Children's Services Management Team sponsor:

John Clarke - Deputy Director of Children's Services

Telephone: 01962 846459; e-mail: [email protected]

Contact: Alex Munro - Education Officer (Admissions & Special Projects), 01962 846462, [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 "Relevant areas" are a technical device which determines the extent to which local authorities (LAs) and admission authority schools (i.e. foundation and voluntary aided) must consult other authorities about their proposed admission arrangements for mainstream schools.

1.2 The legislation requires "relevant areas" to be reviewed every two years. The Admission Forum has been consulted, as have all Hampshire schools, including the 76 admission authority schools (56 voluntary aided; 20 foundation) to which the legislation particularly applies, and Hampshire's nine neighbouring LAs.

1.3 At its meeting on 4 July 2006, the Admission Forum recommended that the current arrangements should continue for consultations in relation to admissions in 2008 and 2009. The County Council must "have regard" to any recommendations from the Forum.

1.4 This procedure supports Aim 1 of the Corporate Strategy (maximising life opportunities) by ensuring that all admission arrangements are "clear, fair and objective" as required by the Code of Practice on Admissions (Department for Education and Skills, 2003). It has no direct influence on the five outcomes of the Children Act 2004.

2 Background

2.1 In 1999, the "relevant area" for Hampshire was set by using the county boundary, in consultation with Hampshire's nine neighbouring LAs and all admission authority schools. New provisions in the Education Act 2002 would have required Hampshire's 15 secondary foundation and voluntary aided schools to consult every other mainstream school in Hampshire. This was clearly impractical so that a more local system of "relevant areas" was established, based on secondary catchment areas.

2.2 At present, therefore, admission authority secondary schools (15) consult as follows:

· Home LA (statutory requirement)

· Any neighbouring LA within five miles (statutory requirement)

· All maintained schools within a three-mile radius

· Any linked primary school beyond three miles

· Any neighbouring Hampshire secondary school beyond three miles which shares a catchment border with the consulting school

· Any other Hampshire school likely to be affected by the consulting school's admission arrangements as agreed by the LA and the two schools concerned.

2.3 Admission authority primary schools (61) currently consult as follows:

· Home LA (statutory requirement)

· Any neighbouring LA within two miles (statutory requirement)

· All maintained primary schools within a two-mile radius

· Any primary school beyond two miles linked to the same secondary school

· Any other Hampshire primary school likely to be affected by the consulting school's admission arrangements, as agreed by the LA and the two schools concerned.

2.4 Consultations have been carried out with Hampshire's nine neighbouring education authorities. Six responses have been received with no objections.

2.5 Consultations with schools were carried out via a schools communication in June 2006 and letters to the chairman of governors of all admission authority schools reminding them of their responsibilities for consulting within "relevant areas" and asking for any objections to the continuation of the present system. No objections have been received.

3 Legal implications

3.1 None

4 Financial implications

4.1 None

5 Personnel implications

5.1 None

6 Impact assessment

6.1 The Hampshire admission policies for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools take into account all relevant legislation including the Education Act 2002, the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, legislation on sex discrimination, race relations, and disability, together with all relevant regulations and advice in Codes of Practice. Governors of admission authority schools are bound by the same legislation.

6.2 This decision establishes the framework within which consultations must take place. Of itself, it has no impact on admission policies and procedures.

7 Cohesion, inclusiveness and partnership working

The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that schools and neighbouring LAs have the opportunity to comment on the proposed admission arrangements of admission authority schools and local authorities before they are finally agreed.

8 Crime prevention issues

8.1 No impact on crime prevention.

9 Views of the Local County Councillor

9.1 Not applicable

Recommendations

1 That the recommendation by the Hampshire Admission Forum that no change should be made to the current "relevant area" arrangements in Hampshire be agreed and that these should continue to be used as the basis for consultations relating to school admissions in September 2008 and 2009

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

List documents here or type `none'.

None.