Admissions Policy

The school’s admissions policy has been drawn up in line with North Tyneside Local Authority policy.

For those students coming to John Spence at the start of Year 7

We work in close partnership with colleagues in primary schools to make transition to secondary school smooth and problem free. Primary school children visit us on a number of occasions during year 6 in order to familiarise themselves with the staff, site and routines.

Parents are also invited to visit the school during the summer term of their child’s final year at primary school as well as at the induction evening in July.

In the case of the school being oversubscribed in any given year, places are offered in the following order of priority:

Pupils attending linked primaries and living in the catchment area
Pupils attending linked primaries and living outside the catchment area
Pupils attending non-linked primaries but living in the catchment area
Other pupils whose parents opt for transfer to John Spence

For those students seeking admission ‘In-year’

As with students joining us at the beginning of year 7, every effort is made to ease the transition of students joining us later in their school career. Individual arrangements are made to ensure that admissions will be in the best interest of the student and the school. To this end:

Information is always sought from the child’s previous school
An initial meeting between senior staff and parents/carers is usually followed by a second visit to resolve any specific curriculum and continuity issues. If an admission presents difficulty, the headteacher becomes involved
Parents/carers and children are invited to look around the school with some of our students who can give their perspective when responding to your questions
Your child’s induction phase is closely monitored.

In the case of the school being oversubscribed in any given year group, places are offered in the following order of priority:

Pupils moving into the catchment area
Pupils who have siblings in the school
Pupils moving into North Shields from outside the area
Other pupils where parents opt for John Spence.