Trinity Academy Grammar

The procedure for allocating places, including dealing with over subscription: Places will be allocated on the basis of Fair Banding as permitted by the Department for Education (DfE) School Admissions Code.

Students applying to TAG will be invited to sit a non-verbal assessment (based on cognitive ability) produced by a reputable national organisation. For further details please see Supplemental Guidance.

Applicants who sit the Fair Banding Assessment are considered for admission first.

Any applicants, including late applicants, who miss the September Fair Banding Assessment will be given a further opportunity to sit a Fair Banding Assessment in November.

Note: Applicants can only sit the Fair Banding Assessment once.

Any applicants who choose not to sit the Fair Banding Assessment will be ‘non-banded’ and will be ranked in order of priority (after all of the banded applicants), with the level of priority then determined with reference to the oversubscription criteria (below).

How Fair Banding works

The assessment is not a traditional entrance exam which children either pass or fail. It is done to ensure that our intake exactly matches the ability profile of the children applying. To achieve this, all applicants (by the deadline) are invited to take a non-verbal reasoning assessment to divide them into 4 ability bands. We will admit the required number from each band based on the spread of ability of those applying. The assessment is externally set by a well-established educational assessment agency and the papers are collected by the agency to be marked. The academy is then provided with a list of each child’s assessment mark, similar to an IQ score, with 100 being the average. The marks are divided into four bands and we are instructed how many children to take from each band e.g. if 40% of those applying are identified in Band 2, then 40% of our intake has to be from this band. This ensures that the 210 places we offer reflect the ability range of our applicants.

Parents/cares of children who sit the Fair Banding Assessment in October will be informed of their child’s score (and the band they have been allocated to) prior to the national deadline for secondary school applications. Parents/carers of children who sit the later Fair Banding Assessment will also be informed of their child’s score and the band they have been allocated to.

Looked after children and children in receipt of an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC), who do not take the assessment, will be allocated to the appropriate band on the basis of an alternative appropriate assessment. For example, a current teacher assessment of the child’s capabilities and the use of moderated professional judgment, to allocate the child into a band.

For children with SEND - At the request of a primary school or parent/carer, additional steps will be taken to ensure reasonable adjustments are made to the assessment or an alternative (more appropriate) assessment is sought.

Oversubscription criteria

In the event of oversubscription within each band, after the admission of students with an Education Health and Care plan naming the academy, priority for admission will be determined using the criteria set out below, in priority order:

1. a) Children who are in public care – ‘Looked After’ (as defined by section 22 of the Children Act 1989) or children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they became adopted or became subject to a child arrangements or special guardianship order. b) Children who appear (to the admission authority of the academy) to have been in public care outside of England and ceased to be in public care as a result of being adopted. (A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.)
2. Children who attend Akroydon Primary Academy; Christ Church CE (VA) Junior School (Sowerby Bridge); Norland CE School; Holy Trinity Primary School (COEA); Triangle CE (VC) Primary School; St. Mary’s CE (VC) Junior and Infant School (Sowerby Bridge).
3. Children whose siblings currently attend the academy and who will continue to do so on the date of admission. (“Sibling” is defined as a full or half brother or sister; a stepbrother or sister; an adoptive brother or sister; the children of parents living together in the same family household. The elder sibling must still be on roll at the academy when the younger child starts at the academy i.e. sibling applications will only be accepted for siblings of students in years 7 to 10.
4. Children of staff employed at the academy. ‘Staff’ for this purpose are defined as anyone employed by the academy who has held a permanent contract with the academy for at least two years prior to the application or to staff recently appointed to a post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
5. Other children.

Distance from the academy.

If there is oversubscription in any category, students will be admitted in order of proximity to TAG. Distance will be calculated using a straight-line measurement from the pupil’s home to the main school gate. Distances will be calculated using the local authority’s Geographical Information System (GIS). To ensure consistency, all measurements will be carried out by the local authority’s GIS system and no other method of measuring distance will be considered. Each property has a co-ordinate taken from Ordnance Survey address point data. This is the point from which distance measurements will be taken.

Note - The address given must be where the child and parents live permanently. It must not be the child minder’s, grandparent’s or other relative’s address. If there is joint custody for the child, then the address of the parent receiving the child benefit is used. Parents may be required to provide proof of permanent address.

Multiple births. However, if children of multiple birth (twins and triplets) are tied for the final place, those siblings will be admitted over PAN.

Procedure for allocating places, including dealing with oversubscription: 

Places will be allocated on the basis of Fair Banding as permitted by the Department for Education (DfE) School Admissions Code. 

Students applying to TAG will be invited to sit a non-verbal assessment (based on cognitive ability) produced by a reputable national organisation. For further details please see Supplemental Guidance. 

Applicants who sit the Fair Banding Assessment are considered for admission first. 

Any applicants, including late applicants, who miss the October Fair Banding Assessment will be given a further opportunity to sit a Fair Banding Assessment in November. 

Note: Applicants can only sit the Fair Banding Assessment once. 

Any applicants who choose not to sit the Fair Banding Assessment will be ‘non-banded’ and will be ranked in order of priority (after all of the banded applicants), with the level of priority then determined with reference to the oversubscription criteria (below). 

How Fair Banding Works

The assessment is not a traditional entrance exam in which children either pass or fail. It is done to ensure that our intake exactly matches the ability profile of the children applying. To achieve this, all applicants (by the deadline) are invited to take a non-verbal reasoning assessment to divide them into 4 ability bands. We will admit the required number from each band based on the spread of ability of those applying. 

The assessment is externally set by a well-established educational assessment agency and the papers are collected and marked. The academy is then provided with a list of each child’s assessment mark, similar to an IQ score, with 100 being the average. The marks are divided into four bands, and we are instructed how many children to take from each band e.g. if 40% of those applying are identified in Band 2, then 40% of our intake has to be from this band. This ensures that the 210 places we offer reflect the ability range of our applicants. 

Parents/carers of children who sit the Fair Banding Assessment in October will be informed of their child’s score (and the band they have been allocated to) prior to the national deadline for secondary school applications. Parents/carers of children who sit the later Fair Banding Assessment will also be informed of their child’s score and the band they have been allocated to.

Looked after children, previously looked after, and children in receipt of an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC), who do not take the assessment, will be allocated to the appropriate band based on an alternative appropriate assessment e.g. a current teacher assessment of the child’s capabilities, and the use of moderated professional judgment, to allocate the child into a band. 

For children with SEND - At the request of a primary school or parent/carer, additional steps will be taken to ensure reasonable adjustments are made to the assessment or an alternative (more appropriate) assessment is sought. 

Oversubscription criteria 

In the event of oversubscription within each band, after the admission of students with an Education Health and Care plan naming the academy, priority for admission will be determined using the criteria set out below, in priority order: 

1. (a) Children who are in public care – ‘Looked After’ (as defined by section 22 of the Children Act 1989) or children who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they became adopted or became subject to a child arrangements or special guardianship order. (b) Children who appear (to the admission authority of the academy) to have been in public care outside of England and ceased to be in public care as a result of being adopted. 

• A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society. 

2. Children who attend Trinity Academy Akroydon; Christ Church CE (VA) Junior School (Sowerby Bridge); Norland CE School; Holy Trinity Primary School (COEA); Triangle CE (VC) Primary School; St. Mary’s CE (VC) Junior and Infant School (Sowerby Bridge); Whitehill Community Academy.

3. Children whose siblings currently attend the academy and who will continue to do so on the date of admission.         

• Sibling is defined as a full or half brother or sister; a stepbrother or sister; an adoptive brother or sister; the children of parents living together in the same family household. The elder sibling must still be on roll at the academy when the younger child starts at the academy i.e. sibling applications will only be accepted for siblings of students in years 7 to 10. 

4. Children of staff employed at the academy. 

• Staff for this purpose are defined as anyone employed by the academy who has held a permanent contract with the academy for at least two years prior to the application or to staff recently appointed to a post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. 

5. Other children. 

If there is an oversubscription in any category, students will be admitted in order of proximity to TAG.