ANNEX 2

CO-ORDINATED ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS IN OXFORDSHIRE

CO-ORDINATED ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO 
SECONDARY SCHOOL YEARS 7-11

1.	Introduction

1.1	The scheme relates to admissions arrangements for all maintained secondary schools for the academic year 2005/06

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 secondary schools.

1.5	In –year (casual) admissions to years 7 to 11 in all maintained secondary schools in Oxfordshire will be co-ordinated by the LEA.

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

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 secondary transfer applications for admission to Year 7 sent in error directly to schools will be passed to the maintaining LEA for that child’s address.

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

1.11	Data on applications for transfer from primary to secondary schools will be shared with other LEAs where parents/carers have expressed a preference for a school in that LEAs area.

1.12	Any direct applications for secondary transfer sent in error directly to schools will be passed to the maintaining LEA for that child’s address.

1.13	The co-ordinated admissions scheme will enable the LEA to avoid the possibility of some parents/carers receiving multiple offers of school places while others receive none.

2.	The Common Application Form for Transfer from Primary to Secondary Schools

2.1	There will be a common application form for admission to all maintained secondary schools in or beyond Oxfordshire for use by all Oxfordshire parents/carers seeking places for secondary aged children. 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 (Secondary).

2.3	All parents/carers resident in Oxfordshire will need to use the CAF (Secondary) as a means of expressing a preference for a child’s admission to one or more of the following types of school:

•	community schools maintained by the LEA

•	voluntary aided schools within Oxfordshire

•	foundation or voluntary aided schools outside Oxfordshire

•	community or voluntary controlled schools maintained by another LEA

2.4	Parents/carers will be able to state 3 preferences on the CAF (Secondary).

2.5	The LEA will provide the CAF (Secondary) to parents/carers whose children are resident in Oxfordshire. It will also enable parents/carers to apply on-line for a school place using the Oxfordshire County Council’s web site.

2.6	The CAF (Secondary) will be used for the purpose of admitting children 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 stating 3 preferences

•	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 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 

2.7	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 (Secondary) 

•	a written explanation of the co-ordinated admissions process 

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

2.8	Parents/carers resident outside Oxfordshire who wish to apply for a place for their child at a maintained school within the county will need to complete an application form for their home LEA stating a preference for the relevant Oxfordshire school/schools. The home LEA will then pass this information to Oxfordshire LEA.

2.9	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.

2.10	VA and foundation schools lying outside the boundaries of Oxfordshire may also request the completion of supplementary forms. 

2.11	Voluntary aided schools will not request any information regarding preferences expressed by parents on the CAF (Secondary), except whether or not the school has been listed, unless it is necessary in order to apply the school’s published admissions policy.

3.	Processing of Application Forms for Secondary Transfer

3.1	Completed application forms are to be returned by 1 November 2004. This applies whether forms are returned directly to the LEA or to primary schools as described in paragraph 3.2.

3.2	Parents whose children attend a maintained primary school in Oxfordshire will be asked, whenever possible, to return the CAF (Secondary) and any supplementary forms to the primary school the child attends. These completed forms will then be sent on to the LEA. 

3.3	Parents whose children are resident in Oxfordshire but do not attend a maintained primary school in the county will be asked to return the forms directly to the LEA.

3.4	Completed application forms received after the closing date will be treated as late applications, except where the circumstances described in paragraph 5.2 apply.
 
3.5	The LEA will process all CAF (Secondary) forms. 

3.6	The preferences stated on the CAF (Secondary) will be confidential between the parent and the “clearing house” (the LEA) and, if appropriate, the independent appeal panel. 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 voluntary /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. However, the “clearing house”, will provide all voluntary aided schools in Oxfordshire with general information on the number of first, second and third preferences as described in paragraph 3.7.

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

3.8	All applications showing a preference/preferences received by the deadline will be considered before any applications received after this deadline, except where the circumstances described in paragraph 5.2 apply.

3.9	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.

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

4.	Determining Offers in response to the Common Application Form for Secondary Transfer

4.1	The LEA will act as a “clearing house” for the allocation of places by the relevant admission authorities for VA and foundation schools as well as schools maintained by other LEAs.

4.2	 The “clearing house”, will process all common application forms. 

4.3	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 4.7 below.

4.4	The LEA will notify the admission authority for each of the maintained schools in Oxfordshire 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 be provided if it is needed to enable that school to apply its admission rules (otherwise this information will remain confidential).

4.5	The LEA will also notify any other relevant LEA of every preference made for schools in that LEA’s area, 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.

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 admission authority for each maintained school in Oxfordshire will provide the “clearing house” with a list of children indicating the order in which places should be allocated under each criterion. This list will include all applicants for whom the LEA received a CAF (Secondary), irrespective of whether a place can be offered at the first stage of the iterative process.

4.8	Following the first iteration of the allocation process, the admission authority for each maintained school within Oxfordshire will also provide the LEA with a list of children for whom they were not able to allocate a place provisionally.

4.9	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 (Secondary). 

4.10	In the case of 4.9 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 (Secondary). The LEA will also remove the child’s name from any waiting list for a maintained school within Oxfordshire and, where relevant, inform all relevant admitting authorities outside Oxfordshire that a place is no longer required.

4.11	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. It will also withdraw any provisional allocation of a place at a school listed third on the CAF (Secondary). 

4.12	In the case of 4.11 above the LEA will then withdraw any provisional allocation of a place for that child at any school listed third on the CAF (Secondary). The LEA will also remove the child’s name from any waiting list for a third ranked maintained school within Oxfordshire and, where relevant, inform all relevant admitting authorities outside Oxfordshire that a place is no longer required.

4.13	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.

4.14	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.

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

4.16	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 4.7.

4.17	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.

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

4.20	If the LEA is informed by another LEA that a child is to be offered a higher ranked school than one that can be offered within Oxfordshire no place will be offered at an Oxfordshire school. This ensures that all Oxfordshire children of the appropriate age receive one offer of a school place, irrespective of whether it is in this county or another. 

5.	Late Applications

5.1	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.

5.2	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 (Secondary) on time

5.3	All parents/carers who need a secondary school place for their child/children will asked to complete the CAF (Secondary) and, when appropriate, a supplementary form for a VA school. 

6.	Secondary Transfer Applicants Offered a School Not Listed on the CAF (Secondary)

6.1	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 (Secondary), a place will normally be offered at the nearest community or voluntary controlled school with an available place school with an available place. The distance used to determine the nearest school will be the shortest designated public route as defined on the County Council’s Geographic Information System.

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

6.3	If there are no vacant places at any community or voluntary controlled schools within reasonable travelling distance but there are vacant places (after all applications have been considered) at a voluntary aided school that is within reasonable travelling distance, the LEA, the “clearing house”, may approach that school for a place or places. This is to ensure that all children receive an offer of a place and that there is no unnecessary public expenditure on transport.

6.4	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.

6.5	“A reasonable travelling distance” is defined as over two miles by the nearest designated public route as determined on the LEA’s Geographic Information System for admission to F1 and three miles for admission to Year 3.

6.6	The LEA acting as the “clearing house” will notify admitting authorities of children “matched” in this way. The admission authority for each of these schools will consider each of the children 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 of the children to whom it has allocated or refused a place.

6.7	Further rounds of the procedure outlined in paragraphs 6.1 to 6.4 may be undertaken if necessary.

7.	Children of Secondary Transfer Age For Whom No Application Has Been Received

7.1	Where no application for secondary transfer has been received and the LEA knows that the child is resident in Oxfordshire, and is not aware of any other educational arrangements having been made, a place will normally be offered at the nearest community or voluntary controlled 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 there are no vacant places at any community or voluntary controlled schools within reasonable travelling distance but there are vacant places (after all applications have been considered) at a voluntary aided school that is within reasonable travelling distance, the LEA, the “clearing house”, may approach that school for a place or places. This is to ensure that all children receive an offer of a place and that there is no unnecessary public expenditure on transport.

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

7.4	“A reasonable travelling distance” is defined as over three miles by the nearest designated public route as determined on the LEA’s Geographic Information System.

7.5	The LEA acting as the “clearing house” will notify admitting authorities of children “matched” in this way. The admission authority for each of these schools will consider each of the children 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 of the children to whom it has allocated or refused a place.

8.	Notification to parents

8.1	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

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

8.3	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 included in this scheme.

9.	Waiting lists

9.1	Waiting lists will be known as continued interest lists.

9.2	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 or third preference will be provided with details of how to place their child’s name on the continued interest list for maintained schools in Oxfordshire. 

9.3	The LEA, as the “clearing house”, will maintain the continued interest lists for entry to Year 7 on behalf of all maintained schools until the 30 September 2005. This is to avoid the possibility of multiple offers.

9.4	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 admitting authorities for those schools. 

10.	Admissions during Years 7 to Year 11

10.1	Admissions during Years 7 to 11 will be referred to in this scheme as in-year admissions. In other LEAs these are often referred to as casual admissions.

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

10.3	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”, on behalf, of the governors. 

10.4	 The governing bodies of voluntary aided schools will continue to be the admitting 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”, on behalf, of the governors. 

10.5	There will be a common application form for in-year admissions to all maintained secondary schools in Oxfordshire. This will be known as the CAF (Secondary In-Year).
10.6	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

10.7	 The CAF (Secondary 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 chid 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

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

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

10.10	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 (Secondary In-Year) irrespective of whether the school has vacancies in the year group in question. 

10.11	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 

10.12	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 (Secondary In-Year) to the LEA’s Admissions Team

•	the Admissions Team will process the application

10.13	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 

10.14	Places offered at voluntary aided schools will normally
	only be offered on behalf of the governing body of that school. 

10.15	The LEA acting as an admissions authority will keep the admission lists for all community and voluntary controlled primary schools within Oxfordshire.

10.16	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 community or voluntary controlled 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.

10.17	 If there are no vacant places at any community or voluntary controlled schools within reasonable travelling distance but there are vacant places (after all applications have been considered) at a voluntary aided school that is within reasonable travelling distance, the LEA, the “clearing house”, may approach that school for a place or places. This is to ensure that all children receive an offer of a place and that there is no unnecessary public expenditure on transport.

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

10.19	“A reasonable travelling distance” is defined as over three miles by the nearest designated public route as determined on the LEA’s Geographic Information System.

10.20	The LEA acting as the “clearing house” will notify admitting authorities of children “matched” in this way. The admission authority for each of these schools will consider each of the children 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 of the children to whom it has allocated or refused a place.

10.21	Where a parent/carer has submitted a CAF (Secondary 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 community or voluntary controlled 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. If there are no vacant places at any community or voluntary controlled schools within reasonable travelling distance but there are vacant places (after all applications have been considered) at a voluntary aided school that is within reasonable travelling distance, the LEA, the “clearing house”, will follow the procedure outlined in paragraphs 10.17 to 10.20.