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ITEM EX17

EXECUTIVE 22 JANUARY 2002

SCHOOL ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS 2003-2004

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer

1. The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 requires each admissions authority (Local Education Authority’s (LEAs), Aided Schools and Foundation Schools) to consult and formally determine its admission arrangements. For the academic year 2003-2004 the consultation must be completed before 1 March 2002 and the formal determination effected by 15 April 2002. The admission arrangements must then be communicated to all parties involved in the consultation exercise.
2. This report details a limited number of proposed changes to the 2002-2003 admission arrangements for LEA Community and Controlled schools, to take effect from September 2003 onwards. If agreed by the Executive they will be subject to formal consultation during February. Those required to be consulted with include neighbouring LEAs and Aided Schools in Oxfordshire. It is open to the LEA to include admission authorities within part(s) of neighbouring LEAs (e.g. within 2 miles for primary and 3 miles for secondary). In addition it has been local practice to consult with the relevant Anglican and Roman Catholic Dioceses and to seek the views of headteachers and chairs of governors of Community and Controlled Schools in Oxfordshire.

Catchment Areas

3. It is not proposed to make any significant changes to schools’ catchment areas (i.e. no parts of any school’s catchment area will be reallocated to another). However, in response to a recent Ombudsman case, it has become evident that all catchment areas need to be ‘closed’ (i.e. have clearly defined boundaries and not simply left open in anticipation of further contiguous house building). Likewise, particularly in urban areas, it is necessary for areas which currently do not have any housing (but may do so in future) to be included within the catchment area of at least one school. In addition it is necessary to define and consult upon the catchment areas of new schools planned to open between now and August 2004.

Oxford City

4. September 2003 will be the first year of admission to the new primary and secondary schools in Oxford City. It is proposed that for this first year no changes be made to the catchment areas of the Primary (formerly First) and Secondary (formerly Upper) schools but that a review of catchment areas be undertaken during 2003 (taking into account patterns of parental preferences in the 2003-2004 admissions cycle) to inform changes to take effect in September 2005.
5. In September 2003 the new Secondary schools will admit pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9. It is proposed that during the allocation process places for Year 9 pupils be allocated first followed, in turn, by Year 8 and then Year 7. This will have the effect of establishing older children on the roll of secondary schools so that their younger brothers and sisters will be treated as satisfying the current (see paragraphs 6 and 7 below) second over-subscription criterion of "Brothers/sisters of children already attending the chosen school." This should minimise the disruption caused to families where preferences for siblings to attend the same school are not met.

  Over-Subscription Criteria

6. The current criteria make no reference to pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs. If a statement names a particular school then a place at the school must be made available to the pupil whether or not it is full (up to its Admission Number/Standard Number) or indeed oversubscribed. The new Special Education Needs (SEN) Code of Practice requires the LEA to name the secondary school to which a pupil will transfer at the beginning of Year 7 by February 15 prior to the transfer (from 2003). The principle is also applicable to pre-school children transferring to either Year Reception or Year 1 but is not required by the new CoP. It should thus be possible to ensure that all pupils with a particular school named in their statement are allocated a place in that school and that they are counted towards the school’s Admission Number/Standard Number. To effect this it will be necessary to introduce a new, first over-subscription criterion: "Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs which names the school in Part 4 of the Statement." Continued consistent application of the LEA’s criteria for carrying out Statutory Assessments will ensure that the process of assessment is not abused for admissions, as opposed to SEN, purposes.
7. Oxfordshire County Council is the Corporate Parent of children in the Looked After system. The current Education Development Plan (EDP) and the 2002-2007 EDP (Local Priority 7 – Tackling Underachievement and Reducing Disadvantage) recognise that certain groups of children are at particular risk of underachievement (Looked After children included). Although in most cases Looked After children will probably prefer to attend their local (i.e. catchment area) school, there may be certain specific circumstances (e.g. the attendance of another pupil involved in an abusive relationship) where an alternative school offers a better prospect of addressing the risk of underachievement. It is therefore proposed that a new over-subscription criterion be introduced and that it be second after children with Statements (see paragraph 6, above): "Looked After children for whom there is an agreement between a designated officer acting on behalf of the County Council as Corporate Parent and a designated officer of the LEA that the school will more appropriately meet the child’s needs than their catchment school."
8. As Corporate Parent the County Council retains responsibility for ensuring that Looked After children get to and from their allocated school. Placement in an out of catchment school would not necessarily impact upon either the LEA’s policy for home-school transport nor the overall cost of transport. However, where a non-catchment school placement would result in additional costs this would need to have been considered as part of the process of reaching agreement as to the appropriateness of a particular placement.

Additional Places

9. For the 2001-2002 admissions arrangements a change was effected which introduced "Up to an additional three places in each year group at secondary school and one place in each year group at primary school…available for pupils permanently excluded once….admitted over and above the admission number that applied to that year group." This has supported officers in their efforts to secure prompt ‘second chance’ placements for this group of children at risk of underachievement through disengagement from the education system. The same advantages could be extended to other ‘vulnerable groups’ such as Traveller and Looked After children whose education is often disrupted by changes in their family circumstances and who have a need for speedy admission to school to minimise their time lost from learning. It is therefore proposed that for 2003-2004 onwards the wording of the policy should be changed to read: "Up to an additional three places in each year group at secondary school and one place in each year group at primary school will be made available to pupils at risk of underachievement (i.e. permanently excluded once from another school where such a placement is considered to be in the interests of all concerned; in the Looked After system; or the child of a Traveller family). These pupils will be admitted over and above the admission number that applied to that year group." The impact of this change would be monitored and evaluated as part of activity 7.5 of the EDP.

  Timetable

10. 22 January 2002 Executive agrees admission arrangements for consultation

25 January 2002 Consultation documents circulated

06 February 2002 Consult Admissions Forum on proposed admissions arrangements

28 February 2002 Closing date for receipt of responses to consultation

By 15 April 2002 Chief Education Officer formally determines admission arrangements for 2003-2004

Summary Of Amendments to Admission Arrangements

11. The amendments to the 2002-2003 admissions arrangements, to take effect in September 2003 are:

1. admissions to Oxford City secondary schools to be in the order Year 9, Year 8 & then Year 7;
2. introduce two new over-subscription criteria – Statement of SEN naming a school followed by children in the Looked After system;
3. additional places above Admission Number for pupils at risk of underachievement – permanently excluded, Looked After and Travellers.

12. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

1. agree the consultation timetable in paragraph 10 of the report;
2. determine that the relevant area for the 2003-2004 consultation be Oxfordshire, neighbouring LEAs and any other admission authorities within 2 miles (primary) and 3 miles (secondary) of Oxfordshire’s border;
3. consult with the relevant admission authorities on the proposed admission arrangements for 2003-2004 (as per 2002-2003 subject to the amendments detailed in paragraphs 3 – 9 of the report);
4. authorise the Acting Chief Education Officer formally to determine the admission arrangements for 2003-2004 in the light of the consultation responses, subject in the case of any representations appearing to him to be of a major nature, to consultation with the Executive Member for Schools.

ROY SMITH
Acting Chief Education Officer

Background papers:Nil

Contact officer: Roy Leach, Tel: Oxford 815693

January 2002