Applications

John Flamsteed Community School welcomes applications for 120 places in each school year. It is anticipated that around 50% of places will be filled in next year's Year 7 with applications from children in the 'normal' catchment area, and those satisfying other criteria relating to special educational needs, children in care, and children with brothers and sisters already at the school. The remaining 50% of places are allocated by Derbyshire County Council. If there are more applications than places available, the offer of a place at the school will be made based on where you live, and your nearness to the school. To see if you live in the catchment area or check your approximate distance from the school, please click here to view the JFCS Catchment Area - showing the school's catchment map and postcodes, and distances from school.

Derbyshire County Council handles all aspects of the application process for John Flamsteed Community School. This includes application appeals and changing schools. Derbyshire County Council acts as a clearing house for admitting all Derbyshire pupils to secondary schools, and decides the rules for getting places.

A summary of information from the council's website about the application process and admission criteria is shown below.

Click here to go to the Derbyshire County Council website for further information or to apply online.

Moving from primary school to secondary school

If your child was born between 1 September 2001 and 31 August 2002 and is in their last year of primary school you will need to apply for their secondary school place in autumn 2012. They will start school in September 2013.

If you are a parent living in Derbyshire, excluding Derby city, the information below explains how you can apply for a secondary school place for your child at John Flamsteed Community School.

If your child attends a school outside of Derbyshire which operates a different pattern of education and they are due to transfer secondary school phase in September 2013, the following information will also apply to you.

You can apply for a place online. The application system will be available between Monday 10 September and midnight on Wednesday 31 October 2012.

The application process is quick and easy and you can also find information about how to choose a school and apply for a place in the Guide for Parents.

You'll get your offer on 1 March 2013 and if you're unhappy with the decision you can make an appeal. You can do this online and more information can be found on the secondary appeals web page.

How to Apply

From 10 September 2012 you can apply online or if you don't have access to the internet you can apply by phone from 10 September 2012 by ringing Call Derbyshire on 08 456 058 058.

If your child goes to a Derbyshire primary school, you will receive admissions information from the school some time during the week commencing 10 September 2012 - although you can still apply online or by phone if you prefer.

You only make one application and you are invited to state three preferences on it. This is the only application form you need to fill in - whether you do that by phone, online or on paper.

Please note, if you apply online or by phone, your application will be acknowledged automatically. If you complete a paper form you will only receive an acknowledgement if you provide a stamped addressed envelope with your application. Parents are advised to obtain proof of posting.

Special Educational Needs

If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, his or her transfer is dealt with through the statement. You should contact the Special Needs Section of Derbyshire County Council.

Changing school at other times

You may want to apply for your child to change schools other than when they are due to start secondary education. This could be because of a change of address.

You can do this online at any time of year. There is added guidance in the changing schools section to help you through the process.

If you live outside of Derbyshire you should apply through your home council even if you want to apply for a place at a Derbyshire school. You can find your home council through the Directgov website.

Rules and admissions criteria

Under the 1996 Education Act, you have a legal right to express a preference for which school you want your child to attend. The county council and school governors have a general duty to meet this preference - as long as it does not "prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources".

In law there is no automatic right to a place in any particular school.

You will be offered one place, at the highest-priority school possible.

Where the county council cannot offer a place at any of your chosen schools, your child will be allocated a place at the normal area school - if places are still available - or the next nearest school with places available.

You should bear in mind that school admissions to Year 7 are considered on an annual basis - so it is not possible to confirm that a place is available at a school any earlier than during the year before your child will join.

Each year secondary schools have to admit eligible pupils on request up to their published admission number (as shown in the schools list) which takes account of the amount of accommodation available.

Admissions criteria

Individual pupils who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs which names the school will be admitted.

In deciding on admissions to all community and voluntary controlled secondary schools in Derbyshire, the following order of priority will be adopted:-

1. Looked after children and children who were looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order).
2. Children living in the normal area served by the school at the time of application and admission who have brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of application and admission.
3. Children living in the normal area served by the school at the time of application and admission.
4. Children not living in the normal area served by the school but who have brothers or sisters attending the school at the time of application and admission.
5. Other children whose parents have requested a place.

Where, in the case of 2, 3, 4, or 5, choices have to be made between children satisfying the same criteria, those children living nearest to the school (measured by the nearest available route) will be given preference.

Please note, attendance at a particular primary school gives no priority for admission to a particular secondary school

Residence - in all categories

Please note the home address relates to at the time of application and admission. Where an application includes more than one address due to shared parental responsibility, parents and carers are required to submit full details to enable to determine which address to use for the purpose of admission.

Where parents state that the child resides equally at both addresses the county council will use the address where the child resides for the majority of the week (eg. wakes up between Monday and Friday).

When unable to reach a decision based on the information received, the place of residency will be the address used (at the time of admissions application) for claiming Child Benefit and, where appropriate, Child Tax Credits. Supporting information will be required.

Please note that where the county council has reasonable grounds for believing the home address is not the child's only or main residence it reserves the right to carry out investigations which may include visits to the property.

Late applications

A place cannot be guaranteed for any child whose parents apply after the closing date. This includes a child who moves into a school's normal area after that date.

In situations where late applications are received and the school's admission number has been reached, but subsequently a place becomes available - if choices need to be made between normal area applications, those children living nearest to the school (measured by the nearest available route) will be given preference.

Withdrawing an offer

For admission procedures to be fair it is important that all the information you provide is accurate. If we find that any information provided by parents is misleading or fraudulent, the county council reserves the right to withdraw any offer of a school place.

Click here for information about JFCS from Derbyshire County Council.

Catchment Area

Click here to download the catchment area map.

Last Updated: 12/09/2012