Decision details

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning seeking determination of the admission arrangements and Published Admission Numbers for community and voluntary controlled schools for 2011/12. . This is an annual decision by the Council required under the School Admissions (Coordination of Admission Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2008. There are only minor changes from the arrangements for 2010/11 except for the inclusion of selection by aptitude of up to 10% of the year 7 intake at Bitterne Park Secondary School and the increase in Reception Year intakes at certain infant and primary schools to accommodate the increased number of children in the rising 5 cohort.

It is recommended that: 

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

(ii)  the admissions policies and the published admission numbers (PANs) for community and voluntary controlled schools , the schemes for co-ordinating primary and secondary admissions for the academic year 2011-12, and the scheme for co-ordinating in year admissions from September 2010 as set out in Appendices 1- 6 be approved;

(iii)  The sibling link be recognised equally in applications to infant schools and junior schools as they are in applications for primary schools.

(iv)  The published admission numbers (PAN)s for the following schools be Bassett Green Primary School 60, Mansel Park Primary 60, Glenfield Infant School 90, Moorlands Primary School 60, Kanes Hill Primary School 60 Shirley Warren Primary School 60. for Year R admission in September 2011. These increases in admission numbers provide an extra 150 year R places to accommodate the expected increase in the number of children in the city who will need school places at that time.

(v)  the Executive Director for Children’s Services and Learning be authorised to take any action necessary to give effect to the above proposals.

The matter requires a decision because:-

(i)  It is a statutory requirement that school admissions authorities carry out an annual consultation process before determining and publishing their Admissions policies and arrangements if there are changes from the previous year’s arrangements. Admissions policies require approval of the council to enable the allocation of school places to Southampton pupils and to pupils applying for a place in a Southampton school from outside the city. The principles of Southampton’s admissions policies are well established. They seek to fulfil the requirement that they be ‘clear, objective and fair’ (School Admissions Code, 2009).

(ii)  The proposed policies seek to make this process as transparent as possible. In particular, they enable the local authority, schools, and parents:

(a)  to protect the rights of vulnerable children;

(b)  to meet significant medical and psychological needs of individual children;

(c)  to develop, strengthen and support immediate family ties;

(d)  to develop and strengthen links between designated feeder school(s); and

(e)  to have access to clear, objective, and fair criteria that avoid ambiguity in the interpretation of the policy.

1. It would be possible to propose different admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools but the arrangements would have to be in accordance with the School Admissions Code.
2. The option of not determining local admission arrangements 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 Children, Schools and Families. This would remove the opportunity to introduce some of the improvements recommended as set out in paragraphs.