Information for parents booklet 2024 / 2025

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with the school's admission officers if you need any help in making your application. Their contact number is Tel: 01792 772006 extension 227.

The admission policy of the governors of Bishop Vaughan Catholic school ('the school') is as follows:

The ethos of the school is Catholic. The school was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for children of Catholic families. The school is governed by the Governing Body as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its Trust Deed and Instrument of Government and seeks at all times to be a witness to Jesus Christ. We ask all parents applying for a place here to respect this ethos and its importance to the school community. This does not affect the right of parents who are not of the faith of this school to apply for and be considered for a place here.

Indeed, the school warmly welcomes applications from all members of the community.

The school's admission number for the school year 2020/21 is 217.

If the number of applications exceeds the admission number, the governors will give priority to applications in accordance with the criteria listed below, provided that the governors are made aware of that application before decisions on admissions are made.

In all categories the governors will give priority to those children living closest to the school. This will be determined in accordance with the local authority's current system of measuring distance (see Note 5).

1. Children who are, or have previously been, in the care of a local authority (children in care) or provided with accommodation through a local authority (eg children with foster parents) (Section 22 of the Children Act 1989).
2. Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs that have named Bishop Vaughan Catholic school.
3. Baptised Catholic children who will have a brother or sister attending the school when they join (see Notes 1 and 2 below).
4. Baptised Catholic children attending a Catholic primary school (see Note 1 and 3 below).
5. Other baptised Catholic children (see Note 1 below).
6. Children baptised in the Orthodox Christian Church (see Note 4 below).
7. Other children who will have a brother or sister attending the school when they join (see Note 2 below).
8. Other children attending a Catholic primary school (see Note 3 below).
9. Children of other Christian denominations, or children of other religions or faiths seeking an education within a Christian context (see Note 5).
10. Other children seeking an education within a Christian context (see Note 6).

Note 1

In all categories, for a child to be considered as a Baptised Catholic, evidence of Catholic Baptism or Reception into the Church will be required and should be provided to the school by the last day of the Christmas term 2019. For a comprehensive definition of Baptised Catholic and the evidence that will be considered please see Appendix 1.

Parents making an application for a Baptised Catholic child should also complete a supplementary information form (SIF) and return this to the school by the last day of the Christmas term 2019. Failure to fully complete the SIF may affect the category your child's name is placed in.

Note 2

For all children 'a brother or sister' will be defined as a natural or legally adopted child of either parent living at the same address (ie this includes step brothers, step sisters and children who are adopted or fostered by the family). In any circumstances in which there is one place available and the next eligible children are twins/triplets then the governors will admit both/all children.

A brother or sister will be considered to be 'attending the school', if they are attending the school, in years 7 to 13, on 1 January 2020.

Note 3

Children attending a Catholic primary school means:

• those attending our partner primary schools in Swansea;
  • St David's RC Primary school;
  • St Illtyd's RC Primary school;
  • St Joseph's Cathedral school;
  • St Joseph's Catholic primary school, Clydach; and
• children attending Catholic primary schools in other local authorities.

Note 4

Orthodox Christians (Greek, Russian, Indian), have a closer link with the Catholic Church, through their Scripture and Tradition than other Christian denominations, hence their higher category. This will be verified by sight of the child's Baptismal Certificate and/or a letter from the appropriate clergy.

For a child to be considered in this category, parents will need to provide this evidence to the school by the last day of the Christmas term 2019.

Parents should also complete a supplementary information form (SIF) and return this to the school by the last day of the Christmas term 2019. Failure to fully complete the SIF may affect the category your child's name is placed in.

Note 5

'Other Religions or Faiths' will include all religions, including but not limited to, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.

For a child to be considered in this category, parents will need to provide either evidence of Baptism or written evidence from a Priest, Minister, Religious or Faith leader. This needs to be provided to the school by the last day of the Christmas term 2019.

Parents should also complete a supplementary information form (SIF) and return this to the school by the last day of the Christmas term 2019. Failure to fully complete the SIF may affect the category your child's name is placed in.

Note 6

In all categories the Governors will give priority to those children living closest to the school. This will be determined in accordance with the local authority's current system of measuring distance.

Currently, places are allocated in distance order with those living nearest (shortest available walking route) receiving priority. The measurements will be taken from outside the entrance of the property (house or flat) to the nearest official school entrance. Bishop Vaughan's only official school entrance is the main gates on Mynydd Garnllwydd Road. The local authority's GIS computer programme is used when undertaking the measurement.

The home address of a pupil is considered to be the permanent residence of a child. The address must be the child's only or main residence for the majority of the school week. Documentary evidence may be required. Where care is split equally between mother and father, parents must name which address is to be used for the purposes of allocating a school place and proof may be requested.

Catchment

The school admits pupils from across the City and County of Swansea, neighbouring authorities and pupils moving into the area from further afield.

Timetable

The school will follow the admissions timetable of the local authority.

Waiting list

If governors are not able to offer a child a place, or a child's application is received after the local authority's deadline, that child's name will be kept on a waiting list until 30 September 2020. If you do not wish your child to be placed on the waiting list, please inform the school as soon as possible, in writing.

In the event that further places become available during the academic year 2020/2021, the governors admissions committee will have a further meeting and places will be allocated to children on the waiting list (at the time of that meeting) on the basis of the oversubscription criteria listed earlier. In line with the Welsh Government's School Admissions Code priority cannot be given to children based on the date the application was added to the waiting list. Places will be allocated on the basis of the published oversubscription criteria outlined earlier.

Appeals

Parents who wish to appeal against the decision of the Governors to refuse their child a place in the school may apply in writing to: The Clerk to the Governors, Bishop Vaughan Catholic School, Mynydd Garnllwyd Road, Morriston, Swansea SA6 7QG.

All appeals will be heard by an independent panel.

Repeat applications

Unless there are significant and material changes in the circumstances of a parent's application for their child or the school, the governors will not consider a repeat application in the same academic year.

Applications other than the normal intake to Year 7

These applications should be made direct to Bishop Vaughan Catholic school. The Governors' Admissions Committee will consider these applications at their next meeting. If places are available, they will be allocated on the basis of the published oversubscription criteria outlined earlier.

In year fair access protocol

The Governing Body have adopted the local authority's fair access protocol for admission of previously excluded or hard to place children.

Children who are the subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or who are allocated to a school in accordance with a fair access protocol take precedence over those on a waiting list.

Post-16 admissions policy

Because of the need to work in collaboration with other providers, there is a separate Admissions Policy for Post-16 students. Copies are available on request from the school.

Charges

There is no charge or cost related to the admission of a child to this school.

APPENDIX

Definition of a 'Baptised Catholic'

A 'Baptised Catholic' is one who:

• Has been baptised into full communion (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 837) with the Catholic Church by the Rites of Baptism of one of the various ritual Churches in communion with the See of Rome (ie Latin Rite, Byzantine Rite, Coptic, Syriac, etc Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1203). Written evidence of this baptism can be obtained by recourse to the Baptismal Registers of the church in which the baptism took place (Cf. Code of Canon Law. 877 and 878).

Or

• Has been validly baptised in a separated ecclesial community and subsequently received into full communion with the Catholic Church by the Right of Reception of Baptised Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church. Written evidence of their baptism and reception into full communion with the Catholic Church can be obtained by recourse to the Register of Receptions, or in some cases, a sub-section of the Baptismal Registers of the church in which the Rite of Reception took place (Cf. Rite of Christian Initiation, 399).

Written evidence of Baptism

The governing bodies of Catholic schools will require written evidence in the form of a Certificate of Baptism or Certificate of Reception before applications for school places can be considered for categories of 'Baptised Catholics'. A Certificate of Baptism or Reception is to include: the full name, date of birth, date of baptism or reception, and parent(s) name(s). The certificate must also show that it is copied from the records kept by the place of baptism or reception.

Those who would have difficulty obtaining written evidence of baptism for a good reason, may still be considered as baptised Catholics but only after they have been referred to their parish priest who, after consulting the Vicar General, will decide how the question of baptism is to be resolved and how written evidence is to be produced in accordance with the law of the Church.

Those who would be considered to have good reason for not obtaining written evidence would include those who cannot contact the place of baptism due to persecution or fear, the destruction of the church and the original records, or where baptism was administered validly but not in the Parish church where records are kept.

Governors may request extra supporting evidence when the written documents that are produced do not clarify the fact that a person was baptised or received into the Catholic Church (ie where the name and address of the Church is not on the certificate or where the name of the Church does not state whether it is a Catholic Church or not).