St Michael's Catholic Grammar School

Admissions Policy

ADMISSIONS POLICY for 2011-12

St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School was founded by the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus to provide education for children of Catholic families. The school is conducted by its governing body as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its trust deed and instrument of government, and seeks at all times to be a witness to Jesus Christ.

As a Catholic school, we aim to provide a Catholic education for all our pupils. At a Catholic school, Catholic doctrine and practice permeate every aspect of the school’s activity. It is essential that the Catholic character of the school’s education is fully supported by all families in the school. All applicants and candidates are therefore expected to give their full, unreserved and positive support for the aims and ethos of the school.

The number of intended admissions to Year 7 is 96 at age 11. Applicants should have had their eleventh birthday in the academic year (1st September – 31st August) immediately preceding entry. Only girls who have ability suited to the curriculum of the school and whose parents or guardians desire for them a Catholic education will be admitted to the school.

ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE AND CRITERIA

Within living memory, St Michael’s has always been oversubscribed with candidates who fulfil Criterion 1.

1.Catholic girls :

who are baptised and have made their First Holy Communion in the Catholic Church and
whose parents provide a written reference from the applicant’s parish priest stating that one or both parents are practising Catholics who attend Mass on Sundays with the child.

Each year the Governing Body will admit to the test all girls (eligible by age) who fulfil this criterion.

All applicants selected in accordance with Criterion 1 will be required to take written tests in Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and Mathematics. Following the tests all applicants will be ranked in order starting with the highest score. Applicants must reach a minimum standard in each written paper. Places will be allocated strictly in accordance with score but in allocating places between two or more girls who have an equal ranking, the Governing Body will give preference for those remaining places, in priority order, to:

Catholic girls who are looked after under the provisions of the Children Act 1989;

A waiting list is maintained until 31st December. Candidates are ranked on it in accordance with score.

2. St Michael’s, historically, has always been oversubscribed with candidates who meet Criterion 1. In the unlikely event that the number of such applicants falls below 150 in any one year, the Governing body will invite other applicants to the test. In inviting to the test girls other than those fulfilling Criterion 1 above, the Governors will give priority as follows:

Such other numbers of female applicants (eligible by age) as may be needed to bring the total numbers of girls to be tested to 150. In the event of over-subscription within this criterion, the Governing Body will give priority in accordance with the following criteria listed in order of importance:
a.         Catholic girls who are looked after under the provisions of the Children Act 1989;
b.         other Catholic girls;
c.         non-Catholic girls who are looked after under the provisions of the Children Act 1989;
d.         girls from families practising in other Christian denominations (supported by a minister’s reference);

Distance from the applicant’s front door (including flats) to the School’s front door, as measured in a straight line by the London Borough of Barnet’s measuring tool, is the Distance tie-break to be applied when there is oversubscription within a category.

To apply for a place at this school, you should complete and return two separate forms in order to make a full application. You should complete the School’s Supplementary Information Form and return it to St Michael’s School. You must also complete a Common Application Form from the LEA where you live and return it to the School Admissions section of the same LEA. Both these forms must be received by Closing Date.

If there are any special circumstances likely to affect a child’s performance in the test, parents should contact the Admissions Secretary. Unsuccessful applicants have a right of appeal to an independent panel against the decision of the Governors not to admit their daughter.

The School may exceptionally admit vulnerable children who are hard to place, in accordance with locally agreed protocols, provided they are practising Catholic girls who meet the necessary academic standard. Accordingly, outside the normal round of admissions, the governing body is empowered to give absolute priority to a child where admission is requested under a local protocol which carries the agreement of the governing body for the current admission year. The governing body has this power even when admitting such a child would exceed the normal admission number.

Admissions for Entry 2012
Letters from your home Local Authority will be sent to applicants on Thursday 1st March 2012

School Visits
All opportunities to visit the school for the 2012 round of applications are now completed.

Appeals
Unsuccessful applicants have a right of appeal to an independent panel against the decision of the Governors not to admit their child. If you wish to Appeal please contact the school for an Appeal Form; you are asked to return it to Clerk to the Appeals with a letter stating the grounds for your Appeal no later than Tuesday 17th April 2012. Parents will be given at least 14 days notice of the date of the Appeal hearing (from the date of posting). The Appeal hearing is held during the day and is usually in May, to allow time for the results of all applications to various schools and authorities to be known.

Entrance to Years 8 – 11

The school holds a waiting list for Years 8 – 11 of Catholic girls who fulfil Criterion 1 of our Admissions Criteria. Parents should inform the school if they wish their daughter’s name to be entered on this list.

SIXTH FORM ADMISSIONS POLICY

SIXTH FORM ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE and CRITERIA

These are the same for girls already at St. Michael’s as for girls and boys applying to St. Michael’s Sixth Form from another school.

We have 60 places available in our Sixth Form to new female and male students as most of our own Year 11 girls stay on.

1. Applicants will be required to have achieved at least 6 GCSE passes at grade A* to A. All applicants should have A* to B in English Language and Mathematics.

2. Applicants must have at least a grade A at GCSE in the subjects (or those closely related to them) they wish to study at Advanced Level as a grade A* or A at GCSE is a necessary preparation for success at A Level. Where a GCSE subject has different components, we shall expect at least an A in each component of a Higher paper (where applicable). If students wish to study a subject at Advanced Level which they have not studied at GCSE, they will be expected to have at least a Grade A in the most closely related subject(s) i.e. in English Language and Literature for English Literature, in English Language for Politics, in Maths and English Language for Business Studies, Economics, Psychology and Sociology and in English Literature for Classical Civilisation. However, in creative or practical subjects like Art, Drama, Food, Media Studies and Technology (Product Design), a B grade may be acceptable if an applicant can demonstrate evidence of talent, aptitude and prior achievement in that subject area.

In the event of over-subscription of candidates who meet Criteria 1 and 2 above when provisional offers are being made, the following criteria, in priority order, will be used:

Catholic girls and boys who are looked after under the provisions of the Children Act 1989
Catholic girls and boys who exceed the minimum entrance requirements
Non-Catholic girls and boys who are looked after under the provisions of the Children Act 1989, who exceed the minimum entrance requirements
Non-Catholic girls and boys who exceed the minimum entrance requirements

Distance from the applicant’s front door (including flats) to the School’s front door, as measured in a straight line by the London Borough of Barnet’s measuring tool, is the Distance tie-break to be applied when there is oversubscription within a category.

Application forms from applicants from other schools should be received by the School by the last day of the Christmas Term. They will hear in writing after Easter whether we are able to make them an offer of a place or a place on the waiting list. Any offer will be provisional upon GCSE results. This provisional offer must be met in full. Students who make a late application run the risk that all the places on the AS courses of their choice will be taken.

Definitions:

‘Catholic’ means a baptised person who is in full communion with the Catholic Church, that is to say, a member of any Catholic Church that is in full communion with the See of Rome. Membership of a Catholic Church is gained by baptism in that Church. It can also be gained by other baptised Christians who are subsequently received into the Catholic Church.
‘Practising Catholic’ means weekly family attendance at Mass on Sundays which is confirmed by a Catholic Priest’s reference (‘Family’ normally includes the Catholic or Catholics who have legal responsibility for the child).
‘Looked after’ children are children in public care as defined in Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.
‘Home address’ means the place where the child resides for more than 50% of the school week.