Address:
Cutnook Lane
Irlam
M44 6GX
Telephone: 0161 921 1695
Email: stjosephsworker.rcprimaryschool@salford.gov.uk
Headteacher: Mrs E Clayton
School type: Voluntary aided
Total number of places for nursery: 26
Total number of places for reception: 30
Total applications received by offer day for reception: 35
Breakdown of reception offers at offer day (17 April 2023): All applicants offered
Total numbers of reception offers made (including alternative offers): 20
Total reception vacancies: 10
St Joseph The Worker R.C. is a Roman Catholic Primary School provided by the Diocese of Salford and maintained by Salford Education Authority as a Voluntary Aided School.
The school’s Governing Body is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for taking decisions on applications for admissions.
For the school year, commencing 2024-25, the Governing Body has set its planned admissions number at 26 Nursery, and 30 for Reception, Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6.
Admission to the school will be made by the Governing Body, in accordance with the stated parental preferences it receives, subject to the following set of criteria, which will be used to form a priority order in the case of there being more applications than places available.
a. Each Roman Catholic applicant must produce a baptismal certificate with their application.
b. Parents should check whether they are residents within the Parish boarders (a map is available in the office).
c. Governors will comply with class size limits in Key stage 1.
d. Special needs – as required by law all children with an Educational Health Care Plan (ECHP) naming the school – there is a duty for the school to admit the child.
e. If in any category there are more applications than places available, priority will be given on the basis of distance in miles from home to school. Distance will be measured in a straight line from the address point of the child’s home address (including the community entrance to flats) to the centre point of the school using the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system with those living nearer to the school having priority.
In the event of distances being the same for two or more applicants where this distance would be last place/s to be allocated, a random lottery will be carried out in a public place. All the names will be entered into a hat and the required number of names will be drawn out.
*Governors have identified the sibling link to include step-siblings, foster children in the same household and other children of parents within the same house-hold. (Proof should be provided to demonstrate that such children are permanently resident at the same address as part of the family unit). It has been agreed that, whenever possible, siblings which are twins or triplets or siblings within the same year group etc. should be treated as 'one unit' so as to avoid splitting a family.
Governors are aware that the class size of 26 or 30 is the determining factor, therefore, for late applications parents would have to decide which child is to go through an appeal. The appeal panel may well class this as unreasonable and may decide to uphold an appeal, the onus will still fall on the school to make provisions for the following year eg vertically group/appoint an additional teacher.
f. Refusal to admit can be referred to an independent Appeals panel. This appeal must be sent in writing to the Chair of Governors at the school within 20 days of notification or refusal. The date of notification will be two working days after posting by first class post. The parents must give their reasons for appealing in writing and the decision of the appeals panel is binding on the governors. The outcome of the appeal is binding on the parents and on the governing body.
g. Admissions to the Nursery are explained in the Nursery Prospectus and closely follow the LA arrangements. Attendance in the Nursery does not guarantee a place in the Reception class.
h. It has been agreed with Governors and Nursery staff that we will admit up to a maximum of 26 children into the Nursery, on the assumption that all Health and Safety requirements have been met.
i. For ‘In year’ applications received outside the normal admissions round and if places are available then children qualifying under the published criteria will be admitted. Applications to the school should be made to the School Admissions team. If there are places available but more applicants than places then the published oversubscription criteria will be applied.
j. If a child is a 'summer born child', parents may request that the date their child is admitted to school is deferred to later in the school year. However, the child must start school before the end of that school year. If a parent wishes their child to be educated out of their normal school year (kept back a year), they must discuss this with the school before applying. However, the final decision on this rests with the Headteacher.
k. Parents may request that their child attend school part-time until he/she reaches his/her fifth birthday. When seeking a place in Nursery, time spent on the request list is not a criterion of admission. The closing date for the nursery applications is 15 January 2024 and places will be allocated on 16 April 2024. Any requests received after that date will be placed on a waiting list, if all nursery places have been allocated. The admission criteria will apply when filling any spare place from the waiting list, the waiting list will be kept until 31 December 2024.
Any application received after the closing date, but before the offer of places, will be deemed late and will be considered after those received on time. Late applications will be considered in accordance with the published admissions criteria. If the school is oversubscribed, late applications will be placed on a reserve list in priority order according to the published admissions criteria. Parents will be notified if a vacancy subsequently arises.
This arrangement also applies to the Reception class. The closing date for applications is 15 January 2024 and the date when places are allocated is the 16 April 2024. This will be preceded by a confirmation letter to these parents to be sent out on the last day of the spring term.
Pupils on waiting lists for these and other classes will also have to meet the selection criteria, if and when places become available until 31 December 2024.