Balcarras Admissions

Balcarras School Admissions Consultation

Balcarras School held a consultation process for admission to the school for 2020.  This started on the 7th November 2018 and included circulating interested parties such as local schools, parents, colleagues and Gloucestershire County Council, by letter, email and by placing the proposed Admissions Criteria on the Balcarras and local authority websites.  On the evening of Tuesday 13th November 2018 a public meeting was held on the school premises.

The governors did not propose any changes to the existing admission arrangements but were required to consult under the seven year rule.

The governors collected and considered all the written responses to the consultation as well as verbal contributions from the public meeting. 

Following this consultation, the governors have agreed to retain the criteria unaltered for 2020.  These are now published on the school and local authority websites.

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Balcarras School Admissions Criteria for Year 7 & Year 12 in September 2022
 

The number of intended admissions is 194 in Years 7 to 11.

Where applications for admission in Year 7 exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated according to the following criteria, applied in order:

  1. Looked after children (i) or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (ii) child arrangement order (iii) or a special guardianship order (iv) including those who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. (See Note 1)
  1. Children living in the school’s area of priority who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  1. Children of full or part time salaried members of staff who have been employed at Balcarras for two years or more at the time of the application for admission, or of a member of staff recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
  1. Children living in the area of priority, served by the school (see map). If there are more children in the area of priority than places available, those with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.
  1. Children who live outside the area of priority served by the school, who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  1. Other children with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

In the event of the oversubscription of any of the criteria, where there are two or more children living the same distance from the school, then a ‘names in a hat’ process will be undertaken by the Admissions’ Authority, with the first name drawn being successful. If the school is oversubscribed, a waiting list will be held for (at least) the first school term (ie until December). The waiting list will be prioritised according to the school’s oversubscription criteria. The school operates an appeals system in the event of oversubscription. Parents will be required to complete an appeals form and will then be invited to attend a hearing held by an independent appeals panel.

The school has signed up to the In-Year Fair Access Protocols held by the Local Authority. Should a vulnerable child within these Protocols require a place at the school, they will take precedence over any child on the waiting list.

The school is required to admit a child with an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school, where the attendance of the child would not be incompatible with the efficient education of others, or the efficient use of resources.

Note 1.
(i) 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 the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to the school. In Gloucestershire, such children are referred to as Children in Care.
(ii) This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).
(iii) Under the provisions of section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which amend section 8 of the Children Act 1989, residence orders have now been replaced by child arrangements orders.
(iv) See Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 which defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).

(v) A child is regarded as having been in a state of care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

Note 2.

A sibling is a brother or sister, half-brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step-brother or sister, or the child of the parent’s/carer’s partner, and in every case, the child must be living in the same family unit at the same address.

Note 3.

Full or part time salaried members of staff does not include staff employed on an ad-hoc or casual basis, eg examination invigilators, supply staff etc.

Note 4.

Where any particular category at points 1 – 5 is oversubscribed, criterion 6 (strongest geographical claim based on straight line distance) will be used to determine which child will be offered a place.

Note 5.

A waiting list will be maintained until the end of the first term in the academic year of admission. All children on the waiting list will be ranked using the above criteria, taking into account children added to the list after the start of September.

Note 6.

Any application for a place at Balcarras School made outside the normal year of entry to the school must be made directly to the school.

 

Balcarras Admission Arrangements 2022-23   Year 12

Entry Criteria and Oversubscription Criteria

The purpose of our entry criteria is to ensure that students embarking on courses at A-level are academically able to complete the course and achieve satisfactory results. It is therefore sensible and necessary to specify that all examination grades submitted as part of the entry requirements are academically rigorous enough to ensure success.

There is no requirement on location. Provided the potential student can guarantee that s/he will arrive punctually each day and can safely make her/his way home after the end of school then s/he will be eligible to apply for a place in the sixth form. We welcome applications from students new, or returning, to the Cheltenham area.

Balcarras School hopes to welcome students who have a genuine enthusiasm to attend Balcarras Sixth Form, have a real passion for academic hard work and view Balcarras as their definite number one option for post 16 studies.

Balcarras School would like to positively encourage students to apply who currently attend a school without sixth form provision. We are determined to build on the excellent relationships and the firm commitment that exists between Balcarras Sixth Form and local schools.

Entry Criteria

The entry criteria for Balcarras Sixth Form are the same for Balcarras Students and for external students and are as follows:

 Students must achieve at least 2 grade 6s and 3 grade 5s in full GCSE courses*. Students must achieve a grade 5 or higher in GCSE Mathematics and English'*. (Some subjects have additional entry criteria and for students applying for those subjects, the additional requirements are set out clearly in the sixth form brochure.)

 Balcarras Sixth Form will admit up to 50 external students (with a minimum of 10) from other schools into Year 12. 200 students will be admitted to Year 12 in total.

 All applications must reach the school, fully completed, by February 5th on an official application form which can be downloaded from the school website.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

Oversubscription Criteria;

In the event that there are more than 50 applications from external students, then the applications will be given priority according to the following criteria:

 Looked after children will have first priority

 Students whose top 5 predicted full course GCSE scores* show a score above 33 (e.g. in new GCSE numbers 7,7,7,6,6 and in old GCSEs AAABB). The final grades achieved in the top 5 full course GCSEs must also be above 33.

 Students applying for courses where the cohort size is predicted to be smaller than 12.

 Students who have high predicted GCSE grades in the subjects they are applying to study at A-level.

If, after the above criteria have been applied, there are still more than 50 eligible applications, then priority will be given to students applying for courses where class sizes do not exceed 20.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

The waiting list will only remain in use until September 30th.

Students will be notified by official letter to their home address of the decision.

Appeals

Any appeals must be made in writing to the Head of Sixth Form and must be received within 3 weeks of the decision letter being sent.

Students with qualifications other than GCSEs

Balcarras Sixth Form will consider some non-GCSE courses. However, not all courses will be sufficiently equivalent to provide the necessary academic grounding for the A-levels and study environment at Balcarras Sixth Form. For example, it is often not possible to directly compare foreign examinations grades with GCSE grades.

Offers will be made based on the examinations the student is due to take in the school he/she is studying and will be made on an individual basis. The offer will be the decision of Balcarras School and be broadly comparable, as far as is possible, to the equivalent GCSE requirements set out at the top of this document.
Applicants who are studying courses other than GCSE are advised to check with the school on the suitability of their particular course(s).

Supplementary Application Form Required? Yes, please contact the school for further information.

Balcarras School Admission Criteria for Year 7 & Year 12 in September 2023
 

The number of intended admissions is 194 in Years 7 to 11.

Where applications for admission in Year 7 exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated according to the following criteria, applied in order:

  1. Looked after children (i) or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (ii) child arrangement order (residency order) (iii) or a special guardianship order (iv) including those who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. (See Note 1)
  1. Children living in the school’s area of priority who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  1. Children of full or part time salaried members of staff who have been employed at Balcarras for two years or more at the time of the application for admission, or of a member of staff recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
  1. Children living in the area of priority, served by the school (see map). If there are more children in the area of priority than places available, those with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.
  1. Children who live outside the area of priority served by the school, who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  1. Other children with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

In the event of the oversubscription of any of the criteria, where there are two or more children living the same distance from the school, then a ‘names in a hat’ process will be undertaken by the Admissions’ Authority, with the first name drawn being successful. If the school is oversubscribed, a waiting list will be held for (at least) the first school term (ie until December). The waiting list will be prioritised according to the school’s oversubscription criteria. The school operates an appeals system in the event of oversubscription. Parents will be required to complete an appeals form and will then be invited to attend a hearing held by an independent appeals panel.

The school has signed up to the In-Year Fair Access Protocols held by the Local Authority. Should a vulnerable child within these Protocols require a place at the school, they will take precedence over any child on the waiting list.

The school is required to admit a child with an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school, where the attendance of the child would not be incompatible with the efficient education of others, or the efficient use of resources.

Note 1.
(i) 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 the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to the school. In Gloucestershire, such children are referred to as Children in Care.
(ii) This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).
(iii) Under the provisions of section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which amend section 8 of the Children Act 1989, residence orders have now been replaced by child arrangements orders.
(iv) See Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 which defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians). 

(v) A child is regarded as having been in a state of care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

Note 2.

A sibling is a brother or sister, half-brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, stepbrother or sister, or the child of the parent’s/carer’s partner, and in every case, the child must be living in the same family unit at the same address.

Note 3.

Full or part time salaried members of staff does not include staff employed on an ad-hoc or casual basis, eg examination invigilators, supply staff etc.

Note 4.

Where any particular category at points 1 – 5 is oversubscribed, criterion 6 (strongest geographical claim based on straight line distance) will be used to determine which child will be offered a place.

Note 5.

A waiting list will be maintained until the end of the first term in the academic year of admission. All children on the waiting list will be ranked using the above criteria, taking into account children added to the list after the start of September.

Note 6.

Any application for a place at Balcarras School made outside the normal year of entry to the school must be made directly to the school.

Balcarras Admission Arrangements 2023-24   Year 12

Entry Criteria and Oversubscription Criteria

The purpose of our entry criteria is to ensure that students embarking on courses at A-level are academically able to complete the course and achieve satisfactory results. It is therefore sensible and necessary to specify that all examination grades submitted as part of the entry requirements are academically rigorous enough to ensure success.

There is no requirement on location. Provided the potential student can guarantee that s/he will arrive punctually each day and can safely make her/his way home after the end of school then s/he will be eligible to apply for a place in the sixth form. We welcome applications from students new, or returning, to the Cheltenham area.

Balcarras School hopes to welcome students who have a genuine enthusiasm to attend Balcarras Sixth Form, have a real passion for academic hard work and view Balcarras as their definite number one option for post 16 studies.

Balcarras School would like to positively encourage students to apply who currently attend a school without sixth form provision. We are determined to build on the excellent relationships and the firm commitment that exists between Balcarras Sixth Form and local schools.

Entry Criteria

The entry criteria for Balcarras Sixth Form are the same for Balcarras Students and for external students and are as follows:

 Students must achieve at least 2 grade 6s and 3 grade 5s in full GCSE courses*. Students must achieve a grade 5 or higher in GCSE Mathematics and English'*. (Some subjects have additional entry criteria and for students applying for those subjects, the additional requirements are set out clearly in the sixth form brochure.)

 Balcarras Sixth Form will admit up to 50 external students (with a minimum of 10) from other schools into Year 12. 200 students will be admitted to Year 12 in total.

 All applications must reach the school, fully completed, by February 10th on an official application form which can be downloaded from the school website.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

Oversubscription Criteria

In the event that there are more than 50 applications from external students, then the applications will be given priority according to the following criteria:

 Looked after children will have first priority

 Students whose top 5 predicted full course GCSE scores* show a score above 33 (e.g. in new GCSE numbers 7,7,7,6,6 and in old GCSEs AAABB). The final grades achieved in the top 5 full course GCSEs must also be above 33.

 Students applying for courses where the cohort size is predicted to be smaller than 12.

 Students who have high predicted GCSE grades in the subjects they are applying to study at A-level.

 

If, after the above criteria have been applied, there are still more than 50 eligible applications, then priority will be given to students applying for courses where class sizes do not exceed 20.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

The waiting list will only remain in use until September 30th.

Students will be notified by official letter to their home address of the decision.

Appeals

Any appeals must be made in writing to the Head of Sixth Form and must be received within 3 weeks of the decision letter being sent.

Students with qualifications other than GCSEs

Balcarras Sixth Form will consider some non-GCSE courses. However, not all courses will be sufficiently equivalent to provide the necessary academic grounding for the A-levels and study environment at Balcarras Sixth Form. For example, it is often not possible to directly compare foreign examinations grades with GCSE grades.

Offers will be made based on the examinations the student is due to take in the school he/she is studying and will be made on an individual basis. The offer will be the decision of Balcarras School and be broadly comparable, as far as is possible, to the equivalent GCSE requirements set out at the top of this document.
 

Applicants who are studying courses other than GCSE are advised to check with the school on the suitability of their particular course(s).

Supplementary Application Form Required? Yes, please contact the school for further information.

Balcarras School Admission Criteria for Year 7 & Year 12 in September 2024 

Balcarras Admission Arrangements 2024-25   Year 7

The number of intended admissions is 194 in Years 7 to 11.

Where applications for admission in Year 7 exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated according to the following criteria, applied in order:

  1. Looked after children (i) or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (ii) child arrangement order (iii) or a special guardianship order (iv). In addition, looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. (v) (See Note 1)
  1. Children living in the school’s area of priority who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  1. Children of full or part time salaried members of staff who have been employed at Balcarras for two years or more at the time of the application for admission, or of a member of staff recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. (See Note 3).
  1. Children living in the area of priority, served by the school (see map). If there are more children in the area of priority than places available, those with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.
  1. Children who live outside the area of priority served by the school, who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling (see Note 2) is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  1. Other children with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority. (See Note 4).

In the event of the oversubscription of any of the criteria, where there are two or more children living the same distance from the school, then a ‘names in a hat’ process will be undertaken by the Admissions’ Authority, with the first name drawn being successful. If the school is oversubscribed, a waiting list will be held for (at least) the first school term (ie until December). The waiting list will be prioritised according to the school’s oversubscription criteria. (See Note 5). The school operates an appeals system in the event of oversubscription. Parents will be required to complete an appeals form and will then be invited to attend a hearing held by an independent appeals panel.

The school has signed up to the In-Year Fair Access Protocols held by the Local Authority. Should a vulnerable child within these Protocols require a place at the school, they will take precedence over any child on the waiting list.

The school is required to admit a child with an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school, where the attendance of the child would not be incompatible with the efficient education of others, or the efficient use of resources.

Note 1.
(i) 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 the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to the school. In Gloucestershire, such children are referred to as Children in Care.
(ii) This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).
(iii) Under the provisions of section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which amend section 8 of the Children Act 1989, residence orders have now been replaced by child arrangements orders.
(iv) See Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 which defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians). 

(v) A child is regarded as having been in a state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

Note 2.

A sibling is a brother or sister, half-brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step-brother or sister, or the child of the parent’s/carer’s partner, and in every case, the child must be living in the same family unit at the same address.

Note 3.

Full or part time salaried members of staff does not include staff employed on an ad-hoc or casual basis, eg examination invigilators, supply staff etc.

Note 4.

Where any particular category at points 1 – 5 is oversubscribed, criterion 6 (strongest geographical claim based on straight line distance) will be used to determine which child will be offered a place.

Note 5.

A waiting list will be maintained until the end of the first term in the academic year of admission. All children on the waiting list will be ranked using the above criteria, taking into account children added to the list after the start of September.

Application for Years 8-11 (outside of Year 7 entry)

Any application for a place at Balcarras School made outside the normal year of entry to the school must be made directly to the school.

 

Balcarras Admission Arrangements 2024-25   Year 12

 

Entry Criteria and Oversubscription Criteria

The purpose of our entry criteria is to ensure that students embarking on courses at A-level are academically able to complete the course and achieve satisfactory results. It is therefore sensible and necessary to specify that all examination grades submitted as part of the entry requirements are academically rigorous enough to ensure success.

There is no requirement on location. Provided the potential student can guarantee that s/he will arrive punctually each day and can safely make her/his way home after the end of school then s/he will be eligible to apply for a place in the sixth form. We welcome applications from students new, or returning, to the Cheltenham area.

Balcarras School hopes to welcome students who have a genuine enthusiasm to attend Balcarras Sixth Form, have a real passion for academic hard work and view Balcarras as their definite number one option for post 16 studies.

Balcarras School would like to positively encourage students to apply who currently attend a school without sixth form provision. We are determined to build on the excellent relationships and the firm commitment that exists between Balcarras Sixth Form and local schools.

Entry Criteria

The entry criteria for Balcarras Sixth Form are the same for Balcarras Students and for external students and are as follows:

  • Students must achieve at least 2 grade 6s and 3 grade 5s in full GCSE courses*. Students must achieve a grade 5 or higher in GCSE Mathematics and English'*. (Some subjects have additional entry criteria and for students applying for those subjects, the additional requirements are set out clearly in the sixth form brochure.)
  • Balcarras Sixth Form will aim to admit up to 50 external students (with a minimum of 10) from other schools into Year 12. 200 students will be admitted to Year 12 in total.
  • All applications must reach the school, fully completed, by February 10th on an official application form which can be downloaded from the school website.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

Oversubscription Criteria;

In the event that there are more than 50 applications from external students, then the applications will be given priority according to the following criteria:

  1. Looked after children (i) or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (ii) child arrangement order (iii) or a special guardianship order (iv). In addition, looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
  1. Students whose top 5 predicted full course GCSE scores* show a score above 33 (e.g. in new GCSE numbers 7,7,7,6,6 and in old GCSEs AAABB). The final grades achieved in the top 5 full course GCSEs must also be above 33.
  1. Students applying for courses where the cohort size is predicted to be smaller than 12.
  1. Students who have high predicted GCSE grades in the subjects they are applying to study at A-level.

If, after the above criteria have been applied, there are still more than 50 eligible applications, then priority will be given to students applying for courses where class sizes do not exceed 20.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

The waiting list will only remain in use until September 30th.

Students will be notified by official letter to their home address of the decision.

Appeals

Any appeals must be made in writing to the Head of Sixth Form and must be received within 3 weeks of the decision letter being sent.

Students with qualifications other than GCSEs

Balcarras Sixth Form will consider some non-GCSE courses. However, not all courses will be sufficiently equivalent to provide the necessary academic grounding for the A-levels and study environment at Balcarras Sixth Form. For example, it is often not possible to directly compare foreign examinations grades with GCSE grades.

Offers will be made based on the examinations the student is due to take in the school he/she is studying and will be made on an individual basis. The offer will be the decision of Balcarras School and be broadly comparable, as far as is possible, to the equivalent GCSE requirements set out at the top of this document.
Applicants who are studying courses other than GCSE are advised to check with the school on the suitability of their particular course(s).

Supplementary Application Form Required? Yes, please contact the school for further information.

 

Balcarras School Admission Criteria for Year 7 & Year 12 in September 2025 

Balcarras Admission Arrangements 2025-26   Year 7

The number of intended admissions is 194 in Years 7 to 11.

Where applications for admission in Year 7 exceed the number of places available, places will be allocated according to the following criteria, applied in order:

  1. Looked after children (i) or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (ii) child arrangement order (iii) or a special guardianship order (iv). In addition, looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. (v) (See Note 1)
  2. Children living in the school’s area of priority who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  3. Children of full or part time salaried members of staff who have been employed at Balcarras for two years or more at the time of the application for admission, or of a member of staff recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
  4. Children living in the area of priority, served by the school (see map). If there are more children in the area of priority than places available, those with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.
  5. Children who live outside the area of priority served by the school, who have a sibling attending the school where the sibling is or has been a member of Years 7-12 and who will continue to be on the school roll when the applicant’s child is admitted. This criterion does not apply if the sibling has only attended Years 12-13.
  6. Other children with the strongest geographical claim, measured in a straight line from the ordnance survey address point of the child's home address (including flats) to the ordnance survey address point of the school, using the Local Authority's computerised measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority.

In the event of the oversubscription of any of the criteria, where there are two or more children living the same distance from the school, then a ‘names in a hat’ process will be undertaken by the Admissions’ Authority, with the first name drawn being successful. If the school is oversubscribed, a waiting list will be held for (at least) the first school term (ie until December). The waiting list will be prioritised according to the school’s oversubscription criteria. The school operates an appeals system in the event of oversubscription. Parents will be required to complete an appeals form and will then be invited to attend a hearing held by an independent appeals panel.

The school has signed up to the In-Year Fair Access Protocols held by the Local Authority. Should a vulnerable child within these Protocols require a place at the school, they will take precedence over any child on the waiting list.

The school is required to admit a child with an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school, where the attendance of the child would not be incompatible with the efficient education of others, or the efficient use of resources.

Note 1.
(i) 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 the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to the school. In Gloucestershire, such children are referred to as Children in Care.
(ii) This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2002 (see section 46 adoption orders).
(iii) Under the provisions of section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which amend section 8 of the Children Act 1989, residence orders have now been replaced by child arrangements orders.
(iv) See Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 which defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians). 

(v) A child is regarded as having been in a state of care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

Note 2.

A sibling is a brother or sister, half-brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step-brother or sister, or the child of the parent’s/carer’s partner, and in every case, the child must be living in the same family unit at the same address.

Note 3.

Full or part time salaried members of staff does not include staff employed on an ad-hoc or casual basis, eg examination invigilators, supply staff etc.

Note 4.

Where any particular category at points 1 – 5 is oversubscribed, criterion 6 (strongest geographical claim based on straight line distance) will be used to determine which child will be offered a place.

Note 5.

A waiting list will be maintained until the end of the first term in the academic year of admission. All children on the waiting list will be ranked using the above criteria, taking into account children added to the list after the start of September.

Note 6.

Any application for a place at Balcarras School made outside the normal year of entry to the school must be made directly to the school.

 

 

 

Balcarras Admission Arrangements 2025-26   Year 12

Entry Criteria and Oversubscription Criteria

The purpose of our entry criteria is to ensure that students embarking on courses at A-level are academically able to complete the course and achieve satisfactory results. It is therefore sensible and necessary to specify that all examination grades submitted as part of the entry requirements are academically rigorous enough to ensure success.

There is no requirement on location. Provided the potential student can guarantee that s/he will arrive punctually each day and can safely make her/his way home after the end of school then s/he will be eligible to apply for a place in the sixth form. We welcome applications from students new, or returning, to the Cheltenham area.

Balcarras School hopes to welcome students who have a genuine enthusiasm to attend Balcarras Sixth Form, have a real passion for academic hard work and view Balcarras as their definite number one option for post 16 studies.

Balcarras School would like to positively encourage students to apply who currently attend a school without sixth form provision. We are determined to build on the excellent relationships and the firm commitment that exists between Balcarras Sixth Form and local schools.

Entry Criteria

The entry criteria for Balcarras Sixth Form are the same for Balcarras Students and for external students and are as follows:

  • Students must achieve at least 2 grade 6s and 3 grade 5s in full GCSE courses*. Students must achieve a grade 5 or higher in GCSE Mathematics and English'*. (Some subjects have additional entry criteria and for students applying for those subjects, the additional requirements are set out clearly in the sixth form brochure.)

  • Balcarras Sixth Form will aim to admit up to 50 external students (with a minimum of 10) from other schools into Year 12. 200 students will be admitted to Year 12 in total.

  • All applications must reach the school, fully completed, by February 5th on an official application form which can be downloaded from the school website.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

Oversubscription Criteria;

In the event that there are more than 50 applications from external students, then the applications will be given priority according to the following criteria:

  1. Looked after children (i) or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption (ii) child arrangement order (iii) or a special guardianship order (iv). In addition, looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

  1. Students whose top 5 predicted full course GCSE scores* show a score above 33 (e.g. in new GCSE numbers 7,7,7,6,6 and in old GCSEs AAABB). The final grades achieved in the top 5 full course GCSEs must also be above 33.

  1. Students applying for courses where the cohort size is predicted to be smaller than 12.

  1. Students who have high predicted GCSE grades in the subjects they are applying to study at A-level.

If, after the above criteria have been applied, there are still more than 50 eligible applications, then priority will be given to students applying for courses where class sizes do not exceed 20.

* Where a student is studying courses other than full course GCSE, then the student must contact the school to discuss what standards will be required.

The waiting list will only remain in use until September 30th.

Students will be notified by official letter to their home address of the decision.

Appeals

Any appeals must be made in writing to the Head of Sixth Form and must be received within 3 weeks of the decision letter being sent.

Students with qualifications other than GCSEs

Balcarras Sixth Form will consider some non-GCSE courses. However, not all courses will be sufficiently equivalent to provide the necessary academic grounding for the A-levels and study environment at Balcarras Sixth Form. For example, it is often not possible to directly compare foreign examinations grades with GCSE grades.

Offers will be made based on the examinations the student is due to take in the school he/she is studying and will be made on an individual basis. The offer will be the decision of Balcarras School and be broadly comparable, as far as is possible, to the equivalent GCSE requirements set out at the top of this document.
 

Applicants who are studying courses other than GCSE are advised to check with the school on the suitability of their particular course(s).

Supplementary Application Form Required? Yes, please contact the school for further information.

Sixth Form Entry
 

For details of the sixth form, including entry requirements and our application process, please go to the sixth form page on the website, and follow the link ‘How to apply’.