Proposed Admission Arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools for 2007/8

AGENDA ITEM 6

BOROUGH OF POOLE

LEARNING OVERVIEW GROUP – 29 NOVEMBER 2005

REPORT OF HEADS OF PUPIL, PARENT AND YOUTH SERVICES AND SCHOOL ADVICE AND SUPPORT SERVICES ON THE PROPOSED ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED SCHOOLS for 2007/8

PART OF PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN: YES

STATUS – SERVICE ISSUE

1.PURPOSE

1.1.To inform the Learning Overview Group of:

a)the draft scheme for co-ordinated admissions;

b)the draft admission policies for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools for the academic year 2007/8;

c)the proposed revision of the catchment areas of Heatherlands First and Manorside Combined schools; and

d)the proposed Published Admission Numbers (PANs) for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools in 2007/2008.

DECISION REQUIRED.
The Learning Overview Group is requested to approve consultation being carried out on all the proposed admission arrangements, including co-ordinated admissions schemes, admission policies, catchment area review and the PANs for all Community and Voluntary Controlled schools for 2007/8, in accordance with statutory requirements.
BACKGROUND TO ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

3.1The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) defines admission arrangements as any matter relating to school admissions. This includes schemes for the co-ordination of school admissions, admission policies, school Published Admission Numbers and changes to catchment areas.

3.2The LEA is required to have in place a scheme for the co-ordination of all admissions to maintained schools within its area.

3.3 The Borough, as the admission authority for all Community and Voluntary Controlled schools, is required to consult upon and publish its admissions arrangements each year.

3.4In August 2005 the DfES published a new Draft School Admissions Code of Practice. Comments on the Draft Code were submitted by the end of the consultation period on 18 October 2005.

3.5It is anticipated by the DfES that the new School Admissions Code of Practice will be published in January 2006 and will affect school admission arrangements from September 2007 onwards.

4CO-ORDINATED ADMISSIONS SCHEMES.

4.1Set out at Appendices A and B are draft co-ordinated admissions schemes for 2007/8 for primary and secondary admissions respectively. Primary schools include all First, Primary, Combined and Middle schools in Poole (with the exception of Broadstone Middle School which is in the secondary scheme.)

4.2The main change in school admissions is in the way in which applications for selective school testing are dealt with. Previously, on the advice of the Schools Adjudicator, all admission authorities that had selective schools were advised that the results of testing should not be made known until after the closing date for applications. The new Draft Admissions Code of Practice has reversed this ruling. It now states that it would be “good practice” for the results of selective school testing being made known before the closing date for applications.

4.3At its meeting on 4 October 2005 the Poole Admissions Forum the admission authorities unanimously agreed that subject to the proposal in the Draft Code of Practice being confirmed and the results of grammar school testing being made known before applications are received, then a first preference first system be retained for all Poole secondary schools.

4.4The draft co-ordinated admissions schemes for 2007/8 have taken into consideration the guidance set out in the Draft School Admissions Code of Practice and the decision of the Poole Admissions Forum.

5ADMISSION POLICIES

5.1The draft admissions policies for 2007/8 are set out in Appendices C and D. In view of the fact that the draft Admissions Code of Practice is due to be published in January 2006 and will affect admissions in September 2007, appropriate amendments have been made. The changes are highlighted in bold italic type.

5.2 The amendments/additions to the policies include:

A definition of “home address” ;
Decision as to how applications from separated parents with shared parental responsibility will be determined;
Inclusion of “Looked After Children” as the first oversubscription criterion; and
Clarification on evidence of religious commitment (Voluntary Controlled schools only)

6CATCHMENT AREA REVIEW

6.1Consideration has been given to a revision of the catchment areas of Heatherlands First School and Manorside Combined School.

6.2Prior to 2004 the catchment area for Heatherlands First School was shared between Alderney Middle School and Branksome Heath Middle School. This meant that at the end of Year 3 some children were considered as in-catchment for Alderney Middle School and other were in-catchment for Branksome Heath Middle School.

6.3In September 2004 Trinidad First School and Alderney Middle School merged to form Manorside Combined School.

6.4Since the merger pupils in Heatherlands First School, transferring to middle school, who are in the catchment area for the former Alderney Middle School, have been in-catchment for Manorside Combined School.

6.5Manorside Combined School’s admission year is Reception. The class range if from Reception to Year 7. This means that children transferring from Heatherlands First School do so half way through the school’s year groups and in effect have no catchment area middle school.

6.6Officers of the Borough have drawn up proposals to revise the catchment areas of the schools involved. This has resulted in a proposal to remove certain roads from Heatherlands First School’s catchment area and placing within the catchment area for Manorside Combined School

6.7The roads currently in Heatherlands First catchment area affected by the proposal are:

Arne Avenue / Milborne Crescent
Arne Crescent / Newlyn Way
Bindon Close / Northmere Drive
Cranborne Crescent / Northmere Road
Grange Gardens / Sancreed Road
Herbert Avenue (Nos. 55-153) / Solly Close
Melbury Avenue

6.8 The Catchment Area Review Consultant visited the schools involved with full details of the proposals during the Spring of 2005.

6.9 Detailed discussion took place with the Headteachers and members of the Governing Bodies of the schools involved. Details of the proposals were displayed in all the schools involved.

6.10 Public consultation for parents/guardians took place at Manorside Combined School on Tuesday 27th September 2005

6.11 No written comments on the proposals were received

6.12 A copy of the notes of the public meeting held at Manorside Combined School are set out as Appendix E to this report.

7.PUBLISHED ADMISSION NUMBERS

School Pupil Forecasts

7.1Revised school pupil forecasts are the subject of a separate report to the Learning Overview Group on this agenda. These forecasts are prepared by Strategic Planning Services in consultation with officers from School Advice and Support Services and Pupil, Parent and Youth Services. School pupil forecasts are used to inform decisions about proposed changes to PANs.

Removal of Surplus Places

7.2 In March 2004 the Learning Overview Group recommended to Cabinet a reduction in PAN from September 2005 at Bearwood Primary School from 60 to 45 to address falling pupil numbers and to remove surplus places.

7.3The LEA has now received presentations from Bearwood Primary School requesting a further reduction in its PAN from 45 to 30 from September 2007.

7.4 The latest school pupil forecasts predict that pupil numbers from within the Bearwood Primary School catchment area are likely to be lower than had been previously predicted.

7.5 The school pupil forecasts for Bearwood Primary School predict that the intake into Year R will be above 30 for the next five years. However, a number of children from outside the Bearwood Primary School catchment area attend the school, the majority of whom live within the Bournemouth LEA area. Informal consultation has been undertaken with Bournemouth LEA on the possible reduction in places at Bearwood Primary School and whether there are sufficient spare places in neighbouring Bournemouth primary schools to accommodate these children.

Review of School Organisation

A progress report on the Schools for the Future XL project is the subject of a separate report to the Learning Overview Group at this meeting. It is proposed that widespread consultation with all schools across the Borough should be undertaken on the future structure of education in Poole in February/March 2006. Therefore, it is recommended that no further changes to school PANs should be proposed until the outcome of this consultation is known and a decision has been made on the future structure of education in Poole.

Proposed PANS for 2007/2008

7.6 A schedule of the proposed PANs for September 2007 is set out as Appendix F to this report. The only change from the previous year is highlighted in bold and asterisked.

7.5If the proposed PANs are approved, the LEA will be required to advertise the PAN at Bearwood Primary School. Parents will have the opportunity to submit objections to the School Adjudicator concerning the lower PAN.

8. CONSULTATION ON ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

8.1 A period of statutory consultation will be held during January/February 2006. The outcome of this consultation will be reported to the Learning Overview Group at its meeting on 14 March 2006. The Cabinet will then be requested to give final approval to the arrangements at its meeting on 28 March 2006.

8.2 The Borough, like all the admission authorities, is required to have concluded its consultation process on its admission arrangements by 1 March and is statutorily required to determine them by 15 April 2006.

Vicky Wales

Head of Pupil, Parent and Youth Services

Jane Portman

Head of School Advice and Support Services

Background papers:

The School Standards and Framework Act 1998

The Education Act 2002

The School Admissions Code of Practice 2005

The Education (Determination of Admission Arrangements) Regulations 1999

The Education (Determination of Admission Arrangements) (Amendments) (England) Regulations 2002

The Education (Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements (Primary Schools) (England) Regulations 2002

The Education (Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements (Secondary Schools) (England) Regulations 2002

The Education (Admission of Looked After Children) (England) Regulations 2005

Officer contacts:

Co-ordinated admissions schemes:

Beryl Stokes, Pupil, Parent and Youth Services, telephone 01202 261910, e-mail:

Admission policies:

Nick Maguire, Pupil, Parent and Youth Services, telephone 01202 261912 e-mail:

Catchment area review:

Dewi Thomas, Pupil Parent and Youth Services, telephone 01202 261900, e-mail:

Published Admission Numbers

Nicola Dendura, School Advice and Support Services, Telephone 01202 633, e-mail:

29 November 2005