Out of the Normal Age Group
Parents may wish to apply for a place at Hartford Church of England High School for their child outside of their normal age group, for example, if their child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.
Hartford Church of England High School must make decisions regarding the admission of a child outside of their normal age group 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 views of a parent; information about the child’s academic, social, and emotional development; where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional; whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; and whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely.
When informing a parent of the decision on the year group their child should be admitted to, the Headteacher, on behalf of the school, will set out clearly the reasons for the decision in writing.
Where the school agrees to a parent’s request for their child to be admitted out of their normal age group and, as a consequence of that decision, the child will be admitted to a relevant age group (i.e. the age group to which pupils are normally admitted to the school) the local authority and the school will process the application as part of the main admissions round, unless the parental request is made too late for this to be possible, and on the basis of their determined admission arrangements only, including the application of oversubscription criteria where applicable. Hartford Church of England High School will not give the application lower priority on the basis that a child is being admitted out of their normal age group.
Should their application be refused, parents have a statutory right to appeal against the refusal of a place. This right does not apply if a place if offered at the school, but it is not in their preferred age group.
Further advice and guidance can be found by clicking on the link below: