Welcome To Admissions

If you are interested in an in-year place at TFA, please contact admin@theforestacademy.co.uk with the subject ‘FAO Admissions’ and a member of our team will be able to help.

Please read through all the below sections of our admission arrangements for the admission of pupils to The Forest Academy.

1 – Definitions

In this document the following words and expressions (unless the context requires otherwise) have the following meanings:

1.1 – Admission Authority.  The body responsible for setting and applying a school’s admission arrangements.  For academies this is the Academy Trust.

1.2 – Beacon Multi-Academy Trust (BMAT) – Beacon Multi-Academy Trust may also be referred to as the ‘Beacon Academy Trust’ (BAT).  It should be noted that Beacon Academy Trust is the admissions authority for Beal High School.

1.3 – ‘Geographic Information Systems’ (GIS).  This refers to the computer software by which straight line distance measurements are calculated from the school’s front gate to the home postcode of applicants.

1.4 – Local Authority (LA) may also be referred to as Redbridge.  The LA co-ordinates admissions to all secondary schools in Redbridge as part of the pan-London agreement.

1.5 – Published Admissions Number (PAN).  As part of determining their admission arrangements, all admission authorities must set an admission number for each ‘relevant age group’.  This is the number of places that the admission authority must offer in each age group at which pupils will be normally admitted to the school from outside; years 7 and 12.

1.6 – Siblings – brothers and sisters living at the same address as the child for whom the application is being made.  This includes half brothers and sisters, step brothers and sisters who live at the same address.

2 – Introduction

2.1 – Beacon Academy Trust is the Admissions Authority for The Forest Academy.  This policy will be administered fairly and impartially and is in accordance with The Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, The Human Rights Act 1998, School Standards Framework Act 1998 and the DfE Admissions Code February 2012.  The Admissions policy for The Forest Academy will be reviewed annually in line with requirements laid down in the Admissions Code and full consultation occurs at least every seven years.

3 – The Application Process for year 7

 

3.1 – The Forest Academy participates in the co-ordinated admissions procedure, provided and administered by the local authority, for schools and academies in Redbridge.  The Local Authority co-ordinates the application process on behalf of The Forest Academy according to the scheme which they publish in their annual Admissions Booklet.

3.2 – Parents must use the Local Authority Common Application Form (CAF) to apply for a place for their child at The Forest Academy.  The CAF must be submitted to the Local Authority by the deadline date published in the Local Authority Admissions Booklet which also includes clear guidance on how to complete the CAF on-line, information on dates for notification to parents of admissions decisions and the closing dates for accepting places or lodging appeals.

3.3 – Children with statements of Special Education Needs where The Forest Academy is named on the statement are admitted ahead of other applicants but will be included in the Published Admission Number (PAN).

4 – Admission Policy for year 7

 

4.1 – The Published Admission Number (PAN) for The Forest Academy in year 7 is 180. The PAN for years 8-11 is also 180.

4.2 – The Forest Academy has a set ‘catchment area’ and children living in the catchment area have priority for admission.  A catchment area is the area around the school covering a number of roads or parts of roads.  The catchment area for The Forest Academy is available to download above.

4.3 – All children whose statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) names the school will be admitted to the school.

4.4 – If the school is not oversubscribed all children will be offered a place.  If the demand is more than the number of places available, all applications will be considered on an equal basis according to the following oversubscription criteria:

a. Looked after children or children previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence order or special guardianship order.  A looked after child is a child who is 9 (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social service functions (see section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989);

b. Children for whom there are particular medical or social reasons which justify admission to the school.  Requests which are based upon the serious medical or psychological condition of a child must be supported by a qualified professional;

c. Children who live in the catchment area;

d. Children with a brother or sister (sibling) who is currently on roll at the named school in Years 7, 8, 9 or 10 only and who will continue to attend the school in the academic year 2013/2014, who reside at the same address;

e. Children living outside the catchment area, without a sibling.

4.5 – In each category, if there are more children than places available, priority will be based on the shortest measured walking distance as measured by a Geographic Information System from the child’s home to the main entrance of the school using public roads and recognised footpaths.  It should be noted that when measurements involve flats in the same block, the distance will be to the entrance of each individual flat.  In using distance as a tie-breaker, should there be more than one applicant for a final place living an identical distance from the school in question, the random allocation facility within the Tribunal ‘Admissions and Transfer’ system pupil data base will apply.

4.6 – Applications received after the published deadline (31st October 2015) will not be considered until all of the applications received by that date have been dealt with unless there is evidence to show that the application could not have been reasonably made on time.  Late applications will be dealt with after all ‘on time’ applications in the first round of offers on the statutory annual allocation dates.

4.7 – If a parents’ preference cannot be met a child’s name can be put on the waiting list of the school.  As places become available they will be allocated from the waiting list.

4.8 – The waiting list will continue to operate until 31st August and applicants will be told in advance of the need to re-apply for continued consideration.

5 – In-Year Admissions

 

5.1 – Any parent can apply for a place at The Forest Academy at any time during the school year – there are no deadline dates for in-year applications.

5.2 – Applications must be made using the LA in-year CAF.

5.3 – The allocation of any places which may become available during the year will be made on the basis of the current over-subscription criteria described in section 4 of this policy.

5.4 – The Forest Academy participates in the Local Authority in-year Fair Access Protocol.

6 – Admission Appeals

 

6.1 – If parents are unsuccessful in gaining a place for their child at The Forest Academy they will be informed by the Local Authority in writing and informed of their right to an independent appeal against the decision.

6.2 – All Admission Appeals are considered by an independent Appeals Panel.

7 – Waiting Lists

 

7.1 – If we receive more applications than there are places available we will operate a waiting list.  The waiting list will continue to operate until 31st August.

7.2 – After the 31st August parents will be told in advance of the need to re-apply for continued consideration.

7.3 – A student’s position on the waiting list will be determined solely in accordance with the over-subscription criteria detailed in Section 4 of this policy.

7.4 – If a place becomes available students will be offered a place in accordance with the over-subscription criteria detailed in Section 4 of this policy.

7.5 – Looked after children, previously looked after children, and those allocated a place in accordance with a fair access protocol, will take precedence over those on the waiting list.

 8 – If English is my second language what can I expect when starting at The Forest Academy?

 

The Forest Academy (TFA) has a large number of bilingual students from a variety of backgrounds, many of these students join us during the school year. The English as an Additional Language (EAL) department strives to welcome students individually taking into account their cultural and linguistic needs.

Our EAL students also aim to reassure new bilingual arrivals, you can watch some of their video recordings where TFA pupils are sharing their experiences of starting at The Forest Academy.

Downloads

Catchment Area
Admission Appeals
Appeals Process
Admissions Policy 2024-2025
Admissions Policy 2023-2024
Admissions Policy 2019-2021
Catchment Area
Admission Appeals
Appeals Process
Admissions Policy 2018-2019
Admissions Policy 2019-2021