Schools flouting admissions....

[Blu]

was there no thread about this?

I saw it covered in the Guardian and Observer that many many schools are flouting admissions procedures - though apparantly more through innocent misunderstanding than wilful manipulation. I can't find the Guardian / observer reports that I read.

here in the Telegraph

Has anyone got experience of having been asked 'off-road' questions, or being interviewed as part of an admissions process?
We weren't - but we were required to send £25 to the school fund when accepting a place at a CoE primary. (we sent the money and did not ask for it back when we eventually declined the place, because we appreciated the fact that they had allowed DS's application on SEN grounds which one community school had refused - but another accepted)

[Peachy]

At our school mums outside catchment (not us)were reportedly asked to give X amount of hours voluntarily (quite a lot iirc, 40? -halved for single parents)

Which I think passed with the former head last year- thank goodness!

rather unfair of working parents (which Head disapproved of) and parents with smaller children / carer roles)

[Blu]

Peachy, That sounds completely dodgy!

I of know of two community schools in which did miraculously well in the league tables were 'done' a few yars ago for having Heads and / or governors who allowed admissions procedures to be 'moulded' in favour of groups of parents they thought would bring the school up, but it's been clamped down on now - and the centrlised amissions system would have put paid to it. I wonder whether that is now why the majority of schools found to be flouting the law are now faith and other endowment - not because the were worse in the first place, but because the cmmunity schools no longer have the opportunity because of the centralised admissions?

[Peachy]

Ours is indeed other endowment

they get round ther stuff too- friend (Governor) was interviewing potential candidates for good job

Candidate X was vetoed by LEA (we wash our hands of this- quote), Head, and Governors (due to complaints about X in her previous role) but she got it because of the person administerng the endowment getting the final choice. And er, him being her Godfather

[Blu]

[Peachy]

Course I'm not supposed to know this

[Blu]

Well, no!

And I don't think your example falls into the 'innocent and mistaken' schools identified by Sir Philip Hunter, the schools adjudicator! It sounds downright corrupt!

[Peachy]

It is, and Governor has since resigned which is as she is / was great

[edam]

Oh, surprise surprise religious schools are the worst offenders. So much for getting 'better' results - nothing to do with ethos, all to do with covert selection by class.

[clam]

Half of all schools? How can that be, when so many counties have centralised admissions? The article mentioned 25 schools....

[cory]

Very few schools around here that do control their own admissions: even the Catholic schools are administered by the LEA. Suppose the private schools must do.

[Blu]

Clam - I think the 25 schools were in one area.

I wish I could find the Guardian and Observer articles I read - I find their search facility terrible.

[LadyLauraStandish]

Guardian article:

here

[clam]

Well, according to that, half of all state schools are flouting the rules, and that simply can't be right. Then it mentions 3 and a half thousand faith/foundation schools. Confusing article.....

[MrsGhoulofGhostbourne]

and http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23576617-details/Confusion+over+school+places+after+l egal+battle/article.do here - Drayton Manor is one where there is going to be a field days for appeals - hope there are no \Mnetters applying there this year

[MrsGhoulofGhostbourne]

sorry - Drayton Manor

[DocBunches]

Coincidentally, I started a similar thread on the 'In the News' section of the forum earlier today about that particular school in Ealing...

BBC news website

As I said over there, I'm that some schools are still getting away with covert selection.

[Saggarmakersbottomknocker]

We have centralised admissions here but the faith schools continue to go their own sweet way, including poaching some of the more desirable parents pupils. Grrrr.

[MrsGhoulofGhostbourne]

DB - sorry - did not see yours

[DocBunches]

MrsGofG, no problem!

[Flibbertyjibbet]

Grrrr I am so reading this thread!
I filled in our council's form for schools which included the faith section (what church, name of vicar etc).
I viewed a c of e school for our 2nd choice. They gave me their own form which had a lot of details on it, including mine and dp's full names, and 'daytime location'.

I joked to a friend that its their way of checking if you are married and what job you do!!

Its supposed to be central admissions but the governors go through all the forms then tell the council which children they are offering places to - so they may as well just do their own sweet thing anyway.

I am going to write and complain to the council and have saved the guardian link as back up.

This in a little backwater in Lancashire just at an ordinary not-even-fully-subscribed school too.

God only knows what the nuns at my old convent secondary school have on the applications then!