ADMISSIONS POLICY FOR ENTRY IN SEPTEMBER 2008

ADMISSIONS AT 11+ (Year 7)

The Royal Grammar School (a Foundation School) is designated as a Grammar School and only boys who attain the required standard by reference to performance in Verbal Reasoning Tests, (administered by Buckinghamshire County Council for Day Places and by the Royal Grammar School for Boarding Places), are eligible for admission to the school.

Admissions Number
The number of admissions at the age of 11+ is 182 day boys and 10 boarders.

DAY PLACES
If the Royal Grammar School has more places available than applications received, then all eligible boys will be allocated a place.

Boys who have a Statement of Special Needs which names the School will be allocated a place.

Over-subscription Criteria for Day Places
If there are more eligible applications received than places available at the Royal Grammar School, then places will be allocated in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Boys in Public Care where there is an agreement between a designated officer acting on behalf of the County Council as corporate parent and the Royal Grammar School that the school will more appropriately meet the boy’s needs. 

2. Boys living in the catchment area of the school.

The Royal Grammar School’s postcode catchment area comprises (for guidance only):
HP9 1 (Beaconsfield, Knotty Green, Seer Green);  HP10 0 (Wooburn Green);  HP10 8 (Penn, Tylers Green);  HP11 1 (Central High Wycombe, Wycombe Marsh);  HP11 2 (Central High Wycombe);  HP12 3 (High Wycombe);  HP12 4 (High Wycombe):  HP13 5 (Downley);  HP13 6 (Totteridge);  HP13 7 (Micklefield);  HP14 3 (Beacons Bottom, Cadmore End, Lane End, Piddington, Stokenchurch, Wheeler End);  HP14 4 (Bledlow Ridge, Hughenden Valley, Naphill, Walters Ash);  HP15  6 (Great Kingshill, Holmer Green, Widmer End);  HP15 7 (Hazlemere);  HP27 0 (Great Hampden, Lacey Green, Looseley Row, Speen);  SL9 7 and SL9 8 (Gerrards Cross);  UB9 4 and UB9 5 (Denham). 

Free transport is provided for those boys living in the catchment area but more than 3 miles away from the school (as measured by the Buckinghamshire County Council Geographical Information System) and, from September 2007, includes those living in Buckinghamshire who are within the Gerrards Cross and Denham catchment areas.  This applies to new intake pupils only.

The postcodes and areas shown above are for GUIDANCE ONLY.  If you are not sure whether you live in the catchment area of the school you can check by going to the Buckinghamshire County Council’s website.

Places offered on the basis of catchment area may be subject to proof of residence which will consist of a recent utility bill, not more than a year old, (buildings or contents insurance, gas or electricity bill, Council Tax bill or TV licence) or rent book or mortgage statement showing the address concerned.  If you are not able to provide this evidence, and for additional information about the rules governing living in a catchment area, please see the Buckinghamshire Secondary Schools ‘Guide for Parents’.

3. Brothers of boys in Years 7 to 10 who are on the roll of the school at the time the allocations are made.  A brother is, for admissions purposes, a brother of whole or half-blood, or any other boy (including an adopted boy) who permanently resides at the same address and for whom the parent also has parental responsibility.

A parent, as defined by the Education Act 1966, is either:
 Both natural parents provided they were married to each other at the time of the birth or have married each other since;
 Any person who has parental responsibility for the child or young person
 Any person who has care of the child or young person.

4. Boys who have exceptional medical, educational or social needs supported by written evidence from a doctor, social worker, educational welfare officer or other appropriate person.

5. Once the rules above have been applied, then any further places will be offered in distance order, using the distance between the family’s normal home address and the school’s nearest entrance gate, offering the closest first.

The shortest appropriate route will be measured according to the Buckinghamshire County Council’s Geographical Information System.  The distance measured for the shortest appropriate route will be determined by using a combination of two databases:

(i)  The Ordnance Survey ‘Integrated Transport Network’ (ITN) data, which is updated twice a year.  This includes road types from motorways to pedestrianised streets;
 (ii) In addition, a data file of footpaths, where the County Council is satisfied that the routes have a proper made up surface such as tarmac or concrete.

In each case the data will be fixed during the Autumn Term prior to the allocations.
 
6. Where the school can take some, but not all, of the boys who qualify under one of these rules, priority will be given to boys by taking account of the next rule in the numbered list.

In the case where there is one remaining place and the next boy on the waiting list is one of eligible twins, triplets or other multiple birth group, both eligible twins will be admitted or all of the eligible siblings in the case of multiple births, even if this goes above the admission number of the school.

Application Procedures and Timelines
The application procedure and timelines are the same as the coordinated scheme as administered and published by Buckinghamshire County Council.

Appeals
Parents will have the right to appeal against a refusal to offer a place at 11+ by Buckinghamshire County Council, to the Independent Appeal Panel.  Details will be supplied when they are notified of the test results.

Waiting List
Up to the 31 October 2008, first priority will be given to those on the waiting list as administered by Buckinghamshire County Council as a result of the 11+ procedure and as part of the coordinated scheme. 

From 1 November 2008, a waiting list will be maintained by the Royal Grammar School until the end of the first year, i.e. until 31 August 2009, for admissions into Year 7 for the academic year 2008/09.

If places become available during that period, or for the beginning of the following academic year, the school will test all those seeking admission for that year group and places will be allocated subject to the results of the Late Entry Transfer Procedure given below.

BOARDING PLACES

There are 10 boarding places administered by the Royal Grammar School.
 Applicants for a boarding place must complete a Royal Grammar School Boarding Registration Form.
 Applicants must also complete the Common Application Form (CAF) for their Local Authority, indicating Royal Grammar School Boarding as a preference.
 A letter should be written to the Admissions Office at the Royal Grammar School informing them that an application for a Year 7 boarding place is being considered.
 Catchment area does not apply in the case of boarding applications.
 Qualification for a boarding place is by Buckinghamshire County Council Verbal Reasoning Tests and the standard required is the same as for a day place.
 The Buckinghamshire 11+ tests can be taken at the Royal Grammar School or at the applicant’s school
 Test papers are marked by Buckinghamshire County Council and the Royal Grammar School is notified of the results.

Once the result of testing is known, the Royal Grammar School will write offering places to eligible applicants.  In order to secure the place, parents will be asked to send written confirmation of their acceptance of the offer and a non-refundable deposit (offset against the first term’s fees).  Where this requirement is not met by the given date, the offer will be withdrawn and the place offered to another eligible applicant.

Oversubscription Criteria
Where eligible boarding applications exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated in accordance with the following criteria and in the following order of priority:

1. Boys in Public Care where there is an agreement between a designated officer acting on behalf of the County Council as corporate parent and the Royal Grammar School that a boarding place will more appropriately meet the boy’s needs.

2. Boys with a boarding need.  Boys with a boarding need include, as defined by the Admissions Code 2008, as either:

 those at risk or with an unstable home environment
 those whose parents are members of the British forces, Crown Servants or other key workers (e.g. charity workers, voluntary service organisations, diplomatic service or the EU, teachers, law enforcements officers and medical staff) whose work dictates that they spend much of the year overseas.

3. Boys who have put Royal Grammar School boarding as their only preference on the CAF.

4. VRT score.

A waiting list will be established of eligible boys who have not been offered a place.  Places from the waiting list will be offered according to the oversubscription criteria shown above.

A boy withdrawn from boarding, in Years 7 to 11 inclusive, will be treated as having been withdrawn from the school and his name will be removed from the school roll.

If you have any queries about boarding applications and the process involved, please contact the Admissions Office at the school.

 
LATE TRANSFER PROCEDURE
Boys wanting a place at the Royal Grammar School after the 1 November 2008 into Year 7, or at any time into Years 8, 9 or 10 will be considered using the Late Entry Admission Procedure outlined below:

Year 10 - Owing to the demands made by the GCSE syllabi and Coursework requirements, applicants wishing to enter the Royal Grammar School in Year 10 are unlikely to be admitted after the start of the Autumn Term.

Year 11 – Entry to Year 11 will not be considered owing to the demands made by GCSE syllabi and Coursework requirements.

LATE ENTRY ADMISSIONS AT YEAR 7 AND ABOVE

Applications will only be considered if the number of boys in the Year Group in question falls below the standard admission numbers of 182 Day boys or 10 Boarders as appropriate.  All applicants, including applicants who were formerly on the waiting list and who have maintained their interest under the waiting list procedure, will be tested to establish current performance.  The school will apply curriculum based tests to assess the suitability of applicants.  Tests will be in English and Mathematics for Year 7 and in English, Mathematics and a Modern Foreign Language for Years 8, 9 and 10.

Where eligible applications exceed the number of places available in a Year Group, places will be allocated in accordance with the following criteria and in the following order of priority:

1. Boys in Public Care where there is an agreement between a designated officer acting on behalf of the County Council as corporate parent and the Royal Grammar School that the school will more appropriately meet the boy’s needs.

2. Boys with the best ranking score in tests taken.  Test results with be ranked in the following order: English, Mathematics and, if applicable, Modern Foreign Language.

Testing will be administered at the Royal Grammar School as follows:
 Where a place exists and immediate entry to the School is required, testing will take place as soon as possible.
 Where entry is required in September 2008, testing will take place in the Spring Term 2008 to establish a waiting list of those who have met the required standard.

A Committee comprising members of the Royal Grammar School Admissions Committee will review all test results and allocate places according to the criteria given above.

Parents will have the right of a review by the Royal Grammar School’s Governor Review Committee if their son is deemed not to have reached a satisfactory standard.  Details will be supplied when they are notified of the outcome of the testing.  Parents also have the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel.

SIXTH FORM

Admissions Number
The admission number for applicants who have not previously attended the Royal Grammar School will be 25 including those requiring a boarding place at the school.

The minimum entry requirements, for all applicants to the Sixth Form, are:
 7 GCSE passes of grade C or better (which must include English Language and Mathematics) and
 4 of the passes must be Grade A/B
 Grade B at Higher Tier GCSE is required in subjects an applicant wishes to study at AS/A2 level.  If the subject has not been studied at GCSE level, applicants should contact the Head of Sixth Form.
 Grade A is required to study a Modern Language at AS/A2 level.

If the Royal Grammar School has more Sixth Form places available than applications received, then all eligible boys will be allocated a place subject to there being space in the Subject set.  Agreed set sizes will not be exceeded.

Over-subscription Criteria
If there are more eligible applications received from boys who have not previously attended the Royal Grammar School than places available in the Sixth Form, places will be allocated in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Boys in Public Care where there is an agreement between a designated officer acting on behalf of the County Council as corporate parent and the Royal Grammar School that the school will more appropriately meet the boy’s needs. 

2. Brothers of pupils already attending the school and who may reasonably be expected to continue to attend the school in the academic year of entry.

3. Boys who have exceptional medical, educational or social needs supported by written evidence from a doctor, social worker, educational welfare officer or other appropriate person.

4. The boy with the highest GCSE grade profile.

5. Once the rules above have been applied, then any further places will be offered in distance order, using the distance between the family’s normal home address and the school’s nearest entrance gate, offering the closest first.

Application Procedure for Boys not Currently Attending the Royal Grammar School
Applications can be made at any time by completion of the Sixth Form Application form and returning it to the Admissions Office at the Royal Grammar School.  Those requiring a Boarding place must complete a separate Boarding Application form.

 Applicants will be invited to meet with the Head of Sixth Form to discuss subject choice.
 Applicants wanting a Boarding Place will be invited to meet with the Head of Boarding.
 GCSE mock results should be communicated to the Royal Grammar School when known.
 A reference will be requested from the applicant’s current school, during the Summer term preceding the September admission.
 Places will be offered on the basis of the student reaching the entry standard when the GCSE examination results are confirmed in August and, if necessary, after the oversubscription criteria given above have been applied.
 All applicants for Sixth Form places, whether external or internal, must meet the same standards.

Boarding Places
In order to secure a Boarding place, parents will be asked to send written confirm of their acceptance of the offer and a non-refundable deposit (offset against the first term’s fees).  Where this requirement is not met by the given date, the offer will be withdrawn and the place offered to another eligible applicant.

Parents will have the right of a review by the Royal Grammar School’s Governor Review Committee if their son is deemed not to have reached a satisfactory standard as stated above.  Details will be supplied when they are notified of the outcome of the testing.  Parents also have the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel.

April 2007