Academy
An Academy is a publicly funded independent school. Staff are employed by the Academy Trust, and the Trust or governing body are responsible for the admission arrangements.
Admissions authority
The body that decides the order that children should be considered for places at the school. In the case of community and voluntary controlled schools it is the Local Authority; in the case of academies, foundation trusts and voluntary-aided schools, it is the governing body.
Admissions criteria
When a school has more applications than places, applications are matched against a list of criteria and ranked accordingly. These criteria are agreed by the Local Authority for community schools and by the governing body for all other kinds of schools.
Admission number
This is the maximum number of pupils that a school is required to admit into each year group. The number is agreed as part of a school’s admission arrangements and is determined with regard to a Net Capacity Assessment (calculated on a formula from the DfE) based on the space available and use of resources. All schools must offer places up to the admission number if there is sufficient demand.
Community School
A school which the Local Authority maintains from public funds. The headteacher and governing body manage the school in collaboration with the Local Authority. Staff are employed by the Local Authority, and the Local Authority is responsible for the admission arrangements.
DfE (Department for Education)
The Government department with national responsibility for children’s services, families, schools and 14–19 education.
Denominational
Relating to a particular religion.
EHCP (EHC plan)
Education, Health and Care Plans are personalised plans for children and young people with special educational needs that cover from birth to age 25.
They aim to ensure that all the support the young person needs from education, health and social care professionals is agreed in one place.
EHC plans replaced statements and learning disability assessments in September 2014. Children and young people who previously had one of these were moved over to an EHC Plan.
Foundation School
A foundation school is maintained by the Local Authority from public funds. The governing body employ the staff directly and own the buildings and grounds. The governors are responsible for the admission arrangements.
Maintained School
Any school funded by the local authority. This includes community schools, voluntary aided schools (usually “church” schools), voluntary controlled schools (usually “church” schools), foundation schools and Trust schools.
Trust School
A trust school is a foundation school with an additional foundation, or Trust. Trust partner(s) can appoint governors to the governing body in order to contribute their experience and ethos to the school and help raise standards in the long term. The governing body is responsible for the admission arrangements.
Voluntary Aided School
Voluntary aided schools are maintained by the Local Authority from public funds. The governing body employ the staff directly. The buildings and grounds are usually owned by a religious organisation. The governors of voluntary aided schools are responsible for their own admission arrangements.