HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
EDUCATION AND SKILLS CABINET PANEL
TUESDAY 15 MARCH 2011 AT 2.00 PM
ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR NURSERY, PRIMARY, JUNIOR, MIDDLE AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THE CO-ORDINATED SCHEMES FOR ADMISSION TO SCHOOLS FOR 2012/13
Report of the Director Children, Schools and Families
Authors: Glenda Hardy, Head of Admissions and Transport
(Tel 01992 555862)
Jayne Howard, Strategy and Policy Manager, Admissions and Transport
(Tel 01992 555933)
Pauline Davis, County Planning Manager
(Tel 01992 555865)
Executive Member: Richard Thake, Education and Skills
1. Purpose of the Report
1.1 For the Panel to make recommendations to Cabinet on the determination of admission arrangements and rules for community and voluntary-controlled schools and the schemes of co-ordination for admission 2012/13
1.2 In turn, for Cabinet to recommend the County Council to determine its admission arrangements and rules for 2012/13.
2. Summary
2.1 It was agreed by Cabinet at its meeting on 29 November 2010 to proceed to statutory consultation on the proposals set out in the consultation paper (Appendix 1).
2.2 The statutory consultation for school admissions for the school year 2012/2013 took place between 4 January and 28 February 2011. Although this report is published prior to the end of the consultation, and therefore can only include indications to date, there has been a very low level of response to the consultation – currently fewer than 40 responses in all. The majority of responses were in favour of the proposed arrangements and the negative responses were isolated without pattern or consistency.
2.3 If there are any significant changes to the overall consultation outcomes, an additional paper will be tabled.
2.4 Appendix 2 to this report sets out the full feedback received during the consultation period.
3. Recommendations
3.1 Panel is asked to recommend to Cabinet that:-
”Cabinet recommend to the County Council that there be no changes to the County Council’ s coordinated schemes or the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for 2012/13, with the exception of :
i. amendments to the 6th form arrangements of five schools detailed in Section 4 of the consultation document (Appendix 1);
ii. amendments to published admission numbers as outlined (in bold) in Appendices 3 and 4 ;
iii. the publication of notices where the published admission number (PAN) is lower than the indicated admission number (IAN), together with the supporting reason for determining a lower PAN, as contained in Appendix 5.”
3.2 The Panel is asked to recommend that Cabinet be asked to note the conversion of Monks Walk (Welwyn Garden City), Roundwood Park and Sir John Lawes (Harpenden) to Trust status in January 2011. These schools have become their own admissions authorities and have therefore been removed from Appendices 4 and 5.
3.3 The Panel is asked to note that once admission arrangements have been determined, all admission authorities are required to have determined their arrangements by 15 April 2011. Local authorities must publish a notice in a local newspaper(s) as soon as all the admission arrangements for schools in their area have been determined, setting out that details of these are available for inspection at the local authority’s offices and such other places as the local authority may decide.
4. Background
4.1 Although no significant changes are proposed to the County Council’s overarching arrangements, consultation was required due to proposed changes to published admission numbers and amendments to some 6th form arrangements. Regulations require consultation to take place for a minimum of eight weeks between 1 December and 1 March to ensure that parents and community groups have the opportunity to respond.
2012/13 Consultation
4.2 The consultation document was distributed to all statutory consultees, including schools via email and hardcopies were also provided to each headteacher and chair of governors, all libraries and childrens’ centres. Schools were asked to draw the consultation to the attention of parents through posters and articles in newsletters, both of which were distributed to schools. Notices were published in local newspapers across Hertfordshire, drawing attention to the consultation and the link to the website. Press statements were released to coincide with the launch and the Hertsdirect website promoted a front page article for the initial period of the consultation.
4.3 The consultation proposed no changes to:
· Nursery admissions oversubscription criteria for the school year 2012/13
· Oversubscription criteria for admission to community and voluntary controlled, first, infant, primary, junior and middle schools for the school year 2012/13
· Oversubscription criteria for admission to community and voluntary-controlled co-educational and single sex upper and secondary schools for the school year 2012/13 (except Tring and Kings Langley Schools)
· Oversubscription criteria for admission to community single-sex secondary schools for the school year 2012/13
· Oversubscription criteria for admission to Tring voluntary-controlled co-educational school for the school year 2012/13
· Oversubscription criteria for admission to Kings Langley School for 2012/13
· Co-coordinated schemes of admission for :
a. first, infant, primary, junior and middle schools and academies for 2012/13
b. secondary and upper schools and academies for 2012/13
c. in year admissions for 2012/13
4.4 Changes were proposed to:
· the admission arrangements for entry to the 6th form at five community secondary schools:
· Westfield Community Technology College
· Hertswood School, Borehamwood
· Highfield School, Letchworth
· Simon Balle School, Hertford
· St Albans Girls School, St Albans
· the published admission numbers at
· Abbots Langley Primary, Abbots Langley
· Beechfield Primary, Watford
· Cassiobury Infant and Nursery, Watford
· Highover JMI, Hitchin
· Laurance Haines Primary and Nursery, Watford
· Little Munden CE Primary , Dane End
· Martins Wood Primary, Stevenage
· Oak View Primary and Nursery, Hatfield
· Strathmore Infants and Nursery, Hitchin
· Summerswood Primary, Borehamwood
· Tonwell St Mary’s CE Primary, Ware
· Watton at Stone Primary and Nursery, Watton-at-Stone
· Wilshere- Dacre Junior, Hitchin
· Yorke Mead Primary, Croxley Green
· Hitchin Boys and Hitchin Girls Secondary , Hitchin
4.5 Beaumont School, in its response to the consultation, has requested that the school’s admission number is raised to 180 (from 178) for 2012/13 and beyond.
4.6 Barnwell School, in its response to the consultation, has requested that the school’s admission number is raised to 300 (from 240) for 2012/13 and beyond). It has requested that consideration be given to some capital investment, which may be appropriate and which will be the subject of a further report.
4.7 Three secondary schools included in the consultation converted to trust status in January 2011 (Monks Walk, Welwyn Garden City, Roundwood Park and Sir John Lawes, Harpenden). For this reason they no longer appear in appendices 4 and 5.
4.8 In addition, it should be noted that two secondary schools (Knights Templar, Baldock and Sandringham, St Albans) are seeking Academy status from 1 April 2011. However, as these are proposals only at this stage the county council remains the admission authority and the PANs for these schools are included in the relevant appendix.
4.9 A schedule of schools where the proposed PAN is lower than the Indicated Admission Number (IAN) is attached at Appendix 5. The required statutory notices associated with PANs lower than IANs will be published following the determination of PANs by Council
4.10 The appendices indicate the schools which have been subject to feasibility work to establish whether they could offer more places in 2012/13 as part of the County Council’s school expansion programme. Some are subject to separate statutory consultation for the expansion of premises, the timescales for which do not align with the annual admissions process. Therefore, any increases which have not formed part of the annual admissions arrangement consultation will be by local agreement for that academic year and thereafter through the annual admissions process.
4.11 The Admission Forum met on 15 February 2011 and considered responses to the consultation that had been received up to 1 February 2011. The Forum had no concerns with the proposed arrangements and raised no objection to the arrangements being determined in their current format.
4.12 The admission arrangements for community and voluntary-controlled schools for 2012/13, including published admission numbers, will be determined by the County Council on 29 March 2011, following recommendations made by Cabinet on 21 March 2011.
5. Financial Implications
There are no financial implications involved in the statutory admissions consultation or in implementing the proposed determined arrangements.
6 Conclusion
Panel is asked to consider the proposals and published admission numbers, and make recommendations to Cabinet.
Background Papers
Appendix 1 Consultation Paper – School admission arrangements for 2012/13
Appendix 2 Responses to the consultation document
Appendix 3 Published Admission Numbers – Secondary and Upper Schools
Appendix 4 Published Admission Numbers – Infant, First , Primary, Junior and Middle Schools
Appendix 5 Schools with IANs lower than PANs
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150311 Admissions Arrangements Report for Education & Skills Cabinet Panel