Colston’s Girls’ School
ADMISSIONS POLICY
ADMISSIONS 2014/15
Reviewed and approved by:
Date Approved:
Date of Next Review:
Responsibility:
Admission Committee
February 2014
Annually December
Chair of Admission Committee
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Agreed Admission Arrangements for Colston’s Girls’ School
1. This document sets out the admission arrangements for Colston’s Girls’ School, (“the Academy”),
in accordance with Annex 1 of the Supplemental Funding Agreement between Colston’s Girls’
School Trust and the Secretary of State. Obligations in this document are to be treated as if
imposed by the Funding Agreement.
ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS: Arrangements for admission to 11-16 Provision
2.
Process of application for 2014/15
The admission arrangements for the Academy for the year 2014/15 are:
2.1
The Academy has an agreed admission number (“PAN”) of 140 pupils. The Academy will
accordingly admit at least 140 pupils in the relevant age group each year if sufficient
applications are received
2.2
It may admit above its PAN in-year in accordance with paragraph 1.4 of the Schools’
Admissions Code.
3.
Process of application
3.1. Applications for places at the Academy will be made in accordance with the LA’s co-ordinated
admission arrangements and will be made on the Common Application Form (CAF) provided
and administered by the applicant’s home local authority. The Academy will also ask parents
to complete a Supplementary Data Form (SDF), where sufficient information for the
consideration of the application by the Academy is not available from the information
supplied in the Common Application Form and applications for admission are likely to exceed
the number of the PAN ie the Academy is likely to be oversubscribed. Parents should submit
the SDF to the Academy at the same time as the CAF is submitted to the Local Authority.
3.2
The Academy will use the following timetable for applications each year (exact dates within
the months may vary from year to year) which, whenever possible, will fit in with the common
timetable agreed by the BCC Admissions Forum. The BCC Admissions Forum is responsible for
all admissions to the Academy even where application has been made via the applicant’s
home local authority:

By September - The Academy will publish in its prospectus information about the
arrangements for admission, including oversubscription criteria, for the following September
(e.g. in September 2014 for admission in September 2015). This will include details of open
evenings and other opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents to visit the school.
The Academy will also provide information to BCC for inclusion in the composite prospectus,
as required;

September/October - Colston’s Girls’ School will provide opportunities for parents to visit
the Academy;

October/November - CAF to be completed and returned to the LA to administer.
Supplementary Data Form (SDF) to be returned to the Academy;

LA sends applications to the Academy;
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
The Academy holds an entrance assessment day in late November early December;

Late December the Academy sends the list of pupils to be offered places to BCC;

February - BCC applies the agreed scheme for its own schools including the Academy,
informing other LA’s of offers to be made to their residents; and

1st March offers are made to parents.
4.
Consideration of applications
4.1
The Academy will consider all applications for places. Where fewer than the published
admission number for any relevant age group are received, the Academy will offer places to
all those who have applied.
5.
Specialism
5. 1
The Academy will admit 10% of the Year 7 PAN on the basis of aptitude in Foreign Language
(FL), using a language aptitude test.
6.
Procedures where Colston’s Girls’ School is oversubscribed
6.1
Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the PAN, applications will be
considered against the criteria set out below and using the data supplied in the SDF.
6.2
After the admission of pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs where Colston’s
Girls’ School has agreed to be named on the statement, the criteria will be applied in the
order in which they are set out below:
a) Equal priority will be given to (i) children who are looked after children (within the meaning
of the Children Act 1989) at the date that the relevant application for admission is made and
who a local authority has confirmed will continue to be looked after by it in accordance with
relevant legislation at the time they are admitted to the Academy and (ii) formerly “looked
after children” who are defined as children who were adopted (or made subject to residence
orders of special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after;
b) Children up to a maximum of 10% of the Year 7 PAN admitted on the basis of aptitude in
Foreign Language;
c) Children who, on the date of admission, will have an older sibling on the roll of the Academy.
The term “sibling” means a full, half or adopted sister, but not cousins, who will be living
permanently with them at the same address at the date of their entry to the Academy;1
d) Children for whom it is essential to be admitted to the Academy because of special
circumstances to do with significant medical or social needs evidenced by written advice
from a qualified social worker, GP or hospital specialist. The criterion that must be satisfied
to show significant medical or social needs is that “Colston’s Girls’ School is the only school
1
Parents will be required to produce birth or adoption certificates of both siblings to prove the
relationship together with any other evidence that Colston’s girls’ School may reasonably require.
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that can meet the child’s needs”;
e) Next, places will be allocated by random allocation as specified below. The random
allocation process will be supervised by an independent person (someone who is not
employed by the Academy):
75% of those places will be offered to an inner catchment area which will include all
addresses in post codes BS1 – 16.
25% of those places will be offered to an outer catchment area which will include all
addresses in the following post codes:
f)

BS17 to BS49

BA1 to BA3

GL9, GL12, GL13

SN14
Where places are still available, these will be allocated by random allocation to those
applicants living outside the above areas.
7.
Banding
7.1
Banding will be applied to paragraphs 6.2 a) and c) to f) to ensure a comprehensive intake.
7.2
Applicants will be placed into 1 of 5 ability bands based on the score achieved in the GL
Assessment Non Verbal Reasoning test, which will be taken by all Year 7 secondary transfer
applicants to the Academy.
7.3
Applicants will be placed in bands, such that, wherever possible, there are an equal number
in each band.
7.4
Places will be allocated, as far as possible, such that, an equal number are given in each
band.
7.5
Banding will enable the Academy to achieve an intake representative of the ability range of
all applicants to the school.
7.6
Students who have not taken the banding test (apart from looked after and formerly looked
after children who must always be given priority) will be considered after children who have
sat the banding test. They will be prioritised on the basis of criteria 6 a) and c) to f above (in
order). All applicants will be offered fair access to the test and reminded of the dates, times
and locations available to sit the test.
7.7
Parents have the right to Appeal if their application is unsuccessful. (Details are available in
the Appeal procedure available on the website www.colstonsgirls.bristol.sch.uk).
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8.
Operation of waiting lists
8.1
Subject to any provisions regarding waiting lists in the BCC’s co-ordinated admission scheme,
the Academy will operate a waiting list. Where in any year the Academy receives more
applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list will operate from the
date specified within BCCs co-ordinated scheme as the end of secondary co-ordination until
the end of the first term of the academic year of admission. This will be maintained by the
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 for admission.
Late applicants will
take a test to determine their band.
8.2
The child’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the
oversubscription criteria set out in paragraph 6 above. Where places become vacant they
will be allocated to children on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription
criteria. A fresh round of random allocation will be used every time a child coming within
paragraphs 6 e) or f) above is offered a place from the waiting list.
9.
Arrangements for admission to post 16 provision
9.1
The Academy’s provision is a maximum of 200 students in the Sixth Form.
9.2
The admission number for year 12 will be 100 students. The Academy will accept external
students up to that figure minus the number of the Academy’s own students who meet the
minimum academic entry standards and who are accepted into the sixth form. These
students have priority over external students but all applicants must meet the minimum
academic entry standards.
9.3
If the sixth form is oversubscribed, following the admission of pupils with statements of
Special Educational Needs where Colston’s Girls’ School has agreed to be named on the
statement, the criteria will be applied in the order in which they are set out below:
a) Equal priority will be given to (i) children who are looked after children (within the
meaning of the Children Act 1989) at the date that the relevant application for admission
is made and who a local authority has confirmed will continue to be looked after by it in
accordance with relevant legislation at the time they are admitted to the Academy and (ii)
formerly “looked after children” who are defined as children who were adopted (or made
subject to residence orders of special guardianship orders) immediately following having
been looked after in each case where they meet the minimum academic standards;
b) Internal applicants who meet the minimum academic entry standards;
c) Students who, on the date of admission, will have a sibling on the roll of Academy and who
meet the minimum academic entry standards. The term “sibling” means a full, half,
adopted sister, but not cousins, who will be living permanently with them at the same
address at the date of their entry to the Academy;2
d) Students for whom it is essential to be admitted to the Academy because of special
circumstances to do with significant medical or social needs evidenced by written advice
from a qualified social worker, GP or hospital specialist. The criterion that must be
2
Parents will be required to produce birth or adoption certificates of both siblings to prove the
relationship together with any other evidence that Colston’s Girls’ School may reasonably require.
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satisfied to show significant medical or social needs is that “Colston’s Girls’ School is the
only school that can meet the child’s needs”.;
e) The remaining places will be allocated by random allocation between the remaining
applicants, provided that they meet the minimum academic entry standards.
9.4
The Academy will publish, at the beginning of the academic year prior to admission (e.g
September 2012 for those seeking admission on September 2013), 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 applicants.
9.5
Entry will not be determined by a formal interview but all students will be invited to and
expected to attend an information advice and guidance interview to discuss appropriate
course guidance and course selection. A written/verbal reference may be sought from a
student’s current school as to the suitability and level of the courses being considered.
9.6
Admission to the school is not the same as admission onto individual courses. Where
courses are full or unavailable, applicants will be advised of alternative course options.
9.7
There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for unsuccessful applicants
whether internal or external.
In implementing this policy the Academy will at all times have due regard to its obligations under the
Public Sector Equality Duty.
Contact Details:
The Admissions Team
Colston’s Girls’ School
Cheltenham Road
Bristol
BS6 5RD
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