Admissions


Applications to the School are made through the Local Authority’s coordinated admissions scheme. Parents are required to complete the Common Application Form (CAF) which is sent by their Local Authority.  If you would like to apply for a Year 7 place at the School you should name The Khalsa Academy Wolverhampton as one of your preferences on the CAF. 

The school will operate the same admission arrangements and oversubscription criteria as Wolverhampton City Council.  In accordance with these arrangements, where there are more applications received than there are places available, the following oversubscription criteria will be applied: 

•    A child with an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will be admitted. Remaining places are allocated as detailed below.

Criterion 1: Looked after children (as defined by Section 22 of the Children Act 1989) 

•    Children and Young People in Care and previous Children and Young People in Care

Children and young people in care are children who are in (a)in the care of the local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of the social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time the application is made to school. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order) immediately following having been looked after and those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

Criterion 2: Medical/Social 

Whether there are specific medical or social circumstances that can be met only by the child’s attendance at The Khalsa Academy Wolverhampton. If parents believe there are specific reasons, medical or social, for claiming priority for their child to attend a particular school these special factors must be indicated on the form and evidence (e.g. a letter from a registered health professional such as a doctor or a social worker) to support this claim must be submitted with the common application form. The information submitted must state clearly the effects of the condition/illness and why the preferred school is the only school that can meet their child’s needs. This is necessary because parents would be asking the Authority to assess their child as having a stronger case than many other children, even some who live closer to the school in question than they do. The information provided will be used to prioritise the request for a particular school. Please note that only in exceptional cases are places prioritised in respect of a child’s/parent’s medical/social grounds.

Criterion 3: Siblings 

Whether siblings attend the school and will still be attending the school at the time of admissions.  For admission purposes, a sibling is a child who resides at the same address as the child for whom a place is being requested, and is one of the following: - 

•    Brother/sister 
•    Half brother/sister (i.e. share one common parent). 
•    Stepbrother/sister (i.e. related by a parent’s marriage). 
•    Any other child for whom it can be demonstrated that s/he is residing permanently at the same address (e.g. under the terms of a Child Arrangement Order). 
 
The sibling connection only applies where families have a sibling attending the school at the time of the application as well as at the time of admission. 

Criterion 4: Children whose parent/carer is a member of staff employed at the school  

This applies where the parent/carer has been employed by the school for two or more years at the time at which the application of admission to the school is made, and/or where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post at the school for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage. This criterion applies to all permanent staff members, and excludes staff employed on a casual/temporary contract. 
 
Criterion 5: Distance 

How close the child lives to the school requested, with those living closest to the school getting the highest priority. The measurement between home and school will be determined by a straight line measurement from the designated seed point of the home address to the designated seed point of the school using the authority’s computerised system. 
The home address of a pupil is considered to be the permanent residence of a child in a residential property when the place is offered. Documentary evidence relating to house moves taking place between National Offer Day on 1st March and the start of the academic year in September 2024 will be considered. The address must be the child’s only or main residence and is either: 

•    Owned by the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s). 
•    Leased to or rented by the child’s parent(s), carer(s) or guardian(s) under lease or written rental agreement however family could be living with other family members or friends.
 
Where parents have shared responsibility for a child and the child lives with both parents for part of the week then the main residence will be determined as the address where the child lives for a majority of the school week. If the child equally shares living with both parents, the parents must inform the local authority which address should be used for admission purposes and which parent will make the application. Parents may be requested to supply documentary evidence to support the address used for the application. 
Where more applications are received than there are places available, a waiting list will operate. Following an unsuccessful application, parents can ask for their child’s name to be placed on the waiting list. A child’s position on the waiting list and the allocation of a place will be determined solely in accordance with the above oversubscription criteria. 

Appeals

If your child’s application for a place at the school is unsuccessful, you will be informed why admission was refused and given information about the process for hearing appeals. Appeals are administered by the Local Authority for this school. Parents who wish to appeal against the decision to refuse their child admission, should  complete the online appeal form which can be accessed here: School admission appeals | City Of Wolverhampton Council  Alternatively, parents can contact the Local Authority Admissions team on 01902 551122 to request an appeal form. Appeals will be heard by an independent panel.

You can find details about the appeals process and deadlines by following the link below: https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/education-and-schools/school-admission-appeals

Deferred Entry
 
Application for children to be admitted outside of their normal age group

Parents who wish for their child to be considered for admission outside of their normal age group must make an application for the normal age group in the first instance by 31 October 2023. This includes parents whose child is currently being educated outside of their normal age group but where the child has reached the normal age of transition to secondary school (i.e. normal age group is Year 6; however, child is being educated in Year 5). Parents may request that the child continues to be educated outside of their normal age group and be admitted to Year 7 in September 2025 rather than Year 8.

Any parent wishing to make such a request must put the request in writing to the Local Authority no later than 31 October 2023.

This request should be in the form of a written letter of application outlining the reasons why they wish for their child to be admitted into a class outside of their normal age group and enclosing any supportive evidence and documentation that they wish to be taken into account as part of that request.

Requests will be considered by the school on an individual basis and decisions will be reached by taking account of the parent’s views; information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development; where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional; and whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group. If the request is agreed and the year group for which the parents have requested a place is for a future year group, i.e. Reception or Year 7 in September 2025, then the original application is withdrawn, and the parents must submit a fresh application for a school place in September 2025 when applications open in the autumn term of 2024.


Please note that parents only have the right to defer their application and re-apply for a place.

Where the decision is to agree the request for an application in Reception or Year 7 the following year, that application is considered alongside all other applications received and parents will be advised of the outcome of that application on national offer day. No place is reserved or held for the child in advance.

In-Year Admissions 

The Khalsa Academy Wolverhampton is part of the Local Authorities in year co-ordination scheme. You can find details about the scheme by following the link below:  https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/education-and-schools/school-admissions/changing-schools

 

Reviewed - July 2023
To be reviewed July 2024