Admissions Policy for the admission of children in September 2012

Urmston Grammar is a highly successful 11-18 mixed grammar with admission normally taking place at 11 and 16. Accommodation can normally be provided for up to 896 boys and girls, with 128 places available for the Year 7 intake. Urmston Grammar became one of the first 'New Academies' which are publicly funded independent schools in September 2010. Our admissions policy and processes however remain unchanged.

Admissions Policy :-

Year 7 Entry

Application process

• The Governors will apply Urmston Grammar's (UG's) own admissions selection policy as the basis of their admissions procedures for Year 7 in September 2012. This means that all parents of children wishing to apply for a place at the Urmston Grammar must :

• Complete your Local Authority's "Common Preference Form" which, in Trafford, must be returned to the Local Authority as indicated in the timetable (CPF date). Urmston Grammar needs to be indicated on this form;
• Register a request directly with Urmston Grammar for their child to sit the "entrance exam" and submit to the school, the “Urmston Grammar Application and Medical form”, (this is available on the school's web site or may be obtained from the School's office from May each year). This form must be returned to Urmston Grammar by the deadline on the timetable.
• The entrance examination will take place at Urmston Grammar for both Trafford and non-Trafford residents (the date is on the timetable below - Table 2).
• Arrangement details for the entrance exam will be sent to all parents who complete Urmston Grammar's application form.
• There will be an additional testing session at Urmston Grammar for candidates unable (usually for medical/religious reasons) to sit the entrance examination. A medical note will need to be provided for any candidate entered for the first date who is unable to attend (see timetable for additional test date).
• Urmston Grammar must be informed by parents, in writing, of any candidates with any Special Educational Needs along with copies of the current needs and provision.
• An Open Evening will be held during which advice and assistance will be given to help with the process. Details of the event will be published on the school web site and will also be published in local newspapers as well as in the timetable at the foot of this page.
  
• Our Allocation Process
• Candidates will be required to sit the three elements of the Urmston Grammar entrance exam; success in this procedure is a basic requirement for a candidate to be considered for a place at Urmston Grammar. The three elements comprise of a Mathematics paper, a Non-Verbal paper and an English paper.
• A successful outcome will be achieved by those candidates who score 355 and above in the exam.
• Urmston Grammar will conduct an automatic review for all candidates who score up to 20 marks below the indicated pass score. In the review process, the following will be considered: the break down of standardised scores in the three papers and an assessment of the continuous prose section of the English paper. The marks of this section are not included in the total score. A successful review will be deemed as eligible for admission to Urmston Grammar and the candidate's score will be amended to 355R.
• Outcomes and the scores will be communicated by Urmston Grammar to parents before the due date for the submission of the common preference form.
  Challenges against the "exam outcomes" will be heard at a local review solely by the "Admissions Review Body" of Urmston Grammar, upon receipt of a letter from the parent along with optional supporting documents detailing the challenge. (See FAQ's 8 & 9).  The decision relating to the parental challenge will be notified by post.
• In order to facilitate our allocation of places, the following allocation categories will be applied in the sequential order (A(i), A(ii), B and C) as shown in table 1 below. In order to allocate places under category B and C, the candidates' test scores will be arranged in two lists: the first being a rank order of candidates irrespective of the candidate's residence; the second will be in accordance with the distance between the candidate's front door and the front door of the school in a straight line, in the order specified below initially by M41 postcode, then by M31 postcode followed by remaining candidates.

Please Note

• Parents should note that although Urmston Grammar will inform them of their child's assessment results by post as stated on the timetable (Urmston Grammar results date, Table 2), allocations to this school will not be published until the Local Authority common date (see timetable) on behalf of the Governing Body of the school.
• Parents should also be aware that success in the Urmston Grammar selection procedure will not mean their child automatically receives a place at Urmston Grammar .
• Sample sheets for the entrance exam will be available for interested parents from the beginning of May each year. They will be obtainable from the school office. These sample sheets will be for exemplar purposes only, indicating the nature of the set tasks, and will not form any part of the papers sat by candidates.

Oversubscription Criteria

Where the number of eligible applicants for admissions exceeds the number of places available, the following criteria will be applied, in the order set out below, to decide which children to admit:

First allocation (Entry Category A (i) & A (ii))

• Places are initially allocated to candidates who are “Looked after” children (as defined in the Education Act 2002 – Admissions) who meet the published academic requirements. This selection procedure is classed as Entry Category A (i).
• Places are next allocated to candidates who have a Statement of Educational Need, who meet the published academic requirements and whose Statement cites Urmston Grammar as their school of preference. Entry Category A (ii).

Second allocation (Entry Category B – approximately 20 places)

• Using the first list (rank score order) of candidates, the (20) top scoring candidates, irrespective of home residence will be allocated a place under Category B . Candidates with equal scores to the lowest candidate in this second allocation will also be offered places.

Third allocation (Entry Category C)

• Upon removing the candidates who are allocated places via Entry Category B from list two, the remaining places (approximately 108) will be allocated places in accordance with their distance from school from their front door as per a straight line firstly by M41, then by M31 postcodes followed by the remaining candidates. This arrangement is listed as Category C.

Table 1

In-Year Admission for Year 7

All In-Year applications should be made by completing an In-Year application form (which is available from the home local authority) to initiate this assessment process. 

Should your child have sat the Urmston Grammar entrance examination then the process will not be initiated until the summer term of year 7. 

Only one In-Year assessment process can be undertaken each academic year.

In-Year Admissions Years 8 - 11

All In-Year applications should be made by completing an In-Year application form (which is available from the home local authority) to initiate the assessment process.

Only one In-Year assessment process can be undertaken each academic year.

Parents of all children who are informed that there are no available places in the year group sought must complete the standard waiting list/appeal application form (which is available from their home local authority) or contact Trafford School Admissions for further advice.

Urmston Grammar will continue to operate a waiting list for each full year group detailing the names of those who have successfully met our admission requirements. Should a place become available in a year group then the Local Authority and Urmston Grammar will work together to fill the place.

Please note that In-Year transfers after the start of external examination courses may result in significant disruption to academic progress.

YEAR 7 ADMISSIONS TIMETABLE

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR PUPILS WHO WILL BE 11 YEARS OF AGE BY

SEPTEMBER 2012

Table 2

Entry to the Sixth Form

The school has a large Sixth Form. In any one year there are approximately 280 students, a result of the very high staying-on rate from Year 11 and a very welcome and confident group of newcomers.

Over 90% of Sixth Formers continue into Higher Education. For Urmston Grammar applicants to the Sixth Form talks and advice are given throughout the year by the Head of Sixth Form, the Assistant Heads of Sixth Form and Form Tutors. Every student is offered individual guidance and there is an evening for parents of intending Sixth Formers which is held in November.

Our Sixth Form is incredibly popular with external students, a prospectus and application form is issued in the autumn term (and on the website all year www.urmstongrammar.org.uk) and the Head of Sixth Form visits local High Schools when requested.

The Sixth Form prospectus gives details of courses, entry requirements and life in the Sixth Form. At present, our entry requirement is 3 grade A’s and 3 grade B’s at G.C.S.E. along with confirmation of estimate grades from the student's school. Applications for the Sixth Form are invited all year; however, we do close for applications in the first week of March so candidates would only be considered after this date if there was availability on courses.

The admission number for Year 12 external applicants is 60 with a total number of 160 internal and external applicants expected to be admitted. GCSE results day is set aside so that you can contact us and confirm your place.

Sixth Form places are in demand.  For new applicants to the school an induction afternoon is offered in June when applicants can meet, enjoy a free buffet and remind themselves of the challenges and tremendous opportunities that lie ahead. Registration day is held for all Sixth Formers, who have had an offer of a place, and who have gained the necessary 3 grade A’s and 3 grade B’s, (in six separate subjects) on GCSE results day. Each student is given guidance again to give the best possible advice on ‘A' level choices and future careers in the light of their G.C.S.E. results. Students unable to attend must accept their place by email or telephone and must confirm their final subject choices.

Email questions may be sent to office@ugssc.com  and may be added to our FAQ's.