Admissions

If you have any questions regarding Admissions please contact Mrs Gill Cooper, telephone 01243 832702 or email admissions@bishopluffa.org.uk

Our Open Evening for prospective students, parents and carers will take place on Thursday 3rd October 2024.

Open Mornings for Year 6 parents, carers and students will be during the week commencing Monday 7th October. These are bookable and details on how to book will be available in September.

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS 2025

In accordance with the current School Admissions Code, the Governing Body of Bishop Luffa School, which is the Admissions Authority for the school, has now formally consulted on the admission arrangements for admission during the academic year beginning September 2025.

As an admission authority, the school consulted the following:
a) Parents of children between the ages of two and eighteen;
b) Other persons in the relevant area who in the opinion of the school have an interest in the proposed admissions (Local Churches, Local Primary Schools);
c) All other admission authorities within the relevant area;
d) The Local Authority;
e) The Diocese of Chichester

The six-week (minimum) consultation began on 12th December 2023 with the closing date for submitting responses of 24th January 2024.

The main changes to the admission arrangements are:

ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSIONS 2024 (from para. 7 Admissions Arrangements 2024)

All parents applying for a place, whether Foundation or Community, should complete their Local Authority Application Form, which requires parents to state three schools in order of preference. This form should be completed online at www.westsussex.gov.uk no later than 31st October 2023.

Foundation Places

In addition, parents applying for Foundation Places should complete the Bishop Luffa School Foundation Supplementary Information Form, which includes details of the church attended. This form will be available on the school website, or from the school office from September 2023. The form should be returned to the school no later than 31st October 2023. This form is available as a pdf or as a Word document (see below). You can either send us a copy through the post, or send the Word document (or a pdf of the document) as an email attachment to admissions@bishopluffa.org.uk. Please note that if you change the formatting of the Word document we will not be able to process the form. Photographs of the document will not be accepted.

Those applying for Foundation Places who attend Church on a regular basis should make an appointment to see their priest or minister and ask them to complete a Church Support Form. These are sent to clergy by the school; clergy who do not receive these forms may obtain them direct from the School. They should be returned by clergy to the school no later than Friday 24th November 2023 for consideration by the Governors in December 2023. Applications can only be considered for categories, A, B, D and E if they are supported by a Church Support Form. The decision of the Governors’ Admissions Committee will be conveyed to the Local Authority who will notify parents on 1st March 2024.

Category C Places (Exceptional and Compelling circumstances)

Those who wish their application to be considered for Category C must provide appropriate documentation or a letter from a qualified person (normally a doctor or a social worker) stating clearly the exceptional reasons why the child should attend Bishop Luffa School.

Community Places

Parents applying for Community Places should complete the Local Authority Application Form. This form should be completed online at www.westsussex.gov.uk no later than 31st October 2023. A Supplementary Information Form does not have to be completed for Community places
Note: Those applying for a Foundation place whose applications are unsuccessful are automatically considered for a Community place if they live within three kilometres of the School. Parents who seek a Christian education for their child should always apply for a Foundation place and are not disadvantaged by doing so.

Order of preference

Parents should note that the Governors will draw up the list of places solely in the order stated in Section 4. The Local Authority’s role is that, if an applicant is in the position where she/he could be offered a place at more than one school, the order of preference given on the Local Authority’s application form will be used by the Local Authority to determine the school at which the applicant is offered a place.

Late applicants

Applications to the Local Authority and/or Supplementary Information forms submitted after the specified deadline are ranked after all those applications received on time.

Proof of residency and change of address

Governors follow the West Sussex County Council’s policy. Information regarding the address used for admissions, supporting evidence which may be required and the deadline for applicants who move into the area after 31st October 2023 can be found in the ‘Information for Parents booklet’ which is available on the West Sussex County Council website: www.westsussex.gov.uk In the event of a change of address you should also notify the Admissions Officer at the school.