Admissions Information

Lincolnshire County Council sets out criteria for admission to Spalding High School in accordance with its policy:

Admission is normally at age 11 and is a selective procedure organised by the School in conjunction with other County Grammar Schools

Selection is by means of two written tests taken at Spalding High School and the standard adopted for admission is the agreed qualifying standard.

Girls wishing to join the School in subsequent years will go through standardised age-related tests taken at the School.

In order to gain admission to the Sixth Form, girls and boys must attain the general academic entry requirement (see Admissions Policy page 7 and our 6th Form Prospectus here).

The booklet ‘Going to School in Lincolnshire’ gives details of the County Council Admissions Policies (or www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions). Lincolnshire County Council school admissions e-mail address:  SchoolAdmissions@lincolnshire.gov.uk

The School’s planned Admissions number (PAN) for all Year Groups 7-11 is 150.

Whether you are a prospective parent or student, or you have recently gained an offer of a place, the main School Prospectus and the Sixth Form Brochure will give you valuable information and insight into life at Spalding High School.

Visits of new parents

Parents who are considering the possibility of their daughter’s/son’s admission to the School may visit it by arrangement with the Headmistress.   Please contact us here

When pupils have been selected for admission to Year 7, pupils and their parents are invited to visit the school on an evening in June.  There is an opportunity to see the buildings, meet the form teachers and hear details of the curriculum and the general arrangements for new entrants.  The pupils also have the opportunity to attend the school for a day in the summer term.

Parents of new pupils who enter the School during years 7 - 11 also see the school when they bring their daughters for assessment at the School.  

Secondary schools - National Offer Day is usually in March each year.

Admission arrangements - Spalding High School

Spalding High School is a girls' grammar school, with a mixed sex sixth form.

Lincolnshire County Council is the Admission Authority. The County Council has delegated to the governing body the decision about which children to admit. The govenors of Spalding High School will apply the oversubscription criteria shown below if there are more applications than available places.

For a child to be eligible for a place at Spalding High School they must be of the required academic ability. In common with the majority of grammar schools in Lincolnshire the school requires children to reach a common qualifying standard. For entry into Year 7 this is an aggregate

standardised score of 220 in the verbal reasoning test and the non-verbal reasoning test.

This standard is intended to identify the top 25% of children by ability in areas of Lincolnshire served by a grammar school. This means the percentage pass rate may vary from one area to another and from one year to another, depending on the abilities of the children in a local area in any one year.

Published Admission Number

The published admission number for Year 7 is 150.

Testing and arrangements for admission into Year 7

For entry into Year 7 the school determines a child's academic ability for admission by their performance in the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' 11+  examinations.

Information regarding the Consortium can be found at www.grammarschools.lincs.sch.uk .

- A registration form must be completed in order for a child to sit the 11+ examinations.

It is imperative that parents wishing their daughters to sit the 11+ examination complete and return the registration form.

- Registration forms are sent to Lincolnshire feeder primary schools in January when children are in Year 5 and should be returned to the primary school by the deadline date on the form. Alternatively, the registration form can be downloaded from the Spalding High School website and returned to Spalding High School by the deadline on the form.

- Further details regarding test dates and practice papers will be sent once a child is registered.

- The tests take place in September when the children are in year 6.

- Spalding High School sends the result of the 11+ to parents at the beginning of October.

- A child taking the 11+ is not considered as an application for the school and a formal application must be made to the child's home LA.

- Children can only be tested once for entry into an academic year. A child who does not achieve the qualifying standard for Year 7 cannot be tested for Year 8 until the second half of the summer term preceding entry.

Arrangements for applications for places in Year 7 at Spalding High School will be made in accordance with Lincolnshire County Council's coordinated admission arrangements;

parents resident in Lincolnshire can apply online

at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions, they can also apply by telephone, or ask for a paper application form, by telephoning 01522 782030. 

Parents resident in other areas must apply through their home local authority. Spalding High School will use the Lincolnshire County Council's timetable published online for these applications and the relevant Local Authority will make the offers of places on our behalf as required by the School Admissions Code.

Testing for admission at other times

Children will be required to take entrance examinations to ensure that they are of the academic ability for the relevant year group at Spalding High School. These examinations

will determine whether the child is at least of the minimum ability for the relevant yeargroup. 

Parents who wish their child to take this test should contact Spalding High School directly for more information. For midyear entry the following are the tests are to be taken

and the standards the child must achieve in order to qualify for the relevant cohort are discussed. 

The school will also display this information on the school website.

- 12+ Mid-Year Entry between the ages of 11.03 and 14 years.

These pupils will sit a GL Assessment verbal reasoning (age 12 and 13, which is suitable for pupils aged 11.03 to 14.03) and a GL Assessment non-verbal reasoning (age 12 – 14, suitable for pupils aged 11.03 to 15.03). These 12-14 tests will be age weighted, and pupils will be expected to attain an amalgamated score of at least 230 with no individual paper scoring below 110. 

This will place them in the top 25% of the ability range.

- Mid Year Entry over the age of 14 years

These pupils will sit nferNelson Cognitive Abilities Test 3, Level G (suitable for pupils aged 13.06 to 16+, although most appropriate for pupils over 14). Pupils will sit three

batteries, i.e. verbal, quantitative and non-verbal. Pupils sitting Cognitive Abilities Tests 14+ will be expected to attain Level 7 in each section (Stanine Scales) which should place them in the top 25% of the ability range.

A child taking the test is not considered as an application for the school and a formal application must be made to the school.

For a mid-year place, including the Year 7 that has commenced, an application can be made online at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions. Applications should be made to Lincolnshire County Council for applicants from all areas.

Oversubscription Criteria

For entry into Year 7 in September places will be allocated to applicants who return an application before we consider any applicant who has not returned one.

In accordance with relevant legislation the allocation of places for qualifying children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (Children and Families Act 2014) where the school is named on the plan will take place first. Remaining places will be allocated in accordance with this policy.

In the event of the school being oversubscribed by qualified children, places will be allocated using the oversubscription criteria listed below. 

1. Looked after children and all previously looked after c hildren.

2. Children with a brother or sister on roll at Spalding High School at the time of application or who will be attending the school at the expected time of admission.

3. Other Children

Tie Breaker

If any admissions category is oversubscribed then the applicants in that category will be ranked increasing order of straight line distance. If the distance criterion is not sufficient

to distinguish between two or more applicants for the last remaining place then a lottery will be drawn by an independent person, not employed by the school or working in the Local Authority Children's Service Directorate.

Definitions

(1) A 'looked after child' is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school.

Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order).

This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children's Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).

Child arrangements orders are defined in s.8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by s.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. Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).

(2) Brother or sister attending the school at the time of application, or who will be attending the school at the expected time of admission. In all cases both children must live at the same address. 

We include in this criterion:

• a brother or sister who shares the same biological parents

• a half-brother, half-sister, step-brother or step-sister

• a legally adopted child, a child legally adopted by a biological or step-parent

(3) Straight line distance is calculated from the post office address point of the child's home to the post office address point of the school. Measurements are made in miles to three figures after the decimal point. The school uses the measurements made by Lincolnshire

County Council’s school admissions team using an electronic mapping system to calculate this measurement.

Home Address

By home address we mean the address where the child lives for the majority of term time with a parent as defined in section 576 of the Education Act 1996.

Where a child lives normally during the school week with more than one parent at different addresses, the home address for the purposes of school admissions will be the one where the child spends the majority of term time. If a parent can show that their child spends an equal amount of time at both addresses during school term time, they can choose which address to use on the application.

If a parent has more than one home, we will take as the home address the address where the parent and child normally live for the majority of the school term time.

We do not take into account an intention to move for the purposes of the oversubscription criteria except for armed forces personnel and returning crown servants as outlined below.

Twins and other siblings from a multiple birth and siblings in the same year group.

In these cases all the children will be considered together as one application. If one or more can be admitted within the published admission number the school will be allowed to go above its admission number as necessary to admit all the children, unless this would

prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources.

Reserve Lists

For admission into Year 7 the governors will keep a waiting list called a reserve list.

If a child has met the required standard in the 11+ and is offered a place at a school named as a lower preference than Spalding High School they will be automatically placed on the

reserve list. A child cannot be placed on the reserve list if they have not met the required standard in the 11+ or have been deemed qualified by an appeal panel.

The reserve lists are kept in the order of the oversubscription criteria. Names can move down the list if someone applies for a place and is higher placed on the oversubscription criteria. The length of time you have been on the list is not taken into account when allocating places.

The list is kept by the School Admissions Team until the end of the coordinated admission round in August each year. Spalding High School will then keep the reserve list until the end of the academic year.

If your child is of the required ability and you wish them to join the school in another year group, you can request your child be added to the reserve list by contacting Spalding High School directly. 

The reserve lists are cleared at the end of each academic year in Year 7 to 9 and at the end of December for Year 10. If would like your child to be placed on the reserve list for the following academic year please contact Spalding High School. A reserve list is not kept for Year 11.

Appeals

For entry into Years 7 to 11 a parent has the right to appeal if a place is not offered due to;

non-qualification, oversubscription or both. 

There is only a right of appeal if Spalding High School has been expressed as a preference on the application form.

The procedures for appeals relating to admissions are in accordance with all relevant legislation. They are independent and organised by the County Council Legal Services Section and are separate from the admission system. The decision of the independent appeal panel is binding on all parties. You will be informed of how to appeal if your

application for a place is denied. 

Further information can be found at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

Fraudulent or Misleading Applications

The Admission Authority and Spalding High School reserve the right to check any address and other information provided so we can apply the oversubscription criteria accurately and fairly.

The Admission Authority and Spalding High School have the right to investigate any concerns they may have about your application. If it is considered there is evidence than an applicant has made a fraudulent claim or provided misleading information, the Admission Authority has the right to withdraw an offer of a school place. 

For example, if a false home address has been given for a child, which denied a place to a child with a stronger claim.

Fair Access Protocol

The purpose of the Fair Access Protocol is to ensure that unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place quickly when applying outside of the main admissions round so that the amount of time any child is out of school is kept to the minimum. 

Spalding High School will participate in the Lincolnshire County Council Fair Access Protocol (FAP).

This includes admitting children above the published admissions number to schools that are already full where this is appropriate. 

Children allocated under the Fair Access Protocol will take precedence over children on the reserve list.

Children of UK Service Personnel (UK Armed Forces)

In order to support the military covenant aimed at removing disadvantage for UK service personnel (UK Armed Forces), and Crown 

Servants returning from abroad the following arrangements will apply;

If an application is supported by an official letter declaring a posting and a relation date then an intention to move to a confirmed address or quartering within the UK will be accepted for a child for the purposes of implementing the oversubscription criteria.

Where an application is not supported by an official letter declaring a posting and relocation date, or is not being made due to a new posting then the child's current address will be used to examine the application against the oversubscription criteria until the child is formally

resident in the new address.

Proof of intended occupation of the residential address such as mortgage statement, exchange of contracts or signed tenancy agreement will be required. 

For applicants participating in the Future Accommodation Model trial, a letter accepting an address under the scheme will be accepted if a signed tenancy agreement cannot be provided.

An offer may be withdrawn if a child does not reside at the address listed on the application form if the school is oversubscribed and use of an incorrect address has resulted in a place being denied to another child who would otherwise have been offered the place.

If a confirmed address cannot be provided and a family have provided the required proof of posting, a unit postal address will be accepted for the purposes of operating the oversubscription criteria. This will be for the base to which the parent has been posted.

In all cases where an applicant is considered after national offer day of the admitting year and parents can demonstrate that the child is a child of a crown servant returning from abroad or is a child of a serving member of the armed forces, the governors will consider whether to offer a place at a school even if the school has reached its official PAN. 

When making the decision whether to offer over PAN the governors will consider the circumstances of each case including,

• If the applicant would have been offered a place had they applied on time in the admissions round of the year of entry,

• Whether there is any child on the reserve list with higher priority under the oversubscription criteria,

• Whether admission of a further student would prejudice the efficient education and efficient use of resources and this prejudice would be excessive, 

The Governors have discretion to admit above the admission number in these circumstances but they are not obliged to do so. If a place is refused, parents will be informed of their right of appeal. In all cases the child must have met the required standard to be educated at the school.

Admission of Children outside of their Normal Age Group

Parents may seek a place for their child outside of their normal age group, for example, if the child is gifted and talented, has experienced problems such as ill health. Parents wishing to make these requests should contact their home local authority for guidance on the

procedure to follow. It is important for parents to note that they will have the opportunity and responsibility to provide whatever evidence they wish to support their request.

Decisions will be made on the basis of the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child concerned; this will include taking account of:

• the parent’s views;

• any available information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development;

• where relevant, the child's medical history and the views of a medical professional;

• whether the child has previously been educated out of their normal age group;

• any evidence that the child may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely

• the views of the head teacher