Admission Arrangements
Admission arrangements at Bury St Edmunds County High School
4th December 2023
Dear Parents/Carers, Students, Colleagues and Stakeholders
Re: Consultation on the admission arrangements for County High School for the 2025/26 school year
County High School is consulting on the admissions arrangements for the academic year 2025/26 in line with the School Admissions Code 2021.
The consultation will commence at 9am on 4 December 2023 and will conclude at midnight on Friday 12 January 2024.
Why are we consulting?
The school must set (‘determine’) admission arrangements annually. Where changes are proposed to admission arrangements, the school must first publicly consult on those arrangements. If no changes are made to admission arrangements, they must be consulted at least once every 7 years.
We have a statutory duty to consult on admission arrangements if we intend to make a change.
The changes being proposed are to reinstate historic partner feeder primary schools as County High School is established as a 11-16 high school on one site, to give priority to families living in the Bury St Edmunds area.
You are invited to review the school admission arrangements for County High School at https://www.County Highschool.co.uk/admissions-2024-2025-consultation/ and any questions or responses to be considered should be sent to office@countyhigh.uk.
The consultation is being communicated by County High School as follows:
– Notification to Suffolk County Council
– Notifications to local education settings in the Local Authority
– Notification to all parents and carers of students at the school
– Notification to staff and governors at the school and local primary schools
On conclusion of the consultation on Friday 12 January 2024, all responses will be collated and presented to the Local Governing Body for consideration and determination.
The outcome of the consultation will be posted on the school’s website along with the final admission policy for 2025/26.
Yours faithfully
S Kennedy
Headteacher
Further area of consultation:
Alongside the consultation on admissions criteria and the consultations on closing the school sixth form and the possibility of moving to one site, we need also to ask for any consideration and feedback on the proposal to close the sixth form, following which, the school will become an 11-16 school. If this proposal were to be approved, our admission arrangements as an 11-16 school would change from September 2024. This consultation opens on 19th December 2023 and will close on 16th January 2024.
You are invited to review both the proposal for BSE County High School to become an 11-16 school and the school admission arrangements for County High and submit any questions or responses to be considered to these consultations via the e-mail address: office@countyhigh.uk
How to Apply
Please read our Admission Arrangements in the attachments section for further details, including our oversubscription criteria and the administration of waiting lists. Suffolk County Council also produce a very useful guide for parents and carers on how to apply for your child’s school place which you can view by clicking on the a button below.
Parents should note that for Suffolk Secondary Schools there is no automatic right to a place at the local school. It is essential that application forms are completed and returned by 31st October.
For details about applying to our Sixth Form please follow the link at the bottom of this page.
We are always available to talk to you about our school and the admissions process, please do contact us.
Normal Year of Entry
Suffolk County Council co-ordinates all Normal Year of Entry Admissions into Year 7 and communicates all admission decisions to parents.
Click on the link below to make an online application.
The advantages of applying online are that you:
- will receive confirmation of your application by email
- can check or change your application right up to the closing date
- can view the outcome of your application online on the offer day
- will receive an email with details of your school offer on the offer day
If you prefer to complete a paper application this can be downloaded from the link below. The completed CAF1 form can be emailed to admissions@suffolk.gov.uk or posted to the address on the form – it is advised to get proof of postage.
Your application form must be received on or before 31 October.
National Offer Day is 1 March or the next working day for a secondary school application.
In Year Applications
In-year applications should be made directly to Bury St Edmunds County High School using the ADM1 form which you can download below. Please email or post the completed form to the School Office.
Appeals
All applicants refused a place have a right of appeal to an independent appeal panel constituted and operated in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code. Appellants should contact the Education Appeals Office on 01473 264218 or 264219.
There is further information at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions. Select the Appeals panel on the left which will contain contact numbers, address and email contacts as well as appeal forms and the timescales by which you would need to make your appeal.
Education Appeals
Customer Rights
PO Box 579
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP1 2BX
Email: statutory.appealsoffice@suffolk.gov.uk