Admissions Policy
Harris Sixth Form Co-ordinated Admission Scheme
The Harris Sixth Form administers a co-ordinated sixth form application scheme for the following academies:
- Harris City Academy Crystal Palace
- Harris Academy South Norwood
- Harris Academy Purley
- Harris Academy Merton
- Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich
- Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich
- Harris Academy Beckenham
- Harris Academy Bromley
- Harris Academy Falconwood
- Harris Invictus Academy Croydon
The Harris Sixth Form publishes a common application form which is used by all applicants who wish a place at one (or more) of the above Academies. This application form allows the student to provide up to 3 choices of A levels and/or vocational Level 3 combination courses at 10 Academies. Copies of the prospectus are available from Harris Sixth Form, 4th Floor, Norfolk House, Wellesley Road, Croydon, CR0 1LH. All applicants will be invited to a course discussion meeting to discuss their choice of course, career aspirations and likely suitability for courses. There will also be discussion about alternative courses should their predicted grades not be achieved. This course discussion meeting and the information collected other than the home address will not be used in any way to make decisions about the offer of courses which will be solely by application of the criteria below, after gathering information from the applicant’s current school on forecasts of grades. Application forms must be returned to the Harris Federation Sixth Form office by 31st March to be considered for the following year’s entry. Late applicants will only be considered after all on-time applicants have been offered places.
To determine eligibility for admission, the Harris Sixth Form has specific criteria in relation to minimum entrance requirements for Year 12 based on GCSE grades or other measures of prior attainment. The Harris Sixth Form also has academic entry requirements for each course available based upon GCSE grades or other measures of prior attainment. These criteria will be the same for internal and external transfers to individual academies and will be published in its prospectus and on each participating Academy’s website.
Young people failing to meet the grades for their preferred course option will be offered alternative courses in line with their preferences if places are available within the Harris Sixth Form.
If Year 12 is oversubscribed in any Academy then, after the admission of students with Special Educational Needs where a Harris Academy Sixth Form is named on the statement, the criteria will be applied in the order in which they are set out below, providing the student has met the sixth form entry and course requirements:
1. A 'looked after child' is a child who is (a) in the care of a Local Authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a Local Authority in the exercise of their social services functions, in England. A 'previously looked after child' is a child who was looked after in England, but ceased to be so because they were adopted, or became subject to a child arrangements or special guardianship order, as well as a child who appears to the Admission Committee (on behalf of the Trust) to have been in state care outside of England (i.e. in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, religious organisation or any other provider whose sole/main purpose is to benefit society), but ceased to be so as a result of being adopted.
2. The distance of the applicant’s home from any Academy offering a suitable preferred course with those applicants living closest being given priority.
Offers of places will be made on a common date on or around 30th April each year, conditional on obtaining GCSE or other external examination results. Internal applicants will be offered places earlier – from November onwards. These places will be automatically confirmed on providing evidence of the grades required. Places which become available after GCSE results will be offered to remaining applicants on or immediately after the enrolment day at the end of August.
Appeal Process
If an applicant wishes to appeal against the decision to not offer them a place in Harris Sixth Form the process is as follows:
- Stage 1: The applicant will have the right to appeal within 5 working days of receipt of the letter informing them of the decision not to offer them a place to the Principal of Harris Sixth Form. The Principal of Harris Sixth Form will investigate the application and inform the student of the result of the appeal within 10 working days of receipt of the appeal letter
- Stage 2: The applicant will then have the right to appeal within 5 working days of receipt of the letter confirming the result of the appeal to the Chief Executive of the Harris Federation. The Chief Executive of the Harris Federation will investigate the application and inform the student of the result of the appeal within 10 working days of receipt of the appeal letter
Following the above each Academy will provide a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for internal pupils refused transfer and the Federation will provide a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for external applicants refused admission.
- An adoption order is an order under section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
A ‘residence order’ is as an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).
