School Admissions School Admissions Julie Mills Presenting Officer - PDF document

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training School Admissions School Admissions Julie Mills Presenting Officer - School Organisation, Admissions and Appeals Service Coordinated School Admissions Process Designed to ensure fairness and equity and to protect the rights of all parents and carers and parents and carers and their children. 1

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training School Admission and Admission Appeals Codes The Codes, made under Section 84 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, are legally binding,  Education and Skills Act 2008 strengthened the statutory admissions framework;  Codes impose mandatory requirements and include guidelines;  They refer to statutory requirements (imposed by primary and secondary legislation); primary and secondary legislation);  Came into force - February 2010;* revised Code due out February 2012  Certain bodies required to act in accordance with relevant provisions. School Admission and Admission Appeals Codes Bodies that must comply: p y  admission authorities;  governing bodies;  local authorities;  admission forums;  schools adjudicators ;and  admission appeal panels. 2

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training Coordinated Admissions  Coordination of all applications by home Local A thorit Local Authority –  Data exchange between local authorities and admission authorities;  Simplification of process - fairness for parents; parents;  Single offer on the same day. Children with Special Needs Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the governing bodies of all maintained schools to admit a child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs that Special Educational Needs that names their school. 3

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training Parental Preference Right to express a preference for a place in any maintained school, City Technology College or y gy g Academy Duty to comply with parental preference applies to the single offer. Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 maintained schools to admit a child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs that names their school. Coordinated Scheme and Equal Preferences  Preferences ranked in priority order;  Preferences ranked in priority order;  Home local authority collates all preferences;  Preference ranking not shared by LA;  LA collates all provisional allocations; LA collates all provisional allocations;  Single offer determined by Home LA;  Lower ranked preferences withdrawn. 4

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training Cheshire East Coordinated Scheme  Published Timescales;  Published Timescales;  Common Application Form;  Three school preferences;  Equal preferences;  Late applications; pp ;  Changing preferences;  Unsuccessful CE applicants ‘ placed by LA at nearest CE school with vacancies ’. Published Admission Number (PAN) A child must not be refused admission A child must not be refused admission on the grounds of prejudice to efficient education or the efficient use of resources except where the number of applications for admission exceeds the admission number. (normal admission d i i b ( l d i i round) (Section 86(5) of the SSFA 1998; Para 1.24, School Admissions Code) 5

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training Infant Class Size Legislation (ICSL) Section 1 of the SSFA 1998 limits Section 1 of the SSFA 1998 limits the size of an infant class (i.e. a class in which the majority of children will reach the age of 5, 6, and 7 during the school year) to 30 pupils per school teacher. il h l t h Qualifying Measures Actions that must be taken by an admission authority to ensure compliance admission authority to ensure compliance with statutory obligation include  the reorganisation of the class; or  the employment of another teacher; or  additional accommodation. additional accommodation.  must be taken to bring the class within the class size limit for the next academic year. 6

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training Applying Published Admissions Arrangements  Applications considered against pp g relevant admission arrangements;  Undersubscribed schools – all accepted;  Oversubscribed schools – oversubscription criteria applied; b i ti it i li d  Legal right of appeal. Cheshire East Oversubscription Criteria Community and Voluntary Controlled schools:  ‘ Cared for Children’;  Medical, Psychological or Social (with supporting documentation); * consulting on proposed removal for 2013 arrangements  Siblings g  Children resident within the designated catchment zone of the school (In Area)  Feeder/partner primary school;  Pupils living nearest to the school (Distance). 7

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training Catchment Area Schools  ‘Catchment area’ school places must not be guaranteed (unlawful); guaranteed (unlawful);  Local authorities must not require parents to include their catchment school as a preference - only advise ;  Catchment schools may not always be the nearest school; nearest school;  Parents and carers have a legal right to apply for a place at any school. Primary 2012 - Key Dates  1 September 2011 – process started;  15 J  15 January 2012 – statutory closing date for 2012 t t t l i d t f applications;  27 April 2012 – offer day;  14 May 2012 – accept or decline closing date;  After 14 May 2012 – vacancies reallocated;  14 May 2012 - Closing date for appeals;  Appeal Hearings by 16 July 2012 for on time applications 8

School Admissions and Appeals Member 13/02/2012 Training Secondary 2012 – Key Dates  1 September 2011 – process started;  1 September 2011 process started;  31 October 2011 – statutory closing date for applications;  1 March 2012 – statutory offer date;  16 March 2012 – accept or decline closing date;  after 16 March – vacancies reallocated;  ft 16 M h i ll t d  30 March - closing date appeals;  appeal hearings by 6 July for on time applications Arrangements for 2013 will follow a similar pattern, details will be available i il tt d t il ill b il bl by 1 September 2012 on our website www.cheshireeast.gov.uk 9