Admission Criteria for Applicants to The Ursuline College Sixth Form

Entry requirements for courses:

A level/Level 3 Courses: 5+ GCSEs or equivalent at Grades 9 - 4 in five separate subjects. Please refer to individual subject information pages for subject specific entry requirements.

Football scholarship: trials will be conducted prior to starting the course.

Internal applicants

Priority for places is given to students in Year 11 currently on roll who meet the entry requirements for post-16 courses and who have submitted a Kent Choices application form. All applicants will be invited to a Learning discussion with the Head or Deputy Head of Sixth Form to discuss their option choices.

External applicants

External applicants are required to complete a Kent Choices online application form for a Sixth Form place and be aware of the Catholic ethos of the school as outlined above. All candidates will be invited to a Learning discussion to discuss their option choices and references will be called for from schools currently attended by applicants. In addition, if more applications are received than there are places available the Governors will allocate places in the same order as for entries into Year 7. The school aims to recruit no more than 120 students into Year 12 each September.

Offers and Appeals

Offers will be made on the basis of predicted performance at GCSE, with the requirement that the above grades are achieved in the final examinations prior to entry to the Sixth Form and the pupil’s 4 chosen subjects being accommodated on the timetable, in feasible group sizes.

All offers made during Year 11 are conditional on pupils meeting the grade criteria specified and will only become firm offers upon confirmation of actual GCSE results.

Offer letters will be made before the end of May 2020. Offers will be confirmed once the school has been notified of GCSE results in August 2020.

Where learners have achieved better results than the predicted grades they will be considered based on the grades achieved and ranked accordingly for any places that become available as a result of other learners failing to meet the required entry levels.

Parents have a statutory right of appeal, should an application for a place be refused, by writing to The Clerk to the Governors, care of the school.

Late applications will be considered if places in appropriate subjects are still available after all other applicants have been considered.

A waiting list will be held, ranked according to the over-subscription criteria.

Oversubscription Criteria

Before applying the oversubscription criteria, children with a statement of special educational need (SSEN) or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will be admitted. As a result of this the published admissions number will be reduced accordingly. If the number of preferences for the school is more than the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following priority order –

1. Looked After Catholic children or Looked After Children (children in Public Care) in the care of Catholic families and previously looked after Catholic children who have been adopted.
2. Baptised Catholic children. Evidence of Baptism will be required.
3. Children enrolled in the catechumenate. Evidence of enrolment in the catechumenate will be required.
4. Other Looked After Children (children in Public Care) and other previously looked after children who have been adopted.
5. Children who are members of Eastern Orthodox Churches. Evidence of Baptism will be required.
6. Children of families who are members of other Christian denominations that are part of Churches Together in England. Evidence of Baptism (or Dedication/Initiation or Membership of the faith) provided by a priest or minister of a designated place of worship will be required.
7. Children who are members of other faiths. Evidence of membership of the faith provided by a priest, minister or religious leader of a designated place of worship will be required.
8. Any other children.

The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications:

1. The strength of evidence of commitment to the faith as demonstrated by the level of the family’s Mass attendance on Sundays. This evidence must be provided by the parents/carers and be endorsed by a priest at the church(es) where the family normally worship. Applications will be ranked in the order shown on the Supplementary Form; firstly those who attend Mass weekly, then once or twice a month etc.
2. The strength of evidence of commitment to the faith as demonstrated by the level of the family’s attendance at the place of worship endorsed by a priest or minister where the family normally worships.
3. A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission. Evidence of the relationship may be required.
4. Priority will be given to those who attend Thanet Catholic feeder schools (St Gregory’s Margate, St Joseph’s Broadstairs and St Ethelbert’s Ramsgate) over those attending any other school.
5. Health and Special Access Reasons – Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school’s legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010. Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally this priority will apply to children whose parents’/guardians’ physical or mental health or social needs mean that they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a Priest or a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner who can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school.
6. Proximity to the School from the Candidate’s home address, the distance measured in a straight line from the School entrance by the Local Authority using a Geographical Computerised Information System. Evidence of residence may be required. Where the last remaining place is to be allocated and two or more children are deemed to live at the same distance from the school the place will be decided by the drawing of lots.

Notes

1. Catholics include members of the Ordinariate and the Latin and Oriental Rite Churches that are in union with the Bishop of Rome. Reference to other Christian denominations refers to denominations that are full members of Churches Together in England.
2. A “brother or sister” means children who live as brother and sister including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers or sisters. It would not include other relatives eg cousins.
3. Home refers to the permanent home address at which the child lives for the majority of his/her time and with the parent who is in receipt of child benefit.
4. Looked after children are those in the care of an authority and are in public care. Applications made under this criterion must be accompanied by details of circumstance and professionally supported evidence (eg from an appropriate social worker).
5. For children admitted in category 1, evidence of membership of the Catholic faith on the part of the child – if available a Baptismal record – or of Catholic membership or practice on the part of one or both carers will be required.
6. ‘Catechumen’ means a member of the catechumenate of a Catholic Church. This means they are under instruction in preparation for joining the Church. This will normally be evidenced by a certificate of reception into the order of catechumens.
7. ‘Eastern Christian Church’ includes Orthodox Churches and is normally evidenced by a certificate of baptism or reception from authorities of that Church.