Consultation - Change to Bradford Council’s Admission Policy
1. What is the LEA’s Current Admissions Policy?
All community and voluntary-controlled schools operate a ‘first-preference’ policy. This means that unless you list a particular school as your first preference, your application for that school may not be considered. If there are more children wanting a place at a school than there are places, then the following criteria is applied in the order set out below:
- sisters/brothers attending the school and living in the school’s priority area;
- other children living in the school’s priority area; sisters/brothers living outside the school’s priority area
- other children living outside the school’s priority area
- Primary schools that do not have priority areas have the following criteria:
- sisters/brothers attending the school; other children living closest to the school.
2. What Change is Being Proposed?
It is proposed that from September 2007 onwards the LEA’s admission policy will no longer give priority to first preferences. This means that all first, second, and third preferences for a particular school would be looked at together (equal preference) and the normal over-subscription criteria (listed above) would be applied.
3. Completing the Application Form
Parents now may express up to three preferences for schools but can only be offered a place at one school. This will not change. If the proposed change goes ahead, parents will still be able to list up to three schools in their order of preference. However, the first preference would only be relevant if we could offer more than one of the preferred schools; in that case the school ranked highest on the application form would be offered.
4. Which Schools will be Affected by the Proposed Changes?
All of the LEA’s community and voluntary-controlled primary and secondary schools will be affected by the proposed change.
Foundation schools, Feversham College, St Joseph’s College, Bradford Cathedral Community College, Immanuel Church of England Community College and Bingley Grammar School also operate a first-preference-first criteria but it will be for the governors of those schools to decide whether they wish to make the same changes. The outcome of the consultation will be shared with the governors of those schools, so that those wishing to consider making this change can take into account the views of parents.
5. Why is the LEA Suggesting this Change?
The Department for Education and Skills’ Draft Code of Practice for Admissions, which is due to come into operation in January 2006, criticises first-preference-first criteria. The Schools’ Adjudicator, who looks at complaints against admission policies has recently ordered other LEAs to remove first-preference-first criteria from their admission policies because it was thought that the first-preference system, whereby second and third preferences may not even be considered, distorts parental preference as parents often have to act tactically when ‘choosing’ their school.
6. What are the Advantages of an Equal Preference System?
- Parents will be able to express a genuine first preference
- More children will be able to access one of their local over-subscribed schools because a second or third preference will be treated the same as a first preference
- It will remove much of the risk parents take in deciding their order of preference, particularly in assessing their chances of gaining a place e.g. at a primary school which has no priority admission area or a secondary school which has different admissions criteria (Faith Schools, Selective Schools or Academies).
- It will result in more parents receiving a place at one of their three preferred schools. Currently parents who do not get a place at their first-preference school can lose the chance of getting a place at their other preferred schools where they are over-subscribed. In some cases, this can mean that parents may not be able to get a place at their local school.
7. What are the Disadvantages of an Equal Preference System?
- Second and third preferences for an over-subscribed school could gain admission at the expense of a first preference
- More people are likely to get a place at one of their preferred schools. In the case of oversubscribed schools, this will mean that parents who live furthest away from their preferred school will be less likely to obtain a place even if they live within a school’s priority admission area.
8. What Happens Next?
- The consultation ends on 18 January 2006;
- The views of parents and governors will be considered by the Council’s Executive in February 2006 when they decide on the admission arrangements for 2007;
- Other schools wishing to make this change will need to make a decision by 15 April 2006;
- If the change is made it will come into effect for admissions in September 2007 onwards
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you want any further information or explanation, please ring an Admissions Officer on the numbers listed below:
(01274) 385600, 385601, 385602, 385603, 385606, 385607, 385698.
Nina Mewse,
Principal Research and Policy Officer,
Education Bradford,
Bolling Road,
Future House,
Bradford
BD4 7EB,
If you require further information please email:
educationconsultation@bradford.gov.uk
Please complete and return the questionnaire no later than 18 January 2006
Questionnaire
