Information about Admissions 2024-25, including admission into Year 7 in September 2025
1. Practice
St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School is a Voluntary Aided School in the Trusteeship of the
Archdiocese of Southwark. The School is conducted by the Governing Board as part of the Catholic Church, in accordance with its Trust Deed and Instrument of Government and always seeks to be a witness to Jesus Christ. The School exists primarily to serve the Catholic community. However, the Governing Board welcomes applications from parents of children of other denominations and faiths, subject to the availability of places, who support the religious ethos of the School. They also welcome applications from the parents of children of no faith, subject to the availability of places, who support the religious ethos of the School.
As a Church School, the Governors make the decision to offer places for admission into the School. The School wishes to give extra consideration to children attending Catholic Primary schools in
Medway. These schools are
• English Martyrs’, Strood
• St Augustine of Canterbury, Rainham
• St Benedict’s, Lordswood
• St Mary’s, Gillingham
• St Michael’s, Chatham
• St Thomas More, Walderslade
• St Thomas of Canterbury, Rainham
• St William of Perth, Rochester.
Having consulted with the Local Authority (LA) and other Admission Authorities, the Governors intend to admit 180 pupils in September 2025 at age 11, without reference to ability or aptitude. Admissions will be decided without reference to aptitude or ability and on the overriding criteria that the “Catholic Character” of the school will always be preserved in accordance with the Trust Deed and the Instrument of Government.
2. Admissions Procedure
2.1 Application must be made using the Common Application Form provided by the child’s home Local Authority. Applications are now made online at www.medway.gov.uk or by paper form and submitted directly to the Local Authority. However, if you believe your application meets the criteria for categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 you must return the required paperwork for the relevant criteria, please see oversubscription criteria for details.
This may either be posted to the school or emailed to admissions@stjohnfisher.school with the subject line Y7 admissions and FAO the admission team.
If you do not send the completed paperwork to the school by 31/10/2024, it cannot be considered for admissions.
2.2 A copy of the Certificate of Catholic Practice form may be obtained from St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School website www.https://stjohnfisher.school/admissions/certificate
3. Appeals
Parents whose applications for places are unsuccessful may appeal to an Independent
Appeal Panel set up in accordance with sections 94 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Appeals must be made in writing and must set out the reasons on which the appeal is made. Appeals should be addressed to the Admissions Appeal Clerk at the school address. Parents/Carers have the right to make oral representations to the Appeal Panel.
4. Admission into Years 8‐11 and Year 7 after the start of the Academic Year will be carried out using the in year admissions policy.
4.1 All applications for admission for students in Year 7 until the 31st of December 2025 will be referred to the LA and dealt with according to the co‐ordinated scheme.
4.2 All applications for admission for students in Year 8-11 are dealt by the admissions team at St John Fisher School.
4.3 Parents of children who have not been offered a place at the school may ask for their child’s name to be placed on the waiting list. The waiting list will be operated using the same admissions criteria listed below should a place become available. Placing a child’s name on the waiting list does not guarantee that a place will become available. Parents may appeal against the decision not to offer a place.
5. Oversubscription
Having consulted with the Local Authority, the Diocese and other admission authorities, the Governors intend to admit, in September 2025, up to 180 pupils without reference to ability or aptitude.
Where the number of applications exceeds 180, the Governors will offer places using the following criteria in the order stated below: ‐
5.1 Looked after Catholic children and all previously looked after Catholic children who have been adopted or who have become the subject of a child arrangement order or special guardianship
order. Catholic children who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care outside of England and cease to be in state care outside of England as a result of being adopted. See Note a
5.2 Baptised Catholic children, in possession of a Certificate of Practice. See Note b
5.3 Baptised Catholic children (not in possession of a Certificate of Practice), a baptismal certificate or evidence of reception into the Catholic Church must be provided.
5.4 Looked after children and all previously looked after children who have been adopted or who have become the subject of a child arrangement order or special guardianship order. Children who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care outside of England and cease to be in state care outside of England as a result of being adopted.
5.5 Children enrolled in the catechumenate. Evidence of enrolment in the catechumenate will be required.
5.6 Non-Catholic children who have attended a Catholic primary partner school. These schools are listed in section 1 of this policy:
• English Martyrs’, Strood
• St Augustine of Canterbury, Rainham
• St Benedict’s, Lordswood
• St Mary’s, Gillingham
• St Michael’s, Chatham
• St Thomas More, Walderslade
• St Thomas of Canterbury, Rainham
• St William of Perth, Rochester.
5.7 Children who are members of Eastern Orthodox Churches. Evidence of Baptism will be required.
5.8 Children who are members of other faiths. Evidence of membership of the faith provided by a priest, minister or religious leader of a designated place of worship will be required.
5.9 Any other children.
The following order of priorities will be applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the places available and it is necessary to decide between applications.
5.9.1 A brother or sister on the school roll at the time of admission. Evidence of the relationship may be required. See Note c
5.9.2 Social, pastoral and medical needs which make the school particularly suitable for the child in question. Strong and relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate professional authority (e.g., qualified medical practitioner, education welfare officer, social worker, or priest).
5.9.3 Proximity to the School from the child’s home address. See Note d
Notes
Note a – “Looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order. A looked after child is a child who is
a) in the care of a local authority, or
b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see definition in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
Children in public care (Looked after Children) are children who are (a) in the care of a local authority.
Looked after children or looked after children who have been adopted or who have become the subject of a residence or guardianship order and children who appear (to the admissions authority) to have been in state care outside of England and cease to be state care outside of England as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a Local Authority or (b) being provided with accommodation by a Local Authority in the exercise of their social services functions and children who are looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or become subject to a residence order or special guardianship order). Looked after children are those in the care of a public authority and are in public care. Applications made under this criterion must be accompanied by details of circumstance and professionally supported evidence (e.g. from an appropriate social worker).
Note b – Catholics include members of the Ordinariate and the Latin and Oriental Rite Churches that are in union with the Bishop of Rome. For the Certificate of Practice please follow this link:
https://stjohnfisher.school/admissions/certificate
Note c – A “brother or sister” means children who live as brother and sister including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers or sisters. It would not include other relatives e.g., cousins
Note d – Home refers to the permanent home address at which the child lives for the majority of his/her time and with the parent who is in receipt of child benefit. The distance calculated is the shortest available walking route known to the geographical information home/distance software used by Medway Student Services (Admissions). This graphical information software may not know all footpaths that are in existence and certain new roads may not be known. Where a footpath or new road is not known to the software an alternative route will be used. Where a child’s home is situated on a new road the distance calculation will begin from the nearest available known road plotted in the software. New developments may be subject to this. In certain cases it may not be possible to calculate a distance where the entire route is deemed as a safe walking route. In these circumstances the distance calculated is used purely to prioritise an application for admission. There is no expectation that the walk should be taken.
Appeals
Parents whose applications for places are unsuccessful may appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel set up in accordance with section 94 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Appeals must be made in writing and must set out the reasons on which the appeal is made. Appeals should be made to the Admissions Appeal Clerk at the school address. Parents/Carers have the right to make oral representations to the Appeal Panel.
Waiting Lists
Parents of children who have not been offered a place at the school may ask for their child’s name to be placed on the waiting list. The waiting list, which will be maintained in accordance with Medway Council Admissions Scheme, will be operated using the same admissions criteria listed above. Placing a child’s name on the waiting list does not guarantee that a place will become available. This does not prevent parents from exercising their right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place. It is possible that when a child is directed under the local authority’s fair access protocol, they will take precedence over those children already on the list.
Fair Access Protocol
The school participates in the local authority’s Fair Access Protocol to allocate places to vulnerable and other children in accordance with the School Admission Code 2012. Admitting pupils under the
protocol may require the school to admit above the planned admission number for the relevant year group.
6. Sixth Form
1. Planned admission to the Sixth Form is 185. All pupils will be expected to support fully the distinctive Catholic Ethos of the sixth form.
2. For Advanced and Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education courses, the minimum entry requirement is five level 4 grades at GCSE. Some courses will require a student to meet entry requirements in that subject as detailed in the sixth from prospectus.
3. The Governing Board is the Admissions Authority. The Head of Sixth Form will advise but the final discretion is with the governors.
4. All courses are subject to availability and timetabling constraints.
