Admission Information

Admissions Arrangements for September 2012

A) Process for Administration to Year 7 in September 2012

The admissions process is largely administered by Plymouth City Council through its co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for admission to Secondary Schools.

- The application form must be returned to Plymouth City Council, or completed on-line, by 31 October 2011.

- Copies of the College Supplementary Information Form (SIF) are available directly from the College’s main office, the College website, the Local Authority at Windsor House and at the Open Evening 13 September 2011.

- The Supplementary Information Form (SIF) must be returned to the College for processing by 31 October 2011 if admission is being sought under categories 2 to 5 of the oversubscription criteria.  We strongly recommend all correspondence sent to the College is sent by recorded delivery.  Any correspondence delivered to the College by hand will be recorded with a receipt. Parents will be notified of the school place allocated to their child on Thursday 1 March 2012 by Plymouth City Council.

- The letter which informs parents of an unsuccessful application to the College advises parents of their right to appeal to the Independent Appeal Panel.

Any parent who makes an application is presumed to want their son to benefit from the specifically Christian ethos of the College.  This does not affect the right of parents who are not of the Catholic faith to be considered for a place.

St Boniface’s Catholic College is a single sex Voluntary Aided School for Boys in years 7 – 11 and male and female students in years 12 and 13.

The Planned Admissions Number for the intake year group is 136 pupils.

The Governors will operate a waiting list until the end of the autumn term.

B) Oversubscription Criteria for Admission to Year 7 in September 2012

Boys with a Statement of Special Educational Need that names the College will be admitted before any others ranked by the criteria below.

If more than 136 applications are received for places in Year 7 Governors will admit pupils using the following criteria in strict precedence once the deadline for admissions applications has been reached:-

1) Looked after children

2.1) Baptised Catholic boys who regularly practise their faith.  (Evidence required is a baptism certificate plus a priest’s signature on the Supplementary Information form (SIF).  Catechumens will also be considered under this criterion.)

2.2) Other baptised Catholic boys.  (Evidence requires is a baptism certificate only.

3) Practising members of other Christian Churches.  (Evidence required is the signature of the   vicar or minister of the Church they attend.  This signature on the SIF will confirm that the family are known to practise their religion.)

4) Any other Christian boy who’s parents can provide evidence of baptism

5) A boy who is a member of another recognised faith community who’s SIF is signed by a Senior Leader of that faith confirming membership.

6) All other boys whose parents express a preference for the College who make a valid application on the Common Application Form (CAF).

In any situation where the application of the above criteria results in more children with an equal right to admission to the school than the number of available places within a single criterion, places will be allocated in the following order:-

1) Brothers of pupils who will be on roll in September 2012.

2) Final tie-break will be made by a lottery.  The names of all those with an equal right to admission will be allocated to numbered counters.  These will then be drawn and the order in which they are drawn will give the order of priority for the allocation of the places available.  The places will be allocated, in order, up to the number of places available.  This process will be carried out under the supervision of an independent observer. 

C) Admission Process for Admission to Year 12 in September 2012

Students with a Statement of Special Education Need that names the College will be admitted before any others ranked by the criteria below.

- The Planned Admission Number is 30 male and female students.

- The Sixth Form prospectus and application form will be available from the school office from 2 November 2011.

- The deadline for applications will be 8 January 2012.

- Applicants will be offered an opportunity to visit the college in order to discuss course choices.

- Any student (parent) who makes an application is presumed to want (their child) to benefit from the specifically Christian ethos of the College.  This does not affect the right of parents who are not of the Catholic faith to be considered for a place.

- Letters of offer will be sent in March 2012.  The offer will be subject to the applicant achieving the necessary Level 2 qualifications (See Appendix C) to join their preferred courses.

- Letters which inform parents of an unsuccessful application advise parents that they have the right to appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel.

D) Admissions & Oversubscription Criteria for Admission to Year 12 in September 2012

The level of academic attainment required for entry to AS, BTEC and other Level 2 course requires that students should have a grade point average, from the best ewigh5t subjects taken, of 5 or above, to include English and Mathematics.

All existing pupils who seek a place and have the required qualifications for a course we offer will be given a place in our Sixth Form.

Those not already in attendance at St Boniface’s Catholic College who seek to join us for Sixth Form study and who have the necessary qualifications for a course we offer will be admitted subject to the availability of places.  If there are more qualified applicants than available they will be prioritised using the following criteria:

1) Children in Care.

2.1) Baptised Catholic children who regularly practise their faith.  (Evidence required is a     baptism certificate plus a priest’s signature on the Supplementary Information Form (SIF).  Catechumens will also be considered under this criterion.)

2.2) Other baptised Catholic children.  (Evidence required is a baptism certificate only.)

3) Siblings of students who will be on role in September 2012

4) Practising members of other Christian Churches.  (Evidence required is the signature of the vicar or minister of the Church they attend.  This signature on the SIF will confirm that the family are known to practise their religion.)

 5) Other students.

In any situation where the application of the above criteria results in more children with an equal right to admission to the school than the number of available places, the tie-break will be made by a lottery. The names of all those with an equal right to admission will be allocated to numbered counters.  These will then be drawn and the order in which they are drawn will give the order of priority for the allocation of the places available.  The places will be allocated, in order, up to the number of places available.  This process will be carried out under the supervision of an independent observer.

 E) Admission to Existing Year Groups

 Process for Admission to an Existing Year Group (Y7 to Y11)

- Parents can obtain an application pack from the College office, from Windsor House or online via the College website.  Completed Common Application Forms (CAFs) must be returned to the Local Authority.

- If admission is being sought under categories 2 to 5 of the oversubscription criteria, the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) must be returned to St Boniface’s at the same time as the CAF is submitted to the Local Authority.

The Local Authority will administer the process for admissions.

The Governors do not seek to admit more than the Planned Admission Number of 136 pupils to a year group.  However, they are aware that Catholic families move to Plymouth and the surrounding area who will need to find places in existing year groups in a Catholic school; so there will be a specific demand for admission here from families moving into Plymouth and the surrounding area.

The Governors will try to respond to this demand for places in an existing year group in the following ways:-

If a year group has fewer pupils than its Planned Admission Number and there are sufficient places for those seeking admission, all will be admitted.If there are more applicants than places available then applications will be considered according to the same oversubscription criteria as for Y7 set out in section B above.If a year group has reached or exceeded its Planned Admission Number then the following arrangements will apply.

3.1) The College has adopted the Local Authority’s Fair Access Protocol and is committed to its implementation in the College.

3.2) Parents will be advised of their right to make an appeal.

Appendix A:  Definitions of terms used in the Policy

1) A Catholic child is a child baptised according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

2) 'Practising’ means attending Mass weekly for Roman Catholic families.  Parents will indicate their parish on the College’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF).  A Priest’s signature on the SIF will be the required evidence for regular practice.

3) ‘Practising’ means for members of other Christian Churches or other recognised world Faiths means regular attendance at Church or other place of worship.  Parents will indicate their parish/place of worship on the College’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF).  A Vicar’s, Priest’s or Leader’s signature on the SIF will be required evidence for regular practice.

4) 'Another recognised faith community’ is a world recognised faith such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism.

5) By ‘Catechumen’ we mean a child enrolled on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) programme.  This will be verified by the parish priest or the person leading the programme.

6) By ‘parent’  we mean:

     1) any natural parent.

     2) any person who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility for a child; or

     3) any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of the child.

7) By ‘sibling’ we mean children living within the same household.  Typically this will be brother(s) and sister(s) or children with the same person having parental responsibility.

8) By ‘Children in Care’ we mean a child who is looked after by a local authority within the meaning of section 22 of the Children Act 1989.

9) By Plymouth City Council’ we mean the Local Authority that maintains the school and operates the coordinated admissions system in the area

Appendix B:  Supplementary Information Form (SIF)

Download the Supplementary Information Form (1.5 MB) (Right click, Save Target As...)