Archived decisions
Co-ordinated scheme for admissions
to secondary schools in September 2010
1 Principles and scope of the scheme
1.1 The scheme has been drawn up to fulfil the requirements set out in chapter 1 and Appendix 3 of the School Admissions Code, 2007 (published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)), in particular:
To simplify the admission process for parents whilst reducing the likelihood of any child being left without a school place. Co-ordination establishes a mechanism that ensures that, as far as is practical, every child living in a local authority area who has applied in the normal admissions round receives one, and only one, offer of a school place on the same day. (1.16)
The key statutory provisions relating to co-ordinated admission arrangements are:
· every child living in a local authority area who has applied in the normal admissions round receives one, and only one, offer of a school place on the same day (1.16)
· formulating a co-ordinated scheme (1.16)
· fair admission arrangements (1.64 -1.69)
· a common application form (CAF) which allows parents to express at least three preferences and give reasons
· an on-line application facility
· how application forms are treated and the use of supplementary forms (1.71)
· schools must consider and decide on applications for school places in accordance with their published arrangements (1.28)
· parents who are unsuccessful in all their preferences must be offered an alternative school place (Appendix 3)
· offers of places to be sent on 1 March (or the next working day if 1 March is not a working day)
· exchange of information with neighbouring LAs by dates specified in the scheme
· rights of children from overseas (1.52)
· boarding provision (1.74 - 1.79)
· coordination to continue after 1 March (1.31)
In addition, the Code recommends that LAs establish a Choice Advice service to provide practical support to parents making an application in the primary to secondary transition. This service will be targeted at parents who are most likely to need extra help in navigating the admissions system.
1.2 The Hampshire scheme takes into account all relevant legislation including the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, the Education Act 2002, legislation on sex discrimination, race relations, disability (particularly the School Admissions Code), and relevant regulations, in particular the School Admissions (Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2007, a statutory duty under section 14(3A) of the Education Act 1996 ( as inserted by Section 2 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006) and the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
1.3 The scheme applies to all secondary schools in Hampshire, including foundation and voluntary aided schools.
1.4 The Hampshire scheme is an "equal preference" scheme. Admission authorities consider all applications against each school's published admission criteria. If a child can be offered a place at more than one of their preferred schools the local authority offers a place at the highest ranked school for which an application was successful.
1.5 The scheme sets out key actions and general principles rather than detail. Administrative procedures will be made available to schools at the end of the summer term each year by the county Admissions Team.
2 The co-ordinated scheme for secondary admissions - September 2010
2.1 Terminology
LA - local authority (for residents living in the administrative area of
Hampshire County Council, this is the County Council)
Home LA - the LA area in which the child lives
Maintaining LA - the LA responsible for the preferred school(s)
Admissions Team - refers to the Hampshire county Admissions Team
CAF - the common application form issued by the home LA to be used by the residents of that LA when applying for a school place
The Hampshire deadline - The date and time given by Hampshire by which the form must be submitted.
Hampshire school - Those schools located in the administrative area of Hampshire County Council and maintained by Hampshire County Council.
Hampshire parent - a parent living in the administrative area of Hampshire County Council (but whose child[ren] may not necessarily attend a Hampshire maintained school).
Schools Adjudicator - a statutory officer who is appointed by The Secretary of State but is independent of him. The Adjudicator decides on objections to admission arrangements and variations of determined admission arrangements. The Schools Adjudicator comes under the supervision of The Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council.
2.2 Information for parents
The Code requires Local Authorities to publish clear, objective and fair admission arrangements (4.4). The Education (School Information) (England) Regulations 2002 (as amended) set out these requirements in detail in Schedules 2 and 3.
The Code gives parents the right to object to the Schools Adjudicator (4.14) if they believe the arrangements do not comply with the law or the mandatory requirements of the Code.
Information about school admissions and school places, as well as the common application forms, will be sent to all Hampshire primary and junior schools so that they are available for parents no later than six weeks before the Hampshire deadline for applications. Information will also be sent to all Hampshire secondary schools and neighbouring LAs. The LA will publish its composite prospectus online.
Information about Year 5 out-county pupils will be exchanged between LAs during the summer term preceding the application year.
Hampshire parents with children attending (maintained) schools in other LAs will be sent the County brochure and CAF direct by the Admissions Team.
Parents of children attending Hampshire (maintained) schools but living in other LAs will receive information, including a CAF, direct from their home LA.
Parents of Hampshire children attending independent schools may obtain CAFs and the brochure from the Admissions Team.
2.3 Common application form (CAF)
All Hampshire parents will be required to complete a CAF or apply online, regardless of the status or LA of the maintained schools for which they wish to apply. In addition, the governors of voluntary aided and foundation schools may require a supplementary information form to be completed (to ensure they have sufficient criteria-related information to be able to allocate places correctly). This form is additional to, and does not replace, the CAF or online application, which must be completed for every application. Voluntary aided and foundation schools must consider an application on a CAF (or online application) even when not supported by a supplementary information form. The Code (1.71 - 1.73) sets out clear guidance on what information can be requested on a supplementary information form.
Governing bodies of voluntary aided and foundation schools must notify the Admissions Team of any application made to the school direct (regardless of whether the parent making the application resides in the administrative area of the County Council). Governing bodies of voluntary aided and foundation schools must determine by reference to the school's admissions criteria the ranking of all applications to the school. When requested to do so such governing bodies must notify the Admissions Team of their determination.
2.4 Children with challenging behaviour (3.10-3.13)
Admission authorities must not refuse to admit children in the normal admission round on the basis of their behaviour elsewhere except in the case of pupils who have been permanently excluded twice in the preceding two years.
2.5 Applications by Hampshire residents for schools within Hampshire
Applications must be made online or on the Hampshire CAF and returned to the child's current Hampshire primary school by the deadline: midday on Friday 23 October 2009 (the Hampshire deadline).
Hampshire parents whose child attends a maintained school in another LA or an independent school must send the CAF direct to the county Admissions Team, to arrive by the Hampshire deadline.
Primary schools will send CAFs to the Admissions Team as they receive them and by Friday 6 November 2009 at the latest.
2.6 Applications by Hampshire residents for schools outside Hampshire
Applications must be made online or on the Hampshire CAF. Completed forms should be sent by the Hampshire deadline to the child's current Hampshire primary school who will send the forms to the Admissions Team as they receive them and at the latest by Friday 6 November 2009.
Hampshire parents whose child currently attends a maintained school in another LA or an independent school will send the application form direct to the Admissions Team, to arrive by the Hampshire deadline.
All applications for schools in neighbouring LAs will be recorded by the Admissions Team and then sent to the maintaining LA of the school on Friday 13 November 2009.
2.7 Applications from non-Hampshire residents for Hampshire schools
These will be submitted using the home LA's CAF or online system. Use of the Hampshire CAF or online system is not permitted. Parents will send their application form direct to their home LA who, in turn, will pass relevant information to the Hampshire Admissions Team on 13 November 2009.
2.8 Consideration of Applications
All preferences will be considered simultaneously. Where more than one school is able to offer a place, the highest successful preference will be awarded. Where none of the preferred schools is able to offer a place, the LA will allocate a place in the nearest available school.
2.9 Single Notification Date
On the first working day after 1 March 2009 the Admissions Team will send letters to all Hampshire parents informing them of the outcome of their applications. Under no circumstances may any governing body, headteacher or anyone else associated with a school or the County Council offer a place, or give any indication that a place might be available, before the official offer date. Neither should details of discussions about the number of applications or offers be included in those governing body minutes available to the public.
2.10 Allocation lists
The Admissions Team will publish to schools detailed lists of allocated children and will provide schools with the associated ATF files for importing to SIMS.
2.11 Late Applications
All late applications to community and voluntary controlled schools received after the deadline (i.e. midday 23 October 2009) and by 08 January 2010 will be referred to the Admissions Team and will normally be treated as late unless exceptional circumstances apply. All Hampshire schools will send late applications to the Admissions Team.
2.12 Applications received after 8 January 2010
Applications received after 08 January 2010 must be made on the CAF and will be handled by the LA with the necessary liaison with schools that are their own admission authority. They will not be considered until fourteen days after the offer letters have been sent. They will then be accepted or refused according to whether places are available in the schools with decisions being sent by the LA.
The admission process will be coordinated with neighbouring authorities beyond the offer date until late applicants have been offered school places.
2.13 Parents who want to change their minds after the deadline
The new Code advises: "Once parents have made their preferences, local authorities must not allow them to be changed without a genuine reason for doing so, for example, if the family has recently moved address. Local authorities must make this clear in the information they provide for parents." Only changes to preferences arising from genuine reasons will be allowed and they may be considered alongside on-time applications, where appropriate.
2.14 Waiting Lists
Waiting lists are established 14 days after the single notification date.
A waiting list will be maintained for all community and voluntary controlled schools. Admission authority schools are expected to do likewise. Any parent who wishes their child to be included on the waiting list must inform the authority in writing. Any places that become available will be allocated according to the criteria of the admission policy with no account being taken of the length of time on the waiting list. In-year fair access (ref. 4.4) and school closure arrangements will take priority over the waiting list.
2.15 Appeals
Parents may appeal for any school where their application has been unsuccessful. The County Council arranges independent appeals in relation to community and voluntary controlled schools; individual governing bodies are responsible for appeal arrangements in voluntary aided and foundation schools. Voluntary aided schools receive advice from their respective dioceses, which will often make the appeal arrangements on schools' behalf.
Parents should be aware that the appeal process is entirely separate from the management of the waiting lists. The fact that parents may wish to appeal will have no effect on their child's position on the waiting list.
3 General information affecting all admissions
(This section contains specific information and advice to be followed by all schools in the interests of fairness and transparency.)
3.1 Timescales for offers
During the main admissions round, timescales are clearly set out and places are offered well before the place will be taken up.
3.2 Families living some distance from the school
If a place is available, this must be offered to the child at the top of the waiting list in accordance with the published criteria, even if this child lives some distance from the school. It cannot be a condition of offering a place that a family move into the catchment area or nearer the school, provided they can assure the school that the child will arrive on time and attend regularly. Each case must be treated on its merits. If schools are doubtful whether parents will be able to ensure a child's punctuality and regular attendance, this must be discussed directly with them.
3.3 Pupils with special educational needs but without a statement
Children with special educational needs but without a statement must be treated like other applicants. Admission authorities may not refuse to admit a pupil because they consider themselves unable to cater for his or her special educational needs.
3.4 Pupils with a statement of special educational needs
The Code states (1.50) "section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the governing bodies of all maintained schools to admit a child with a statement of special educational needs that names their school".
3.5 Pupils with disabilities
The new Code states that admission authorities must not "discriminate against or disadvantage children with .......... disabilities". In addition, the Disability Discrimination Act requires schools to have regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and to publish a disability equality scheme showing how they are meeting theses duties.
3.6 Home-school agreements
Admission may not be conditional upon parents signing a home-school agreement. (1.49)
3.7 Fraud in applications
Admission authorities reserve the right to withdraw a place where it was obtained fraudulently (1.43 - 1.44). The County Council will investigate allegations of fraudulent practice and, where appropriate, the County Council may monitor the residency details provided. Monitoring may include contacting third parties to check residency information provided.