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Section
1 Introduction to Schools in Suffolk
How schools are organised?
Are there different types of school?
How do I know which schools are available in my area?Where can I
get more information about each school?
Do I have a choice of schools?
How can I find out more about schools?
Applying for a school place from outside the UK
Applying for a place in a different age group
Introduction
All schools in Suffolk are day schools for both boys and girls
of all abilities. They are grouped into three areas, each with its
own Admissions Team, which can be contacted as below:
Northern Area
Adrian House
Alexandra Road
Lowestoft
NR32 1PL
Phone: 0845 600 0981 (local rate)
Fax: 01502 519956
e mail:
admissions.north@csduk.com
Southern Area
St Edmund House
Rope Walk
Ipswich
IP4 1LZ
Phone: 0845 600 0981 (local rate)
Fax: 01473 584955
e mail:
admissions.south@csduk.com
Western Area
Shire Hall
Bury St Edmunds
IP33 1RX
Phone: 0845 600 0981 (local rate)
Fax: 01284 352106
e mail:
admissions.west@csduk.com
How are schools organised?
The age range of pupils at schools varies, depending on which
part of Suffolk they are in.
Parts of the Northern area (including Lowestoft, Beccles,
Bungay, Halesworth and Leiston), and the whole of the Western
area:
• Primary schools offer places for children aged 5 to 9 (Year
Groups Reception and 1-4)
• Middle schools offer places for children aged 9 to 13 (Year
Groups 5-8)
• Upper and high schools offer places for children aged 13 to 18
(Year Groups 9-13)
Parts of the Northern area (including Framlingham, Debenham, Eye
and Stradbroke), and the whole of the Southern area:
• Infant schools offer places for children aged 5 to 7 (Year
Groups Reception, 1 and 2)
• Junior schools offer places for children aged 7 to 11 (Year
Groups 3-6)
• Primary schools offer places for children aged 5 to 11 (Year
Groups Reception and 1-6)
• High schools offer places for children aged 11 to 16 or 11 to
18 (Year Groups 7-11 or 7-13)
We are changing how our schools are organised to reduce the
number of times pupils have to transfer to another school. This is
called the Schools Organisation Review
(See
Section 2 for more information)
Are there different types of school?
There are three types of school in Suffolk, which are maintained
by Suffolk County Council.
Community schools
The county council runs these. We decide the policy for
admissions to these schools.
Voluntary-controlled schools
The Church of England and educational trusts originally provided
these. They have religious links but we decide the policy for
admissions.
Voluntary-aided schools
The school governors in partnership with the Church of England
or Roman Catholic Church run these. The governors decide how
religious education is taught and they are responsible for the
school’s admissions policy.
We deal with applications for the entry year for all types of
school, acting on behalf of the governors in the case of
voluntary-aided
schools. Suffolk’s co-ordinated admissions scheme is set out in
full in
Section
14 of this booklet and is available online at
www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissionstoschools
How do I know what schools are available in my area?
This booklet includes a list of all the upper and high schools
in Suffolk in
Section
13. It tells you:
• the name of the school, its address and phone number
• the name of the headteacher
• the type of school
• the age range of the school
• the number of places in a year group
• other information which may help you and
• which Area Office you can call for advice
You can also use the national website
www.parentscentre.gov.uk
or www.direct.gov.uk to
find out which schools are close to you.
Where can I get more information about each school?
Every school publishes a free school brochure or prospectus,
which you can get from the school.
The prospectus contains useful information about the school
including:
• its aims and how it is organised and run
• its policies on issues such as homework, bullying, and poor
behaviour
• its policy on uniform
• start and finishing times
• school holiday dates and
• sport, visits and other out-of-school activities and clubs
You can also find out more about the school from:
• the latest Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education)
inspection report, which you can get from the Ofsted website at
www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports
• Standard Assessment Test results and exam results, such as
GCSEs, which you can find on the DCSF website at
www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables.
Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) are tests that pupils take aged 7,
11 and 14 and
• the school’s own website, if it has one
Do I have a choice of schools?
In Suffolk all parents and carers can express up to three
preferences when applying for a school place. We will offer you a
place at your first preference school wherever possible.
You may wish your child to go to your local school, which we
call the catchment school. If you want to know which is your
catchment school please call your local Area Office to check. Every
school serves an area of streets or villages, but sometimes this is
different for voluntary-aided schools.
You can also ask your Area Office for a map of a school’s
catchment area if you wish. School catchment area maps are
available electronically or in hard copy. If you would like to
receive the map of a school's catchment area, please email us,
phone us, or write to us, stating the name of the school and giving
us your contact details. You will find our contact details at the
start of this section.
If you do not want your child to go to the catchment school, you
can apply for a place at a different school. We call this school an
out-catchment school. If you prefer your child to go to an
out-catchment school it is important that you read the transport
section in
Section
12.
You can, if you wish, apply for a school place outside Suffolk
or, if you live in another county, for one of our schools in
Suffolk.
See Section 3 for further details.
How can I find out more about schools?
You must be happy with any school you put as a preference and be
confident it is the right one for your child. As a first step,
contact the schools you are interested in and ask for a free copy
of their prospectus.
When you’ve read the prospectuses, you may want to visit one or
more of the schools so you can find out more. You can contact the
school office to make an appointment and there may also be an open
day or open evening you can go to.
First impressions can count when you visit a school but don’t
just rely on appearances. Bright, modern or recently decorated
classrooms can give a good impression but what can you see of the
work that the children do there? Is it well presented and
up-to-date, for example? You may have a number of questions you
want to ask the headteacher or member of staff who shows you round
the school such as:
• What is the atmosphere of the school like?
• How does the school teach reading, writing and maths?
• What have pupils achieved in their key stage assessments or
public exams?
• What arrangements does the school have for helping children
with special educational needs?
• Does the school offer music lessons, after-school sports and
clubs or other extended school activities?
Applying for a school place from outside the UK
If your child is not yet resident in the UK, we can offer him or
her a school place before he or she arrives in the UK providing
that he or she falls into one of the following categories:
• a British Citizen
• a Citizen of the EEC
• a Citizen of Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland
• he or she is accompanying you on a Teacher Exchange Scheme
• he or she is accompanying you as a member of the United States
Air Force.
We will require a copy of the child’s passport as evidence of
citizenship, or a copy of the documentation confirming your
placement.
If your child does not fall into any of the above categories,
then you should not make an application for a school place until
your child has arrived in the UK.
Applying for a place in a different age group
Sometimes parents or carers ask if their child can be admitted
to a year group with children who are younger or older than their
child. We don’t normally agree to this, as we believe all schools
are experienced in educating and caring for children with a range
of different needs and abilities and will be able to provide a
suitable education. If you are thinking about an early or delayed
admission or transfer to a school for your child, you should
contact your local Area Office as soon as possible for advice.
Children will need to meet certain criteria before the request can
be agreed and we look at the circumstances of each case very
carefully before coming to a decision.
There is no right of appeal if a school place has been offered
but not in the desired age group.
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