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Admissions Criteria

Criteria for Admission

Wellacre Academy is an 11-16 state funded independent school with admissions normally taking place at age 11. Wellacre is a successful, high performing school. The number of intended admissions for the Year 6 transfer into Year 7 annually, commencing in September is 180.

This policy is based on the Co-ordinated Admissions Arrangements under which all children are admitted to schools in Year 7. All applications for a place at Wellacre will be handled through the Local Authority where a child lives. They will provide an application form to each parent. This must be completed and returned by the due date to your Local Authority.

Students will be admitted at age 11 without reference to ability or aptitude. Wellacre will admit students to Year 7 in September, up to the admission number. Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places available, criteria will be employed by the Local Authority, applying the school admissions policy, to determine which children to admit. The criteria will be applied in the order set out below.

If parents/carers live outside Trafford Local Authority, they are entitled to apply for a place at Wellacre using the application form provided by Wellacre Academy (in year admissions). If you would like to apply for a place at Wellacre Academy for the Year 7 annual September intake, then you must apply via your Local Authority.

Wellacre offers an all boys education and students from across Trafford, are eligible to apply. Students will be admitted without reference to ability, aptitude or religious denomination.

The over-subscription criteria, adopted by Wellacre is applied when the number of applications exceeds the number of places available on the following basis;

1. Children whose Education, Health and Care plan names the school.

2. "Looked after" children and previously looked after children, including those children who appear to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. (See 1.7 School Admissions Code, September 2021.)

3. Children who live in Trafford who have a sibling attending the Academy, at the time of the applicant's proposed admission. (This includes half/step/adopted/foster brothers and any other children who are living at the same address as part of the same family unit).

4. Children of staff at the school in either or both of the following circumstances: a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, AND/OR b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

5. Children who live outside Trafford who will have a sibling attending the Academy at the time of the applicant's proposed admission (This includes half/step/adopted/foster brothers and any other children who are living at the same address as part of the same family unit).

6. Children who live nearest to the school, measured in a straight line from the child's permanent place of residence to the main entrance of the school. The distances provided by Trafford School Admissions are calculated in a direct straight line from the child’s permanent place of residence to the school. The co-ordinates that will be used for Wellacre are 373878, 394638. For the home address the distance will be calculated using property co-ordinates provided from Trafford’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (BS7666) (Royal Mail postal address information may be used in some instances). In the case of a child living in a block of flats, co-ordinates will be obtained in the same way.

If there are more applicants than can be accommodated in criteria 1-5, places will be offered to those children in each criteria whose place of residence is nearest to the Academy as defined in criterion 6. Where two or more applications cannot otherwise be separated, the final place will be determined through a random draw. The draw will be conducted and scrutinised by persons independent from the school and from the Children and Families and Wellbeing Directorate.

In-Year Admissions (8-11)

For Years 8-11 applications should be made directly to the Academy. Advice can also be sought by contacting Trafford Admissions. The Academy has an admission number of 180 for our current Years 8 to 11. The Academy will aim for a decision regarding in year school admission processes within 10 days but never more than 15 school days.

Your home address

The criteria used to determine admission refer in every case to the child's home address. This means the address where the child normally and permanently lives on a full-time basis, not the address of any child-minder or relative. In the case of parents who are separated and where child-care arrangements are shared between two addresses, the average of the distances of the two addresses from the Academy will be used for the purposes of determining priority for admission. You may be required to provide proof of residency. Failure to do so may result in the offer of a place being withdrawn.

We assume that you will always provide us with the correct factual information when you apply for a place at Wellacre. You should be aware that any school place that has been offered on the basis of false information may be withdrawn and the place may be offered to another child.

Right of Appeal

The parent/carer of any child refused admission to Wellacre will have the right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act 1998.

Admissions Appeals Process 2023

Waiting Lists

A waiting list for children who have not been offered a place will be kept and ranked according to admission criteria. If requested, parents will be informed of their position on the waiting list.