School admission arrangements consultation
Background | Reasons for the review | Options | Your say | Public meeting | Any questions
The current admission arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled Primary Schools along with Church of England Aided Primary Schools are that a group of primary schools are attached to a particular high school for transfer of pupils between primary and secondary school at Year 6/7. These schools are termed associated schools and Salford’s admission criteria for Community secondary schools gives priority for places in those schools to children who attend an associated primary schools. Salford’s current admission criteria is below:
- Looked After Children/Children with Special Educational Needs/Children with medical conditions
- Siblings
- Attendance at an associated primary
- Distance from school
Applications for schools are given priority in accordance with the above admission criteria.
Reasons why we need to review admission arrangements
- A new School Admissions Code has been published which includes a number of new requirements which mean we need to re-examine our current admission criteria and arrangements.
- Over years the current arrangements with regard to schools which are linked has changed as new schools have been opened and other schools have closed or amalgamated. The links have been revised to take account of these changes and this has resulted in some irregular and unbalanced linked school arrangements, with some primary schools being linked to more than one high school and some high schools having more schools linked to them than others.
- The Local Authority is currently working on proposals to transform secondary education in the City through the Building Schools for the Future initiative and there are significant proposals to make changes to the size and location of high schools through this programme.
- In addition to the Building Schools for the Future initiative there is a similar but smaller initiative which is about making investments in primary education which will inevitably lead to some changes to the size and location of primary schools over the next few years.
Option 1
Whilst this would result in a better alignment of primary school to high schools there is a potential for this not to comply fully with some sections of the new code of practice particularly where we would not be able to meet parental preference to the maximum extent. There is also likely to be more change required over time due to the implications of the primary capital programme and Building Schools for the Future. Whilst a review and realignment could take place for the academic year 2009-2010 this realignment may not be appropriate in a few years time.
If this option was implemented the outcome would be a system which would require review possibly each time the consultation on admission arrangements took place, leading to confusion and a lack of clarity for parents/carers and schools. This vagueness could also reduce the ability of parents/carers to make an informed choice of school for their children and would be failing to comply with the requirements of the new Code which stipulates that admission authorities should ensure that admission arrangements are clear in the sense of being free from doubt and easily understood.
If this were the preferred and agreed option then the oversubscription criteria used at the time of transfer to secondary school would be:
- Medical reasons - If claiming medical reasons, parents/carers must provide evidence from their doctor that the child has a medical condition which means that admission to a particular school is essential.
- SEN - children whose statement of Special Educational Needs stipulates that specific school
- Children in Need as defined by the Children Act (1989), i.e. those who are unlikely to achieve or maintain or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining a reasonable standard of health or development or a child/children whose health or development would be further impaired without the provision of services by the Local Authority. Applications under this criterion would need to be supported by an appropriate professional stating that attendance at a particular school is essential. This includes children in public care.
- Brother or sister in attendance at the school at the date when the pupil is to be admitted. This includes stepchildren and foster children living with the same family at the same address. Other children may be considered under the sibling criterion provided proof is available to demonstrate that the children are permanently resident at the same address and part of the same family unit. (The authority accepts that in some family units the children may not be natural brothers and/or sisters).
- Attendance at an Associated Primary School
- Distance from the school. This would involve a measurement being made between the child’s permanent place of residence and the preferred school in a straight line (as the crow flies). Those children who live closest to the school will be those who get priority for places.
N.B. Length of time on a school waiting list is not seen as a relevant factor.
Option 2
The preferred option would be the complete removal of associated primary schools from the admission criteria. This would enable the Local Authority as the admission authority for these schools to better comply with the new Schools Admission Code of Practice in such a way that the present system does not fully meet with the requirements and provide a greater clarity for parents/carers and schools.
If the associated primary school link is removed from the admission criteria it means that children in associated primary schools will be considered alongside every other applicant in accordance with the remainder of the admission criteria. The removal of this criterion will hopefully resolve the issue of parents/carers disrupting their child’s education by moving them to another primary school in Key Stage 2 to try to secure a place in a particular high school. Primary and secondary schools would continue to work closely together on curriculum or transition issues.
The oversubscription criteria used in this case would remain the same as at the present time simply with the removal of the “attendance at an associated primary school” criterion (see above).
The closing date for comments was Friday 1 February 2008.
All consultation on this matter must finish by 1 March 2008 and the determination of admission arrangements for the school year 2009/10 will be made by 15 April 2008. Once this decision is made it will be communicated with parents.
There was a public information meeting on Monday 28 January 2008 from 7.00pm to 8.30pm at Buile Hill Park Hall, Buile Hill Park, Eccles Old Road, Salford M6 8GL, where the proposed changes where explained.
If you have any questions please email school.admissions@salford.gov.uk or contact a member of the Admissions and Exclusions Team on 778 0415, 778 0467 or 778 0413.
This page was last updated on 11 January 2008
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