Woolton High School

Admissions Policy

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Registration of Pupils, Attendance and Safeguarding Policies. Information and guidance has been taken from DfE School Attendance October and Education (Pupil Registration) England Regulations.Woolton High School is primarily an SEMH provision, although we do cater for pupils with a range of needs. Pupils are referred to us and funded by Liverpool Local Authority. Two registers of pupils are required. The admissions register, which records the personal details of every pupil at the school, and the attendance register which records every pupil’s attendance at every session the school is open to pupils.

Admissions Register
The Admissions Register records valuable information about pupils including emergency contact details. The details are recorded in the Admissions Register outlined below. It does not include details about the pupils’ attendance, or the subjects that they are studying or other pupil information.

Pupils’ Information
School record the details of every pupil at the school in the admissions register through SIMS.
The register includes the following information for every pupil:

• The pupil’s full name
• The pupil’s gender
• The pupil’s date of birth
• The date the pupil was admitted to the school
• The name of the school the pupil last attended
• Statement for Special Educational Needs or appendices if assessment placement

In addition to the above information we also record the following for each pupil:

• The name and address of every parent and carer of the pupil that is known to the school;
• which of these parents and carers the pupil normally lives with; and
• Emergency contact details of the parents and carers including a mobile number for texts to parents where possible
• The name and address of every person known to be a parent of the pupil (this will include those with parental responsibility who live at a different address). These people are entitled to have access to pupil records, receive reports, vote in Governing Body elections etc. Against the particulars of any parent with whom the pupil normally resides there will be an indication of that fact and a note of at least three telephone numbers at which the parent / carer can be contacted of required

Computerised admission registers will be printed out at least yearly and attendance registers will be printed out weekly and filed in central official register folder. The register will be kept safely for at least 7 years after the pupil has been removed from register. Where a correction is made to an original entry in a computerised register, prints of the register made after the correction will clearly distinguish between the original entry and the correction.

Maintaining the register
It is vital that the register is kept up to date and stored securely, particularly the emergency contact details. Schools will encourage parents to inform them of any changes whenever they occur and if necessary PAEWO will become involved if parents are unable to be contacted

Exclusion
In the case of a permanent exclusion, the pupil remains on the roll of the school until:

• The appeals period has elapsed and no appeal has been made or
• The parent has stated in writing that no appeal will be made or
• An appeal made within the time limit has been determined and the exclusion decision upheld

Where there is judged to have been a ‘Placement Breakdown’ resulting in the decision that school can no longer meet the needs of a child, then an Emergency Review of the pupil’s Education Heath and Care Plan should be held ASAP with the school’s SEN Casework Officer present to capture all of the relevant information that has led to the school’s decisionregarding the placement breakdown. The SEN Casework Officer will then present the case to SEN Placements Panel with a view to a new setting being identified by SEN Placements Panel. SEN will make contact to confirm new placement / next destination within agreed timescale

Dual Registration
Where a pupil is registered at a pupil referral unit (or at another unit agreed by the Authority, including hospital tuition) the name of the pupil shall not be removed from the school’s admission register without the consent of the Authority.

Registration of Re-sit Pupils
When a pupil of statutory school age has ceased to attend school they should be removed from the admissions and attendance registers. If it is intended that these pupils are to re-sit examinations without further attendance they should be removed from the register and entered as external candidates. It is for the school to decide whether to fund the examination entry or to ask parents or pupils to pay re-sit fees. Pupils may only be retained on the admissions register if they are actually attending re-sit classes at the school.

Inspection of Registers
Officers of the Authority may inspect admission and attendance registers. Persons authorised to inspect the admission and attendance registers shall be permitted to make extracts from the registers. Schools will be requested from time to time to make returns based on entries in the admission or attendance registers.

Retention of Registers Recommendations
Regulations require that the admission register must be kept for a minimum of three years from the date of the last entry. Computerised registers must be printed and retained in a single volume for each year and those volumes retained in accordance with the regulations. Recommended 6 years from date of last entry although school will consider circumstances where records may be required as evidence in defending insurance or legal claims such as those alleging failure to provide education appropriate to needs.