Valentines High School

Admission

All applications are dealt with by the Local Education Authority.

All admissions to the school are administered by the Admissions Section of the London Borough of Redbridge. Please contact the Redbridge Admissions Department for further information.

The school was awarded 'outstanding' status in its OFSTED inspection.

At Valentines High School we believe that young people are the most important part of the school, and that enabling pupils to learn is the center of all our work. We have an outstanding environment for learning. We are strong on discipline, strong on standard of achievements, and strong on providing the best for all our pupils. We have very high expectations for all our pupils, students and staff, and of our parents. Choosing a secondary school is one of the most important decisions we make as parents.

Valentines has a set area of admission, called a ’catchment area.’ Children living in Valentines High School’s catchment area have priority for admission. Children with statements of special educational needs will be admitted to the school that is named on their statement.

The Local Authority’s determined Admission Arrangements for next academic year and the updated Fair Access Protocol are now available on the Redbridge website at the following links.

Primary School Admission in Years R-6 (In Year)

• If there is a vacancy in the appropriate year group, a request will be granted.
• If it is not possible to comply with parents' wishes immediately, the child's name will be placed on a waiting list and a place will be offered as soon as possible. Waiting lists will be drawn up in accordance with the oversubscription criteria for each relevant year group. Priority is not given based on the date the application was received or when the name was added to the waiting list.
• If the demand for a school is greater than the number of places available, all applications will be considered on an equal basis, within the following categories for all year groups.

A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order, including those who appear to us to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).

Children of all school staff, up to one place per form of entry i.e. a school with an intake of 90 will have up to three places available for children of all staff. Places will be allocated

• To children of staff recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
• To children of all staff employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, ranked by distance (as set out in d below).

children with siblings who are already on roll in the main school in Reception to Year 6 (not a nursery class attached to the school) and will still be on roll when the child is admitted. For applicants applying under sibling priority, if the address has changed after the date the last child on roll was offered their place, and the distance is now greater than one mile from the school, this priority criterion will not apply, unless the new address, whilst still over a mile away, is closer to the school than the previous address.

children living nearest to the school as measured by the shortest measured walking distance as measured by a Geographic Information System from the child's home to the main entrance of the school using public roads and recognised footpaths. It should be noted that when measurements involve flats in the same block, the distance will be to the main entrance of the block. In using distance as a tie-breaker, should there be more than one applicant for a final place living an identical distance from the school in question, the Admission Authority will use the random allocation facility within the Synergy "Admissions and Transfers System" pupil data base which is used for allocations. Refer to Note iii for further details.

Nursery Classes at Community Primary Schools

Each nursery class attached to a community primary school has an agreed admission limit.

Children shall be admitted, when a place becomes available, for up to fifteen hours a week for 38 weeks or a stretched offer of 11 hours a week for 50+ weeks of the year taken over a minimum of 3 days or, in some settings, more flexibly.

Schools are recommended to arrange admissions as follows:

• A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order, including those who appear to us to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
• Siblings, with preference to older children according to their date of birth, preference will only be given to those with siblings who will still be in attendance at the date of admission; and
• All other applicants, with preference to older children according to their date of birth.

In each category, the tie-break will be the shortest measured walking distance as measured by a Geographic Information System from the child's home to the main entrance of the school using public roads and recognised footpaths. It should be noted that when measurements involve flats in the same block, the distance will be to the main entrance of the block. In using distance as a tie-breaker, should there be more than one applicant for a final place living an identical distance from the school in question, the Authority will use the random allocation facility within the Synergy "Admissions and Transfers System pupil data base which is used for allocations.

Admission to a nursery class does not guarantee admission to the main school, application for which must be made in accordance with the admission policy for community primary schools.

The statutory right to appeal does not apply to admission to nursery classes.

Secondary School Admission in Years 7-11 (In Year)

• If there is a vacancy in the appropriate year group, a request will be granted. There are particular requirements in respect of the two selective (grammar) schools.
• If it is not possible to comply with parents' wishes immediately, the child's name will be placed on a waiting list and a place will be offered as soon as possible. Waiting lists will be drawn up in accordance with the oversubscription criteria at p 2.13 above for the relevant year group. Priority is not given based on the date the application was received or when the name was adde the waiting list.
• If the demand for a school is greater than the number of places available, all applications for relevant year group will be considered on an equal basis, within the following categories.

A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after - d to the : being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order, including those who appear to us to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).

children of aI ll school staff, up to one place per form of entry i.e. a school with an intake of 180 will have up to six places available for children of I all staff. Places will be allocated:

• To children of aI ll staff recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage;
• To children of I all staff employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, ranked by distance (as set out in 2.14).

children who live in the catchment area and have siblings who are currently on roll at the school (except Years 11-13), and will continue to attend that school in the following academic year; e. other children who live in the catchment area.

Children who have siblings who are currently on roll at the school (except Years 11-13), and will continue to attend that school in the following academic year; and

Children who live out of the catchment area who have no sibling attending the school.

The tiebreak will be the shortest safe walking distance, as measured by a Geographic Information System, from the child's home to the main entrance of the school using public roads and recognised footpaths. It should be noted that when measurements involve flats in the same block, the distance will be to the main entrance of the block. In using distance as a tie-breaker, should there be more than one applicant for a final place living an identical distance from the school in question, the Admission Authority will use the random allocation facility within the Synergy "Admissions and Transfers System" pupil data base which is used for allocations. Refer to Notes iii for further details.

Waiting lists will cease as at 31 August annually and applicants will need to re-apply for continued consideration. Waiting lists will be drawn up in accordance with the oversubscription criteria at p3.3 above for the relevant year group. Priority is not given based on the date the application was received or when the name was added to the waiting list.

Where no school place is available at a suitable maintained school due to a shortage, a place will be offered in accordance with the Fair Access Protocol. Refer to Note vi for further details.

Children are only admitted to Year 11 up until the autumn half term (effectively 31 October) each year. After that date, children may be admitted to alternative provision provided to meet their needs.

In the case of the two selective (grammar) schools, children are not considered for entry into Years 10 or 11 at either grammar school. If there is a vacancy in Years 7, 8 and 9, late applicants will be tested. A waiting list will be maintained of applicants who have attained the minimum threshold score. Should two or more candidates achieve this standard; the place will be offered to the candidate with the highest qualifying total standardised score, and then ranked by distance within each score.

Admission to Sixth Forms

A dmission to community schools' Sixth F orms will be managed by each school in accordance with the Admission Authority's criteria.

In accordance with the School Admissions Code 2021, applications will be accepted separately from parents and students above compulsory school age.

Each community school will publish annually a Six - th Form prospectus stating the range of courses and entrance requirements including the following: The agreed admission number for external students only based on the lowest average number of external students admitted over the previous three years; The general criteria set by the school for entry to its sixth form; The specific entry criteria set by the school for each programme of study.

Conditional offers will be based on an applicant's predicted grades/cap ped average points score and admission will be based on the actual grades/average points score attained.

All applicants will be required to meet the general entry requirements to the school. 4.6 Should a programme of study be oversubscribed; the following criteria will be applied in order of priority.

Appeals against Admission Decisions

The School Standards and Framework Act 1998, allows parents to appeal against any decision made by or on behalf of the Admission Authority at which education is to be provided for a child.

Every effort will be made to meet parental preferences and no appeal to any appeal panel may be lodged before the Admission Authority has made a firm decision. Parents will, where this decision is not in accordance with their preferences, be informed of the date by which they must lodge their appeals.

Repeat appeals in the same academic year, for the same school, will not be considered unless there have been significant and material changes in circumstances relevant to the application.

The Admission Authority will implement the decisions of the appeal panel.

Places will continue to be filled from the waiting lists, whether or not parents have appealed, in accordance with the admissions arrangements.