A guide for parents and carers on admissions to Secondary School

If a place becomes available <strong>for</strong> your childfrom the waiting list of your higherpreference school(s) Reading BoroughCouncil will send you an offer letter. Thismeans that the place at the school yourchild has been allocated will be withdrawn<strong>and</strong> maybe offered to another child. If atany time after completing your acceptance<strong>for</strong>m you are happy to accept the allocatedschool please in<strong>for</strong>m the Admissions Team<strong>and</strong> your child’s name will be taken off thewaiting list(s).It is important to note that the length oftime on a waiting list is not a decidingfactor when allocating places. Positions onthe waiting list can there<strong>for</strong>e go up ordown. A child who is top of the list one daymay not be the next day because anotherchild who has higher priority according tothe over-subscription criteria of the schoolhas been added to the list i.e. a lateapplication <strong>for</strong> a child new to the area.You should contact the Admissions Teamof the appropriate Local Authority to findout your child’s position on the waiting listof your preferred schools.family. Appeals lodged on time will be heardin the summer term.The number of appeals allowed <strong>for</strong>the same school in the same schoolyearParents/Carers can only appeal once <strong>for</strong> thesame child to the same school in the sameschool year. Parent/<strong>carers</strong> can make anotherappeal in the next school year.The only exception to this is where there iswhat is called a material <strong>and</strong> significantchange in the circumstances of theparent/carer or child. This change must berelevant to the application – it must make adifference to whether we would haveallocated a place or not. This change musthappen after the first appeal has been heard.If you have any queries please contact theAdmissions Team on 0118 937 2550.APPEALSAppealing against the decision not tooffer your preferred schoolIf your child is not offered a place at yourpreferred schools you can appeal against thedecision. You should make an appeal. Appealswill be heard by an independent panel set upby the Admissions Authority.In<strong>for</strong>mation on how to submit an appeal willbe sent out with offer letters on 1 March2013 - in<strong>for</strong>mation will also be available onthe websitewww.reading.gov.uk/schooladmissions.All appeals are considered by a panelindependent from the school <strong>and</strong> itsdecisions are legally binding on the school.The panel has to balance the effect that theadmission of an additional child would haveon the school with the particularcircumstances of that particular child <strong>and</strong>If you have any queries please contact the Admissions Team on 0118 937 2550 or email: admissions.team@reading.gov.ukApply online at www.reading.gov.uk/schooladmissions 16