Appendix G

Proposed Admission Arrangements for the Academic Year 2009/10 – Sixth Form School Admission Responses to the Consultation Process

SCHOOL RESPONSE Stocksbridge Letter from Headteacher (Jan Featherstone) on behalf of High School Governors.

“I write on behalf of the Governors and parents of Stocksbridge High School re the proposed Sixth-form Admission arrangements for 2009-10. Our students are clearly discriminated against by the criteria you follow in point 4 of the guidance letter.

The year (2007) considerable amounts of our students failed to get their first choice of VI form schools due to this criteria. Many parents and students were very upset and wrote to the LA to express their views on the situation.

As out community is on the edge of the City it is inevitable that distance from home to school will discriminate when students are prioritised for places but we are part of the City. With this criteria families from Derbyshire could well have priority over ourselves.

As we believe it is important that our brightest, most talented students remain in the City for their post-16 education we have always encouraged students and their parents to apply for place in our VI from schools/colleges. On our doorstep we have Penistone School and Barnsley College, both with good reputations and easily accessible. Sheffield cannot, in out view, afford to lose students that will help them move up the LA league tables, yet they continue to implement what is clearly unfair criteria. This is a point we have made in the past and we are not hopeful that our views will have any impact on your decision-making.

The schools in our community work closely together and have raised the level of achievement considerably. In a close-knit community it is vital that the City Council is seen to support the aspirations of our young people and their families. The present situation is doing nothing to support the view that the Council does actually see Stocksbridge/Deepcar/High Green as an integral part of the City and finds easy to make it feel included”.

Stocksbridge “The Town Council have received a copy of the comments Town raised by Jan Featherstone, Headteacher at Stocksbridge High Council School – which have been emailed to you. Appendix G

The Town Council fully support the comments raised by Jan Featherstone and wish to reiterate the same concerns.

They also wish to express their dismay that the residents of Stocksbridge pay their council tax to a Local Authority which does not provide the post-16 education needs of their children”.

Authority Comment

The geographical distribution of sixth form provision in Sheffield means that any distance based criteria is going to be unpopular with those families living furthest away. This is not only an issue for the North West but equally so for the South East of the City.

Some schools will always be more popular than others and this is reflected in the oversubscription. Whichever tie-breaker is employed it will be unpopular with those who are not offered the place they want. It is however important to restrict numbers in line with the school capacity.

The Authority has explored the possible use of other tie- breakers in previous consultation exercises such as linked schools and catchment areas but these have been rejected by Headteachers. The vast majority of Headteachers support the use of distance as a tie-breaker.

In 2006/07, five applications were received from Stocksbridge students for Sheffield Sixth Forms, all were offered places at their preferred schools. In 2007/08, twelve applications were received, 8 were offered their first preference, 2 their second preference and 2 did not make any further request.

Crucially, the Authority is always in a position to offer a place at a sixth form school for all students that meet the entry criteria. It does not follow that all students can be offered places at their first preference, but this applies to all applicants, not only those in Stocksbridge.

Parents have the right of appeal to an independent panel for any application that is refused. The panel is not bound by the Authority’s policy and may take account of any issues presented to it by parents, this would include reference to the Authority’s policy criteria. The panels are empowered to make legally binding decisions.