Admissions Policy

Draft Policy on the Admission of Children to Maintained Catholic Schools

The revised Diocesan Policy on the Admission of Children to Maintained Catholic Schools has been finalised in draft form. Final approval will be sought from the Schools Committee in January 2008. The policy replaces ‘Diocesan Guidance on the Admission of Children to Maintained Catholic Schools’ November 2003 and should be read in conjunction with the DCSF Admissions Code 2007, which replaced the DfES Admissions Code of Practice 2003. The DCSF Code was made under section 84 of the School standards and Framework Act 1998 as amended by section 40 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. The Code came into force on 28 February 2007. It applies to admissions to all maintained schools and Academies. Copies of the Code can be obtained at www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode

The law on school admissions and the statutory guidance in the 2007 School Admissions Code mean that decisions on school admissions are heavily circumscribed and that there is little, if any, room for discretion on individual cases. New regulations come into force on 26 November 2007 making it a requirement that admission authorities of maintained faith schools consult their religious authority about their proposed admission arrangements by 1 March each year (The Education (Determination of Admission Arrangements) (Amendment No. 2) (England) Regulations 2007). In the case of Catholic schools these Regulations provide that the person to be consulted in relation to admission arrangements of schools with a religious character is the “Diocesan bishop or the equivalent in Canon Law for the diocese in which the school is situated”. Schools must consult the School Service preferably before involving other consultees about their admission arrangements.

In the case of maintained Catholic schools, the Governing Body is the admissions authority and is responsible for deciding on applications for school places. School admission authorities must also decide the over-subscription criteria that will be used to allocate places if there are more applicants than places.

The draft policy provides

• a model school admissions policy,
• a checklist,
• new guidance for clergy and parents where as part of the over-subscription criteria the school’s admission policy specifies that priority for admission will be given to baptised Catholic children whose parents are “practising Catholics”.
• a new Form for obtaining a priest’s reference since whatever method is used to demonstrate membership or practice, it must be clearly objective, transparent and fair.
• Diocesan policy on ‘fair access protocols’

Admissions Code 2007: ‘Additional guidelines for faith schools’

Most governing bodies of maintained Catholic schools, in their role as admissions authorities, delegate the function of determining admissions to an Admissions Committee. This committee must apply the admission arrangements as determined by the governing body. The Headteacher may be a member of the committee but may not act alone in determining the school’s admission policy or in deciding on the admission of an individual child.

Form for obtaining a Priest's reference