Where the offer of places
to all the applicants in any of the sub-categories listed
above would still lead to oversubscription, the places
up to the admission number will be offered to those
living nearest the school. Distance will be measured
in a straight line from the home to the main entrance
of the School using data from Southwark LA.
Application Procedures and Timetable
A common application form (CAF)
from the parents’ home LEA must be completed and returned
to the home LEA by the LEA’s closing date of 24th October
2008. A Religious Practice form must be completed by,
in the case of Roman Catholic applicants, parents and
a Roman Catholic priest, and in the case of applicants
from other denominations or faiths, by parents. Copies
of the applicant’s birth, baptism and First Communion
certificates must be attached as evidence of religious
practice. These forms must be brought in person to the
Clerk to the Governors, Notre Dame School, 118 St George’s
Road London SE1 6EX during the week commencing 3rd November
2008 (details of times available in the school’s prospectus).
If there are exceptional circumstances which make it
impossible to deliver your forms during this week, please
contact the school office to discuss. Parents will be
advised of the outcome of their applications by their
home LEA in March 2009. Unsuccessful applicants will
be advised of their right of appeal to an independent
appeal panel.
Applicants and their parents are
requested to note that applicants are required to complete
both forms and failure to complete the Religious Practice
form will affect their chances of being fully assessed
against the school’s oversubscription criteria.
Any late applications made between
the offer date and 31st August will need to be made
through the local authority.
Waiting
Lists
In addition to the right of appeal,
unsuccessful candidates will be offered the opportunity
to be placed on a waiting list. This waiting list will
be maintained in the order of the oversubscription criteria
set out above and not in the order in which applications
are received or added to the list. A waiting list will
be maintained by the LA until the 31st August and subsequently
by the school until 31st October.
Pupils
with a Statement of Special Educational Needs
The admission of pupils with a statement
of Special Educational Needs is dealt with by a completely
separate procedure. This procedure is integral to the
making and maintaining of statements by the pupil’s
home LEA. Details of this separate procedure is set
out in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
Notes
(these
notes form part of the oversubscription criteria)
“looked after children”
has the same meaning as in section 22 of the Children’s
Act 1989, and means any child in the care of a local
authority or provided with accommodation by them (e.g.
children with foster parents). Please note that children
in private fostering arrangements are not considered
looked after children.
“Roman Catholic” means a
member of a Church in communion with the See of Rome.
This will normally be evidenced by a certificate of
baptism in a Roman Catholic Church or a certificate
of reception into full communion of the Roman Catholic
Church.
†
“practising members of the Roman Catholic Church”
refers to people who
a) have attended Sunday Mass regularly
i.e. every week over at least three years. [See Canons
1246, 1247 and 1248 of the current Code of Canon Law
1983]
b) have had their children baptised as infants i.e.
before the age of 2 [See Canon 867 of the current Code
of Canon Law 1983]
c) have had their children receive First Communion at
the age of reason (7 or 8) [See Canons 913, 914, 97
of the current Code of Canon Law 1983]
‡
“Roman Catholic primary
schools in the Cathedral deanery” are:
St George’s Cathedral School
St Joseph’s, Bermondsey
St Joseph’s, Borough
St Joseph’s, Rotherhithe
St John’s, Surrey Docks
St Anne’s, Vauxhall
English Martyrs, Walworth
Applicant who meet criteria 4 above
should provide evidence of either
»a) date of entry to the
UK and being on the waiting list of a Roman Catholic
primary school
or
»b)
date the family moved into the area, attendance at a
Roman Catholic primary
school prior to this and now being on the waiting list
of a Roman Catholic
primary school.
“Catechumen” means a member of the Catechumenate
of the Roman Catholic Church. This will normally be
evidenced by a certificate of reception into the Order
of Catechumens.
“Candidate”
means one who is beginning the process of conversion
to the Roman Catholic faith as evidenced by attendance
at an RCIA programme.
Membership
of an “Orthodox Christian Church” is normally
evidenced by a certificate of baptism or reception from
the authorities of that Church.
*
To demonstrate an exceptional social, medical or pastoral
need of the applicant which can be most appropriately
met at this school, the governing body will normally
require written evidence from an appropriate professional
such as a social worker, doctor or priest.
PRIMARY
/ SECONDARY LIAISON
The School understands that the transition from primary
to secondary school can be a difficult time for some students.
In order to make this transition as easy as possible a
special induction programme, which takes the following
form, is arranged:
September
/ October
Open
day / evening visit to the School to see students at
work.
April
/ May / June / July
The
pastoral head visits most prospective students in their
primary schools and talks to them about transferring
to Notre Dame School, answers their questions and starts
to get to know them.
June
/ July
Prospective
students are invited to spend a day at Notre Dame School
in order to meet their pastoral head, form tutor and
other members of their form. They are shown around the
School and are introduced to some of the subjects they
will be studying in the new school year.
Parents
are also invited to the School so that they, too, meet
their daughter’s pastoral head and form tutor
as well as other parents. This occasion gives the tutors
an opportunity to explain how the School works and enables
parents to ask questions or discuss their daughter’s
education.
September
New
students do not start their lessons immediately but
are allowed a little time to settle in and find their
way around the School. The first activities of the Personal
and Social Education (PSE) curriculum deal specifically
with the transition from primary school.
November
Year
7 students hold a tea party for their former primary
school headteachers and class teachers to show how well
they have settled in.
Parents
are invited to meet with their daughters’ form
tutor and the parents of other girls in the form.
ARRANGEMENTS
FOR VISITS (2008)
Wednesday, September 24th 1.15pm
Tuesday, September 30th 5.00pm
Thursday, October 2nd 1.15pm
APPLICATIONS
Applications are welcome from students
at all primary schools including non-Catholic ones.
Supplementary forms are included in the school brochure
which is available from the School on the open afternoons
and evenings. Applicants must complete their home Local
Authority’s transfer form naming Notre Dame as
one of their preferences as well as the supplementary
form from Notre Dame.
The supplementary form together
with copies of Birth, Baptism and First Communion certificates
and any other relevant documentation must be brought,
in person, to Notre Dame School during the week commencing
3rd November 2008 during the times specified in the
front of this brochure.
