Public consultations on admissions/expansions

[HilaryM]

another school places thread, forgive me

Where I live it's mostly separate infants and juniors. quite rural. There are more infants schools than juniors (infants usually 1-2 form entry, juniors usually 2-3 FE).

Our closest junior school is expanding. There'll be a couple of years of bulge classes probably, and then it will switch from 2FE to 3FE. Great for all the people who can't currently get a place there even though they live very close by.

Traditionally children go to our closest junior school from 4 or 5 local infant schools, 5-15 from each school. For some reason, though, to do with infant bulge classes, the council are proposing that one of the infant schools becomes a feeder to the junior school, so that they get priority entry. This could result in 60 of the 90 places in year 3 going to the 60 pupils from one infant school, leaving the pupils from the other 4 infant schools (who have NO linked junior) scrabbling about for the remaining 30 places.

There's going to be a meeting in a couple of weeks. I have checked with the Head of our infant school and she and the governors will be attending this meeting. I'll go along too. I just think it's so so unfair that pupils from one infant school will have priority over children from another, even if they live further away. The current system of no automatic feeder schools, and children getting in by distance (whilst not ideal) is FAR fairer than this 'one infant school is more equal than others' proposal.

Does anyone have any experience over these consultation periods? How do the meetings run? I am going to fill in the survey and make my feelings known in writing too, and I think our school will be publicising the meetings heavily too. Is it already a 'done deal' or is their any chance of changing the council's mind?

Thanks.

(sorry, I meant 'is there any...?') Tsk, spelling.

Quick bounce for the post bank holiday crowd.

I think that there is always the possibility of changing the LAs mind if enough pressure is put on them.
My guess would be that this proposed arrangement was suggested by one of the two schools involved without the LA thinking through the likely parental reaction from the other infant schools.
My temptation would be to start thinking in terms of coming to a similar agreement between your infant and another junior school, whilst telling the LA that this is an unacceptable decision because if they do it for one junior school they have to do it for all schools.

Thank you admission, that's helpful.

I just feel it's an entirely retrograde step, and am a bit bemused as to why it's happening at all. May be cynical but I wonder what's behind it. If it is just an overenthusiastic head who hasn't thought of the knock on effect to other schools, or whether it's a more sinister policy behind the scenes in education strategy at the council.