Admission to secondary school booklet 2014-15 - South ...

Glossary of termsapplicants meet the criteria for more than oneschool, the final offer will be the highest rankedschool with a place available.School term and holiday datesThe school term and holiday dates are arrangedin six terms (the three traditional terms are dividedinto two terms each). The school term andholiday dates for the academic year 2015/2016are provided in the “School term and holidaydates” section of this booklet.Special educational needs (SEN)A child with special educational needs may havelearning difficulties or disabilities which make itharder for them to learn or access education thanmost other children of the same age. Childrenwith Statements of SEN follow the arrangementsset out in the SEN Code of Practice for admissionto school and are not subject to the generaladmission arrangements set out in this booklet.Special resource basesA Special Resource Base (SRB) is a specialistprovision, operated by a mainstream school oracademy. SRB’s usually provide time-limitedor long-term placements on either a part-timeor full-time basis and offer the opportunity forassessment and planning around the individualneeds of pupils with special educational needsand/or a disability.Statement of special educationalneeds (SEN)A legal document issued by the local authorityspecifying the particular needs, resources andprovision required to support the child, andcan include a named school that is suitable forproviding education for that child.Statutory school ageA child cannot currently leave school until the lastFriday in June of the academic year in which theybecome 16.Statutory walking distanceThe statutory walking distance is “measuredby the shortest route along which a childaccompanied as necessary may walk withreasonable safety” between home and thenearest school gate. Distances are measuredfrom home to the nearest school gate using theSouth Gloucestershire Council Routes to SchoolGazetteer adopted by 1 September 2014. Thecouncil is unable to consider distances calculatedusing other measurement tools. See also‘Straight line distance’ and ‘Nearest availablewalking route’.Straight line distanceIn determining which applicants live closest toschool, distances from home to school will bemeasured in a straight line between the addresspoint of the child’s home and a central pointwithin the main school building. Applicationsfor assistance with transport will continue to beassessed using the nearest available walkingroute. See also ‘Nearest available walking route’.Supplementary formsAll parents/carers who list their preferred schoolson the common application form are regarded ashaving made a valid application. An additionalform may also have to be completed forapplicants at denominational schools.Under-subscribed schoolsA school is under-subscribed when the numberof applications for places is fewer than theadmission number of the school.University technical colleges(UTCs)UTC stands for University Technical College,an innovative new approach to learning for14–19 year olds that offers a specialist educationalongside traditional subjects, such as English,Maths and Science. A UTC is supported by thelocal business community and has high profileindustry partners involved in the development ofthe curriculum.Voluntary controlled schools (VC)South Gloucestershire Council is the admissionauthority for voluntary controlled schools and isresponsible for determining the admission96Apply on-line at: www.southglos.gov.uk/admissions