1. School Admissions what happens when we receive an application for a school place? School Admissions what happens when we receive an application for a school place? Terri Knowlton School Admissions and Transport Manager terri.knowlton@n-somerset.gov.uk 01934 634716 November 2012

2. Senior Admissions Advisers x 3 David Mayhew Bill McEntee Karen Rossiter Admissions Officer Susan Hardman Admissions Assistant Katey Williams (from 26.11.12) Admissions Administrator Stephanie Hyde School Admissions

3. Aims of this session An over-view of all that is involved in allocating a school place Admissions authorities and co-ordination of school admissions Admissions arrangements Bulk processes – starting school, infant to junior transfer, secondary transfer In Year applications Infant Class Size Legislation School Appeals Changes made in the latest School Admissions Code of Practice

4. Admissions Authorities and co-ordination of school admissions There are now a range of Admissions Authorities. These will include: Local authority (responsible for community and voluntary- controlled schools) Voluntary–Aided Schools Foundation and Trust Schools Academies Free Schools University Technology Colleges (UTC) The local authority is responsible for co-ordinating the allocation of school places in its’ area. It will work with all of the above and also other local authorities, to ensure a school place is allocated for every child in North Somerset.

5. Number of Admissions Authorities in North Somerset Type of school Number of primary range schools Number of secondary schools Total number Community28129 Voluntary Controlled 190 Voluntary Aided130 Foundation011 Academy189 611071 This shows that there are currently 23 separate own Admission Authority schools in the North Somerset area that the local authority has to liaise with about school admissions. (Community and Voluntary controlled schools have the Local Authority as their admission authority)

6. Admission Arrangements All Admissions Authorities have to set their own admission arrangements, and abide by the School Admissions Code of Practice that shows how, when and what should be included. Between 1st November and 1st March each AA has to decide whether they need to make any changes to the previous admission arrangements (This is currently for 2014/15) The Governing Body has to meet to decide this, even if no changes are to be made. Own admission authority schools do not need to consult if the only changes are: To increase the Admission Number Or to comply with a change in a School Admissions Code or Regulations.

7. A local authority has to consult about admission numbers with its’ community and voluntary controlled schools If there is no proposal to change the admissions arrangements then you now have up to 7 years not to have to consult (previously it was 3 years) All AAs have to put proposed admission arrangements on their website, with the duration of the consultation and who to contact. AAs have to determine who they specifically have to consult with. Consultation has to last at least 8 weeks All AAs must determine their arrangements by 15th April By 1 st May, the local authority must publish on the council website the admission arrangements for any school or academy. The LA must also state that any objections must be made to the School Adjudicator by 30 th June. (Objections can’t be made about Admission Numbers increasing or remaining the same.)

8. Bulk processes Starting school, Infant to Junior transfer and Secondary transfer The local authority has to produce a parents guide for each of these and a common application form. Applications have to be made to the local authority where the family lives, even if they would like a school in another local authority For secondary transfers the closing date is 31 st October. The national offer day is 1 st March For starting school and infant to junior transfers the closing date is 15th January. The national offer day is 15 th April. The local authority has to send an offer letter out to every on time applicant. If they are refused any of their preferences there will also be details on how to appeal and the breakdown of how allocations were made

9. For 2013/14 applications Secondary 98.7% had their 1 st preference, 99.7% had one of their 3 preferences (86% applied online) Starting school 86% had their 1 st preference, 94% had one of their 3 preferences (88% applied online) After the closing date, all online applications are down loaded. They are checked for duplicate applications and that data is correct, such as addresses or postcodes. Once applications are checked, the team will swap data with other local authorities Then the team will share information with each own admission authority school for them to determine the ranking of the applicants. The team will then swap data again with other local authorities to enable them to determine the highest ranked preference that can be offered to a child. Data can be swapped many times as places are no longer required which free them up for other applicants

10. In Year Applications From 2010/11 academic year the Local Authority had to coordinate all In Year applications In Year applications could be from: Families moving out of North Somerset who haven’t yet moved Families moving into North Somerset Families moving around North Somerset area Families who just wish to change their child’s school In 2009/10 before coordination the team processed around 650 in year applications. In 2010/11 there were over 1500, and 2011/12 over 1700 In Year applications are dealt with individually – compared to the bulk processes where they are administered together.

11. Parents/carers can state up to 3 preferences. These could be for local authority maintained schools or any own admission authority schools These schools could be located in any local authority area not just North Somerset. If they are for own admission authority schools in North Somerset, the team has to consult with the school, giving them details of the application. The Governing Body, or a designated Admissions body/committee has to make a decision whether to admit, even if there are no vacancies. If it is a school in another local authority, the team approaches the authority who will then approach the individual school(s) where necessary Parent/carer has right of appeal if a place is refused. The local authority has to find a school place for the child. Applications should be turned around in 10 working days

12. An example of an in year application 1 st Preference St Felix Catholic VA School, Clevedon 2 nd Preference Blossom House Academy, Weston-super-Mare 3 rd Preference Clouds Bay Academy, Taunton

13. From 2013/14, in year coordination will cease and families will be able contact schools direct about places. The local authority will still have to provide an application form and give information about places available in the area, if asked by parents. Own admission authority schools will have to inform the local authority about applications and their outcomes so that place figures are kept up to date There is a potential for vulnerable children to be “lost” if schools don’t notify the local authority promptly when a place has been refused.

14. Infant Class Size Legislation From 1 st September 2001 the School Standards & Framework Act 1998 and Infant Class Regulations limited class sizes for infant classes to no more than 30 pupils with one qualified teacher In very limited circumstances, further admissions could be agreed and were considered as “permitted exceptions”. But these were time limited and “qualifying measures” were needed by the following academic year if the class size had not fallen back to 30. It covered for example, children with statements of SEN, looked after children, where an error in allocation had been made, and where there was no place available within a reasonable distance

15. Legislation still restricts these classes to 30, but changes in the Code and Infant Class Size Regulations mean that children can remain an “excepted pupil” for the time they are in an infant class or until class numbers fall back to 30. The “permitted exceptions” have now been extended to include: children whose twin or sibling from a multiple birth is admitted as the 30th child, children of UK service personnel outside the normal admission round children with SEN who are normally taught in an SEN unit attached to the school Previously looked after children as well (to take effect 2013/14) Also the term “qualifying measures” is replaced by “relevant measures”

16. School Appeals Where parents are refused a place for their child at their chosen school they have the right to take their case to an independent Appeal Panel for consideration. One of the duties of the Appeal Panel is to ensure that the local authority or own admission authority school’s admission arrangements have been followed correctly The local authority, school and parents must abide by the decision of the Appeals Panel We present appeals for community and voluntary controlled schools, and also on behalf of own admission authority schools who buy back our services. The team has a good overall knowledge of the schools in North Somerset, demand for school places now and in the future, any areas with particular issues and how allocations were made.

17. Changes in latest School Admissions Code The 2012 School Admissions Code is shorter – and much less prescriptive than previous Codes. It applies to the 2013/14 academic year The purpose is to ensure that all school places are allocated and offered in an open and fair way. Parents should be able to look at arrangements and understand easily how places can be allocated. Consultation Where no changes are proposed to admission arrangements, consultation only needs to take place every 7 years instead of 3 years. Infant Class Size Additional permitted exceptions whi ch are allowed through all of Key Stage 1

18. Admission Number Own admission authorities do not have to consult on changes where they propose to increase or keep the same AN. The local authority has to consult at least the governing body of a community or voluntarily controlled school. Oversubscription criteria Free schools and academies may now give priority to children entitled to the Pupil Premium. Children of staff can be included as a criterion, but schools will need to be very clear about their definition of staff Children in care This now includes children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order) In-Year coordination The requirement for the local authority to coordinate all in year applications is removed from 2013/14.

19. Nobel Prize winner for Admissions! In October 2012, Alvin Roth was awarded a Nobel Prize in Economics Alvin and his team created an algorithm to overhaul the New York City High School admissions process in 2003 He had previously been involved with the allocation of 25,000 medical students to hospitals in the US He has more recently been devising a system for allocating donated kidneys.