Determined admissions policy 2023-24

The Archer Academy is a publicly funded, co-educational, non-denominational, non-selective secondary school. Responsibility for the allocation of places rests with the Archer Academy Trust. The administration of applications to the school is undertaken by Barnet Council, as part of the Pan-London Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for admissions to Year 7 in September 2023 and the locally agreed protocol for in-year admissions during the academic year 2022-23. All applications for places at the school will be considered in line with the arrangements set out below.

Admission to Year 7 in September 2023

The Archer Academy’s Planned Admission Number (PAN) for admission to Year 7 in 2023-24 is 162.

Applications

Applications are made through a Common Application Form (CAF), which must be returned to the local authority in the area where your child resides (the ‘home local authority’).

Your home local authority will provide full details of the admissions application process for secondary schools, including the Archer Academy.

Applicants will receive a secondary school offer from their home local authority on 1st March 2023. Those whose children have been refused admission to the Archer Academy, or any other school for which applied, will be advised of their statutory right to appeal before an independent admissions appeal panel.

Late applications

If your application is received after the closing date 31 October 2022. it will be viewed as a late application. Late applications will not be processed until places have been allocated to all ‘on time’ applicants.

If you believe there are exceptional reasons as to why your application is late, you may make a request for your application to be treated as if it were received on time. Barnet Council, or your home local authority if you live in another Borough, will provide further details and deadlines.

Verification of information

Local authorities may need to verify the information you have submitted on the CAF, in order to establish that the application is not fraudulent or misleading.

In addressing reasonable suspicion of admissions fraud, Barnet Council or the home LA, may request information from you relating to the verification of your application for a secondary school place.

False information, or the omission of material information, may result in disqualification, or the loss of a place after it has been offered, accepted or taken up.

Offer of places

Applicants will be sent an email with the outcome of their application on National Offer Day, 1 March 2023.

Applicants to whom places are offered will be required to inform their home LA whether they wish to accept, or decline, by the specified deadlines.

Appeal procedure

Parents whose applications for places are unsuccessful have the right to appeal against the decision to an Independent Appeal Panel set up in accordance with the statutory provisions in force at the time.

The decision of the appeal panel is binding on all parties.

Information about the appeals procedure is available on the school’s website.

Waiting list

In addition to the right to appeal, unsuccessful applicants who receive an offer for a school that was ranked lower in their order of preferences than the Archer Academy will be automatically placed on the waiting list for a place at The Archer Academy. Each added child will require the list to be ranked again in line with the published oversubscription criteria.

Vacancies arising after 1 March 2023 will be offered to applicants on the waiting list, determined in accordance with the order in the over-subscription criteria set out below.

Children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)

All children whose Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Statement of Special Educational Needs names the Archer Academy will be admitted.

Over-subscription criteria

  1. Looked after children (LAC) and previously looked after children (PLAC), who were adopted (or subject to child arrangement orders) immediately following having been looked after, as well as internationally adopted previously looked after children (IAPLAC), those 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 (see Note 1)
  2. Children whose parents are Founders of the Archer Academy and who have been granted this provision by the Secretary of State for Education (see Note 2).
  3. Children who will have siblings in the school at the time when they are admitted to the school (see Note 3).
  4. Children of staff (teaching or support) of the school, provided they have been directly employed for a minimum of two years at the time at which the application for a place is made, or have been recruited to fill a post where there is a demonstrable skills shortage. (The definition of a direct employee is an employee holding a contract of employment with the school).
  5. Children in the priority catchment area – which is the postcode areas N2, N3 and NW11 – as follows: 45% of places will be offered to children whose home address is within N2, 35% to children whose home address is within N3 and 20% of places to children whose home address is within NW11. Any fraction of places that remain when dividing places to each postcode will be allocated to applicants in the N2 postcode. Places will be offered to those children who live closest to the school, based on measuring distance in a straight line from the front gate of the Lower School Stanley Road campus to the address of the child’s home (see Note 4).
  6. After places have been filled under the first five criteria, any remaining places will be offered on a geographical basis with priority given to children who live closest to the school, based on measuring distance in a straight line from the front gate of the Lower School Stanley Road campus to the child’s home (see Note 4).

Notes

Note 1: Children in Care

A child looked after is a child in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by that authority in accordance with Section 22 of the Children Act 1989.  An adopted child is defined by section 12 of the Adoption Act 1976 and section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.  Child arrangements orders are defined in Section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014.  Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order.  A special guardianship order is defined by section 14A of the Children Act 1989.

Note 2: Founders’ children

The Founders of the Archer Academy are the 11 individuals who have played a major role in establishing the school, undertaking activities during the application and pre-opening stages, and will continue to play a significant role in the running of the school after opening. Approval has been given from the Secretary of State for Education for this provision. A list of relevant Founders is available on request.

Note 3: Sibling priority

“Siblings” mean two or more children who have at least one parent in common and who reside in the same home as one another. Where a child has been legally adopted, he or she will be regarded as the sibling of any other children with the same legal guardian, all of whom reside in the same household.

Multiple-birth and same-year siblings

Where applications are received from twins, triplets or same-year siblings the following procedure will be followed: if one child is selected for a place, the Archer Academy will admit the other child(ren) over the published admission number (PAN) in order to support the family.

Note 4: Distance from the home to the school

Distance is measured between the address point for the child’s home, supplied by the Ordnance Survey, to the school’s main gate using the council’s computerised geographical information system.

A child’s permanent address is the place of normal residence during term time.  When parents live separately, the application must be based on the address at which the child usually lives and from which s/he attends primary school.  When parents live separately, but the child lives with both parents at different addresses, the child’s home address will be taken to be the address where the child lives most of the week. If the child spends an equal amount of time with each parent, the address will usually be taken to be that of the main parent/ carer.

Proof of residence can be requested at any time throughout the admissions process. If false or misleading information is used to gain entry to the school, the offer of a place will be withdrawn. The Archer Academy will fully support the council in its enforcement of this process.

Tiebreaker

In the event of oversubscription in any category, geographical distance will be used as a tie breaker. Distance will be measured in a straight line, from the address point for the child’s home, supplied by Ordnance Survey, and front gate of the Lower School Stanley Road campus using Barnet Council’s computerised geographical information system.

Final tiebreaker

Applicants from the same block of flats, or applicants who live the same distance from the school will be selected in random order using Barnet’s computerised system and places will be offered accordingly.

Admission of children outside their normal age group

Applications for delayed or accelerated entry, in cases where parents would like their child to be admitted to a year group that is not the chronological age year group, will be considered on the merits of each individual case. The reasons for the request must be fully explained in writing and attached with the online application form (or submitted separately to the council and/or directly to the school).

Decisions will be made on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child, taking into account, as appropriate, the following:

  • the views of the parent
  • information about the social, emotional and academic development of the child as often supported by education and other professionals
  • the views of the Headteacher
  • where relevant, the child’s medical history and the views of a medical professional
  • whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group
  • whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if they were not born prematurely

Where a request for a child to be admitted outside their normal age group is agreed, which enables a child to be included as part of the Year 7 allocations, the application will then be processed in accordance with these arrangements and over-subscription criteria where applicable.

Other admissions (in-year or casual admissions)

Applications for vacancies that arise outside the normal annual admission round for Year 7 will be considered at any time during the year. Information can be obtained from the school and applications must be made through Barnet Council’s online application portal, accessible via www.barnet.gov.uk/schooladmissions. Where there is more than one application for a vacant place, the offer of a place will be determined in accordance with the in-year over-subscription criteria set out below.

In-year over-subscription criteria

  1. Looked after children (LAC) and previously looked after children (PLAC), who were adopted (or subject to child arrangement orders) immediately following having been looked after, as well as internationally adopted previously looked after children (IAPLAC), those 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
  2. Children whose parents are Founders of the Archer Academy and who have been granted this provision by the Secretary of State for Education.
  3. Children who will have siblings in the school at the time when they are admitted to the school.
  4. Children of staff (teaching or support) of the school, provided they have been directly employed for a minimum of two years at the time at which the application for a place is made, or have been recruited to fill a post where there is a demonstrable skills shortage. (The definition of a direct employee is an employee holding a contract of employment with the school).
  5. After places have been filled under the first four criteria, any remaining places will be offered on a geographical basis within our priority postcode areas of N2, NW11 and N3, with priority given to children who live closest to the school, based on measuring distance in a straight line from the front gate of the Lower School Stanley Road campus to the child’s home.

This admissions policy will be reviewed annually by the Archer Academy Trust.