St Bede’s is a joint Church of England / Roman Catholic foundation, and its purpose is to serve Church of England / Roman Catholic families who live within travelling distance of the school. If there is room, the school also welcomes pupils from committed Christian families of other denominations and from families of other faiths who accept the aims and ethos of this Christian school. The Governing Body of St Bede’s Inter-church School is the admission authority for the school. This means that it is the Governing Body that sets and applies the admissions policy for the school. All decisions regarding the admission of children into the school are made by a sub-committee of the Governing Body. For admission into Year 7 each September, the LA, on behalf of the Governing Body, will offer places to 160 children. This is the Published Admission Number (PAN) for that year group. In the event that more than 160 applications are received, the oversubscription criteria will be applied to determine priority for places.

All preferences will be treated equally, but first priority will be given to Children in care, also know as Looked After Children (LAC), and children who were looked after but ceased to be so by reason of adoption, a resident order or special guardianship order". and any child with a Statement of Educational Needs. Children who have a statement of special educational needs that names the school will be admitted. NB Those children with a statement of special educational needs that does not name the school will be referred to Student Assessment to determine an appropriate place.

When the school is oversubscribed, students will be admitted in the order of priority stated below:

1 Children from Church of England / Roman Catholic families whose application is supported1 by their priest or minister
2 Children from families belonging to other Churches that are members of ‘Churches Together in Britain and Ireland’ or the Evangelical Alliance whose application is supported1 by their priest or minister
3 Children from families belonging to other Christian churches whose application is supported1 by their Church minister or leader
4 Children attending Roman Catholic (Aided) or Church of England (Aided or Controlled) primary schools
5 Children from families practising other world faiths whose application is supported by their spiritual leader
6 Children from other families in sympathy with the aims and ethos of this Christian school

Within each of the above categories priority will be given firstly to those children who at the time of admission have a sibling2 at the school and secondly to those children who live nearest to the school3.

The application process for admissions into Year 7 is co-ordinated by Cambridgeshire Local Authority (LA), which acts on behalf of the governing body to offer places at the school. Parents should submit a Common Application Form, available from their child’s primary school or from the LA Admissions Team, by the LA published date. Offer letters will be issued by the LA on 1 March each year. Late applications (those submitted outside of the LA published dates) will be handled by the Admissions Team.

All parents wishing to apply under the school’s religious criteria must also complete the attached Supplementary Information Form. This must be returned to the School by the LA application deadline or, for mid-phase applications, at the same time as the school’s application form is submitted.

To apply for a place after the start of term or in any other year group, please contact the LA Admissions Team for an application form. LA Admissions Team contact 01223 699662 or email admissions@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. The application form must be returned to the LA Admissions Team who will then contact your preferred schools to determine the availability of a school place. The LA Admissions Team will then write to you to confirm the details of the school at which a place is to be offered and, where appropriate, a suitable start date.

Where the Admissions Team is unable to meet any preferences expressed a place will be offered at the next nearest alternative school with places available.

SCHOOL TOURS:  Parents wishing to visit the school prior to submitting an application are welcome to contact the school to join one of three set tours per term.  Visits are not interviews and do not affect any decision regarding the availability of a place. Please contact Mrs Guy on tel. 01223 400043, email jguy@stbedes.cambs.sch.uk

Any child who is refused a place at the school has a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel. The panel is made up of three people who are independent of the governing body and the local education authority. They will take into consideration all the circumstances of the case put before them and any decision they make is binding on the Governing Body and the parents concerned. Any parent wishing to appeal should contact the LA Admissions Team. (Contact 01223 699200 or email admissions@cambridgeshire.gov.uk )

When an application is refused, the child’s details are automatically placed on a reserve list for the year group, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria. As part of the co-ordinated scheme for primary admission, the LA Admissions Team hold the initial reserve list on behalf of the Governing Body until the end of the autumn term in the initial year of intake. Where an in-year application is received, the child’s details will be held on a reserve list by the Governing Body for a minimum period of one term following the term of application.

Parents will be contacted immediately if a place becomes available for their child, but should be aware that their child’s place on a reserve list may change if an application is subsequently received that meets a higher criterion than their own.

1 Support is defined as the family’s Christian commitment being recognised within the parish of the priest or minister. The school may seek further clarification from the priest or minister if such recognition is unclear.
2 Sibling is defined as a child either living in the same home or blood related but living at a different address.
3Distance to school within Cambridgeshire is calculated by measuring a straight line from the centre point of the home to the main pupil entrance to the secondary school.

Forms:
  Supplementary Form Updated 31 July2012(b).pdf
This form needs to be completed by all parents or carers who wish to apply for a place at St Bede's.  It needs to be returned to the school. 

 In Year School Application.pdf
This form needs to be completed by all parents or carers who wish to move their child's current secondary school.  This form needs to be returned to the address on the application form (Cambridgeshire County Council, Admissions Department).  Parents filling in this form should also complete the Supplementary Information Form (above) and return it to the school.

Parental Request for student leaving St Bedes.pdf
This form needs to be completed by current students' parents or carers who wish to move their child to a different Secondary School or county. It needs to be returned to the school.