Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED - That Ian Roberts be elected Chair until the next Annual Meeting of the Council.

Ian Roberts in the Chair

To appoint a Vice-Chair of the Forum until the next Annual Council Meeting.

RESOLVED - That Councillor Ann Smith be appointed Vice Chair until the next Annual Meeting of the Council.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2011.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2011 were approved as a correct record.

Councillors and Officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No interests were declared.

To consider a report of the Service Director (Learning & Achievement)

A representative of the Corporate Director, Services to People submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which set out details of the Fair Access Protocol which was in place to ensure access to education is secured quickly for children who have no school place but for whom a mainstream school is important and the arrangements in place to ensure the provision of education for permanently excluded pupils. The report provided details of the formula and principles used to guide the number of admissions to each school and the operation of the Fair Access Protocol and the number of pupils permanently excluded from school in 2010/11.

The Forum discussed the pressure being placed on secondary schools in particular but was reassured that capacity existed to respond to the demand. The Forum was also advised of the work being undertaken within primary schools to identify the scope of challenging behaviour in Primary schools and what service support structures and joint working could minimise the need to consider permanent exclusion of primary pupils.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Service Director (Learning & Achievement) and the Service Director (Legal & Democratic Services)

A representative of the Corporate Director, Services to People submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) in relation to the allocation of places to maintained primary and secondary schools in September 2011 and the pattern of admissions to secondary schools after the normal admissions round during 2010/11 together with the number of appeals that had been lodged and heard.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Service Director (Learning & Achievement)

A representative of the Corporate Director, Services to People submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) in relation to progress with the development of new draft Codes of practice for Admissions and Admission Appeals which are being considered by parliament and will apply to admission arrangements for 2012. The Forum discussed the possible implications of the ability of schools to increase their Pupil Admission Number without the approval of the Local Authority and the removal of the duty on local authorities to establish an Admissions Forum which would in future be a matter for the Local Authority to determine should they consider it beneficial.

RESOLVED –

(1)  That the report be noted; and

(2)   That, should the duty on local authorities to establish an Admissions Forum be removed, and the matter become discretionary, the Forum requests that the Council support the continued existence of the Forum as a means of facilitating views on local admission arrangements.

To consider a report of the Service Director (Learning & Achievement)

A representative of the Corporate Director, Services to People submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which set out the results of consultation with school management and clusters around the following areas of admission arrangements:

·         The retention or change to catchment areas

·         The approach to the changing of Published Admission Numbers

·         The approach to In-Year admissions, in light of the DfE’s draft admission code of practice

·         The structure of school term and holiday dates – with specific reference to the standard school year

·         Arrangements regarding Free School Transport.

The Forum noted that the scope of issues being consulted upon was more complex than in previous years and that a range of views had been expressed across the sectors.

RESOLVED - That the outcome of the consultation be noted and be used to inform the discussions in relation to the next agenda item.

To consider the draft consultation document.

A representative of the Corporate Director, Services to People submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing details of the annual consultation on admission arrangements at all maintained schools in the Borough and on school terms and holiday dates at maintained primary and secondary schools in the borough for the academic year 2013/14 which would close on 28 February 2012. The report also contained details of proposed changes to Pupil Admission Numbers being sought by a number of schools.

The Service Director, Strategy & Performance advised the Forum that an Equality Impact Assessment would be undertaken in relation to the admission arrangements to measure the potential impact of any proposed changes.

The Forum discussed the most effective way to consult with and establish considered views on future admission arrangements given the complexity of the options proposed and the requests to increase PAN by schools which it would respond to at the end of the consultation period.

RESOLVED –

(1)  That the Forum notes that it is not intended to consult on a preferred option to the use of catchment areas as oversubscription criteria but to seek views on all options;

(2)  That the consultation document include information on the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options to assist consultees reach a considered view;

(3)  That the Governing Body of Priestnall school be requested to provide additional information as to how the additional pupils would be accommodated within the school; and

(4)   That with regard to school term and holiday dates for 2013/14 the authority consult on Options 1b, 2b and 3 contained in the report.

To agree a date for the next meeting.

RESOLVED - That the next meeting of the Admissions Forum take place on a date and time agreed with the Chair.