New Catholic schools in Richmond upon Thames

Clifden Road site, Twickenham

Between 20 January 2012 and 16 March, the Council consulted residents on a proposal(pdf, 600KB) to use the Clifden Road, Twickenham, site of Richmond Adult Community College which, in July 2011, the Council agreed to buy for future school use.

A summary of the consultation outcomes can be read and/or downloaded here.(pdf, 1072KB)

A representative sample of the 4,244 responses can be read and/or downloaded here(pdf, 1655KB).

The Council’s Cabinet considered the responses to, and approved at its meeting on 24 May , the proposals to lease part of the Clifden Road site to the Diocese of Westminster to establish Catholic schools (see below).

Diocese of Westminster statutory proposals

Between 2 March 2012 and 13 April, the Diocese of Westminster consulted residents and other interested parties on statutory proposals to establish a five-form entry voluntary-aided Catholic secondary school and one-form entry voluntary-aided Catholic primary school on the Clifden Road site.

A brief summary of the outcomes of the Diocese’s consultation can be read and/or downloaded here(pdf, 1037KB).

A document containing all 427 responses to the Diocese’s proposals can be read and/or downloaded here(pdf, 1784KB).

The Council’s Cabinet considered the responses to, and approved, the proposals at its meeting on 24 May.

Next steps

The Council will be working with the Diocese to draw up the requisite legal agreements and to agree the details of the partnership working that will be needed in regard to matters such as the administration of admissions, local commissioning arrangements, etc. The schools will be known as St Richard Reynolds Catholic Secondary School and St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School.

You should note that the Council's decisions to approve the Diocese's statutory proposals will be subject to a judicial review at an as yet unknown date. However, parents whose children are due to start in Year 7 or Reception in September 2013 and who are interested in applying for either of the two schools are advised to name the particular school on their common application form and to complete the relevant supplementary information form below.

Open morning

The Diocese will be holding an open morning for the two schools between 9am and 1pm on Saturday 20 October 2012, at the Clifden Road site.

Admissions to St Richard Reynolds Catholic Secondary School

The supplementary information forms for the schools is available to download:

St Richard Reynolds Catholic Secondary School supplementary information form(pdf, 55KB).

The proposed oversubscription criteria to be used for the purposes of admitting children and young people to St Richard Reynolds Catholic Secondary School will be as follows:

1. Catholic looked after children and Catholic children who have been adopted (or made subject to residence or special guardianship orders) immediately following being looked after.

2. Community places for children attending the new Richmond Primary School and holding a community place at that school.

3. Baptised Catholic children from practising Catholic families who are resident in the parishes of Our Lady Queen of Peace, East Sheen; Sacred Heart, Teddington; St Edmund, Whitton; St Elizabeth, Richmond; St Francis de Sales, Hampton; St James, Twickenham; St Margaret, East Twickenham; St Mary Magdalen, Mortlake; St Osmund, Barnes; St Theodore, Hampton; St Thomas Aquinas, Ham and St Winefride, Kew.

4. Baptised Catholic children who are resident in the parishes listed in criterion 3 above.

5. Other baptised Catholic children.

6. Other looked after children and children who have been adopted (or made subject to residence or special guardianship orders) immediately following being looked after.

7. Children from other Christian traditions and from other faiths. Priority will be given to members of the Eastern Christian (including Orthodox) Churches.

8. Any other children.

Notes:

a) The attendance of a sibling at the school at the time of enrolment will increase the priority of an application within each category.

b) Where the number of applicants under criteria 3 or 4 exceeds the number of places available, places will be allocated in the ratio Diocese of Westminster: Diocese of Southwark = 6:4; and if the number still exceeds the places available, they will be ranked by random allocation.

c) Where the offer of places in any of the criteria other than 3 or 4 would still lead to oversubscription, the places up to the admission number will be offered by proximity to the school. In the case of equidistance from the school, random allocation will be used.
d) In the event of a tie-breaker being needed, an independently-supervised drawing of lots will take place. If twins or triplets are competing for one or two remaining places, the school will admit both/all applicants and exceed the Published Admissions Number. The admission of children with a statement of Special Educational Needs is dealt with by a separate procedure that is administered by the applicant's home Local Authority, to whom all enquiries in that regard should be addressed. The school will admit both boys and girls in all year-groups.

Admissions to St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School

The supplementary information forms for the schools is available to download:

St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School supplementary information form(pdf, 55KB).

The proposed oversubscription criteria to be used for the purposes of admitting children and young people to St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School will be as follows:

1. Catholic looked after children and Catholic children who have been adopted (or made subject to residence or special guardianship orders) immediately following being looked after.

2. Up to ten community places for children whose parents wish them to have a Catholic education, on the basis of proximity to the school.

3. Baptised Catholic children, on the basis of proximity to the school.

4. Other looked after children and children who have been adopted (or made subject to residence or special guardianship orders) immediately following being looked after.

5. Baptised children from other eastern Churches.

6. Other Christian children and children of other faiths.

7. Any other children.

Notes:

a) The attendance of a sibling at the school at the time of enrolment will increase the priority of an application within each category.

b) For categories 3 and 5 a baptismal certificate will be required.

c) For category 3, priority will be given within the category to practising Catholics where this practice is confirmed by a priest at the church where the family normally worships, using the standard diocesan priests’ reference/declaration form.

d) Where the offer of places in any of the categories would still lead to oversubscription, the places up to the admission number will be offered by proximity to the school. In the case of equidistance from the school, random allocation will be used.

e) In the event of a tie-breaker being needed, an independently-supervised drawing of lots will take place. If twins or triplets are competing for one or two remaining places, the school will admit both/all applicants and exceed the Published Admissions Number. The admission of children with a statement of Special Educational Needs is dealt with by a separate procedure that is administered by the applicant's home Local Authority, to whom all enquiries in that regard should be addressed.

Contact

For any further information about the two schools, please contact the Diocese of Westminster, on 020 7798 9005.