School Tours

These normally take place in the autumn term so if you wish to meet the Headteacher and take a tour of the school, please email: office@johnbetts.lbhf.sch.uk and we will book you onto an available slot.  Tours take place on Wednesdays at 09.30am and will run up until mid-December.

Determined Admission Arrangements Notice 2024-25

In accordance with Regulation 17 of the School Admissions Regulations 2012, admission arrangements must be formally determined by the responsible admission authority.

The Governing Body of John Betts Primary School hereby formally determine the admission arrangements for the academic year of entry 2024-25. 

Following a consultation period from 6th October - 17th November 2022, the following changes were made to the previous 2023-24 admission arrangements:

Removal of the word “teaching” from the following criterion:

Children of a member of teaching staff employed at the school at the time of the child’s admission, where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made; and/or children of a member of staff employed at the school at the time of the child’s admission who has been recruited to fill a vacancy for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

Adding the priority of:

Up to 6 places will be made available to children eligible for the Pupil Premium who, at the closing date, live at a confirmed permanent residence – defined as the place of normal residence during term time - within an area in Hammersmith and Fulham defined as, residing to:

• The south of the Goldhawk Road not including the Goldhawk Road
• The north of the A4 not including the A4
• The west of Hammersmith Grove not including Hammersmith Gove.
• The east of Goldhawk Road and British Grove, not including Goldhawk Road and British Grove

Please note that any siblings within this category who are eligible for the Pupil Premium will be included within the 6 available places but that looked after children and all previously looked after children (as defined above) are in addition to this category. In the event of oversubscription in this category, places will be offered to children who live closest to the school judging by straight line distance “as the crow flies”. This is measured from the south front door of the school on Paddenswick Road to the front door of the child’s confirmed permanent residence – defined above - by the local authority, using their chosen geographical location IT software package.

It is proposed that this new Pupil Premium criterion is positioned below the member of staff priority (as described in point 1. above) and above the current priority of:

Children who, at the closing date, live closest to the school judging by straight line distance, “as the crow flies”. This is measured from the south front door of the school on Paddenswick Road to the front door of the child’s confirmed permanent residence – defined as the place of normal residence during term time - by the local authority, using their chosen geographical location IT software package. This distance criteria acts as a tie-breaker in offering places after the preceding criteria have been addressed.

Admissions Policy for Entry into John Betts School

Academic Year 2024 - 2025

BACKGROUND AND ETHOS

John Betts is a non-denominational Voluntary Aided school.  It has a caring school community which offers pupils a high-quality education in a secure, happy and stimulating environment.  Through equality of opportunity, we provide a broad and balanced curriculum which is designed to meet the individual needs of every child.  Each child is encouraged to become an independent learner and accept responsibility for her/his own actions. We aim to develop in our children positive attitudes towards school life and their role in the wider community.

John Betts School is Voluntary Aided under the terms of the Education Acts and the trust established by Dr Betts, which provides certain monies to the School.  Since April 1990 the school has come under the aegis of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Education Authority.

APPLICATION TO JOHN BETTS

There are currently seven classes in the school.  There is one class in each age group.  Every class has a maximum of 30 children, the number agreed with the Local Authority in line with Department for Education regulations.

ENTRY TO RECEPTION CLASS

Each year 30 children are admitted to the reception class. Children below the statutory school age may be admitted following their fourth birthdays. In accordance with the legal requirements of the DfE Admissions Code, all children have the right to join the school at one point of entry in September.

Date of admission/deferred entry - Children will normally be admitted to the reception year for community primary schools in the September following their fourth birthday.

In line with the Admissions Code, parents can defer their child’s entry to the Reception Year until later in the school year, where they have been offered a place at a school to start before they are of compulsory school age. Where entry is deferred, the school will hold the place for that child and not offer it to another child.  However, entry cannot be deferred beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the end of the Reception Year.  In practice this means that parents could defer entry until January for children born between 1st September and 31st December, or until April for children born between 1st January and 31st August.   Parents can also request that their child attends part-time until he/she reaches compulsory school age.

Requests for admission outside the child’s chronological year of entry will be considered in accordance with paragraphs 2.18 – 2.20 of the Admissions Code.  

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf

Places for the whole year are allocated approximately a term prior to the September entry via the common application that is made to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Education Authority.

APPLICATIONS

All applications to John Betts School will be co-ordinated by Hammersmith and Fulham Education Department.  Parents/Carers therefore need to complete a common application form (CAF) which must be returned directly to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Education Authority. 

The application round will be opened by the Local Authority on the 1^st September 2023.   The online application process opens on 1^st September and you can apply via the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham website www.lbhf.gov.uk.  If you are unable to apply online you will need to contact the School Admissions Section, 3rd Floor, 145 King Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9XY. Telephone: 020 8753 1085 or E-mail:mailto:school.admissions@lbhf.gov.uk school.admissions@lbhf.gov.uk.

The closing date for applications is 15th January 2024.

https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/how-to-apply

Offers will be sent on 16th April 2024 either electronically via the applicants online account or alternatively via first class post/e-mail if a hard copy application was made and no e-mail address was provided.  If your child fails to be offered a place you do have the right to appeal.  You may also request to go on the waiting list.

CRITERIA FOR ENTRY

Children are admitted strictly in accordance with the Governor’s Admissions Criteria.  By law the admissions criteria must be reviewed on an annual basis, taking into account any changes in the regulations.

John Betts is a heavily oversubscribed school and the governors’ admission criteria are strictly applied.

The over subscription criteria state that places have to be offered according to the criteria at the time of application.

The governors of the school have agreed that when there are more applicants than places, priority will be given in order of the following criteria:

• Looked after children and all previously looked after children (i.e. children who ceased to be looked after because they were adopted, or became subject to a child arrangement or a special guardianship order), including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

• Children for whom there is a special medical/social need which can only be catered for by this school.   Any application made on these grounds must be supported by relevant professional documentation.   This evidence must be submitted along with the common application form prior to the closing date.   You will need to show why your preferred school is the only school that meets your child’s needs.

• Children who have a sibling who is expected to be on the school roll when the younger child starts school (where ‘sibling’ includes step siblings, adopted siblings and foster siblings in a long term placement).

• Children of a member of staff employed at the school at the time of the child’s admission, where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made;  and/or children of a member of staff employed at the school at the time of the child’s admission who has been recruited to fill a vacancy for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

• Up to 6 places will be made available to children eligible for the Pupil Premium who, at the closing date, live at a confirmed permanent residence – defined as the place of normal residence during term time - within an area in Hammersmith and Fulham defined as, residing to:

• The south of the Goldhawk Road not including the Goldhawk Road
• The north of the A4 not including the A4
• The west of Hammersmith Grove not including Hammersmith Gove.
• The east of Goldhawk Road and British Grove, not including Goldhawk Road and British Grove
• This area is set out in the map at Appendix B.

Please note that any siblings within this category who are eligible for the Pupil Premium will be included within the 6 available places but that looked after children and all previously looked after children (as defined above) are in addition to this category. In the event of oversubscription in this category, places will be offered to children who live closest to the school judging by straight line distance “as the crow flies”. This is measured from the south front door of the school on Paddenswick Road to the front door of the child’s confirmed permanent residence – defined above - by the local authority, using their chosen geographical location IT software package.

• Children who, at the closing date, live closest to the school judging by straight line distance, “as the crow flies”.   This is measured from the south front door of the school on Paddenswick Road to the front door of the child’s confirmed permanent residence – defined as the place of normal residence during term time - by the local authority, using their chosen geographical location IT software package. This distance criteria acts as a tie-breaker in offering places after the preceding criteria have been addressed. (See Appendix A)

• Where two children live exactly the same distance away, but where only one place is available, a decision will be made through drawing lots.   Twins, triplets and multiple birth children will be considered as individuals alongside all other applicants.  

PROOF OF RESIDENCE

Proof of residence must be applicable at time of application and admission.   Any offers made will be conditional upon this.  

If there are any changes to this information it is the parent’s/carer’s responsibility to inform the school.

CHILDREN OF UK SERVICE PERSONNEL AND CROWN SERVANTS

Requests for admission for the children of UK Service personnel and crown servants will be considered in accordance with paragraph 2.21 of the Admissions Code.  

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Late applications

Any application received by the LA after the closing date on 15th January 2024 will be considered as late and therefore will not be dealt with in the first round.   All late applications will be dealt with directly by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham local authority after the national offer date on 16th April 2024.

Appeals procedure

Parents whose applications for places are unsuccessful will be given an opportunity to appeal against the decision.   This must be expressed in accordance with the Governors’ Admissions Criteria.   In the first instance the appeal must be addressed to the Chair of the Governing Body, c/o John Betts Primary School, within twenty school days of the mailing date of the decision letter from the Local Authority.

Waiting lists

The waiting list will be maintained in order of the oversubscription criteria set out above and names will be removed at the end of the academic year.   Applicants must reapply each academic year to be considered for a place at the school. Unsuccessful applicants who then ask to be placed on the waiting list must contact the school in writing by the end of each academic year – 31^st August – to confirm that they wish to remain on the waiting list. This confirmation must be repeated at the end of each academic year.

Pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health Care Plan

The admission of pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health Care Plan is dealt with by a completely separate procedure.   This procedure is integral to the making and maintaining of Statements and Education Health Care Plans by the pupil’s home Local Education Authority.   Details of this separate procedure are set out in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

In-Year Admissions

Applications for In-Year admissions are made in the same way as those made during the normal admissions round for Reception class i.e. completing the Common Application Form(CAF), which is returned directly to the Local Authority.   This need to be accompanied by proof of address (council tax bill or utility bill, both within the last three months).   If a place is available and there is no waiting list then the local authority will communicate the governors’ offer of a place to the family.   If more applications are received than there are places available then applications will be ranked by the governing body in accordance with the oversubscription criteria, with the following modifications: children without an offer of a school place are given priority immediately after other ‘looked-after’ children. If a place cannot be offered at this time then you may ask us for the reasons and you will be informed of your right of appeal.

You will be offered the opportunity of being placed on a waiting list. As already indicated, you need to renew this request at the end of each academic year. This waiting list will be maintained by the governing body in the order of the oversubscription criteria described above and not in the order in which the applications are received. Names are removed from the list at the end of each academic year.   Applicants must reapply at the end of each academic year, 31^st August, to be considered for a place at the school.   When a place becomes available the governing body will decide who is at the top of the list by applying our specified oversubscription criteria so that the LA can make an offer.

Requests for admission outside the child’s chronological year of entry will be considered in accordance with the Admissions Code.  

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf

Requests should be accompanied by relevant evidence in support of the reasons for admission outside the child’s chronological year – e.g. from a doctor, educational psychologist or other relevant professional.

APPENDIX A

Distance from School

As indicated above, the distance a family lives from the school is determined independently, by the Local authority, using recognised IT software developed for the purpose.

It is important that when considering distance from school parents understand that distance is determined by in a straight line ‘as the crow flies’. John Betts is a very popular school and this means that the distance from which it draws its children – other than those who are given priority under the various criteria described earlier – is significantly closer to the school than it was in the past.  Parents considering applying under the distance criterion might find it helpful to know the distance from school from which the last ‘distance-determined’ entry was made in the past four years:

The following distances tell you how far from school our furthest admission lived in the specified year of entry:

2016-2017 -        0.1616 miles 

2017-2018 -        0.278 miles 

2018-2019 -        0.15 miles

2019-2020 -        0.127 miles 

2020-2021 -        0.159 miles 

2021-2022 -        0.275 miles

2022-2023 -        0.215 miles

Map of area from which applicants in pupil premium category will be considered:

Area defined as, residing to:

The south of the Goldhawk Road not including the Goldhawk Road

The north of the A4 not including the A4

The west of Hammersmith Grove not including Hammersmith Gove.

The east of Goldhawk Road and British Grove, not including Goldhawk Road and British Grove