Thomas Clarkson Academy Admissions Policy 25/26 - Sixth Form Admissions

Sixth Form Application Form

It is important that students select courses appropriate to their needs in terms of ability and career plans. Students must gather as much information as possible to ensure that they make well-informed decisions. Students in Year 11 at both Thomas Clarkson Academy and external applicants will need to apply formally for a place in the Sixth Form and meet the criteria for all courses applied for.

Academy staff will examine subject choices and offer further guidance, should the need arise. Students will receive confirmation that their application has been successful. The Academy will admit students from outside Thomas Clarkson Academy into Year 12. Entry requirements for courses are the same for both internal and external applicants.

Students entering Thomas Clarkson Academy Sixth Form will be expected to read and sign a learning agreement which outlines the commitment required to be successful in Post 16 study and the support that students can expect to receive from Academy staff. In addition, Sixth Form students must recognise that they are part of a large community and have a responsibility to abide by our dress code and conduct themselves in a manner that supports the Academy ethos.

Entry Requirements:

Those wishing to study at Sixth Form need to secure five 9-5 grade subjects. Those choosing A Levels need a grade 6 in selected subjects to study them at A Level (Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English). A grade 6 is required in all other subjects that students wish to study at A Level. Those opting for BTECs need to secure a merit in their selected BTEC subjects.

Thomas Clarkson Academy reserve the right to remove any Sixth Form course if the interest in the course is not sustainable financially for the Academy. In such circumstances, students will be informed at the earliest opportunity and guidance given with regards to alternative options available.

Oversubscription Criteria

In the event of the number of external applications received exceeding the overall Sixth Form PAN and following the admission of pupils with a statement of special educational needs statement or EHC plan which names the Academy, priority for places will be allocated against the following criteria in the order listed:

1. Looked after Children (LAC) and all previously Looked after Children.
2. Sibling link – children who will have an older sibling attending the Academy at the time of admission in years 7 to 13 or had a sibling in year 13 on National Secondary Allocation Day.
3. Other children based on the distance between home and school.  Priority will be given to children who live nearest the Academy according to the shortest straight-line distance.  In the case where multiple applications from the same shared dwelling occurs (e.g. flats), a randomiser will be used to decide the priority in which the pupils within the shared dwelling are selected in the event of a tiebreaker. The Trust will use www.randomizer.org to undertake the random allocation process which will be independently verified.

There will be a right of appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel for unsuccessful Post 16 applicants. A waiting list will be held for Year 12 students for the first academic year of admission. This waiting list will be held in line with the over subscription criteria.