Admissions
Grace Academy has committed to follow the Coventry LEA Co-ordinated Admission Arrangements and not exercise the right to select 10% of its students, on the basis of it's specialist school status. The Academy may choose to select students, should a nationally agreed test for the Business and Enterprise specialism be devised and when other senior schools in the area also introduce selection procedures, due to them having developed their own specialisms.
Grace Academy will use the following process for applications each year. The dates for each phase of the process will be published annually as part of the Co-ordinated Admissions Arrangements to be operated by Coventry City Council.
- Prospectus Published – Grace Academy will publish a prospectus providing an insight into life within the Academy and information on the curriculum offered. Information about the arrangements for admission, including over subscription criteria for the following September will also be provided. Grace Academy will also provide information to the LEA for inclusion in the composite prospectus, as required;
- Parental Visits – Grace Academy will provide opportunities for parents to visit the Academy. Details about these opportunities will be included in the prospectus;
- Applications Submitted – Parents must submit the application papers directly to the LEA in line with the requirements of the Co-ordinated Admissions Arrangement to be operated by Coventry City Council;
- Consideration of applications – Applications will be considered by Coventry LEA in consultation with Grace Academy, in accordance with the oversubscription criteria and places within the Academy allocated;
- Offers – All offers of places to parents resident in Coventry will be made by Coventry Council, on behalf of the Governing Body of the Academy. Coventry Council will notify the Academy of the students that have been offered places in line with the defined oversubscription criteria;
- Accepting Offers – Grace Academy will require all parents offered a place at the Academy to confirm that they are accepting the place offered. Where an offer has not been accepted with a four week period the offer will be withdrawn.
- Appeals – An independent appeals panel will be operated by Grace Academy for the consideration of all appeals. Parental Appeals should be made in line with the defined process.
Where the number of applications for admissions is greater than the published admission number, applications will be considered against the criteria set out below. After the admission of pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs, where the Grace Academy is named on the statement, the criteria will be applied in the order in which they are set out below;
- 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; - Children who live in the catchment area served by the Academy, with a brother or sister already admitted to the Academy, who will be in attendance at the same time.
The definition of brother or sister includes step-brothers, step-sisters, half-brothers, half-sisters and adopted brothers and sisters living at the same address; - Other children who live in the catchment area served by the Academy;
- Children living outside the catchment area, with a brother or sister already admitted to the Academy, who will be in attendance at the same time.
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 already attend the Academy requested and live at the same address; - Children by reference to the distance to the preferred 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.
Where, in any year, Grace Academy receives more applications for places than there are available, a waiting list will operate. This will be maintained by Grace Academy 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 and failure of any appeal undertaken in line with the defined process.
A student’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. Where places become vacant, they will be allocated to students on the waiting list in accordance with the criteria. Any parent applying for an Academy place outside of the normal admissions round, will be added to the waiting list in strict priority order and this may mean they could be ranked higher than those that have been on the waiting list for some time.
A student’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. Where places become vacant, they will be allocated to students on the waiting list in accordance with the criteria. Any parent applying for an Academy place outside of the normal admissions round, will be added to the waiting list in strict priority order and this may mean they could be ranked higher than those that have been on the waiting list for some time.
Grace Academy's Admission Arrangements for post-16 students will be consistent with the Code of Practice on School Admissions, published by the Department for Education and Skills. The Academy will wish to require all prospective students for the 6th Form, whether or not they have previously been students of the Academy, to demonstrate a high level of commitment to their chosen course.
Grace Academy will provide courses for 300 students at year 12 and 13 and will publish specific admissions criteria based upon GCSE grades for the wide range of courses available. Detailed information will be contained in the 6th Form prospectus, published on an annual basis.
Applications for admission, including those already attending Grace Academy, will be considered by a sixth form Admissions Committee and a decision will be made in the light of all the information available, including previous school records.
Where application to the sixth form exceeds the 300 places available, students will be offered places in line with the defined oversubscription criteria.
There will be a right of appeal to the Appeals Panel for unsuccessful applicants.
Grace Academy will provide courses for 300 students at year 12 and 13 and will publish specific admissions criteria based upon GCSE grades for the wide range of courses available. Detailed information will be contained in the 6th Form prospectus, published on an annual basis.
Applications for admission, including those already attending Grace Academy, will be considered by a sixth form Admissions Committee and a decision will be made in the light of all the information available, including previous school records.
Where application to the sixth form exceeds the 300 places available, students will be offered places in line with the defined oversubscription criteria.
There will be a right of appeal to the Appeals Panel for unsuccessful applicants.
Parents will have the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel if they are dissatisfied with an admission decision in relation to the offering of a place for a student to Grace Academy. The Appeal Panel will be independent of the Academy and will be composed of three members, including:
Parents will normally have 14 days (10 working days) to lodge an appeal after notification of a place not being offered at Grace Academy. The notification will indicate the reasons for refusal of a place and of the right of appeal.
Parents wishing to appeal against an admission decision should send a completed appeal form to the Clerk of the Appeal Panel, at the address given on the appeal form. Other documents may be submitted in support of an appeal and should be lodged with the Clerk to the Appeal Panel not less than 7 days before the appeal hearing.
Parents will be given 14 days (10 working days) notice of the appeal hearing, unless they agree to a shorter period of notice. At least 7 days before the hearing, Grace Academy will provide the parent with a written statement detailing the reasons why it has not been possible to allow the student to attend the Academy. The Appeal panel will have the discretion to refuse to admit late evidence.
The Clerk to the Appeal Panel will, if possible, inform parents of the Appeal Panel’s decision on the day of the hearing. In the case of the appeal hearings taking in longer than one day, the Clerk to the Appeal Panel will contact parents with the decision on the final day of the hearings. The parents will also be informed of the outcome in writing within 14 days (10 working days) of the date of the hearing. In the case of unsuccessful appeals, the Appeal Panel will give the parents their reasons for not upholding the appeal.
- At least one person who has no personal experience of Grace Academy defined as a ‘lay member’;
- At least one person with experience in education.
Parents will normally have 14 days (10 working days) to lodge an appeal after notification of a place not being offered at Grace Academy. The notification will indicate the reasons for refusal of a place and of the right of appeal.
Parents wishing to appeal against an admission decision should send a completed appeal form to the Clerk of the Appeal Panel, at the address given on the appeal form. Other documents may be submitted in support of an appeal and should be lodged with the Clerk to the Appeal Panel not less than 7 days before the appeal hearing.
Parents will be given 14 days (10 working days) notice of the appeal hearing, unless they agree to a shorter period of notice. At least 7 days before the hearing, Grace Academy will provide the parent with a written statement detailing the reasons why it has not been possible to allow the student to attend the Academy. The Appeal panel will have the discretion to refuse to admit late evidence.
The Clerk to the Appeal Panel will, if possible, inform parents of the Appeal Panel’s decision on the day of the hearing. In the case of the appeal hearings taking in longer than one day, the Clerk to the Appeal Panel will contact parents with the decision on the final day of the hearings. The parents will also be informed of the outcome in writing within 14 days (10 working days) of the date of the hearing. In the case of unsuccessful appeals, the Appeal Panel will give the parents their reasons for not upholding the appeal.