could someone please explain the fair access protocol to me

[yolablueberry]

I'm not sure if i'm reading this right, but where I live my authority has a fair access protocol. 'One statement within it reads:
Children who have been out of education for longer than one school term are given 5 points'. It continues: 'If a child scores 5 points or more they will be offered a school place using the protocol. Children placed on the protocol take priority over any child on the waiting list'.
Does this mean your child will be offered the school you want that happens to be a 10min walk away, where their sibling already attends, or the sink school they offered that nobody wants. What is the protocol?

I believe that the protocol refers (in my experience - may be different where you live) to 'hard to place' children. Usually secondary age pupils who are under ss care or are being moved back to mainstream as part of a managed move etc. The parents do not choose the school, the LA look at the individual's specific educational need (I am sure the parents have some input here) and tries to match them to the best school for them.
The school can appeal the decision by putting the reasons they do not feel best placed to cater for the needs of the child. The appeal may not be upheld as the needs of the indivuidual child are central.
When a particular school has been agreed, the LA and school work together to make the placement work.

All LAs are required to have a fair access protocol which details how they deal with "hard to place" children. It does not apply to the normal admissions round.

The fair access protocol does not mean your child will be offered the school you want. If it applies to your child, it simply means that the LA will find a place somewhere even if it is at a school that is already full up and has a waiting list.

The fair access protocol works above the normal admission arrangements, so that a school that is "full" has to accept a pupil who meets the criteria.
In my LA the majority of such pupils are pupils who have been permanently excluded. A school who permanently excludes a pupil is penalised with a number of points. When another pupil needs to be placed under the scheme then the 6 nearest schools to their home are selected and the school with the highest number of points is the first school to be considered. There may be reasons why that particular school is not suitable but a school is told that they have to accept the pupil. The school selected can appeal but this is very rare and when they accept the child they have points deducted from their score. As it is more than the penalty for permanent exclusion there is an incentive to take the pupil.
The only time that it would pertinent to a "normal" admission situation is if there are literally no school places available within an acceptable area, when this protocol could be enacted. An acceptable area is at the LAs definition and that does not even have to be in the same LA, so there is not going to be much chance of that happening unless the LA want it to happen.