Admissions Policy

Woodhouse College (‘the College’) is an educational institution principally concerned with providing full-time education suitable to the requirements of persons over compulsory school age but under 19 at the start of the academic year (31 August). Students who are younger or older than this are admitted as full-time students only in exceptional circumstances.

The target number of students the College will admit will depend upon the nature of the proposed student programmes.

The College operates an admission window each year in which applications open in October and close in January (exact dates published on the college website).  Offers are made to eligible students according to the following priority: 

1. Looked after children 

2. Students with an EHC plan 

3. Students who attend one of the College’s partner schools 

4. Children of current staff

5. Other applicants who submit applications within the window

6. Late applicants 

Applicants from categories 1-4 will usually be offered a place if predicted grades suggest they will meet minimum grade criteria.   Minimum grades for a programme and for individual subjects are published annually in the College’s prospectus and on its website.

If the college is over-subscribed, students in categories 5 and 6 will be offered places according to these criteria: 

Predicted grades - the College is more likely to offer  a  place where predicted grades are high. 
Subject combinations – the College will offer places in such a way to fill all courses as efficiently as possible. 
Distance from College – students living more than an hour and a quarter away by public transport are less likely to be offered a place. 
Age of students – students who are 17 on 31st  August of Year 12  are less likely to be offered a place;  students who are 18 or more on 31st  August of Year 12  are unlikely to be offered a place. 
Reference from school(s) – a student with a reference suggesting poor behaviour or unsuitability is  unlikely  to be offered a place.

The over-subscription criteria are not applied in any fixed order but are applied in combination.

We stipulate grades 8/7/6 in particular GCSE subjects, at least the average score for your best (full) eight GCSE/IGCSE subjects (including English Language and Mathematics) as follows:

For three A levels: 6.0
For four A levels: 7.5

 (A* = 8, A = 7, B = 6, etc.)

Note that only full GCSE/IGCSE courses count towards the average score, not other types of qualification.

These are minimum requirements.

Where a student has taken fewer than eight GCSEs each application will be assessed individually. 

We do not guarantee to offer a place to students who meet these criteria.

Additional grades required for each subject are described below. Further detail can be found in the course pages of this website. All requirements are subject to amendment, and requirements issued at the time of offer are final.

Students who are not offered a place in the first tranche of offers (usually towards the end of the Spring term) will be placed on the waiting list. Students on the waiting list will be offered a place according to the relevant subject spaces that become available.

The College reserves the right to close a course if insufficient numbers of students apply or enrol. All offers are conditional upon actual GCSE grades. If a student does not achieve the required grades in the offer, a place at the College cannot be guaranteed. 

Eligible Students

The College will only offer places to students eligible for ESFA funding. Eligibility criteria are set nationally and may vary from year to year. Evidence of eligibility, such as passports, will be required at enrolment.

Equal Treatment

Woodhouse College has a multi-cultural and diverse student population and welcomes students from all ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds. All candidates for admission will be treated equally, irrespective of disability; gender reassignment; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

The College will make all reasonable efforts to comply with the Equality Act 2010, including making provision, where possible, to accommodate prospective applicants with specific needs.

Before a place is offered at the College, parents of a candidate with any known or suspected circumstances relating to a disability, long-term medical condition or special educational need must provide full written details as part of the application process.

Should parents or students fail to disclose any relevant information prior to acceptance, the College may be unable to meet the needs of the student and in some circumstances this may result in the offer of a place being withdrawn.

Where a student’s SEND is identified, or develops after beginning at Woodhouse, the College will continue to support the student with regard to the following considerations:

The College possesses the appropriate resources and facilities to provide the support required
It is in the best interests of the student and of the College community for the student to remain at the College.

Where either of these considerations do not apply, the College reserves the right to withdraw any place that has been awarded.

Repeat Students

Students applying to repeat a year are admitted only at the discretion of the College. This will include a consideration of the reasons for the repeat, eligibility for funding, and capacity.

Appeals

An appeal may be made at any point in the admissions process, including in the circumstances that:

An applicant is not selected for conditional offer
An applicant does not meet the College’s conditional offer.

Stage One:

The applicant or the applicant’s parent/carer should contact college admissions in writing, outlining their concerns and the issues they wish the College to address. This will be dealt with by the Assistant Principal Curriculum who will review the selection procedure or other relevant information. S/he will then contact the applicant or their parent/carer to discuss their findings by telephone within ten working days of receiving the appeal.

Stage Two:

Should the applicant and their parents be dissatisfied with the outcome of stage one, the applicant or parents/carers should contact the Principal in writing within ten working days of being informed of the outcome. The Principal will review the documentation from stage one. S/he may also meet with the applicant and their parent/carer. The Principal will put her/his decision in writing and this would be sent to the applicant’s parents/carers within ten working days. The Principal’s decision is final.

NB: Working days are defined for the purpose of this procedure as weekdays during the College term.

Policy Date: September 2022

Next review: September 2023