Admission to Secondary School (2025)

Cardinal Hume Catholic School was founded by the Catholic Church to provide education for children of Catholic families. Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will be given to Catholic children in accordance with the oversubscription criteria listed below. The school is conducted by the Catholic Education Trust as part of the Catholic Church in accordance with its trust deed and articles of association and seeks at all times to be a witness to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As a Catholic school, we aim to provide a Catholic education for all our pupils. At a Catholic school, Catholic doctrine and practice permeate every aspect of the school's activity. It is essential that the Catholic character of the school's education be fully supported by all families in the school. We therefore hope that all parents will give their full, unreserved and positive support for the aims and ethos of the school. This does not affect the right of an applicant who is not Catholic to apply for and be admitted to a place at the school in accordance with the admission arrangements.

The admission policy criteria will be dealt with on an equal preference basis.

Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust is the admissions authority and is responsible for determining the admission policy. The local authority coordinates the admissions process on behalf of the Trust. The administration and operation of the admission policy is delegated by the Trust to the Local Governing Committee.

Catholic feeder schools

• St Alban's, Pelaw
• St Joseph's, Gateshead
• St Wilfrid's, Gateshead
• St Anne's, Harlow Green
• St Peter's, Low Fell
• St Oswald's, Wrekenton
• St Augustine's, Leam Lane
• St Joseph's, Birtley
• St Benet's, Ouston

Parishes served by the school

• St Alban's, Pelaw
• St Joseph's, Gateshead
• St Wilfrid's, Gateshead
• St Anne's, Harlow Green
• St Peter's, Low Fell
• St Oswald's, Wrekenton
• St Augustine's, Leam Lane
• St Joseph's, Birtley, Kibblesworth & Ouston
• St Joseph's, Birtley

Published admission number

The admissions authority has set its published admission number (PAN) at 225 pupils to year seven in the school year which begins in September 2025.

Pupils with an education, health and care plan (see note 1)

The admission of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan is dealt with by a completely separate procedure. Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school must be admitted. Where this takes place before the allocation of places under these arrangements this will reduce the number of places available to other children.

Oversubscription criteria

Where there are more applications for places than the number of places available, places will be offered according to the following order of priority.

Within each of the categories listed above, the following provisions will be applied in the following order.

1. Where evidence is provided at the time of application of an exceptional social, medical or pastoral need of the child which can be most appropriately met at this school, the application will be placed at the top of the category in which the application is made (see note 13).
2. The attendance of a sibling at the school at the time of enrolment will increase the priority of an application within each category so that the application will be placed at the top of the category in which the application is made after children in (1) above (see note 8). In the case of category 7, if there are more applicants than places, places will be allocated via the random selection process.

Tie breaker

In the event of the school reaching capacity within categories 1-11, the school will use an electronic random allocation process to determine the order of applications within a category. This process will be independently monitored.

If your child is unsuccessful in gaining a place at Cardinal Hume Catholic School, you may request that your child is placed onto the schools waiting list, which will be maintained according to the schools admissions criteria. Children will be grouped according to the published criterion. Each time a place (or places) becomes available at the school while a child is on the waiting list then a new round of electronic random allocation will take place within each category to determine a child's position.

Application procedures and timetable

To apply for a place at this school in the normal admission round (not in-year applications), a Common Application Form (CAF) must be completed. This is available from the local authority in which the child lives.

The parent will be advised of the outcome of the application on 3 March 2025 or the next working day, by the local authority. If the application is unsuccessful (unless the child gained a place at a school the parent ranked higher) the parent will be informed of the decision, related to the oversubscription criteria listed on page 5, and has the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel.

If the parent is required to provide supplemental evidence to support the application (e.g. a baptismal certificate), this evidence should be provided at the time of application. If not provided, evidence may be sought by the admissions authority following the closing date for applications. This information must have been correct at the date of closing for applications.

All applications which are submitted on time will be considered at the same time and after the closing date for admissions which is 31 October 2024.

Late applications

Late applications will be administered in accordance with the home local authority coordinated admissions scheme. Parents are advised to ensure that the application is submitted before the closing date.

Admission of children outside their normal age group

A request may be made for a child to be admitted outside of their normal age group, for example, if the child is gifted and talented or has experienced problems such as ill health.

Any such request should be made in writing to the headteacher of the school. The admissions authority will make its decision about the request based on the circumstances of each case and in the best interests of the child. In addition to taking into account the views of the headteacher who has statutory responsibility for the internal organisation, management and control of the school, the admissions authority will take into account the views of the parents and of appropriate medical and education professionals.

Waiting list

If the school has reached its admission number a Waiting List will be maintained from March 2024. Any parent can request that their child be placed on the waiting list in accordance with the admissions criteria.

Children will be placed on the waiting list according to the oversubscription criteria with the exception of those children in point 1 below.

The length of time someone has been on the waiting list will not be taken into account for the purpose of the allocation of places.

The school will continue to maintain the waiting list during the corresponding school year and outside the normal year of entry.

Children who are referred for admission through the In Year Fair Access Panel and who are without a school place will go to the top of the waiting list but not above those children who are "Looked after".

In-year applications

An application can be made for a place for a child at any time outside the admission round and the child will be admitted where there are available places. For information on making an in-year application, parents should contact the local authority:

Education Support Service

Floor 2, Civic Centre

Gateshead

NE8 1HH

0191 433 2757

www.cardinalhume.com (opens new window)

Parents will be advised of the outcome of their application in writing.

Where there are places available but more applications than places, the published oversubscription criteria, as set out on page 5, will be applied. If there are no places available, a request can be made that the child is added to the waiting list (see above). The parent has the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel.

Right of appeal

Where a parent has been notified that a place is not available for a child, every effort will be made by the local authority to help the parent to find a place in a suitable alternative school. Parents who are refused a place have a statutory right of appeal. Further details of the appeals process are available by writing to the chair of governors at the school address.

Fair access protocol

The school is committed to taking its fair share of children who are vulnerable and/or hard to place, as set out in locally agreed protocols. Accordingly, outside the normal admission round the admissions authority is empowered to give absolute priority to a child where admission is requested under any local protocol that has been agreed by both the diocese and the admissions authority for the current school year. The admissions authority has this power, even when admitting the child would mean exceeding the published admission number.

False evidence

The admissions authority reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a place or, where a child is already attending the school, the place itself, where it is satisfied that the offer or place was obtained by deception.

Notes and definitions

Read the relevant notes and definitions for this policy.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the local authority's admission guidance for parents.