Admissions FAQ

Apr 29, 2021

Choosing where to apply for a secondary school is a significant decision and we are delighted that you are thinking of applying to St Edward’s School. We are renowned for our ability to secure top academic outcomes for students, among the highest 10% of schools nationally, combined with our strong ethos and pastoral care. The information below will help answer some of the more common questions we are asked, but if you have any additional questions please email admissions@st-edwards.poole.sch.uk

 

When and how should I apply?

The deadline to apply for a Year 7 place for September 2021 is 31st October 2020. All applications are dealt with after the deadline has passed – there is no priority for those that have submitted their forms earlier in the application window.

Any applications submitted after this date will not be considered by BCP Council until after the National Allocation date of the 1st March 2021.

Upon application, you have the right to state up to four preferences for a school place. Your child will be considered against the admission policy for that school for each place in order of ranking from 1-4. There is no benefit to stating the same school four times.

Think carefully about your choices and take your time to look through the information available to you for each school. As well as website literature, we would encourage you to talk to the parents of children who already attend your choices to gain some feedback.

If you are a Poole resident, please submit your application via Poole School Admissions, otherwise it is sent to your current Local Authority. Your Local Authority will be stated on any council documentation you hold such as a Council Tax bill.

 

What is a Supplementary Information Form?

If you are applying under religious grounds, you need to also complete a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) for St Edward’s School. Please note that we cannot accept any supporting letters in lieu of a SIF. If your child was baptised out of the UK, we would recommend submitting a copy of their baptismal certificate at the same time as the SIF to avoid any delays or queries.

Please ensure you clearly write any contact details on the top of the SIF in case we need to contact you regarding your SIF submission.

 

How many children can attend St Edward’s in Year 7?

The Published Admissions Number for 2021-22 for Year 7 intake is 182. On average, St Edward’s receive between 500-550 applications for those 182 places each year.

Once the application window has closed, these are then ranked according to our Admissions Policy in the following order:

1. Looked After, or Previously Looked After children

2. Roman Catholic children, who have either completed their first Holy Communion or attended services monthly for 12 months prior to application*

3. Church of England children, who have been baptised and attended services monthly for 12 months prior to application*

4. Children who are members of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, including Baptist, Methodist, listed Orthodox, Pentecostal, United Reformed churches and Salvation Army churches. A full list can be found at www.ctbi.org.uk/member-churches

5. Children who meet another Christian Church’s for Faith Community’s criteria for membership/practice and have attended services at least monthly for 12 months prior to application*

6. Children not able to be submitted under the above five categories.

Once under Category 6, children are prioritised as follows:

1. Children of members of staff who have been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made or who have been recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

2. Children who have a sibling on roll and attending the school in years 7-13 at the proposed date of admission

3. Distance.

 

Can I secure a place at St Edward’s if I don’t go to church?

For 2020-21 applicants, the furthest Category 6 application that gained a place was 1.437 miles and 48 children were successful in obtaining a Category 6 place, based purely on distance.

If your child holds an Education, Health and Care Plan, we ask that you please contact our SENCo prior to application.

 

When do I find out my child’s school place?

National Allocation Day is 1st March 2021. From 10am on this day, you will be able view your child’s offered school and you will be asked to either accept or decline the offer and you have two weeks from the 1st March to do this.

 

What happens if my child does not get a place at their preferred school?

If you are unsuccessful in gaining a place at a higher preference school, your child’s name will be added to our waiting list, and the position will be determined by the same criteria as above. Therefore, please be aware that your child’s position can move up and down the list if someone later applies that meets a higher criteria. You are welcome to contact our Admissions Officer at any time to ask for your child’s position on the waiting list.

If you are successful in gaining a place at your first preference school, you will not be added to the waiting list at any of your lower preference schools.

For Year 7 applications, the waiting list is held until 31 December 2020. Names will only remain on the waiting list after this date if a written request is received.

In the event that an offer of a place is not made, you have the right to appeal the decision. You can only appeal a decision once an academic year and you cannot appeal if you have been offered a higher preference. Please contact our Admissions Officer if you wish to appeal the decision, and you will be sent the relevant paperwork.

 

*APPLICATIONS FOR 2021-22 IN LIGHT OF COVID-19 – Evidence of Religious Practice

We would like to reassure all parents and carers that we are very conscious of the present situation and its effect on this aspect of our Admissions Policy, as lockdown has closed churches and thus has implication for the over-subscription criteria within St Edward’s Admission Policy.

In light of this, we have been able to amend our 2021-22 Admissions Policy to reflect the closure of churches as follows:

In the event that during the period specified for attendance at worship the church (or, in relation to those of other faiths, relevant place of worship) has been closed for public worship and has not provided alternative premises for that worship, the requirements of (these) admission arrangements in relation to attendance will only apply to the period when the church (or in relation to those of other faiths, relevant place of worship) or alternative premises have been available for public worship.

message 2 icon If you have any other questions, please email admissions@st-edwards.poole.sch.uk