Admissions Determination September 2024 - Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School

Admission Arrangements for Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School – September 2024

Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School is an 11-18 boys’ grammar school with Academy status. We admit girls in the sixth form and have a total roll of approximately 1480 pupils. The planned admission number, which has been agreed with the local authority (LA), is 203.

As an Academy, the governing body is the schools’ admission authority.

The admission arrangements are consistent with Medway Council’s Co-ordinated Scheme for Secondary Admissions.

Entry is via the Medway Test.

Parents who live in Medway can apply for the school via the Parent Portal, or can request a paper application form from Medway Council. Parents who live outside of Medway should apply through their own local authority.

Places will be offered according to the co-ordinated admission scheme.

A waiting list request form can be completed online, and can be found on Medway Council’s website. Details will be sent with the offer letter on National Offer Day in March 2024. Using this online form, parents can request to be placed on the waiting list for this school if it was originally listed on the application form and if their son has been assessed as selective under the Medway test procedures.

Waiting lists will be maintained by Medway Council until the end of the first term in December 2024 and children will be ranked in waiting lists according to the oversubscription criteria.

Any application made to this school which has been unsuccessful will have the right of appeal.

Children whose Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan names the school, and who have been assessed as selective under the Medway test procedures will be admitted.

Oversubscription Criteria

If the number of preferences for the school exceeds the number of places available at the school, the LA will allocate places in the following priority order:

Looked after children (children in public care) and previously looked after children, children previously in Care outside of England – Children who appear to Medway Council to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.
Children who will have a brother or sister (including children living as siblings in the same family unit) on the roll of the school at the time of the sibling’s admission.
Child’s health reasons, supported by medical evidence, which requires the child to attend this school.
Children who at the time of application have a parent who is a member of staff at the school (where the member of staff has been employed for three years or more at the time at which the application for admission is made and/or where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage).
Nearness of children’s homes.

Distances and routes calculated will represent the shortest route to school from the child’s home address using roads and paths that are known to the graphical information software (GIS) utilised by School Admissions and Transport. Those living closer to the school will receive the higher priority. Medway Council’s Geographical Information System measures the start point, end point and distance of each route.

Parents who believe that they qualify under criterion 3 are advised to send evidence directly to Medway Council School Admissions team, who will decide if they qualify. Medical evidence from a medical practitioner (GP or Consultant) must be provided at the time of application. This evidence must demonstrate a specific link between the child’s medical conditions and needs and how the named school can meet these needs. The local authority will then inform all preferred schools of the outcome of the decision at the same time that rank lists are made available.

In the event of two or more pupils having equal ranking for the last place the deciding factor will be the shortest available safe walking distance between the home address and the school as measured by the Medway Council Geographical Information System and determined by Medway Local Authority. Where this cannot be determined, the available place(s) will be allocated by drawing lots.

Admission of children outside 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 or has experienced problems such as ill health.

Requests for admission outside of the normal age group should be made to the Headteacher, by letter or email. It would be helpful if parents or carers provide evidence to support such an application, usually with supporting evidence from an appropriately qualified medical or other practitioner.

Casual in-year admissions

Any parent can apply for a place for their child at any time to this school outside the normal admissions round.

A Year 7 ‘point of entry’ admission will become an in-year admission if the application is received after the closure of the waiting list under the co-ordinated admission scheme (31^st December each year).

Any family wishing to apply for a place at this school will need to complete a casual admission application form, available from the school on request. We will also accept applications on the Medway Council application form (IYCAF).

Upon receipt of an application, we will organise an academic assessment to determine if the child is of grammar school ability. Parents will be notified of this date within 15 days of receipt of the application form.

We will also obtain the outcome of the Medway Test for the child (if the child has previously taken the test) from Medway Council.

If the child has previously taken and passed the Medway Test within 12 calendar months of the receipt of the casual admission application form by the school, no academic assessment will be undertaken.

If the child has previously taken and passed the Medway Test more than 12 calendar months from the receipt of the casual admission application form by the school, an academic assessment will be undertaken.

If the child has previously taken and not passed the Medway Test, an academic assessment will be undertaken.

If the child has not previously taken the Medway Test, an academic assessment will be undertaken.

If it has been established, with reference to the number of places available, the published over-subscription criteria and the outcome of the academic assessment, that an offer can be made in response to an application, we will formally notify the family in writing.

If it has been established, with reference to the number of places available, the published over-subscription criteria and the outcome of the academic assessment, that an offer cannot be made in response to an application, we will formally notify the family in writing and extending the right of appeal.

If the information on the application form determines that the child meets the criteria for Medway Council’s current fair access protocols then the case must be referred to the School Services Team to arrange consideration by the Fair Access Panel.

Children with Special Educational Needs

If a child has an Education, Health and Care plan, parents will express school preferences through the process organised by the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team at Medway Council. However, if parents wish a child to sit the Medway Test, a test request form will still need to be completed and returned as per the LA process.

Late Applications

Parents who do not submit an application form by the closing date set by Medway Council can still submit an application to the Medway Council Admissions Team accompanied by a written explanation of the reasons for late submission. If Medway Council judge the reason provided is not exceptional, the application will be held until after national offer day and will be considered during the reallocation process.

Admission to the Sixth Form

In order to gain entry to the Sixth Form to study 3 A level courses the minimum academic requirements are:

5 GCSE grades of at least grade 5, including English Language and Mathematics.
Grade 6 in the subject to be studied at A level (other specific course requirements exist).
An average point score of 5.5.

In order to study 4 A levels, applicants must have an average points score of 8.

The Planned Admission Number for Year 12 is 217.

Priority will be given to existing students transferring from Year 11.

Following the admission of internal students who have transferred from Year 11, all remaining places will be allocated to students who have met the entry requirements for the sixth form and for their particular courses of study.

The number of additional places available for students being admitted to the school for the first time is 45. This may be exceeded if the number of internal applicants, the size of the Year 13 cohort and the numbers of students enrolling on particular courses allow.

Where there are more learners seeking places than the number of places available, the over-subscription criteria will be applied in the order set out below to rank pupils until the overall figure for the year group is reached.

Children whose Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan names the school will be admitted, as long as they have met the academic entrance requirements.

Looked after children (children in public care) and previously looked after children, children previously in Care outside of England – Children who appear to Medway Council to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.
Children who will have a brother or sister (including children living as siblings in the same family unit) on the roll of the school at the time of the sibling’s admission.
Children who at the time of application have a parent who is a member of staff at the school (where the member of staff has been employed for three years or more at the time at which the application for admission is made and/or where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage).
Nearness of children’s homes.

Distances and routes calculated will represent the shortest route to school from the child’s home address using Google Maps software. Those living closer to the school will receive the higher priority.

The start point will be the centre point of the nearest road or footpath known to the mapping system to the seed point of the child’s home. This may not always be the postal address road, in circumstances where an alternative road or footpath is actually nearer to the seed point of the property. Where a child’s home is situated on a new road the distance calculation will begin from the nearest available known road plotted in the mapping software. New property developments may be subject to this. The end point is the centre point of the road adjacent to the main school gate. The same end point is used for all distance calculations to the school.