Last week’s attendance

Class attendance 6/5/24 – 10/5/24

Whole school attendance 93.42%

LATE/ ABSENCE PROCEDURES

At Donnington Wood Junior School, we are committed to ensure pupil’s achieve 95% attendance and above and believe that punctuality and good attendance is crucial for pupils to achieve their god given potential. For your child to reach their full potential is it essential that they have good attendance at school. If they are not here they miss out on so much, and the greater the absence the harder it is to catch up. Sometimes though, circumstances at home can mean being at school, or being on time for school can be difficult. If this is the situation please contact us and we will do all we can to support you.

We will monitor pupils’ punctuality and attendance and provide support and guidance to parents and pupils to address any concerns identified as quickly as possible.

Children who attend on time each day are then entered into a draw to have their lunch on the “Top Table”. They get to choose a friend and have a “Top Table lunch”.

First Day Call System

The school operates a first day call system. This means that if school does not receive information from parents regarding your child’s absence, then the school will call parents to clarify the circumstance leading to your child’s absence.

Term Time Leave

‘Parents should apply to the Headteacher for any request for leave in term time by completing a request form available from school’.

he Government has renewed appeals to parents not to take their children out of school during term time. The Governors and Headteacher of the school support this and have decided that students will only be given permission to take leave in term time if there are exceptional circumstances. Each application will be considered and the Headteacher will determine the duration of any leave if it is agreed and authorised. However, if the application is not agreed and the absence occurs the dates will be unauthorised. Parents will be notified of any decision in writing. This notification may be hand delivered directly to the parent or posted to the parents home address.

(DfE guidance states schools should not authorise leave retrospectively)

As a school we are asked to inform you that, in line with Telford and Wrekin Council Policy, unauthorised absence may be subject to a penalty notice fine of £60 payable per parent, per child, increasing to £120 each if not paid within 21 days. If this fine is not paid within 28 days this may lead to court proceedings.​

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT UNAUTHORISED SCHOOL TIME HOLIDAY

If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at our school, fails to attend regularly, the parent is guilty of an offence under Section 444 Education Act 1996. A holiday penalty notice will be given when a pupil has 5 days or more off school. A fine of £60 will be given. If this is not paid within 28 days it will increase to £120 per parent.  

Government

Admissions

ADMISSIONS POLICY

We currently have 226 children on roll.  If your child is in Year 2 and attending an infant school you will need to apply for a place at a junior or primary school (Year 3) for the 2024-2025 academic year starting in September 2024. If your child is attending a primary school but you wish to apply for a place at another school in Year 3 in September 2023 and wish to be considered as part of the infant/junior admissions round, you should contact the Admissions Team by contacting admissions@telford.gov.uk.

The closing date for applications is 15th January 2025.

Admissions

At Donnington Wood Junior School our published admission number is 240. This is made up of 8 Key Stage 2 Classes with up to 30 pupils in each.

We follow the Telford & Wrekin Local Authority selection processes, please click here for more information. If we are oversubscribed, parents have a right to appeal through Telford & Wrekin.

In Year Application

• Complete an online application form via the Telford and Wrekin Website by clicking here
• We welcome all families to Donnington Wood Junior School and we strongly encourage you to make an appointment to view the school. Appointments can be made by contacting the school office.

What you need to do

Please complete an In-Year Application form for each child. Before you fill out the form we suggest you find out more about the schools by looking at their websites and/or visiting schools. You can also contact Family Connect on 01952 385385.

You are allowed to put preferences for up to 3 schools or academies. If you want to apply for schools in other authorities, such as Shropshire or Staffordshire or further afield, these should be included on your Telford form. Details of your application will then be forwarded to the appropriate Local Authority. You don’t have to complete a form for another Local Authority.

The order of the preferences that you put on your form is very important. We will always offer you the highest possible preference, so you should put your true preference first. If we can’t offer a place at your first preference school we will move on to look at the second preference and so on. Places will be allocated according to the published admission criteria for individual schools. If your application is for a faith school or a grammar school you may also be asked to provide other information so that your application can be considered.

You should also consider how you will get your child to and from school. There is more detailed information on home to school transport available on the council’s website. However, you should note that Telford & Wrekin council only provided support for eligible pupils to travel to their designated (or catchment) area school in particular sets of circumstances. If your preference is for a school other than your nearest or catchment area school you are likely to be responsible for getting your child(ren) to and from school.

Details of the child’s home address are particularly important and if you are moving house you are likely to be asked to prove your new address, for example by providing evidence of exchange of contracts or a valid rental agreement. The information that you put on the application form will be checked by the Local Authority. Any place offered may be withdrawn if your application is found to be fraudulent or intentionally misleading.

If two parents cannot agree on which school(s) to put on the form they should seek legal advice and if necessary, an appropriate court order before submitting one form.

 The form should be completed by the parent with whom the child is living.

The Process

Telford & Wrekin Admissions Team will contact parents with the outcome of their application within 15 days of receiving the application wherever possible.

Parents will be expected to respond to any offer of a school place made within 10 days.

Where a place has been offered at a Telford & Wrekin School or Academy we would expect it to be taken up within 6 weeks of the offer being made and accepted, otherwise the offer will be withdrawn.

Where places cannot be offered parents will be given information about the relevant appeals process. Telford & Wrekin Council operates a waiting list system for all oversubscribed community or voluntary controlled schools. These will be operated according to the rules laid down in the School Admissions Code and will be kept in order of the admissions criteria and not on other considerations such as the date on which the application was received.

For more information please look at the council website by clicking here

Applying for a secondary school place

Transferring from primary to secondary school is an important and exciting step in your child’s education. Children usually start secondary school at the start of September following their eleventh birthday.

Children born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 will start secondary school from September 2024. Parents need to apply for a Year 7 place by 31 October 2023.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) must also apply by 31 October 2023.

You are strongly advised to apply to four local schools including your nearest or catchment area school. You can use our Catchment Area School Finder Tool to check which school are your nearest or catchment area schools.

Please read the Guide to Secondary School Admissions booklet (Access it by clicking here) for information on school open days and evenings, the process of applying for a secondary school place and to understand how places are offered.

To apply for a secondary school place you will need to complete and submit an online application form using the link below.

If you want to apply for a place at one of the selective grammar schools in Telford and Wrekin, Haberdashers’ Adams (boys) or Newport Girls High School, you will need to register for the entrance test by 30 June 2023 as well as listing the school on your online application. The test will be held on 18 September 2023.

To apply for a place at Thomas Telford School, you will need to apply to the school directly by 25 September 2023. You should not list this school on your online application.

Applicants to Madeley Academy will be invited to attend a non-verbal reasoning assessment in November 2023.

If you are applying to Holy Trinity Academy or any other faith schools you may also need to complete a ‘supplementary information form’. These will be available on the school’s website and should be returned to the school(s) directly as well as listing the school(s) on your online application form.

Click here to complete the online application form

GETTING TO SECONDARY SCHOOL

Before you apply you should consider how your child will get to and from school. Most children attend a local secondary school, however, if you prefer a school further away you will need to make arrangements for them to travel to and from school. Telford and Wrekin no longer provide transport for children attending a faith school.

Your child may be eligible for travel assistance if, for example, they attend their nearest secondary school and it is more than three miles from their home. Visit the council website by clicking here for more information.

SECONDARY SCHOOL APPLICATION OUTCOMES

Parents who apply before the closing date will receive an email with the outcome of their application on Secondary National Offer Day – 1 March 2024.

Late applications will be considered after National Offer Day and after all on-time applications have been considered.

Parents of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will receive their final plan with a named secondary school by 15 February 2024.

WAITING LISTS AND APPEALS

If your child is not offered a place at your most preferred school, you can request for your child to be added to the waiting list. Parents also have the right to appeal the decision not to offer a place at any of the schools they apply to. Further information on waiting list and appeals will be provided in your application outcome.

SEND ADMISSIONS

At Donnington Wood CE we will be inclusive so everyone is valued and respected and where tolerance and diversity are celebrated.

Our Values