ADMISSIONS please! Admission via In Year Fair Access Protocol - is it dependent on meeting LA rep and school's Deputy?

[Vallhala]

Would Admissions be there please? Or anyone else who is aquainted with the way admissions to schools works?

Since early September my daughter has been waiting for admission into a Voluntary Aided secondary school under the In Year Fair Access Protocol. The LA's Panel decided upon this school for DD way back in late September and a meeting between the Head of that school and the LA's inclusion manager to discuss it all took place way early October but from then on I heard nothing, despite trying several times to get answers.

As I read it the School Admissions Code states that schools "must respond quickly to requests for admission so that the admission of the pupil is not delayed " and that, "An agreed protocol must include timescales for considering and resolving individual cases that aim to best serve the interests of the parent and the child.". So, on Friday I emailed the C/E of the LA and cc'd the Director of Education. I said that I wanted to have a breakdown of the agreed timescale for admission into the new school, which I believe must be provided under the In Year Fair Access Protocol and that if the LA didn't respond with a date upon which my daughter was due to start at the school by this Monday pm I would be taking further action.

I got a reply the same afternoon, from the Inclusion Manager, who was the person who had twice in the space of a month vowed to contact me then just disappeared. (It transpired that she has just returned from compassionate leave - not her fault of course but a cods of communication and good practice if no-one is covering her basic duties/responding to emails with notice that she's unavailable!).

The Inclusion Manager has not provided me with the timescale for considering and resolving the case which I asked for but has asked my DD and I to meet the Deputy of the school concerned and herself in the week - and for DD and I to meet with her in advance of the meeting at the school.

I've no problem with this per se but am interested to know if it is common practice under the circumstances. (All this is happening, btw, because to my eternal shame DD was expelled from her former school). My concern is that STILL no offer of a school is being made to DD, STILL we are in limbo and STILL we aren't getting the information requested or a straight answer.

Is DDs admission going to be dependent upon her and/or I meeting the Deputy Head?

Is it dependent on her and/or I gaining the Deputy's approval?

Can he refuse having met us to accept DD into the school or is his school obligated to take her regardless unless they can prove that, for example, they already have too many difficult to manage children or another, similar legal argument?

Can they argue that in their opinion DD is not ready to be re-integrated into school (a Voluntary Aided secondary) as she has been out of the system completely since just before the start of the summer hols?

Can they refuse me a breakdown of the timescale under which DDs admission SHOULD be carried out?

This just looks like a stalling tactic very odd to me.

If readers are still awake, I'd be very, very grateful for some advice here. Thank you.

By the time my daughter starts school she'll be drawing her pension at this rate!

I've had an email back from the Director of Learning (having emailed the Exec Director to ask him to chivvy her along!).

The woman should be a politician! Here's what she said:

*Dear Ms X,

As I indicated in my response yesterday, the Authority would be able to direct X School to admit DD.

I would, however, feel more confident if you were able to discuss the matter fully with the Inclusion Manager to establish that such a direction would be in DD best interests, as opposed to exploring any other options that might be available.

The Inclusion manager's contact number is 000000 and she would be very pleased either to talk on the telephone or meet you in person with DD to discuss the best way forward.

We recognise that the admission is taking more time to resolve than would normally be the case, and I have asked The Inclusion Manager to give this the highest priority so that DD is placed in school as quickly as possible.*

How's that for avoiding the question then?!

I replied saying that wasn't what I asked. Finally she conceded that the offer still stands "and has never been withdrawn". Odd that, because the interview we had indicated that the offer wasn't even on the table but was to be discussed!

Have gone back to her just as you said, pointing out that there is no need for a direction as the offer has already been made and cannot be retracted, plus the school forfeited the right to object when they interviewed us.

She has until 5.30pm on Thursday to come up with a start date. TBH I'm not holding my breath, but we shall see.

And I owe you, thank you. :)

Valhala,
I would say that your LA was not being very pro-active.

Yes they can do nothing officially until after the governors meeting has confirmed the exclusion and you could argue also the 15 school days that you had to appeal against the decision to an independant appeal panel.

But they are responsible for the education of your daughter from the 6th day and I know for a fact that in my LA as soon as a pupil is permanently excluded an LA officer will start the processes that will lead to a school place being offered. The average turnaround time for our LA is something like 3 weeks after the governing body have confirmed the exclusion. Your LA is just sat on their backsides doing nothing!

Fair went out of the window a long time ago, in fact about 21st September, so you do not have anything to feel guilty about, the LA do and you need to shame them into doing what they should have done a long time ago.

You're not wrong, Admission!

The Inclusion Manager told me at the end of Friday's interview that she'd talk to the Head and get back to me on Monday. I heard nothing.

The Director of Learning then told me on Monday that the Inclusion Manager would be contacting the Head on Tuesday and that she had told the IM to make DDs case the "highest priority". Yeah, right.

Then yesterday that same Director told me that the IM "will look to speak to the Head as soon as possible to try to resolve the concerns raised by the school".

So when exactly WILL the IM speak to the flaming Head???

The LA Director's response to my ultimatum wrt a start date being given by last night was to say, much to my disgust and amazement, "following the meeting at the school on Friday, the Headteacher appears to have concerns about that admission."

So hang on... in one sentence she says that the IM will try to resolve the concerns already raised by the school, in the next she says that (following an illegal interview) the HT "appears" to have concerns!

The bottom line is that she is continuing to maintain that the school is within it's rights to object to DDs admission and "if it is considered that the school's reasons for refusing admission are not substantial, then the Authority may write to the school directing the Headteacher to admit" DD. She carries on to say that negotiation is preferable to direction and less time consuming, that they are "committed to processing this promptly" and that the LA "will come back to you just as soon as [the IM] has had those conversations with the Head."

She then says, "As previously offered, tuition could be made available for [DD] through our EOTAS provision.".

:o

Vallhalla, I cannot offer any of the wonderful practical advice that Admission and prh47. However, can I just say how sorry I am that your dd has been treated so terribly by her prospective new school and the LA.

You have given so many other people and animals the benefit of your experience and passion about the welfare of animals. It is wonderful to see Admission and prh47bridge using their expertise to help you and your dd.

I hope your dd is bearing up under all this pressure. I suspect that most excluded children do not have such articulate parents supporting their needs. It is evident the professionals that are supposed to be supporting your dd are not doing their job, and seem to have no sense of urgency.

Oh bless! Thank you ever so much Madsometimes.

I've done nothing to advise about animals on here recently though as this is taking up so much of my time that I just don't have enough left to commit to and follow up anything else.

I suspect that there are far, far more similarly unlawful and unethical practices being carried out by schools and LAs than are ever reported or fought because many people just aren't as bolshy as me or maybe don't have the ability to recognise and contest inappropriate behaviour on the part of the authorities.

Admission and prh47 are stars and I am incredibly grateful to them both.

THANK YOU.

You're very welcome and good for you - you are doing all the right things. I would have offered to review your submission to the LGO if you wanted but I see you've already sent it!

Negotiation less time consuming than direction? What planet are they on? If there is a fire in my office I don't negotiate with the staff about getting out. That would take too long. I tell them to go! As for the rest of it, it sounds to me like the Director of Learning needs to read the Admissions Code again.

Given that the LA have spent the past week twiddling their thumbs and doing nothing I couldn't agree more!

I've just had a reply from the LA Inc Manager. She has a meeting lined up on Monday with the Head, his Deputy (not the idiot who interviewed us but a fellow Deputy) and the LA's "Education Officer (Admissions)", according to the web. The intention is "to discuss [DDs] admission" and to put to the school the issues I've raised. They'll be in touch "after this".

Sleeping bags, anyone?

I've replied saying that I note the additional weeks delay in which nothing was done despite promises to make this the "highest priority" and to speak with the HT on Monday... and Tuesday... and "as soon as possible"...

I've also REPEATED YET AGAIN my request for the timescale under the IYFAP, my question as to whether DD is being dealt with any of the under the Protocol's appendixes and my request for the minutes of Friday's farcical "meeting" as she didn't mention any of those things in her response, despite them being asked for in the very email to which she was responding.

Oh, and by the way, the cretins who are responsible for this debacle are Cambridgeshire LA.

Well well well, what a surprise.

I asked for copies of documents and the answer to a question by the end of office hours. Office hours are now over.

Have I been sent the minutes of the interview?

No!

Have I been sent the In Year Fair Access Protocol's timescale relevant to my daughter?

No!

Have I been told whether the LA are working to the main Protocol or to one of its appendices?

No!

Do Cambs LA have the slightest idea of Admissions law or think that every child matters?

Like hell they do!

I think the only thing I can say to you is put your feet up and have a couple of drinks over the weekend because nothing is going to happen there and more importantly you can do nothing.

Realistically the LA are not going to do anything until after this mythical meeting takes place. I would give them Monday and then first thing Tuesday morning start harassing the inclusion manager for answers. The first has got to be when is my child starting at the school and then work backwards from there to they have done nothing!

I would also contact LGO on Tuesday and confirm they have got your info. The first person you will speak to is just an office person (sorry if I offend anybody) and the person you need to speak to ASAP is the actual person who is allocated the case for investigation.

Remind me not to go near Cambridgeshire if this is typical!

Thank you for the advice Admission, it's very much appreciated. I certainly will swing back into action on Monday and call the LGO on Tuesday. I gave up drinking about 3 months ago (it just seemed like a good idea at the time, to swan around proclaiming haughtily that, "I don't drink"!). I can't promise that this will continue this weekend though!

And yes, I can recommend Cambridgeshire for many things, but not it's LA. :o