Admissions Policy

1. Admissions to the school are made by the governing body.
2. Pupils will be admitted without reference to aptitude or ability.
3. The governors intend to admit 30 children in each year group.  This is our Published Admissions Number.
4. Where the school is named in the statement of special educational needs, the governing body has a duty to admit the child to the school, without reference to the criteria and procedures outlined in this Admissions Policy.
5. First priority for admission wil be given to Looked After Children. 
6. Second priority for admission will be given to baptised members of the Catholic church who live in the parishes of Our Lady Help of Christians and St Aloysius, Folkestone, and St Joseph's, Cheriton.
7. When the school is oversubscribed with applicants fulfilling the requirements of paragraphs 5 and 6 above, the following criteria will be applied, in the order set out below, to decide which children to admit:
   a) The presence of a brother or a sister in the school;
   b) Medical or social grounds which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question.  These will require verification by an appropriate authority such as a medical practitioner, social worker or educational welfare officer.
   c) Distance from home to the school, measured in a straight line.
8. If there are any places unfilled after the requirements of paragraphs 5 and 6 above have been applied, any remaining places will be offered in accordance with the following priorities:
   a) Baptised members of the Catholic Church living in other parishes
   b) Baptised Christians of other denominations
   c) Children of other religions
   d) Other children
9. In each of the above categories, admissions will be prioritised using the same criteria as in 7a, 7b and 7c above.
10. In addition to the Common Application Form (CAF) supplied by the Local Authority, the Supplementary Information Form (available from the school or the Local Authority) should be completed and sent to the Headteacher at the school not later than the closing date published by the Local Authority.  This should be done even if the CAF is completed online.  If the Supplementary Form is not completed, the governing body of the school will only be able to consider the application after all applicants who have completed a Supplementary Information Form.
11. The Admissions timetable for the school is the same as the timetable adopted by Kent Local Authority.
12. Admissions of older children will be considered at any time of year, and the criteria detailed above will also apply to them.
13. Parents have the right to appeal against any refusal by the governors to admit their child, by writing to the Clerk to the Governors at the school by the date specified under paragraph 11 above, or within 21 days of such refusal being notified to them for applications made at other times.
14. If parents are unsuccessful in applying for a place at the school, details will be held on a prioritised waiting list – this will be in rank order, according to the criteria outlined in paragraphs 5 to 8 above.  If places subsequently become available at the school for whatever reason (parents moving out of the area, for example) the place will be offered to the child who is top priority on the waiting list.  Parents will be invited to say whether they wish their child to be included on the waiting list for Stella Maris if they are offered a place at an alternative school.
15. The prioritised waiting list will be maintained by the Local Authority until the end of May – thereafter, it will be maintained by the school.

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