ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR ENTRY TO YEAR 7 FOR SEPTEMBER 2009

ADMISSION NUMBER

The number of intended admissions for September 2009 remains 180. Girls will be admitted at the age of 11 or after having completed National Curriculum Year 6.

OVERSUBSCRIPTION

In the event of there being more than 180 applications, priority will be given to those whose permanent home address lies within the school’s Admission Area [see note (i)].

COMMUNITY AND SPECIALIST PLACES

The school will designate 117 places (65% of the whole) as Community Places and 63 places (35% of the whole) as Specialist Places.

OVERSUBSCRIPTION WITHIN THE ADMISSION AREA

For the purpose of applying the Specialist criteria, the admission area will be divided into two separate areas (the Watford Area and the Rest of the Admission Area) and applicants will be placed in one of them according to the location of their permanent home address.

For the purpose of applying the Community criteria the admission area will be treated as a single area.

• Watford Area
  The school will reserve 38 specialist places (60% of the total specialist places) for applicants whose permanent home address lies within the Watford Area [see note (i)]. In the event of more than 38 such applications, priority amongst them will be given according to these admission arrangements and criteria.
• Rest of the Admission Area
  The school will reserve 25 specialist places (40% of the total specialist places) for applicants whose permanent home address lies within the Rest of the Admission Area [see note (i)]. In the event of more than 25 such applications, priority amongst them will be given according to these admission arrangements and criteria.

If fewer places than the number reserved are accepted by applicants from an Area, the balance will be added to the places reserved for applicants from the other Area.

Applicants will have to indicate under which criterion or criteria within the community and/or specialist places they are applying

Except for those applying under criterion 1 or 3, all applicants are strongly recommended to apply for both a Community Place and a Specialist Place and to sit the school’s admissions test provided for in criterion 7.

The following criteria will then be applied.

OVER SUBSCRIPTION CRITERIA

COMMUNITY PLACES

1. Looked After Children. See note (xiv).
2. Applicants whose permanent home address is nearest to the school (18 places, 10% of the total admissions) See note (xiii).
3. Applicants with a sister enrolled at the school at the time of admission, excluding sisters who first entered the school in the Sixth Form (Year 12 or Year 13). See note (v).
4. Applicants with a brother enrolled at Watford Grammar School for Boys at the time of admission excluding brothers who first entered the school in the Sixth Form (Year 12 or Year 13). See note (v).
5. Places will then be allocated to applicants living closest to the school. See note (xiii).
   

SPECIALIST PLACES

1. Applicants selected on the basis of aptitude for music as measured by the school's assessment procedures (18 places, 10% of total admissions).
2. Applicants selected by academic ability as measured by the school’s assessment procedures, in merit order (45 places, 25% of total admissions)

NOTES (these are part of the arrangements)

(i)   The Admission Area comprises the Watford Area and the Rest of the Admission Area as defined in this note.

The Watford Area comprises postcode sector
WD171 to 4
WD180, 6 to 9
WD194 to 7
WD231 to 7 and 9
WD244 to 7 and 9
WD250, 5, 7 to 9
WD3 3

The Rest of the Admission Area comprises postcode sectors
WD3 1, 4 to 9
WD48 and 9
WD5 0
WD63
WD7 7 and 8
HA36
HA51 to 5
HA6 1 to 3
HA73 and 4
and the permanent home address of applicants from outside the Admission Area validly applying under criterion 3.

(ii)   In applying these admission arrangements, ‘permanent home address’ will mean such address at the date of application. Should the school be unable to establish to its satisfaction one specific address as the applicant’s permanent home address then, in applying these admission arrangements, the applicant’s permanent home address shall be deemed to be the address of the primary school where the applicant is enrolled on the date of application.

(iii)   For the purposes of criterion 3, ‘a sister’ means either
a)a girl having at least one natural parent (or parent by legal adoption) in common with the applicant, or
b)a girl related to the applicant as a step-sister by the inter-marriage of one of each of their parents prior to the date of application

(iv)   For the purposes of criterion 4, ‘a brother’ means either
a)a boy having at least one natural parent (or parent by legal adoption) in common with the applicant, or
b)a boy related to the applicant as a step-brother by the inter-marriage of one of each of their parents prior to the date of application.

(v)   For the purposes of criteria 3 and 4, the applicant must have a sibling who will be a student at Watford Grammar School for Girls or at Watford Grammar School for Boys, in Years 7–13, at the time the applicant would be admitted to the school (not when the place is accepted). This means that applicants with an elder sibling in Y13 (the Upper Sixth) cannot apply for a place under criterion 3 or 4. Those applicants with an elder sibling in Y11 can apply under these criteria because it is assumed (for admission purposes only) that Y11 students will enter the Sixth Form.

(vi)   It is the policy of the Governing Body to admit both (or all) siblings in the case of multiple births, provided that at least one of the siblings gains a place at the school under any criterion and that the school is deemed appropriate for the educational needs of the additional child(ren). The additional place(s) will be counted as sibling admissions. This applies equally to mixed gender siblings in co-operation with Watford Grammar School for Boys.

(vii)   Those who apply only for a Community Place or only for a place on the basis of aptitude in
music will not sit the school’s admissions test of academic ability.

(viii)   All applicants for places under criterion 6 must sit a written test of musical aptitude. The test is of approximately 40 minutes' duration and does not require any previous knowledge of music or music theory. There will be 60 questions in total in four sections: pitch, rhythm, texture and melody. Further details are to be found at the end of these notes.

There will be one test session on (DATE TO BE CONFIRMED). Applicants will be notified in advance of the test venue. The music test will be administered jointly with St. Clement Danes School, Parmiter's School, Queens' School, Rickmansworth School and Watford Grammar School for Boys. Those unable to attend on this date due to compelling religious, medical or other reasons will be offered one alternative date.

A limited number of applicants will be invited back to perform a single piece on their chosen instrument or vocally. This will be a free choice of piece, which should last no longer than three minutes. As there is a free choice of instrument and piece, it will allow candidates of all abilities and all cultures equal opportunity to succeed.

Those applicants invited back will be given an individual appointment during the school day.

(ix)   Applicants under criterion 7 will be required to take a verbal reasoning test and mathematics test, which will be used to assess their academic abilities. No minimum score will be required to gain admission, places being offered strictly in descending order of applicant’s standardised test scores. Preparation for the tests is unnecessary. The tests will be administered by the school jointly with Bushey Meads School, Parmiter’s School, Queens’ School, Rickmansworth School, St. Clement Danes School and Watford Grammar School for Boys. Applicants to more than one school under criteria requiring a proven measure of academic ability will be assessed by these jointly administered tests.

Information about the tests (including examples of questions) and details of arrangements will be sent to all applicants under criterion 7. The test date for applicants from the Admission Area is (DATE TO BE CONFIRMED). Those unable to attend on this date due to compelling religious, medical or other reasons will be offered one alternative date.

(x)   In the event that two or more applicants are equally entitled to be offered a place under a criterion, it will be offered to the applicant whose permanent home address is nearest to the school, using the method applied by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and data provided by them. (See also note (xiii) ).

(xi)   Applicants who are entitled to be offered a place under more than one of the criteria, will be offered a place under the lowest numbered criterion.

Example 1:  An applicant who has sister at the school (criterion 3) and a brother at Watford Grammar School for Boys (criterion 4) will be offered a place under criterion 3.

Example 2:  An applicant who has a brother at Watford Grammar School for Boys (criterion 4) and who achieves a sufficient score in the tests to be offered a place under criterion 7 will be offered a place under criterion 4.

Example 3:  An applicant whose musical aptitude is sufficient to be offered a place under criterion 6 and who achieves a sufficient score in the tests to be offered a place under criterion 7 will be offered a place under criterion 6.

(xii)   In the event of any of the 63 Specialist Places remaining unallocated, the unallocated places will be treated as if they were Community Places (but not vice versa).

(xiii)   The distance from an applicant's house to the school is measured from the address point for the house (as supplied by the post office) to the nearest public entrance to the school by the "shortest designated route". Measurements are carried out by HCC using a computerised mapping system.

(xiv)   A Looked After Child means a child who is looked after by a local authority in accordance with section 22 of the Children Act 1989[2] at the time an application for her admission to the school is made, and who the local authority has confirmed will still be looked after at the time when she is admitted to the school.

(xv)Where the school is named in a Statement of Special Educational Needs, the school has a duty to admit the applicant to the school, unless:

a.  the school is not suitable for the child’s age, ability and aptitude and the special educational needs set out in part 2 of the statement; or
b.  attendance at the school would not be compatible with the efficient education of other children at the school; or
c.  attendance at the school is not deemed an efficient use of LEA resources

Any such admission will have priority over all other over subscription criteria. In the case of applicants with special educational needs but without a Statement, or of applicants with a disability, the over subscription criteria will be applied as fairly to them as to the other applicants.

(xvi)  The school will maintain a Continuing Interest List of applicants who have not gained a place at the school and whose parents/carers have confirmed that they wish to be placed on such a list. The Continuing Interest List will govern further admissions (if any places become available) until the end of Year 7.

(xvii)  In accordance with the Code of Practice for Admissions (para. 2.14), the Governors will offer a place at the school for the child of newly appointed staff. The Governing Bodies of Watford Grammar School for Girls and of Watford Grammar School for Boys have agreed that this provision will apply to children of either gender, of staff appointed by either school.

Special Consideration for the Admissions Tests

If you consider that your child may be disadvantaged under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act, or has special educational needs, you must provide each school to which you are applying with independent evidence, together with the completed school Supplementary Information Form (SIF) so that appropriate provision can be made.

This written evidence must be given to the Admissions Secretary of the school by the closing date for applications.

You will be informed in advance of the test date of any appropriate special arrangements which will be made for your child.

Further Information about the Test of Musical Aptitude

The test consists of 60 questions of four types: Pitch, Melody, Texture and Rhythm.

Pitch: for these questions, candidates listen to two sounds and have to indicate whether the second sound is the same as the first, or whether it is higher or lower. There are twenty of these questions and some of the pitches are less than a semitone apart.

Melody: for these questions, candidates listen to two tunes consisting of five notes. Candidates have to decide whether the second tune is the same as the first or if one of the notes has been altered. If there is a change, candidates will be expected to identify which note has been altered, by giving the number of the note. There are ten questions in this section.

Texture: for these questions, candidates listen to a number of notes played together at the same time; this is called a chord. Candidates need to decide whether or not each chord has two, three or four notes. There are twenty questions in this section.

Rhythm: for these questions, candidates listen to two patterns of notes and have to decide whether the second pattern is the same as, or different from, the first, and where any difference occurs. Each rhythm will be four beats (or pulses) in length. There are ten questions in this section.

APPEALS

Parents are reminded that they have the right of appeal against a decision not to admit an applicant. An independent appeals panel has been established to hear and determine appeals from unsuccessful applicants. In the event that the appeal is unsuccessful, the Governors will not make a further determination if the parents seek to re-apply for admission in the same academic year unless there are, in the opinion of the Governors, significant and material changes in the circumstances.