Decision details

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Learning seeking to determine the admission arrangements for the Local Authority as the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled schools in the City.

The Local Authority is the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled schools in the city and needs to determine its admission arrangements each year, regardless of whether changes are made to the existing arrangements.  A new national Admissions Code came into force on 1 February 2012 and subsequently the Local Authority needs to make some statutory changes to the existing arrangements.

(i)  that the responses from the consultation with Southampton Admissions Forum, schools, other relevant admission authorities, and the Church of England and Roman Catholic dioceses be noted;

(ii)  that the admissions policies and the published admission numbers (PANs) for community and voluntary controlled schools, including Bitterne Park selection by aptitude and 6^th form arrangements; the schemes for co-ordinating primary and secondary admissions for the academic year 2013-14; and the scheme for co-ordinating in year admissions from September 2012 as set out in Appendices 1- 7 be approved;

(iii)  that the Executive Director for Children’s Services and Learning be authorised to take any action necessary to give effect to the above proposals and to make any changes necessary to the Admissions Policies where required to give effect to any Acts, Regulations or revised Admissions or Admissions Appeals Codes or binding Schools Adjudicator. Court or Ombudsman decisions whensoever’s arising.

The Local Authority has a statutory duty to determine the admission criteria on an annual basis and ensure all rising 5’s have an allocated education place.

The only alternative option considered was to not determine local admission arrangements.  This has been rejected on the basis that it would result in the imposition of admissions arrangements upon local schools by the Secretary of State for Education.