admissions criteria for primary school

[risingstar]

has anybody got any views on this?

we are in catchment of school A, but would like to send child to school B. School B is only 10 mins walk away. both schools fill only half of places through catchment area children but are always traditionally oversubcribed( lots of people from outside catchment travel to take their children from these schools).

until recently the admissions criteria for both schools was

looked after children
catchment
siblings
distance

now they are
looked after children
catchment
siblings
children who attend playgroup a or b
distance

I think this totally discriminates against those of us who can't do playgroup ( work commitments and there are no where near enough childminders to go round) or don't want to send their kids to playgroup. I thought that what you decided to do pre reception was supposed to have no bearing on reception places?

anybody got any views?

I'll find you the legal document... hang on.

I have just found this summary in one of the documents I have- it is the last one that pertains. Will be back with more in a mo...

Admission authorities must not ask for the following in the application or in any
supplementary/additional form:
✘ information that is not directly relevant to the oversubscription criteria used
when processing your application
✘ photos to be supplied with the application form (except to identify children
taking entry tests)
✘ require contributions to school funds or commit you to expensive costs (for
example, by creating a costly uniform or asking for money towards school trips)
✘ personal details (or documents that include personal details) about you such as
marital status, criminal record, occupation, earnings, background or educational
qualifications
✘ information about disabilities, health, interests, hobbies or whether you are
members of local groups for parents or children

thanks, surely the first and last are pertinent?

bit of background info- these playgroups are now in the grounds of the respective schools but they are just that playgroups and are referred to as such in the admissions criteria. just don't see how this can be right?

Here is an excerpt from the simplified guide:

Schools can prioritise children at attached nurseries, but they should make it clear to
you that attending a particular nursery does not necessarily guarantee children a
place at the school.

Playgroups do not constitute a nursery - I would argue that playgroups come under groups for local parents/children and is therefore illegal - this can be contested. All authorities must publish admissions criteria by May 1 and subsequently consider objections against their criteria. On the face of it you seem to have a good case!

They put catchment before siblings? Isn't that unusual in itself?

this is the document on which admissions criterai have to be based

I have to go now, but will check in tomorrow. I am very familiar with it so will be able to help more

Thats interesting because when the playgroups moved to the schools it was specifically because neither head wanted to extend the schools to bring in Nursery age children, hence they remained firmly playgroups. they are definitely not Nurseries.

are the admissions criteria published annually and do you have to have a child applying at that stage to object do you know? our child is a couple of years away from applying.

it has really annoyed me, having done the nightmare of part time school with the others, i was firmly of the view that we would stick with nursery until kid was offered a full time place in reception. as i said before, real lack of childminders to do the toing and froing make playgroup attendance pretty impossible.

Hiya Risingstar.. I have had a quick look through the document linked to this morning and cut and pasted the following to answer your questions about consultation:

and, for
admission arrangements for entry in 2010-11
and subsequent years, relevant parents and
other groups with an interest in the local area
(for example, community groups).

To consult with parents and other groups in
the local area, the admission authority must
publish a copy of their proposed admission
arrangements, together with details of where
comments should be sent and by when, on
their website (if they have one) and publish
a notice in a local newspaper of where these
arrangements can be viewed.

You need to find out the status of the playgroups as they may be defined as co-located nursery provision. Permitting local parent/children groups is NOT allowable at all. I cut and pasted this on the subject:

Admission authorities that propose to give
priority to children who attend the nursery or
the co-located children?s centre for nursery
provision should ensure that families that live
nearer the school, those who choose to take up
other nursery options or the free entitlement at
an alternative local provider, or those who have
recently moved to the area, are not unfairly
disadvantaged compared to other families.

If I were you I would ring your local admissions authorities and ask them about consultation (or check the website to see if it is being consulted on). Then make your objection - base it on the Admissions Code rather than anything subjective. If it is subjective it will be dismissed.

In our LEA the proposed criteria are published for onsultation in March with comments due back in May for applications to be made later that year for school entry the following year.

eg our timetable is roughly
draft criteria published for consultation Mar 09
comments due in by May 09
final criteria published Jul 09
apply for place Sep-nov 09
find out result mar 10
start school Sep 10

Anyone can raise comments on the criteria AFAIK.

I would expect most LEAs to have a similar timetable, as although there is some variation in the primary school app timetable between LEAs, they are all roughly along the same lines.

Definitely agree with weinstein, they even have to be careful if/how they give priority to nursery kids so as not to unfairly disadvantage anyone, they are not allowed to give priority to playgroup members.

i don't think thats legal - they can give preference to nursery attached to school IF it doesn't predjudice others but a playgroup?

You need to look at paragraphs 2.65 - 68 of the admissions code (linked to earlier).

In our LEA, schools do not give any priority to children who attend the attached nursery for all reasons already identified - parents may have chosen another nursery or some other form of childcare but that shouldn't disqualify them from a place in the school.

Anyway, the issue here is that the criterion is about a playgroup, rather than a nursery. Get in touch with the Advisory Centre for Education. They may be able to offer an opinion on whether that's lawful.