This is the comprehensive admissions policy and procedure for entry into Sacks Morasha Jewish Primary School (“Sacks Morasha”). The School’s ethos demonstrates orthodox Jewish belief and practice, embodied in the principles of Torah and Halachah, in a modern setting. These include encouraging and preparing for lifelong Jewish learning, spiritual growth and practice, mutual responsibility within the Jewish community and the wider world, and the importance of Israel in Jewish life, while achieving academic excellence. Jewish belief and practice permeate every aspect of Sacks Morasha’s activities. (Please see our full ethos statement for more details). Priority for admission is given to those who are able to demonstrate commitment to the ethos of Sacks Morasha as verified by way of a Supplementary Information Form (“SIF”) to be completed by the family, and by an officer or Rabbi of the Synagogue at which the family are regular attendees. The decision as to whether or not an applicant qualifies for priority consideration (“qualifying applicant”) will be based on the information provided by the applicant family and the third party signatories on the SIF. In this policy, those who qualify for such priority are referred to as ‘Priority Children’ and, in the event of any dispute as to whether a child is a Priority Child, the ruling of the Admissions Committee of Sacks Morasha will be final.
Admissions
1. The school has a published admissions number of 30 children each year. If only one place is available at Sacks Morasha and the next child who qualifies for a place is one of multiple birth siblings, Sacks Morasha will go over the published admission number to support the family. 2. In the event that the school is oversubscribed, priority will be given as follows: a. Looked After Priority Children and Priority Children who were adopted (or subject to residence orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after. (Note: A ‘child looked after’ is a child in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by that authority in accordance with Section 22 of the Children Act 1989. An adopted child is defined by Section 46 of Adoption and Children Act 2002. A residence order is defined by Section 8 of the Children Act 1989. A special guardianship order is defined by Section 14A of the Children Act 1989.) b. Priority children for whom the school is appropriate on genuine medical or social grounds with a completed and valid CRP. c. Priority Children with siblings who are currently at Sacks Morasha. For these purposes, “siblings” shall include half-siblings, step-siblings and adopted siblings who are Priority Children and who are living at the same address. d. Priority Children of families who regularly attend services at Kinloss. e. Priority Children of families who regularly attend services at Woodside Park Synagogue, which is located at Woodside Park Road, London, N12 8RZ and is geographically close to Sacks Morasha. f. Priority Children of families who regularly attend services at other orthodox synagogues. g. Other Looked After Children and children who were adopted (or subject to residence orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after. h. Any other children. 3. If in any category there are more qualifying applicants than there are available places, priority will be given according to the proximity of the child’s home to the main entrance of Kinloss at Kinloss Gardens, London, N3 3DU. Distance is measured in a straight line between the address point for the child’s home, supplied by the Post Office, to the main entrance of Kinloss, using the London Borough of Barnet’s computerised geographical information system. This tie-breaker location was expressly chosen in order to fulfil the aim of the founders of Sacks Morasha to serve the Kinloss community. If there are two families who live in the same block of flats, then those closest to the front door will have priority. If all criteria and measures are equal, then a random ballot will be the tie breaker. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for a part of the week, the address used will be the address where the child spends the major part of the week. 4. Verification of attendance at Kinloss, Woodside Park Synagogue or any other orthodox synagogue should be obtained from a Rabbi or other official and be clearly marked on the SIF.
Admissions Procedure
1. All applications for places at the school must be submitted on the Common Application Form (“CAF”), which should be either submitted online or returned to the local authority where the child lives. If the applicant seeks consideration for priority admission, the applicant should also complete the SIF. The SIF must be sent to the school at the same time that the CAF is completed. 2. The closing date for all applications to the Reception class is in accordance with the National Closing Date, i.e. 15 January, or primary school applications. Late applications will be dealt with in accordance with the London Borough of Barnet Coordinated Admissions Scheme and will not be considered until after offers have been made to those who applied by the National Closing Date, i.e.15 January. 3. Parents will be notified by London Borough of Barnet in accordance with its Coordinated Admissions Scheme on or about the National Offer Day, 16 April. Parents must indicate in writing within 10 days their intention to take up a place.
Waiting List
When all available places have been filled, children not allocated places will be placed on a waiting list ranked in descending order according to the published admissions criteria. The waiting list will remain in operation from the day the original places are awarded and will be open until the end of the academic year. Those who wish to remain on the waiting list after this period will be asked annually if they wish to remain on the waiting list, if they still meet the criteria of the SIF. Please note, a child’s place can change on a waiting list due to subsequent applications received.
In-year applications and applications
Should places be available during the year, these will be considered in accordance with the above oversubscription criteria. Application for a school place outside the normal admissions round should be made directly to the School. The School’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) must be completed. This form is available from the School Office or on the Sacks Morasha website and must be returned to the School without delay, together with proof of address.
Deferral of entry
There is a legal right for parents to defer entry of their child to Reception class until the child’s fifth birthday when they reach compulsory school age. There is no legal right to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday or beyond the academic year for which admission is sought. It should be noted that taking up this option has educational implications in relation to the syllabus for the first year at school and parents are encouraged to discuss and agree in advance with the school the appropriate course of action for their children.
Special Needs
Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school will be admitted. This is a separate process to the normal admission procedure.
Incorrect or misleading applications
If the information given in the application form is not accurate or up to date, your child may lose priority. In such a case, the Governors will have discretion to refuse the offer of a place. The Governors reserve the right to withdraw the offer of a place where it is found that the place was offered on the basis of fraudulent or misleading information given at any time during the application process.
Appeal Procedure
If a place is not offered, parents will be advised as to their right to appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel convened by the Governors of Sacks Morasha for this purpose and will be advised on the process for appeal.
Fair Access Protocol
The Governors of Sacks Morasha acknowledge that the Admission Forum of the London Borough of Barnet may require the school to admit a child exceptionally, either outside the normal admissions arrangements or in excess of the published admission list, in order to protect the interests of vulnerable children and those with challenging behaviour. The Governors of Sacks Morasha have been informed that these pupils will be shared between schools in ways that are fair, objective and transparent.