ANNEX 1

CO-ORDINATED ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS IN OXFORDSHIRE

CO-ORDINATED ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO 
PRIMARY SCHOOL YEARS F1-YEAR 6

1.	Introduction
	
1.1	The scheme relates to admissions arrangements for all maintained primary schools in Oxfordshire for the academic year 2005/06, including transfers from infant and JMI schools to junior schools at the end of Key Stage 1.

1.2	A glossary of key terms used in the scheme is shown at Annex A.

1.3	An outline of key dates in the admissions process is shown at Annex B.

1.4	The LEA will act as the “clearing house” for all applications for maintained primary schools in Oxfordshire.

1.5	The governing bodies of the voluntary aided schools covered by this scheme remain the admission authorities for their schools. This means that they remain responsible for setting admission rules, applying them, and determining the offer of places.

1.6	In –year (casual) admissions to F1 to Year 6 in all maintained primary schools in Oxfordshire will be co-ordinated by the “clearing house”, the LEA.

1.7	The co-ordinated admission scheme will become part of the published admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools in Oxfordshire for 2005/06.

1.8	The co-ordinated admission scheme will also become part of the published admission arrangements for all voluntary aided schools in Oxfordshire for 2005/06 once adopted by the governing bodies of the schools concerned.

1.9	Any direct applications for admission to F1 sent in error directly to schools will be passed to the “clearing house”, the LEA.

1.10	The co-ordinated admissions scheme will ensure parents /carers receive only one offer of a school place when applying through this scheme.

2.	The Common Application Form for Entry to the F1 Year in Primary Schools

2.1	There will be a common application form for admission to all maintained primary schools in Oxfordshire. This will be available electronically through the Oxfordshire County Council website as well as in paper form.

2.2	The common application form will be known as the CAF (Primary).

2.3	All parents/carers will need to use the CAF (Primary) when expressing a preference for a child’s admission to the following types of school:

•	community schools maintained by the LEA

•	voluntary controlled schools within Oxfordshire

•	voluntary aided schools

2.4	The CAF (Primary) cannot be used for admissions to community, foundation, voluntary aided, or voluntary controlled schools outside Oxfordshire. 

2.5	The LEA, the “clearing house”, will provide the CAF (Primary) to parents/carers resident within Oxfordshire. It will also enable parents/carers resident in Oxfordshire to apply on-line for a school place using the Oxfordshire County Council’s web site.

2.6	Parents/carers resident within Oxfordshire will be able to state 3 preferences on the CAF (Primary).

2.7	Parents/carers resident outside Oxfordshire who wish to apply for a place for their child at a maintained school within the county will also need to complete a CAF (Primary) for this LEA. The CAF (Primary) will be available on request from the Admissions Team at Oxfordshire County Council. In addition parents/carers resident outside Oxfordshire will also be able to apply on-line for a school place using the Oxfordshire County Council’s web site. 

2.8	Parents/carers not resident within Oxfordshire will be able to state 3 preferences for Oxfordshire schools.

2.9	The CAF (Primary) will be used for the purpose of admitting pupils in the specified year. This form will also:

•	specify the closing date and where it must be returned

•	invite the parent/carer to express a preference – or to apply for a place – by completing the form and by ranking up to three of the schools

•	invite the parent/carer, where they wish to name more than one school, to rank their preferences in the order in which they desire their child to receive an offer of a place at the respective schools

•	explain that the parent/carer will receive no more than one offer of a school place in response to the form

•	explain that, subject to availability of places and the application of the admission rules, parental preference will be respected

•	explain that, if more than one school is listed and no order of preference is given, the parent/carer will be regarded as having expressed preferences in the order that schools appear on the form (the first-mentioned being regarded as the highest preference)

•	explain that if a wish is expressed by the parents/carers that the schools listed should be regarded as equal preferences, the parent/carer will be regarded as having ranked the schools in the order appearing on the form (the first-mentioned being ranked as the highest preference)

•	enable parents/carers to give reasons for their applications for the schools listed

•	enable parents who wish to, to state whether their child belongs to the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England 

2.10	The LEA will take all reasonable steps to ensure that parents/carers with children of the appropriate age, who are also resident in the LEA area, understand the key features of the co-ordinated admissions scheme. This will include making all reasonable efforts to provide parents/carers with:

•	a copy of the CAF (Primary) 

•	a written explanation of the co-ordinated admissions process 

•	the admission rules for all community, voluntary controlled and voluntary aided schools included in this scheme

2.11	The governing body of any voluntary aided school included in this scheme may request parents who wish to list, or have listed, that school on the application form to provide additional information for the school on a supplementary form. Where this is requested, the details and procedural arrangements must be consistent with the requirements of the Code of Practice on Admissions and, since the co-ordinated admission scheme will be part of the published admission arrangements for such a school, the co-ordinated admission scheme.

2.12	The governing bodies of VA schools within Oxfordshire will not have access to any information regarding preferences expressed by individual parents/carers on the CAF (Primary), except whether or not the school has been listed on the form, unless it is necessary in order to apply the school’s admission policy. However, the “clearing house”, will provide voluntary aided schools with general information on the number of first, second and third preferences as described in paragraph 2.13 below.

2.13	All maintained schools will be provided with information on the number of first, second, and third preferences received for the school concerned.

3.	The Common Application Form for Entry to Year 3 in Junior Schools

3.1	The common application form for entry to junior schools at the beginning of Year 3 will be known as the CAF (Junior).

3.2	The LEA will take all reasonable steps to ensure that parents/carers with children in Year 2 at an infant school in Oxfordshire understand the key features of the co-ordinated admissions scheme. This will include the provision of the following:

•	 a CAF (Junior)

•	 a written explanation of the co-ordinated admissions process 

•	the admission rules for all community, voluntary controlled and voluntary aided schools included in the scheme

3.3	On request all other parents/carers will be able to obtain the CAF (Junior), and a written explanation of the admission rules and procedures, from the County Council’s Admissions Team. 
 
3.4	The CAF (Junior) will be used for the purpose of admitting pupils in the specified year. In common with the CAF (Primary) this form will also:

•	specify the closing date and where it must be returned

•	invite the parent/carer to express a preference – or to apply for a place – by completing the form and by ranking up to three of the schools

•	invite the parent/carer, where they wish to name more than one school, to rank their preferences in the order in which they desire their child to receive an offer of a place at the respective schools

•	explain that the parent/carer will receive no more than one offer of a school place in response to the application form

•	explain that, subject to availability of places and the application of the admission rules, parental preference will be respected

•	explain that, if more than one school is listed and no order of preference is given, the parent/carer will be regarded as having expressed preferences in the order that schools appear on the form (the first-mentioned being regarded as the highest preference)

•	explain that if a wish is expressed by the parents/carers that the schools listed should be regarded as equal preferences, the parent/carer will be regarded as having ranked the schools in the order appearing on the form (the first-mentioned being ranked as the highest preference)

•	enable parents/carers to give reasons for their applications for the schools listed

•	enable parents who wish to, to state whether their child belongs to the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England

3.5	The governing body of any voluntary aided school included in this scheme may request parents who wish to list, or have listed, that school on the application form to provide additional information for the school on a supplementary form. Where this is requested, the details and procedural arrangements must be consistent with the requirements of the Code of Practice on Admissions and, since the co-ordinated admission scheme will be part of the published admission arrangements for such a school, the co-ordinated admission scheme. If parents/carers do not complete the supplementary form the application will be considered on the basis of the CAF (Primary)/CAF (Junior) as appropriate.

3.6	The governing bodies of VA schools within Oxfordshire will not have access to any information regarding preferences expressed by individual parents/carers on the CAF (Primary), except whether or not the school has been listed on the form, unless it is necessary in order to apply the school’s admission policy. However, the “clearing house”, will provide voluntary aided schools with general information on the number of first, second and third preferences as described in paragraph 3.7 below.

3.7	All maintained schools will be provided with information on the number of first, second, and third preferences received for the school concerned.

4.	Processing of Application Forms for Entry to F1 (Primary School) and Year 3 at Junior Schools

4.1	Completed application forms are to be returned to the LEA, the “clearing house”, by 19 October.

4.2	Completed application forms received after the closing date will be treated as late applications, except in the circumstances set out in paragraph 6.2.

4.3	The LEA, as the “clearing house”, will process all common application forms. However, individual admitting authorities will retain legal responsibility for determining the actual offer of places at a particular school. 

4.4	The preferences stated on the CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior) will be confidential between the parent and clearing house (the LEA) and, if an appeal is lodged regarding an individual child, all parties at an independent appeal panel hearing for that child. However, admitting authorities will be informed of whether the school concerned has been listed by parents/carers. The “clearing house” will only inform other admitting authorities as to whether a parent/carer has listed the school as a first, second, or third preference if this information is needed to apply the admission rules for that school.

4.5	All applications showing a preference/preferences received by the deadline will be considered before any applications received after this deadline, except in the circumstances described in paragraph 6.2.

4.6	If any schools are oversubscribed places will be offered on the basis of the published admission rules for the school concerned.

4.7	The process of allocating places at schools not listed on an application form will be carried out after all applications showing a preference have been considered.

4.8	Every maintained primary school within Oxfordshire will be informed of the number of first, second and third preference requests received as part of the coordinated scheme.

4.9	All processing and notifications in the following paragraphs must be completed in accordance with the written timetable shown as Annex B to this schedule of co-ordination.

5.	Determining Offers in response to the Common Application Form for Entry to Primary School

5.1	The LEA will act as a “clearing house” for the allocation of places by the relevant admission authorities within Oxfordshire.

5.2	Admission authorities for individual schools will remain responsible for determining which applicants will be offered places at the schools concerned. The way in which this will in practice be carried out is set out in paragraph 5.4.

5.3	The LEA will notify the admission authority for each of the schools of every application that has been made for that school, regardless of preference, including all relevant details. Information on whether an individual school has been listed as a first, second, or third preference will only be provided if it is needed to enable that school to apply its admission rules.

5.4	The admission authority for each school will provide the LEA with a list of pupils indicating the order in which places should be allocated under each criterion. This list will include all applicants, and will include only pupils for whom the LEA, the “clearing house”, received an application form.

5.5	At the end of the allocation process, all admitting authorities will receive from the LEA an audit trail demonstrating how the final allocations were made through the iterative process.

5.6	During the allocation process an allocation will become firm where a parent/carer’s child is provisionally allocated a place at the school ranked first on the CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior). 

5.7	In the case of 5.6 above the LEA will then withdraw any provisional allocation of a place for that parent’s/carer’s child at schools ranked second or third on the CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior). The LEA will also remove the child’s name from any waiting list/continued interest list for a maintained school within Oxfordshire.

5.8	Where a child has been provisionally allocated a place at the second, rather than first ranked school, the LEA will hold that provisional allocation, pending further rounds. 

5.9	In the case of 5.8 above the LEA will then withdraw any provisional allocation of a place for that parent’s/carer’s child at any school listed third on the CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior). The LEA will also remove the child’s name from any waiting list for a third ranked maintained school within Oxfordshire.

5.10	Where a child has not been provisionally allocated a place at the school which they ranked first or second, but has been provisionally allocated a place at the school which they ranked third – the LEA will hold the provisional allocation for that parent, pending further rounds.

5.11	When a provisional allocation is withdrawn, the LEA will provisionally allocate the place to one of the applicants on the waiting list in accordance with the relevant entry and over-subscription criteria for that school. It should be noted that where this involves a voluntary aided school the “clearing house” is acting on behalf of the governors of the school concerned (see paragraphs 5.2 and 5.4) and that voluntary aided schools provide the necessary information in advance of the start of the allocation process.

5.12	The iterative process will continue until the LEA, “the clearing house”, is unable to withdraw any further provisional allocations. 

5.13	At the start of the iterative process, VA schools within Oxfordshire will provide the LEA with the names of all applicants ranked in order. This means that schools will not then need to be contacted during the iterative process. This is because the governors of VA schools will have determined possible offers in advance as set out in paragraph 5.4.

5.14	At the close of the iterative admissions process all allocations then in existence will become firm allocations of a place at the school concerned. Parents/carers will then be offered those places for their children. All parents whose applications remain on the waiting list for a school will be treated as having been refused a place by the relevant admission authority. Any offer of a place at a voluntary aided school will be made on behalf of the governors of that school (see paragraphs 5.2 and 5.4).

5.15	If the ”clearing house” is unable to offer a child not resident within Oxfordshire a place at one of the schools listed on that child’s CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior) no other school place within the county will be offered.

5.16	Children in Oxfordshire will receive a single offer of a school place within the county. This may be at a community, voluntary controlled, or voluntary aided school. 

6.	Late Applications

6.1	This section covers applications received after the closing date, both before and after the initial offer of places, but before the start of a school year.

6.2	On time applications will be considered before late applications, except:

•	where the late application can clearly be shown to be the responsibility of an admitting authority or the LEA acting as the “clearing house”

or

•	where there are extenuating circumstances, for example when a sudden illness prevents the parent/carer from submitting the CAF(Primary) or CAF (Junior) on time

6.3	All parents/carers who need a primary school place for their child/children will asked to complete the CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior) and, when appropriate, a supplementary form for a VA school. 

6.4	As with on-time applications if the ”clearing house” is unable to offer a child not resident within Oxfordshire a place at one of the schools listed on that child’s CAF  (Primary) or CAF (Junior) no other school place will be offered.

7.	Applicants Offered a School Not Listed on the CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior)

7.1	Where the LEA acting as the “clearing house” is unable to offer a school for which a parent/carer resident in Oxfordshire has expressed a preference on the CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior), a place will normally be offered at the nearest school with an available place. The distance used to determine the nearest school will be the shortest designated public route as defined using the County Council’s Geographic Information System. 

7.2	If the nearest school is a voluntary aided school, the “clearing house”, prior to any offer of a place, will contact the admissions authority for that school to ask the governing body to determine which children can be offered places. The admission authority for each of these schools will consider each of the children concerned for a place at the school on the same basis as if the LEA’s notification were an application (or preference) made by the child’s parent falling within section 86 of the 1998 Act. The admission authority will notify the LEA, the “clearing house”, of the children to whom it is able to allocate, as well as refuse, a place.

7.3	Any places offered at a voluntary aided school will be offered after the application of the admission rules by the governing body and any offer of a place will be made on behalf of the governing body of the school concerned. 

7.4	Where a parent/carer with a child resident in Oxfordshire has submitted a CAF (Primary) or CAF (Junior), but has not listed a preference for any school, the LEA, acting as the “clearing house”, will normally offer a place at the nearest school with an available place. The distance used to determine the nearest school will be the shortest designated public route as defined using the County Council’s Geographic Information System.

7.5	If the nearest school is a voluntary aided school the “clearing house”, prior to any offer of a place, will contact the admissions authority for that school to ask the governing body to determine which children can be offered places. Any places offered at a voluntary aided school will be offered after the application of the admission rules by the governing body and any offer of a place will be made on behalf of the governing body of the school concerned.

7.6	The LEA will determine availability on the basis of published admission numbers and expressed preferences. In this way the LEA will identify those schools within Oxfordshire likely to have places remaining unfilled after the completion of the full admissions process.

7.7	Further rounds of the procedure in outlined in paragraphs 7.1 to 7.3 and 7.4 to 7.5 may be undertaken if necessary.

8.	Children of the Appropriate Age For Whom No Application Has Been Received

8.1	Where no application for entry to F1, or for a transfer from an infant to a junior school has been received, and the LEA knows that the child is resident in Oxfordshire, and is not aware that any other educational arrangements have been made, a place will normally be offered at the nearest school with an available place. The distance used to determine the nearest school will be the shortest designated public route as defined using the County Council’s Geographic Information System. 

8.2	If the nearest school is a voluntary aided school, the “clearing house”, prior to any offer of a place, will contact the admissions authority for that school to ask the governing body to determine which children can be offered places. The admission authority for each of these schools will consider each of the children concerned for a place at the school on the same basis as if the LEA’s notification were an application (or preference) made by the child’s parent falling within section 86 of the 1998 Act. The admission authority will notify the LEA, the “clearing house”, of the children to whom it is able to allocate, as well as refuse, a place.

8.3	Any places offered at a voluntary aided school will be offered after the application of the admission rules by the governing body and any offer of a place will be made on behalf of the governing body of the school concerned. 

8.4	The LEA will determine availability on the basis of published admission numbers and expressed preferences.

9.	Notification to Parents

9.1	The LEA acting as the ”clearing house” will write to all parents to whom offers can be made, notifying them of an offer of a place:

•	at one of the schools nominated on their application form

or

•	at another school

9.2	In addition, if a place has to be offered at a school not listed on the CAF (Primary), or CAF (Junior), the “clearing house” will provide the parent with a list of the five nearest community, voluntary controlled, or voluntary aided schools in Oxfordshire with a suitable place available. 

9.2	The letter from the “clearing house” will give parents appropriate information about their right to appeal against any refusal of a place by the admission authority for a school involved in this scheme.

9.3	Any letter offering a place at a voluntary aided school will make it clear that the offer is made on behalf of the governors of that school.

10.	Waiting Lists

10.1	Waiting lists will be known as continued interest lists.

10.2	Information on how to place a child’s name on a continued interest list for a community, voluntary controlled, or voluntary aided school will be included in the admissions booklet provided by the LEA, the “clearing house”.

10.3	With the initial offer of school places parents/carers of children who receive offers of places at schools ranked as a second, or third preference, or that they did not list, will be provided with a reminder of how to place their child’s name on the continued interest list for maintained schools in Oxfordshire. 

10.4	On behalf of all maintained schools, the LEA, as the “clearing house”, will maintain the continued interest lists for entry to F1 until the last day of the year of entry for that year group, and for Year 2 transfers from infant and JMI schools to junior schools until 30 September 2005. This is to avoid the possibility of multiple offers.

10.5	If a place becomes available at a voluntary aided school that school will be asked to confirm who from the waiting list should be offered a place since the governors of voluntary aided schools remain the admission authorities for those schools. 

11.	In –Year Admissions, F1 to Year 6

11.1	Admissions during F1 to Year 6 will be referred to in this scheme as “in-year admissions”. In other LEAs these are often referred to as “casual admissions”.

11.2	The LEA, the “clearing house”, will co-ordinate in-year admissions to all community, voluntary controlled, and voluntary aided schools within Oxfordshire.

11.3	The governing bodies of voluntary aided schools will continue to be the admission authorities for their schools and therefore will continue to set and apply the admissions rules for their schools. Any places offered at voluntary aided schools will normally either be offered directly by the school or by the LEA, the “clearing house”, with the approval and on behalf, of the governors. 

11.4	There will be a common application form for in-year admissions to all maintained primary schools in Oxfordshire. This will be known as the CAF (Primary In-Year).
11.5	All parents/carers will need to use the CAF (Primary In-Year) when expressing a preference for a child’s admission to the following types of school:

•	community schools maintained by the LEA

•	voluntary controlled schools within Oxfordshire

•	voluntary aided schools

11.6	 The CAF (Primary In-Year) will :

•	specify where it must be returned

•	invite the parent/carer to express a preference – or to apply for a place – by completing the form and by ranking up to three of the schools

•	invite the parent/carer, where they wish to name more than one school, to rank their preferences in the order in which they desire their child to receive an offer of a place at the respective schools

•	explain that the parent/carer will receive no more than one offer of a school place in response to the form

•	explain that, subject to availability of places and the application of the admission rules, parental preference will be respected

•	explain that, if more than one school is listed and no order of preference is given, the parent/carer will be regarded as having expressed preferences in the order that schools appear on the form (the first-mentioned being regarded as the highest preference)

•	explain that if a wish is expressed by the parents/carers that the schools listed should be regarded as equal preferences, the parent/carer will be regarded as having ranked the schools in the order appearing on the form (the first-mentioned being ranked as the highest preference)

•	enable parents/carers to give reasons for their applications for the schools listed

•	enable parents who wish to, to state whether their child belongs to the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England

11.7	The CAF (Primary In-Year) cannot be used to make an application to any community, foundation, voluntary aided, or voluntary controlled schools outside Oxfordshire. 

11.8	VA schools may ask parents to submit additional information on a supplementary form. This will be obtainable from the individual school.

11.9	If a parent/carer makes a direct approach to a community, voluntary controlled, or voluntary aided school, for a place for his or her child, the parent/carer will be asked to complete the CAF (Primary In-Year) irrespective of whether the school has vacancies in the year group in question. 

11.10	If the community, voluntary controlled, or voluntary aided school approached is listed as a first preference and can make a place available:

•	the Admissions Team will keep a record of the admission

•	the place will be offered by the school

•	the school will notify the LEA’s Admission Team of the admission 

11.11	If the community, voluntary controlled, or voluntary aided school directly approached by a parent/carer is not listed as a first preference or cannot make a place available:

•	the school will pass the completed CAF (Primary In-Year) to the LEA’s Admissions Team

•	the Admissions Team will process the application

11.12	In processing the application the Admissions Team will:

•	check availability at the schools requested

•	pass necessary details of an application for a place at a particular voluntary aided school to that school

•	determine whether a place can be offered at one of the community or voluntary controlled schools listed 

•	check with any voluntary aided school listed whether a place can be offered 

•	offer a place at the highest ranked school if possible 

11.13	Places offered at voluntary aided schools will normally
	only be offered by the “clearing house” on behalf of the governing body of that school. 

11.14	The LEA acting as an admissions authority will keep the admission lists for F1 to Year 6 for all community and voluntary controlled primary schools within Oxfordshire.

11.15	Where the LEA, acting as the “clearing house”, is unable to offer a school for which a parent/carer resident within Oxfordshire has expressed a preference on the CAF (Primary In-Year), a place will normally be offered at the nearest school with an available place. The distance used to determine the nearest school will be the shortest designated public route as defined using the County Council’s Geographic Information System. 

11.16	If the nearest school is a voluntary aided school the LEA, the “clearing house”, prior to any offer of a place, will contact the admissions authority for that school to ask the governing body to determine which children can be offered places. In these circumstances the admission authority for the relevant school will consider each of the children concerned for a place at the school on the same basis as if the LEA’s notification were an application (or preference) made by the child’s parent falling within section 86 of the 1998 Act. The admission authority will notify the LEA, the “clearing house”, of the children to whom it is able to allocate, as well as refuse, a place.

11.17	Any places offered at a voluntary aided school will be offered after the application of the admission rules by the governing body and any offer of a place will be made on behalf of the governing body of the school concerned. 

11.18	The LEA will determine availability on the basis of published admission numbers and expressed preferences.

11.19	Where a parent/carer has submitted a CAF (Primary In-Year), but has not listed a preference for any school, the LEA, acting as the “clearing house”, will normally offer a place at the nearest school with an available place. The distance used to determine the nearest school will be the shortest designated public route as defined using the County Council’s Geographic Information System.

11.20	If the nearest school is a voluntary aided school the “clearing house”, prior to any offer of a place, will contact the admissions authority for that school to ask the governing body to determine which children can be offered places.

11.21	Any places offered at a voluntary aided school will be offered after the application of the admission rules by the governing body and any offer of a place will be made on behalf of the governing body of the school concerned.