Determined Admissions Arrangements
CROXLEY DANES SCHOOL DETERMINED ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2025
1. Secondary Transfer
The school is a co-educational, all-ability academy. The Admissions Committee of Croxley Danes School, which includes the Headteacher, is responsible for all admissions to the school and for secondary transfer to Croxley Danes School.
How to apply: The School will be participating in the co-ordinated secondary transfer admission arrangements administered by Hertfordshire County Council. All applicants are required to complete the secondary application form provided by the County Council in which they reside and must rank Croxley Danes School as one of their preferences if they wish their application to be considered by the school. Applicants applying under criterion 3 (children of staff) and criterion 4 (musical aptitude) are also requested to complete a Croxley Danes School application form (also known as a Supplementary Information Form) in order for the Admissions Committee of Croxley Danes School to apply the admission rules to the application. Parents will be able to access the Croxley Danes application form on the Croxley Danes School website and download the form then post a completed copy to the Admissions Officer, at the school. Both forms must be completed and returned by the closing date for admissions (31st October 2024) in order for the application to be considered ‘on-time’. Offers will be communicated to parents on national offer day, 1st March 2025.
2. Published Admission Number (PAN)
The PAN for Year 7 is 180 students. The school will accordingly admit this number of students in 2025 if there are sufficient applications. Where there are more applicants than the PAN, the Admissions Committee of Croxley Danes School will apply the oversubscription criteria.
3. Over-subscription Criteria
When the school is oversubscribed, after the admission of students with an Education Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below in priority order:
1. Children looked after and children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to adoption, a child arrangement order or 4 special guardianship order - this also includes those who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care abroad.
2. Children whose brother or sister is in attendance at the school at the time of application or whose brother or sister qualifies for a place in the same round of applications under criterion 4 or through an Educational, Health and Care Plan.
3. Children of staff who are permanently employed to work at Croxley Danes School. For further details please read the relevant section in the ‘additional notes to assist applicants’.
4. Up to 10% of places will be for students demonstrating musical aptitude as determined by test during the autumn term 2024.1
5. Distance places will be allocated on the basis of proximity to the school. The school uses Hertfordshire County Council’s ‘straight line’ measurement system. Distances are measured using a computerised mapping system to two decimal places. The measurement is taken from the AddressBase Premium address point of the applicant’s house to the address point of Croxley Danes School in Baldwins Lane, Croxley Green.
4. Tie-break
If the school becomes oversubscribed within any of criteria 2, 3 and 5 above, proximity to the school will first be applied with those living closest to the school having priority for admission. Random allocation will be used as a tie-break to decide who has the highest priority for admission. However, if children of multiple births (twins and triplets) are tied for the final place, those siblings will be admitted over the published admission number. Every child entered onto the Hertfordshire County Council admissions database has an individual random number assigned between 1 and 1 million, against each preference school. When there is a need for a final tie break the random number is used to allocate the place, with the lowest number given priority. If the school becomes oversubscribed under criterion 4 and two or more applicants are tied for the final place with equal musical aptitude scores, then proximity to the school will first be applied with the applicant living closest to the school having priority for admission. If the distance between these applicants’ homes and the school are also equidistant then the random allocation will be used as a final tiebreaker.
5. Late Applications at Secondary Transfer
Applications received by Croxley Danes School after the closing date for applications, 31st October 2024 but before 31st August 2025 will be considered as ‘late applications’. These ‘late applications’ will be considered at the second round of continuing interest and at any subsequent allocations. In exceptional circumstances, as determined by the Admissions 1 Children sitting the test will be admitted in rank order of their score in the test. Once we have allocated 10% of our PAN to those with the highest scores, other children applying for this school and taking the aptitude test will be considered under criteria 5. 5 Committee, a late application may be considered to be “on time” if received by the “late deadline” of 2nd December 2024.
6. Admission of Children Outside Their Normal Age Group Parents may request that their child is admitted to a year group outside their normal age range, for instance where the child is gifted or talented or where a child has suffered from particular social or medical issues impacting his or her schooling. All such requests will be considered on their merits and either agreed or refused on that basis. If a request is refused, the child will still be considered for admission to their normal age group. The process for requesting such an admission is as follows:
With the application, parents should request that the child is admitted to another year group (stating which one), and the reasons for that request. Parents will submit any evidence in support of their case with the application, for instance from a medical practitioner, Headteacher etc. Some of the evidence a parent might submit could include:
• information about the child’s academic, social and emotional development;
• where relevant, their medical history and the views of a medical professional;
• whether they have previously been educated out of their normal age group; and
• whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely.
The school will consider each case on its merits, taking into account the individual circumstances of the request and the child’s best interests. It will also ensure the parent is aware of whether the request for admission out of age group has been agreed before final offers are made, and the reason for any refusal. Requests for admission out of the normal year group will be considered alongside other applications made at the same time. An application from a child who would ‘normally’ not be a year 7 child for a year 7 place will be considered alongside applications for year 7.
It is the policy within Croxley Danes School to educate students within their normal age group wherever possible. This reflects Hertfordshire County Council’s ‘Generally, children should be educated in their normal age group (that is their correct chronological year).’ For applicants being taught out of their normal age group at the time of application, Croxley Danes School is not obliged to continue to educate those children out of their normal age group; however, in the case of applications from summer born children, who delayed their entry to Reception by one academic year, the school will continue to educate those children out of their normal age group.
7. Continuing Interest Lists
Where in any year the school receives more applications for places at secondary transfer than there are places available, continuing interest lists will operate until the end of the first term after the beginning of the school year. These will be maintained by Croxley Danes School and it will be open to any parent to ask for his or her child’s name to be placed on the continuing interest lists, following an unsuccessful application. Children who have sat the musical aptitude test will be ranked on the aptitude continuing interest list and also on the non-aptitude continuing interest list without taking account of their aptitude.
If a place becomes available, it will first be allocated to a child falling within criterion 1 and next criterion 2 and so on.
The musical aptitude continuing interest list will next come into operation if fewer than 18 applicants have been admitted because of their musical aptitude. If 18 applicants in the year group have already been admitted based on musical aptitude then no further applicants will be admitted from the musical aptitude continuing interest list and the place would be allocated to those falling into criterion 5 from our non-aptitude continuing interest list.
The continuing interest list will be reordered in accordance with the oversubscription criteria whenever anyone is added to or leaves the continuing interest list. The continuing interest list for 2025 secondary transfer will cease to operate at the end of the autumn term 2025 at which point applicants will be required to complete an in-year application form if they wish to remain on the list. The continuing interest list for in-year admissions will be ordered solely in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.
8. Appeals
All applicants refused a place have a right of appeal to an independent appeal panel constituted and operated in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code. Appellants should either:
i. Log into their online application at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/schoolappeals and click on the link ‘register an appeal.’
ii. Contact the Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4043 to request appeal information, if you did not apply through the Hertfordshire online application system.
9. In Year Transfer
Applicants applying for admission to Year 7 (following the end of the secondary transfer process), or years 8 -11 will be considered in accordance with the school’s in-year admissions procedure.
The admission number for Croxley Danes School in September 2025 is 180 students in years 7 to 11.
The school participates in HCC’s Fair Access protocol, which means that children will be admitted under this protocol before applicants on the continuing interest list. When the school is oversubscribed applicants who have an EHC Plan that name the school will be admitted prior to the application of the in-year oversubscription criteria.
10. In Year Oversubscription Criteria
When a place becomes available priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below:
1. Children looked after and children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to adoption, a child arrangement order or special guardianship order this includes those who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care abroad.
2. Children whose brother or sister attends the school at the time of application.
3. Children of staff who are permanently employed to work at Croxley Danes School. For further details please read the relevant section in the ‘additional notes to assist applicants.’
4. Distance places will be allocated on the basis of proximity to the school. The school uses Hertfordshire County Council’s ‘straight line’ measurement system.
11. In Year Continuing Interest List
Where in any year the school receives more applications for places than there are places available, applicants’ names will be added to the continuing interest list for the appropriate year group. The list will be maintained by Croxley Danes School and unsuccessful applicants’ names will be placed on the list. If a place becomes available, it will first be allocated to a child falling within criterion 1 and next criterion 2 and so on. The continuing interest list will be reordered in accordance with the oversubscription criteria whenever anyone is added to or leaves the list. An applicant’s name will remain on the continuing interest list until the end of the academic year in which they apply, at which time applicants will need to complete another in year application form in order to remain on the list.
12. In Year Appeal
Following submission of your application to the school, if you are advised that your application is unsuccessful, Hertfordshire County Council will contact you with registration details to enable you to login and appeal online at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/schoolappeals
13. Additional Notes To Assist Applicants
13.1 Educational Health and Care Plan
Where Croxley Danes School is named in a child’s Educational Health and Care Plan the school will admit the child.
13.2 Criterion 1 - Children Looked After A “child looked after” is a child who is:
i. in the care of a local authority,
ii. being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (section 22(1) of The Children Act 1989)
iii. Those who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care abroad.
All children adopted from care who are of compulsory school age are eligible for admission under criterion 1. Children in the process of being placed for adoption are classified by law as children looked after providing there is a Placement Order and the application would be prioritised under criterion 1.
Child arrangements order:
Under the provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014, which amended section 8 of the Children Act 1989, residence orders have now been replaced by child arrangements orders which settle the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live.
Special guardianship order:
Under 14A of The Children Act 1989, an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian or guardians.
In order to apply under this criterion, the following evidence will be required: an Adoption Certificate, a Child Arrangements Order or a Special Guardianship Order, plus official evidence from an English or Welsh local authority to show that the child is in their care or was in their care immediately prior to being adopted.
Applications for children who have been adopted but were previously looked after abroad (not by an English or Welsh local authority) will be considered under this rule and accepted if the child’s previously looked after status and adoption is confirmed.
A child’s previously looked after status will be decided in accordance with the definition outlined in The Children & Social Work Act 2017: (a) to have been in state care in a place outside England and Wales because he or she would not otherwise have been cared for adequately, and (b) to have ceased to be in that state care as a result of being adopted. A child is in “state care” if he or she is in the care of, or accommodated by: (a) a public authority, (b) a religious organisation, or (c) any other organisation the sole or main purpose of which is to benefit society.
All applications are considered individually but a successful application should include evidence that the child was previously cared for by the state abroad because he or she would not otherwise have been cared for adequately and has been subsequently adopted.
13.3 Criterion 2 – Siblings For the purposes of Criterion 2, a sibling is defined as an applicant who has at least one natural parent (or parent by legal adoption) in common with a student at the school, or an applicant who is related as a step-sibling to a student by the inter-marriage of one of each of their parents prior to the date of application. In every case, the siblings must reside in the same house as each other Monday to Friday. The sibling definition includes a child looked after or previously looked after and, in every case living permanently in a placement within the home as part of the family household from Monday to Friday at the time of application.
A brother or sister is considered to have a sibling connection only if their brother or sister will be attending the school at the time of application of the sibling. In the case of twins/multiple births from the same household, if only one twin qualifies for admission, the school will allocate places to both children. This principle will apply to other multiple births such as triplets. Additional place(s) will be counted as sibling admissions.
A sibling link will not be recognised for children living temporarily in the same house, for example a child who usually lives with one parent but has temporarily moved or a looked after child in a respite placement or very short term or bridging foster placement.
13.4 Criterion 3 – Children of Staff
Children of staff employed by the Danes Educational Trust, whose Statement of Main Terms and Conditions of Employment names Croxley Danes as the principal place of work, will be allocated a place if either or all of the following conditions are met:
a) Where a member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time the application is made.
b) Where the Governors can demonstrate that the member of staff has been recruited to fill a vacant position for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage.
c) In addition to either a) or b) the child must live at the same permanent address as the member of staff.
13.5 Criterion 4 – Musical Aptitude Test (Secondary Transfer only)
The new School Admissions Code, which came into force in 2021, requires all schools that use aptitude tests as part of their admission arrangements to inform parents of the outcome of these tests before the secondary transfer application deadline, 31st October 2024 (for applicants to the 2025 academic year). Applicants who wish to apply to sit the musical aptitude test need to have registered for the test between 8th April 2024 and 21st June 2024 in order to sit the test and be considered under Criterion 4 for entry at Secondary Transfer 10 2025. The tests will take place in autumn term. Registration can be made on-line at www.swhertsschools.org.uk. Round One is an aural test of approximately 30 minutes’ duration and does not require any previous knowledge of music or music theory. There will be 60 questions in a total of four sections: Pitch, melody, texture and rhythm. There will be one test session in September 2024. Applicants will be notified in advance of the test venue. Those unable to attend on this date due to compelling religious or medical reasons will be offered one alternative date. The highest scoring candidates will be invited back for Round Two to perform a single piece on their chosen instrument or vocally. Their aptitude for music will be assessed from this performance and as there is a free choice of instrument and piece this will enable candidates of all abilities and all cultures to succeed. For applicants to be considered under this criterion they must have ticked ‘Musical Aptitude Test’ on the Croxley Danes School Supplementary Information Form. It will not be possible to provide a musical aptitude test for late secondary transfer applicants or for in-year applicants.
The test for musical aptitude will be administered with other local schools. Applicants to more than one of these schools under the criterion requiring a proven measure of musical aptitude will be assessed by these jointly administered tests.
To apply for special consideration for the musical aptitude test, applicants must provide written evidence of a disability or illness which will require their child to receive additional support. This evidence must be sent immediately after registering for the test. Please scan and send a copy of the written evidence from your Primary School Head or SENCO, quoting your child’s full name, date of birth and South West Herts Reference number by email to swhsconsortium@gmail.com by 21st June 2024 at the latest. It is very important that the paperwork is received by 21st June 2024 at the latest otherwise it may not be possible to provide the appropriate support. Applicants will be informed in advance of the test date of any appropriate special arrangements which will be made for their child.
13.6 Criterion 5 – Distance of Home Address From The School
The address provided must be the child’s current permanent address at the time of application.
• “At the time of application” means the closing date for applications.
• “Permanent” means that the child has lived at that address for at least a year.
Where a family has not lived at an address for a year, they must be able to demonstrate that they own the property or have a tenancy agreement for a minimum of 12 months* and the child must be resident in the property at the time of application.
The application can only be processed using one address. If a child lives at more than one address (for example due to a separation) the address used will be the one where the child lives for the majority of the school week. If a child lives at two addresses equally, parents/carers should make a single joint application naming one address.
If the child's living arrangements change after you apply and they now spend the majority of the school week living at a different address, you must provide evidence of the new permanent address.
The school may ask for proof of your address at any time. If, following an initial investigation and/or any investigation by with the Shared Anti-Fraud Service, the admissions committee concludes that, a fraudulent address has been used, correspondence confirming this decision will be sent to the applicant. The school will explain the decision-making process and the action that will be taken with the application. The school will also confirm which address will be used as the child’s permanent home address for admission allocation purposes.
If the school receives more than one application with different address details and parents don't agree, parents/carers should provide court documentation to evidence the address that should be used for admission allocation purposes. If two applications are received, with different addresses, neither will be processed until the address issue is reconciled.
For the transfer application rounds, if the initial differing applications (one or both) were received “on-time”, an amended joint application will also be considered “on-time” if received before the “late deadline”. If the amended joint application is received after the late date, it will be treated as “late”. The late deadline for the 2025/26 transfer application process is 2 December 2024 for secondary. If these dates change, amendments will be published on the HCC admissions web pages at the start of the 2025/26 application process in September 2024.
* If, because of the nature of the agreement, it is not possible to provide a 12-month tenancy agreement, alternative proof of address will be requested.
14 Withdrawal of a Place
The Governors of Croxley Danes School will reconsider an offer of a place if the place is offered in error, a parent fails to respond to an offer within a reasonable time or the Governors offered the place on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent or in the case where negligent mis-statement has been made. This may lead to the child having a lower priority for admission under the admission criteria and may even lead to the place being withdrawn. Applicants must inform the Governors of any change in circumstances relating to the application immediately, and in writing. A decision will then be made as to whether or not this affects the application or the place offered.
