Admissions Policy
Upton Hall School FCJ Admission Policy for September 2009
Upton Hall School FCJ is a Catholic Grammar School for girls aged 11-18. It is situated in the Diocese of Shrewsbury and is under the Trusteeship of the Society of the Faithful Companions of Jesus. It is maintained by Wirral Education Authority. As a Voluntary Aided School, the Governing Body is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for decisions on admissions to the School. For the school year commencing September 2009, the planned admission number is 135.
Admission to the School in Year 7
An Admissions Committee of the Governing Body will determine admission to the school for those girls who have achieved 236 in the Governors’ Entrance Examination consisting of two closed NFER tests in Verbal Reasoning.
If there are more than 135 girls who satisfy the requirements stated above, places will be offered strictly in accordance with the order of merit based on the results achieved in the Entrance Examination and according to the priorities stated below:
- Baptised Catholic girls (including any girl who was baptised a Christian and can demonstrate that she has subsequently been admitted to the Catholic Church).
- Girls, who have not been baptised into the Catholic Church, whose parents wish them to have a Catholic education.
In the event of oversubscription in any of the above categories, places will be allocated in order of merit based on the score in the Examination. If there are several candidates at the 135th place with equal marks in the order of merit, priority will be given to those girls whose homes are nearest the School
Admission to the School in Year 12 (Sixth Form)
In addition to places available for girls already in the School, the Governing Body will make available a further 20 places for girls from other schools. The required minimum standard for all girls wishing to obtain a place in the Sixth Form is five GCSE passes at grade C or above, with at least B grades recommended in subjects to be studied at AS or A2 Level.
Should the School receive more external applications for the Sixth Form than can be accommodated, then the criteria applied for entry in Year 7 will be used to determine admissions.
Additional Notes
A Baptised Catholic girl means a girl who has been baptised into the Roman Catholic Church and who can produce a baptismal certificate as evidence or one who has been baptised a Christian and can demonstrate that she has subsequently been admitted to the Roman Catholic Church
Nearest to the School means the shortest available safe walking distance as measured by the Local Authority computer mapping system.
Where applications are received from Catholic and non-Catholic children, looked after by a Local Authority, who have reached the required standard they will be admitted to the school in advance of the outlined order of criteria stated above.
The Governing Body reserves the right to admit girls with proven and exceptional medical and social needs, providing that such application is supported with appropriate evidence or reports from a doctor or social worker. If the school is named in a statement of special needs the Governing Body has a duty to admit the girl to the school if she has achieved the required standard 236 in the Governors’ Entrance Examination.
For occasional applications received outside the normal admissions round and if places are available then girls qualifying under the published criteria will be admitted. If there are places available but more applicants than places then the published over-subscription criteria will be applied. Late applications will be treated as indicated in the arrangements published by the Local Authority.
Waiting Lists
Waiting lists for admissions to all year groups will be compiled in descending order according to the published over subscription criteria.
Appeals
If an application for admission has been refused by the Governing Body, parents can appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel. This appeal must be sent in writing to the Clerk to the Governors at the school within 14 days of the refusal. The parents must give their reasons for appealing in writing and the decision of the Appeals Panel is binding on the Governors.
Download
You can download a copy of the Admissions Policy Document here
A copy of the DCSF Guide for Parents can be downloaded here