YESOIDAY HATORAH GIRLS’ ACADEMY

Sedgley Park Road, Prestwich M25 0JW

  

ADMISSION POLICY 2024

 

1. Yesoiday HaTorah Girls’ Academy caters for Girls from families who are “Charedi”, who conduct all aspects of their lives in accordance with strictly Orthodox Jewish Practice, as set out in the “Shulchan Oruch” [Code of Jewish Law].

 

2. The Academy is funded directly from Central Government.

 

3. The Academy’s governing body is the admissions authority.

 

4. For admissions in September for the academic year 2024, the admission number is sixty (60).

 

5. Applications are considered without reference to the child’s ability or aptitude.

 

6. Attendance at Yocheved Segal Nursery does not give a child any guarantee or priority when it comes to consideration by the governors of applicants for admission to the reception class.

 

7. Provision of false information will result in the automatic rejection of the application and any place offered shall be withdrawn even if a child has already started school.

 

8. The academy will meet its statutory obligation to admit any child whom the academy has to admit by law, providing the academy has been adequately consulted.

 

9. If the academy is oversubscribed, priority will be given to applicants who meet the school’s faith-based oversubscription criterion. The academy will give priority to girls from “Charedi” families who conduct all aspects of their lives in accordance with strictly Orthodox Jewish Practice as set out in the “Shulchan Oruch” [Code of Jewish Law] and in particular as per the “Mehalech HaChaim code”.  Applicants wishing to be considered for priority in accordance with this criterion should complete the school’s supplementary application form available from the academy, and return both forms to the academy by 15 January 2024.

 

10. In the event of oversubscription, places will be allocated in accordance with the following oversubscription criteria:                             

 

1. A looked after “Charedi” child (note 1)

 

2. Children who will still have siblings in either Yesoiday HaTorah Girls’ Academy or Yesoiday HaTorah Boys’ Academy when they join the school and who live at the same address as the applicant (note 2)

 

3. Oversubscription in any category (note 3)

 

4. Children from “Charedi” families (note 4)

 

5. Other looked after children (note 1)

 

6. Other children

 

 

 

Note 1            Looked after children are children in public care and previously looked after children. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted¹ or became subject to a residence order² or special guardianship order.

 

1. Under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. See Section 46 (adoption orders).
2. Under the terms of the Children Act 1989. See Section 8 which defines a ‘residence order’ as an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the child is to live.

 

Note 2            For the purpose of admission, a sibling link is defined as a brother or sister, half or step brother or sister residing at the same address as the pupil who occupies a place in either Yesoiday HaTorah Girls’ Academy or Yesoiday HaTorah Boys’ Academy and will be at either school at the time of the applicant’s admission.

 

Note 3            If there is over-subscription in any category, places will be offered using distance from home to the Academy main gate as a criterion. The distance will be measured using the Local Authority’s computerised mapping system, which uses the ordnance survey integrated network. The route will be measured using a walking distance from the point on the highway nearest to the centre of the house to the main gate of the academy. This route must be paved and have street lights.  Those living closer on this basis will receive the higher priority. When the final place in a year group can be taken by two or more children living an equal distance from the academy, (for example two children living in the same block of flats) the Academy will then use random allocation to decide which of the children can be offered a place.

 

If there is a situation where only one place is available and the next children to be offered are twins or triplets, both twins or the three triplets will be offered places.

 

Note 4            Families are required to produce a reference from the Rabbi of their community or synagogue certifying their degree of practical commitment to “conducting all aspects of their lives in accordance with strictly Orthodox Jewish Practice as set out in the “Shulchan Oruch” [Code of Jewish Law] in particular in accordance with the “Mehalech HaChaim Code” which is attached as an appendix to the academy admission form.

 

 

11. Any parent whose child is refused a place may appeal that decision and that appeal will be heard by the “Admission Appeal Panel”. Appeals should be in writing, addressed to the “Clerk to the Admission Appeal Panel” and made within 7 days of receiving notification that the child has been refused a place.

 

12. It is policy not to reconsider repeat applications in the same academic year, unless there has been a significant change in circumstances relevant to the application.

 

13. Procedure for late applications:

All applications received after the deadline (current year: 15 January 2024) are treated as late applications and only considered after all on-time applications have been processed. It is likely that there will be no vacancies at the school, as the school tends to be heavily oversubscribed and places will usually have been allocated to those applying on time. However, if there are vacancies we will offer them in accordance with the Admissions Policy criteria. If there are no vacancies, the child will be placed on the waiting list. Applications received towards the end of the summer term or during the summer holidays may not be dealt with until the start of the autumn term, due to the summer break.

 

14. Procedure for in-year applications:

In-year admissions are managed on a case by case basis, depending on the year group in question and the availability of spaces within that year group, and the total number of children in school. Most year groups are full, however, so few in-year applications can be considered, or places offered.