Admissions

Admissions Policy 2025-2026 - Consultation

St Bede's Inter-Church School is running a consultation from 1st November 2023 until 31 January 2024 on our proposed admissions policy. If you would like to comment on any aspect of the policy, please email the Headteacher at head@stbedes.cambs.sch.uk

Admissions Policy Proposal 2025-2026

 

Current Admissions Policy

St Bede’s Inter-Church School is a joint Church of England/Roman Catholic foundation, and its purpose is to serve Church of England and Roman Catholic families who live within travelling distance of the school. The school also welcomes pupils from committed Christian families of other denominations and from families of other faiths or no faith.

The governing body of St Bede’s Inter-Church School is the admissions authority for the school. This means that the governing body 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 Local Authority, on behalf of the governing body, will offer places to 180 children. This is the Published Admission Number (PAN) for that year group. If more than 180 applications are received, then the oversubscription criteria will be applied to determine priority for places. In the event that your child is not offered a place, you have the right of appeal and details of how to appeal can be obtained from the school after the 1stMarch.A waiting list for places is maintained by Cambridgeshire County Council for any student who has not been offered a place but still wishes to be considered during the first term of Year 7.

First priority is given to the admission of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) where St Bede’s has been cited as the named school.

After this, applications will be ranked according to the school’s oversubscription criteria in the order stated below:

  1. Looked after children and children who were previously look after but immediately after being looked after became subject to adoption, a child arrangements order, or special guardianship order. Children who appear to the admission Authority to have been in state care (i.e., in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, religious organisation, or any other provider whose sole/main purpose is to benefit society) outside of England but ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted only.      
  2. Children from Church of England / Roman Catholic families who are baptised members of the Anglican / Roman Catholic Church and whose status is confirmed as such by their priest or minister.
  3. Children from families belonging to other Churches that are members of ‘Churches Together in England’, the ‘Evangelical Alliance’ or ‘Partner Churches of Affinity’ whose membership status is confirmed as such by their priest, minister or elder.
  4. Children from families who belong to any other world faiths and whose status is confirmed as such by their spiritual leader.
  5. Any other children                                                                                    

Within each of the above categories, priority ranking will be given to a) children who have a sibling in the school at the time of admission into the school, then b) to children who live nearest to the school by straight line distance from their home address.

In the event of a tie for the 180th place, then lots will be drawn for the place by a person who is independent of the admissions committee. If the tie is between twins or multiple birth siblings, then all will be admitted to the school.

Oversubscription priority may be given to the children of members of staff provided they have been employed at St Bede's Inter-Church School for a minimum of two years and/or are recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrative skills shortage.

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, no later than 31st October. Offer letters will be issued by the LA in March. Late applications (those submitted between November and September) will be handled by the LA Admissions Team.

For full information about the process, formal definitions of terms used in this Admissions Policy and support with individual queries about admissions applications, please visit the Cambridgeshire County Council Admissions website (three pages in total).

All parents wishing to apply under the school's religious criteria (2/3/4) must also complete the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) below. This must be returned directly to the school on or before the LA application deadline or, for mid-phase applications, at the same time as the school's application form is submitted.

Supplementary Information Form

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 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 put their case in writing to Cambridgeshire Country Council using the following website: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-learning/apply-for-a-school-place/admission-appeals

There are two separate steps in the application process for admission to St Bede's.

  1. Apply for a place at St Bede's through the Cambridgeshire Local Authority
  2. Apply directly to St Bede's using the Supplementary Information Form (see the Forms section below)

The application process for admissions into Year 7 is coordinated by Cambridgeshire Local Authority, which acts on behalf of the governing body to offer places at the school.

Please see the Local Authority website concerning making an application:

https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-&-learning/apply-for-a-school-place/secondary-school/

Applications must be received by 31st October. Letters offering places for the start of Year 7 are sent to families in March each year.

Applications received after 31st October will be handled directly by the Local Authority.

Parents applying to St Bede’s should also complete a Supplementary Information Form. This must be returned to St Bede’s by the Local Authority deadline.

To apply for a place after the start of term or in any other year group, please contact the school or the LA Admissions team for an application form. LA Admissions team contact 01223 717391 / 01223 or email admissions@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Please also complete a Supplementary Information Form (see Forms section below) and send it directly to St Bede's at the same time as you submit your application to the Local Authority.

Where the Local Authority is unable to meet any of the school preferences you have identified on the application from, a place will be offered to your child at the nearest alternative school with places available.

Secondary school admissions website: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-&-learning/apply-for-a-school-place/secondary-school/

Applying for a place with an EHCP website: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/local-offer/local-offer-education-and-training-5-18/choosing-and-applying-for-secondary-school

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 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 put their case in writing to Cambridgeshire Country Council using the following link.

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 coordinated scheme for primary admissions, Cambridgeshire Local Authority holds the initial reserve list on behalf of the governing body until the end of the autumn term in the initial year of intake. The governing body then manages the reserve list until the end of the autumn term. Where a mid-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 oversubscription criterion than their own.

If your child is applying for any in-year admission, please complete the following form and return it directly to St Bede's (email to admissions@stbedes.cambs.sch.uk):

Supplementary form for in-year admissions

If your child is moving to a different school, please complete the form below and submit it to us:

Parental Request for Student Leaving St Bede’s