Fair banding system could make it easier to secure school place
Trinity Academy has recently amended its admissions policy to open up the opportunity of an outstanding education for the local commu- nity, writes Principal Michael Gosling. As an oversubscribed school with more than double the amount of applications for places, we have a high level of children, many who live less than ten minutes away, who under former arrangements had little chance of securing a place.
We have therefore now introduced fair banding, an assessment that p l ac e s children within four bands.
Children do not pass or fail this, and it is not an entrance exam. It is simply a way to give families a fairer chance of gaining access to the provision they want. Under this system, our places are split across fou r bands ranging from A-D, each A group of academy students recently travelled to Wembley Stadium in London to support chart-topping singer Pixie Lott.
The academy has many talented dancers, many of whom study the subject at GCSE.
A group of students were lucky enough to be of which reflect a score range.
An independent assessment determines the band a student is placed in, and then our admissions policy oversubscription criteria applies within each band.
The ordering of oversubscription criteria ensures that, as always, our vision of serving the community we are based in is fulfilled with high priority given to those residing in north Halifax. part of a dance troupe performing for thousands of guests at Wembley enjoying a live performance from Pixie at the Saracens v Harlequins rugby union match.
Trinity Academy was one of just 12 schools selected from across the country to take part in the Saracens Community Dance Pro-
We want every student to achieve their potential, regardless of ability. Not only do more families have a fairer chance of accessing outstanding, aspirational and transformational provision, there are huge educational benefits.
Children attending primary schools within our catchment area will automatically have arrangements made for their assessment, whilst other students will be given the gramme, with the full group then joining together as part of Pixie’s performance.
It was a fantastic experience for students, who got to experience the hard work that professional dancers experience on a daily basis, and of course the thrill of being part of a performance for a huge crowd. opportunity to sit the assessment at a later date.
We appreciate that parents may have questions, and this year we have taken the decision to host two open events – on Wednesday, June 24, and Tuesday, September 15 - to support parents.
As a Christian academy, our values of empathy, honesty, respect and responsibility are at the heart of everything we do.
We passionately believe that outstanding provision should be available to all children.
Although we cannot serve every student applying for a place, fair banding is a responsible way for us to provide local children with a fair opportunity to succeed with us – whilst safeguarding our position as a school here to transform outcomes in north Halifax.