The Road to Learning 2008
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Barking)
Admission criteria and procedure
Number of places available
The school is a single-form entry school taking no more than 30 children into reception each September. There is a nursery attached to the school with places for 52 children, 26 in the morning and 26 in the afternoon.
Children do not automatically enter the school from the nursery. Parents with children in the nursery must make a new application for a place in the school. Due to the difference in the number of children the nursery can take and the number the main school can take not all the children in the nursery can be offered places in the main school.
As well as those parents or carers applying from the nursery, there are also other parents and carers who will apply. In recent years there have been over 80 applications for the 30 places. Governors cannot decide to accept more than 30 places and would be acting illegally if they tried to do so.
Closing date
The closing date for applications is Friday 15 February 2008 for the September 2008 entry. The school will not accept applications after this date until the 30 places available have been filled by those who applied in time. Those people who are not offered 1 of the 30 places available will be placed on a waiting list along with the late applicants.
If any of the places offered are not taken up, the school will offer the places to children on the waiting list in line with the following criteria and procedures.
Admission criteria
In making their decision, the governors will strictly keep to the following criteria. They will offer places to children in the following order, beginning with category 1, until all 30 places are taken up.
1. Baptised Catholic children living in the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking who:
a) have a practising Catholic parent
b) go to Mass every Sunday at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
2. Baptised Catholic children living in other Catholic parishes who:
a) have a practising Catholic parent
b) go to Mass every Sunday at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
3. Baptised Catholic children who:
a) have a practising Catholic parent
b) go to Mass every Sunday at a Catholic Church and
c) have been approved by the Catholic priest at that church.
4. Baptised Catholic children living in the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) go to Mass on most Sundays, for example, every 2 weeks, at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
5. Baptised Catholic children living in other Catholic parishes who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) go to Mass on most Sundays, for example, every 2 weeks, at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
6. Baptised Catholic children who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) go to Mass on most Sundays, for example, every 2 weeks, at a Catholic church and
c) have been approved by the Catholic priest at that church.
7. Baptised Catholic children living in the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) go to Mass on some Sundays, for example, monthly, at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
8. Baptised Catholic children living in other Catholic parishes who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) go to Mass on some Sundays, for example, monthly, at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
9. Baptised Catholic children who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) go to Mass on some Sundays, for example, monthly, at a Catholic church and
c) have been approved by the Catholic priest at that church.
10. Baptised Catholic children living in the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) occasionally go to Mass at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
11. Baptised Catholic children living in other Catholic parishes who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) occasionally go to Mass at the Catholic Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking and
c) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
12. Baptised Catholic children who:
a) have a Catholic parent
b) occasionally go to Mass at a Catholic church and
c) have been approved by the Catholic priest at that church.
13. Children of a Catholic parent who:
a) are being prepared for baptism and
b) have been approved by the parish priest of the parish of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Barking.
14. Children of a Catholic parent who:
a) are being prepared for baptism and
b) have been approved by the Catholic priest who is preparing them.
15. Baptised Orthodox children, whose application is approved by their priest.
16. Baptised Protestant (including Anglican) children, whose application is endorsed by their minister.
17. Any child for whom the parent or guardian seriously and genuinely wants a Catholic education, whose application is approved by a Catholic priest.
How the decision is made
The Admissions Committee of the governing body will meet on a date as soon as possible after the closing date to consider all the filled-in application forms which they have received by this date.
They will sort out applications into categories as shown in the published criteria. They will give places first to children in category 1. If there are still places available, they will give these places to children from category 2. If there are still places available, these will go to children in category 3, and so on through all the categories until all the places have been given.
If the last place available (30th) falls within a category, it will not be possible to make a decision on the basis of practice alone, since everyone applying within a category will, broadly speaking, be practising to a similar degree.
In this case, the school will offer places within the category to children who have a sibling (brother or sister) in the school at the time they are due to start.
If this is still the case that more people applying would qualify for a place when siblings are taken into account than there are places available, the children who were baptised soonest after birth will receive places until all 30 places are filled up (see note 1 below).
If the school still cannot make a clear decision, they will offer the child living closest to the school (measured in a straight line) a place (see note 5).
Important notes
1 - Children in care
Within each category, the school will give priority to children in care of a local authority.
2 - Practice
A practising Catholic is someone whose Catholic faith is alive and who is committed to the church, living in line with its teaching and laws. They will normally have been confirmed and will be going to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day (see Code of Canon Law 1983, Section 1247).
Although a Catholic does not have to do so more than once a year, they would normally want to receive the Sacrament of Holy Community frequently, go to confession when necessary, and even go to Mass at least sometimes during the week. If there are unusual and overriding factors preventing someone from going to Mass, these should be discussed with the parish priest.
For the purpose of these criteria, those Catholics who choose to go to Mass only every 2 weeks or every month do not qualify as practising Catholics. English civil law recognises this definition of 'practising Catholic'.
3 - Siblings
The school will only take account of a brother or sister at the school on 1 September in the year the new child will start if we cannot decide on the basis of practice (see note 2). The age and number of siblings in the school will not influence the decision on who receives priority.
4 - Baptism
You must provide proof of the date of baptism at the time of your application. If needed, you should get a new, full certificate of baptism from the place where the baptism took place. The school may take account of the length of time a child was un-baptised after birth when applying the admission criteria.
5 - Distance
If a school cannot make a decision on the basis of practice (see note 1), a sibling in the school (see note 2), or by taking into account the date of baptism (see note 3), the child living closest to the school (measured in a straight line) will be offered a place 1st.
6 - Catholic
Catholic means all those belonging to churches in communion with the Pope, on an equal footing, including those who are not of the Latin or Roman rite (for example, Greek Catholics, Maronites, Melchites, Chaldeans and so on).
St Joseph's (Barking) priest's reference form 
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