subject to any provisions regarding waiting lists in the Local Authority’s co-ordinated admission scheme, the Academy will operate a waiting list for each year group. Where in any year Grace Academy Coventry receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate until 31st December. This will be maintained by Grace Academy Coventry and 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.

8.    Children’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria set out in paragraph 6 (clauses a to e) above. Where places become vacant they will be allocated to children on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.

The Local Authority cannot always offer places at the Academy. If this is the case the child's name will be automatically placed on the Waiting List. If places become available, the Local Authority will allocate the places to those who best meet the admissions criteria. Applicants may therefore move both up and down the list depending on whether others joining the list better meet the admissions criteria. From the 1st September 2010 Grace Academy Coventry will manage its own waiting lists for year 7 students. Waiting lists for other year groups will be managed by the Academy, complying with the Local Authority and Grace Academy Coventry admissions criteria.

9.    Grace Academy Coventry will publish in its Sixth Form prospectus specific criteria in relation to minimum entrance requirements for the range of courses available based upon GCSE grades or other measures of prior attainment. These criteria are the same for internal and external transfers and will be subject to consultation with those in paragraph 16.

10.   In the case of oversubscription, priority will be given to Grace Academy Coventry students transferring to the Grace Academy Sixth Form. Following this the oversubscription criteria outlined earlier will apply (as per paragraph 6). There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for unsuccessful applicants.

11.   Subject to any provisions in the Local Authority’s co-ordinated admission arrangements relating to applications submitted for years other than the normal year of entry, the Academy will consider all such applications and if the year group applied for has a place available, admit the child unless one of the permitted reliefs apply. If more applications are received than there are places available, the oversubscription criteria in paragraph 6a – c shall apply. Parents whose application is turned down are entitled to appeal.

12.   Grace Academy Coventry will participate in Coventry Local Authority’s In Year Fair Access Protocol.

13.   Grace Academy Coventry opened on 1st September 2008 with a Published Admission Number relating solely to students in Year 7 and, where relevant, Year 12. Students in subsequent Years have transferred automatically from the predecessor school.

14.   Admission to Year groups without a Published Admission Number will be based upon the size of teaching groups already existing in Grace Academy Coventry and the efficient use of resources.

15. There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel for unsuccessful applicants.

16.   Grace Academy Coventry will consult by 1st March each year on its proposed admission arrangements:

1. Coventry Local Authority;
2. The Admission Forum for Coventry Local Authority;
3. Any other admission authorities for primary and secondary schools located within the relevant area for consultation set by the Local Authority;
4. Any other governing body for primary and secondary schools (as far as not falling within paragraph 16c) located within the relevant area for consultation;
5. Affected admission authorities in neighbouring Local Authority areas.

17.   Grace Academy Coventry will publish its admission arrangements each year once these have been determined, by:

1. copies being sent to primary and secondary schools in Coventry Local Authority;
2. copies being sent to the offices of Coventry Local Authority;
3. copies being made available without charge on request from the Academy;
4. copies being sent to public libraries in the area of Coventry Local Authority for the purposes of being made available at such libraries for reference by parents and other persons.

18.   The published arrangements will set out:

1. the name and address of the Academy and contact details;
2. a summary of the admissions policy, including oversubscription criteria;
3. a statement of any religious affiliation;
4. numbers of places and applications for those places in the previous year; and
5. arrangements for hearing appeals.

31st October 2010:	Closing date for the Common Application Forms to be returned to primary schools.
19th November 2010:	Coventry Local Authority will exchange "unranked" preferences with other Local Authorities whose schools have been requested by Coventry parents.
30th November 2010:	Details of preferences expressed will be sent to Grace Academy Coventry for "ranking".
17th December 2010:	Grace Academy Coventry will provide the Local Authority with a "ranked" list of applicants.
31st December 2010:	Cut off date for parents requesting Grace Academy Coventry to notify any changes e.g. home addresses etc.
10th January 2011:	Coventry Local Authority will exchange information with other Local Authorities on potential offers that can be made to parents residing in other Local Authorities who are requesting Coventry schools. Other Local Authorities will also send their potential offers of places available for Coventry parents who have requested a place in another Authorities school.
21st January 2011:	Coventry Local Authority and other Local Authorities will compare potential offers and provisionally allocate places. This information will then be exchanged between Authorities.
7th February 2011:	Coventry Local Authority will again compare provisional allocations from other Authorities and finalise the allocation of places. This information will then be exchanged with other Local Authorities.
1st March 2011:	National Offer Day. On this date Coventry Local Authority will notify Grace Academy which parents have been offered places. On this date also, parents will be notified by letter of the school place offered to their child(ren). Parents who have applied on-line will also be notified on this date by email.