item 3 Cabinet Date: 20 February 2019 Pupil Admission Arrangements for Primary and Secondary Schools – September 2020 Report of the Corporate Director Children, Adults and Health Cabinet Portfolio/Lead Member: Cllr Moira Smith, Children, Young People and Families Purpose of Report 1. This report presents the outcome of the 2018/19 consultation exercise with Governing Boards of Local Authority (LA) Schools and others in respect of proposed pupil admission arrangements for September 2020, and specifically seeks the Council’s determination of the pupil admission arrangements for those schools for which it is the admission authority i.e. Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools, and agreement to the operation of the Co-ordinated Admission Scheme. 2. The report also takes into consideration the most recent version of the School Admissions Code issued by the Department for Education (DfE) which came into force on 19 December 2014. 2 Contact Officer: Christine Henderson, Governor Support and School Admissions Manager (4247847) cabinet cabinet cabinet cabinet cabinet cabinet cabinet Pupil Admission Arrangements for Primary and Secondary Schools – September 2020 Introduction 3. All Admission Authorities have a duty to publish details of their own admission arrangements. Governors of all Roman Catholic schools in the Borough are their own Admission Authorities, as are St Oswald’s C of E Primary School and Jarrow School and as such, determine their own admission policies. The relevant Academy Trust determines the admission policy(ies) for its Academy(ies). The LA is the Admission Authority for all Community and Voluntary Controlled schools. 4. The Education (School Information) (England) Regulations 2008 require the LA to publish information annually about admission arrangements for the following year for all maintained schools in its area, and to publish for each school year a ‘composite prospectus’ giving summary details of admission information. The information is aimed at ensuring that parents make an informed decision about applications for a school place. 5. The LA must also publish the arrangements for admission appeals for community and voluntary controlled schools, and may also publish other information about local admission arrangements which they consider will be of interest to parents. These matters are included in the “composite prospectus”. 6. The LA publishes a ‘composite prospectus’ in the form of an “Information for Parents” booklet for all primary and secondary schools within the Authority in collaboration with, and with the co-operation of, those schools which statutorily manage their own admission arrangements. This is published on the Council’s website but will be available to parents as a hard copy on request. In-Year Fair Access Protocol 7. This protocol exists to ensure that access to education is secured quickly for children who have no school place, and to ensure that all schools in an area admit their fair share of children with challenging behaviour. The protocol has been in place since September 2007 for Secondary schools and since September 2009 for Infant, Junior and Primary schools. A review of the protocol was carried out in autumn 2018. All admission authorities must participate in the protocol. School Travel Provisions 8. The statutory duties for free transport for children on compulsory school age are: Document filename: Cabinet Date: 20 February Admission Arrangements 2020 2019 Version (DRAFT) Page 2 Pupil Admission Arrangements for Primary and Secondary Schools – September 2020 i) Statutory walking distances eligibility Provide free transport for all pupils of compulsory school age (5 – 16) if their nearest suitable school is • beyond 2 miles (if below the age of 8); or • beyond 3 miles (if aged between 8 and 16). ii) Special educational needs, a disability or mobility problems eligibility Make transport arrangements for all children who cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school because of their mobility problems or because of associated health and safety issues related to their special educational needs or disability. iii) Unsafe route eligibility Make transport arrangements for all children who cannot reasonably be expected to walk to the nearest school because the nature of the route is deemed unsafe to walk. iv) Extended rights eligibility Provide free transport where pupils are entitled to free school meals or their parents are in receipt of maximum Working Tax Credit if • the nearest suitable school is beyond 2 miles (for children over the age of 8 and under 11); • the school is between 2 and 6 miles (if aged 11-16 and there are not three or more suitable nearer schools); • the school is between 2 and 15 miles and is the nearest school preferred on the grounds of religion or belief (aged 11-16). Consultation 9. All admission authorities are required to consult on the full details of their admission arrangements for a minimum of six weeks. The LA co- ordinated the consultation exercise on behalf of all schools in the Borough where requested. 10. Neighbouring authorities, governors, diocesan boards, parents and local groups with an interest in the area were consulted. The proposed admission arrangements were also published in the local paper and on the Council’s website. 11. There was one response received during the consultation period from Forest View Primary School with a request to reduce their Planned Admission Number (PAN) from 45 to 30. Document filename: Cabinet Date: 20 February Admission Arrangements 2020 2019 Version (DRAFT) Page 3 Pupil Admission Arrangements for Primary and Secondary Schools – September 2020 12. The recommendation is not to agree the request to the change to PAN for Forest View or any other school for 2020 admissions. A review of the Schools Organisation Plan in order to ensure that there are sufficient school places to accommodate the number of pupils resident in the borough has recently commenced. The analysis of the possible impact of housing development in South Tyneside on the requirement for primary school places is at a very early phase linked with the development of Local Plan covering the period 2020 to 2025. 13. On 4 December 2017 all admission authorities received correspondence from Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP. The letter advised of the intention to change the School Admissions Code to ensure that children previously in care outside of England are given the highest priority for admission. 14. Admission authorities were encouraged to use discretion to amend their admission criteria for 2019/20 to include children previously in care outside of England as the second highest priority in their oversubscription criteria. It was recognised that admission authorities may have already commenced their consultation process and that this may not be possible. 15. The consultation process for the LA concluded on 1 December 2017 for 2019/20 admissions therefore the earliest opportunity for consultation was for 2020/21 admissions. 16. At present there are no pupils attending schools within the Local Authority who would meet this criterion. The number of future applications expected to be received in oversubscribed schools within this criterion would be minimal. The impact of including the additional criterion was insignificant. 17. There were no comments or objections received to the proposal of the additional criterion during the consultation period. It would therefore be recommended that the criterion be included in the admissions arrangements for 2020/21. Admission Numbers 18. As part of determining their admission arrangements all admission authorities must set an admission number for each relevant age group. LAs use the net capacity method of assessing the sufficiency of school premises. The primary aim of net capacity assessment is to offer a fair and consistent method of identifying any surplus or deficit of pupil places in relation to demand. The calculation of a school’s capacity allows LAs to establish an indicated admission number. Net capacity data is reviewed annually to ensure that all changes to school buildings are taken into account when setting the admission number. Document filename: Cabinet Date: 20 February Admission Arrangements 2020 2019 Version (DRAFT) Page 4 Pupil Admission Arrangements for Primary and Secondary Schools – September 2020 19. All admission authorities must consult where they propose a decrease to the Published Admission Number (PAN) for a relevant age group and must follow a statutory procedure which involves publishing this information for parents who may object to the admission number. Schools that are their own admission authorities are not required to consult on their PAN where they propose either to increase or keep the same PAN. For a community or voluntary controlled school, the LA (as admission authority) must consult at least the governing body of the school where it proposes either to increase or keep the same PAN. For infant classes, the admission number must be compatible with the duty to comply with the infant class size limit. 20. Admission authorities must notify their LA of their intention to increase the school’s PAN and reference to the change should be made on the school’s website. If, at any time following determination of the PAN, an admission authority decides that it is able to admit above its PAN, it must notify the LA in good time to allow the effective co-ordination of its responsibilities. Admission authorities may also admit above their PAN in-year. 21. Any admissions above the PAN as detailed