Primary Admissions - Priority Access Area giving preference to residents within a borough

[Paxi]

Whilst, my knowledge of school admissions is almost entirely based on reading the very knowledgable posters on mumsnet, I thought a school were not able to give priority to children living within its borough.

Sir John Cass Primary School, the only state school in the City of London, may be expanding and as part if the proposal want to change its admissions criteria. This would include introducing a Priority Access Area which includes all of the City of London and only a very small area of a Tower Hamlets and even smaller area of Islington.

Details can be found here

Is this allowed? I'm a Tower Hamlets resident and think it is unfair as someone living 3 or 4 times further away from the school will be given priority over my child under the new proposals. I also feel a bit uneasy given the differences in wealth, ethnicity and religion of the Proposed Priority Access area vs a similar sized area drawn with the school at its centre.

I've missed the online consultation, is there anything I can do to object to these plans. Can I refer it to the adjudicator or is it to early as it is only a proposal at this stage.

Any help gratefully received.

[Galena]

I think it can do that as long as it has gone through the proposal and consultation stage first.

I don't think you can do anything about it if you have missed the consultation period, but someone more knowledgeable than me may be along soon.

[meditrina]

Yes it's allowed.

It extends over 3 boroughs, not just the one, and it's not uncommon for catchments to be shapes other than a perfect concentric circle round the school.

If however you think it's not fit for purpose, I hope you took part in the consultation (which closed late December).

[meditrina]

Reading the pupil profile document is illuminating.

I knew City had a weird profile, but I hadn't realised how weird. It has only around 30 primary pupils per whole year group, and roughly 2/3 of them go to schools out of borough. This school has only 10 City children per year group (other places to Tower Hamlets children). Doubling the entry is going to provide a lot of places for other boroughs. In effect, even if every child in the City applied to this school, they are still creating enough spaces for the same number of out-of-borough applicants to be admitted.

It's also weird because there are 9 other primaries less than a mile away from this school.

I suppose they could have opted to do nothing. But given the impending school place crisis across London, the more places the better.

[tethersend]

The Rotherham Judgement (1997) established that admission authorities may operate specified catchment areas as part of their oversubscription criteria provided that, in doing so, they are not in breach of the Greenwich judgement (which established that maintained schools may not give priority to children for the sole reason that they live within the LA’s administrative boundaries).

I'm also a Tower Hamlets resident; are there any schools in your catchment which you would consider? After all, you will be a higher priority for those than children living in the City of London.