ADMISSIONS  ARRANGEMENTS Arrangements for admission to rising 4 -16 Provision
1. The admission arrangements for the Steiner Academy Hereford for the year 2012 - 2013 and, subject to any changes approved or required by the Secretary of State, for subsequent years are:
a) The Steiner Academy Hereford has an agreed admission number of 26 pupils and accordingly admits 26 pupils in the relevant age group each year if sufficient applications are received.
b) Pupils will not be admitted above the Published Admission Number
unless exceptional circumstances apply and such circumstances shall be
reported to the Secretary of State.

Process of application
2. Applications for places at the Academy are made in accordance with
LA’s co-ordinated admission arrangements, other than for places in the
school’s pre-statutory provision, using the common timetable agreed by the Herefordshire Admissions Forum or LA.
a) September The Steiner Academy Hereford publishes in its prospectus information about the arrangements for admission, including over subscription criteria, for the following September. This includes details of open days or evenings and other opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents to visit the school. It publishes the date by which
application forms must be received and makes it clear that applicants
must apply on Herefordshire LA’s standard form. The Steiner Academy
Hereford also provides information to Herefordshire LA for inclusion
in the composite prospectus, as required;
b) September/October - the Steiner Academy Hereford provides
opportunities for parents to visit the Academy;
c) January - closing date for receipt of completed application forms which must be sent to LA;
d) January – the LA copies application forms to the Steiner Academy
Hereford;
e) January to March - applications are considered by the Academy’s
Admissions Authority. Herefordshire LA and the other admission
ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS for 2012 - 2013 authorities both in the Herefordshire LA area and the area close to the
Steiner Academy Hereford, but outside the Herefordshire LA area, are
be contacted by the Academy before final decisions are made.
f) March - offers of places are notified in writing by the Academy to
parents and to Herefordshire LA.This timetable reflects the practice in Herefordshire LA and is intended tosecure a co-ordinated approach to admissions for parents and pupils.

Consideration of applications
3. The Steiner Academy Hereford considers all applications for places.
Where fewer than the published admission number for any relevant age group are received, the Steiner Academy Hereford will offer places to all those who have applied. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this paragraph 5,the Steiner Academy Hereford may refuse admission to particular applicants in cases where fewer than the Published Admission Number have applied.These are applicants (other than any applicant with a statement of special educational needs) who have been excluded from two or more other schools and the ability to refuse admissions runs for a period of two years from the last exclusion. One of the exclusions must have occurred after 1 September1997. Exclusions which took place before the child concerned reached compulsory school age do not count for this purpose. Academies may also refuse admission to pupils (other than in the normal year of entry) in the specific and limited circumstances described in paragraph 3.13 of the statutory Code of Practice. In all the circumstances described in this paragraph, however, the Secretary of State may direct the Steiner Academy Hereford to admit such a pupil and that direction shall be binding on the Steiner Academy Hereford.

Procedures where the Steiner Academy Hereford is oversubscribed
4. Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the
published admissions number, applications are considered against the criteria set out below. After the admission of pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs where the Steiner Academy Hereford is named on the statement, the criteria are applied in the order in which they are set out below:
a) admission of children in public care;
b) admission of pupils whose siblings currently attend the school and who will continue to do so on the date of admission. Siblings include not only natural brothers and sisters but also step-brothers/sisters, or
brothers/sisters who have been legally adopted, so long as they are living
at the same address as the family unit. However, cousins or other relatives at the same address will not be given priority;
c) admission of pupils on the basis of enrolment in the school’s provision
for pre-statutory aged children, although attendance at the pre-statutory
aged provision does not guarantee admission to the school
d) admission of pupils on the basis of closest proximity to the school,
proximity for this purpose being, for each child, the distance which is the
shortest walking route from the child’s home to the school that the Steiner Academy Hereford considers practical and safe.

Operation of waiting lists
5. Subject to any provisions regarding waiting lists in the LA’s coordinated admission scheme, the Steiner Academy Hereford operates a waiting list. Where in any year the Steiner Academy Hereford receives more applications for places than there are places available, a waiting list operates until a year after the date of admission. The waiting list is maintained by the Steiner Academy Hereford and it is open to any parent to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the waiting list, following an unsuccessful application.
Children’s position on the waiting list is determined solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria set out in paragraph 6a - d above. Where places become vacant they are allocated to children on the waiting list in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.
Arrangements for admitting pupils older than Year R (rising 5),
including to replace any pupils who have left the Steiner Academy Hereford
6. Subject to any provisions in the LA’s co-ordinated admission
arrangements relating to applications submitted for years other than the
normal year of entry, the Academy considers all such applications and if the year group applied for has a place available, admit the child unless one of the permitted reliefs apply. If more applications are received than there are places available, the oversubscription criteria in paragraph 4a – d shall apply. Parents whose application is turned down are entitled to appeal.
The Steiner Academy Hereford participates in Herefordshire LA’s In-Year Fair Access Protocol.There is a right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel for unsuccessfulapplicants.
Arrangements for admitting rising 4 year olds to the school prestatutory
provision
7. The school’s pre-statutory provision, namely the first year of
kindergarten, is for children who are rising 4. There are 24 places in the first year of kindergarten. Application forms, available from the school, should be returned to the school by end of February preceding the school year when the child will turn four years. The school considers all applications at the end of March. Priority is given to children who have siblings in the school and then to those who live closest to the school. Parents are notified in writing by the school at the beginning of summer term. A place in the school’s pre-statutory provision does not guarantee a place in the school.

ANNUAL PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING ADMISSION
ARRANGEMENTS
Consultation
1. The Steiner Academy Hereford consults by 1 March each year on its
proposed admission arrangements:
a) Herefordshire LA;
b) The admission forum for Herefordshire LA;
c) Any other admission authorities for primary and secondary
schools located within the relevant area for consultation set by the LA;
d) Any other governing body for primary and secondary schools (as far
as not falling within paragraph c)) located within the relevant area for
consultation;
e) Affected admission authorities in neighbouring LA areas.

Publication of admission arrangements
2. The Steiner Academy Hereford publishes its admission arrangements
each year once these have been determined, by:
a) copies being sent to primary and secondary schools in Herefordshire
LA;
b) copies being sent to the offices of Herefordshire LA;
c) copies being made available without charge on request from the
Academy;
d) copies being sent to public libraries in the area of Herefordshire LA
for the purposes of being made available at such libraries for reference by parents and other persons.
3. The published arrangements set out:
a) the name and address of the Steiner Academy Hereford and contact
details;
b) a summary of the admissions policy, including oversubscription
criteria;
c) a statement of any religious or philosophical affiliation;
d) numbers of places and applications for those places in the previous
year; and
e) arrangements for hearing appeals.