Approaching Chair of Governors

[SuperSue77]

Not sure if this is the right area for this, but I’m wondering whether I can approach the Chair of Governors (or School Standards Board as they call it) of a secondary academy despite not having a child at the school, but for which I am appealing for a place. I want to ask them about why they changed the admissions criteria for this year (no evidence of any consultation, it appears to have been done across the board at all schools within the MAT). I do have a child in another school within the same MAT (due to them having single sex schools).

If this question would be better placed in another section of the Education board please let me know and I’ll ask to have it moved!

It would be a very bad idea. You'd be better to do a FOI request for the admissions consultation info. They have to consult over a year in advance so maybe you're not looking far enough back to find the information you need.

@prh47bridge is very helpful on admissions related things.
I suggest though you report your thread to MN and get it shifted over to Secondary Education.

Nothing to stop you asking the chair but I'm not sure what you hope to achieve. The appeal panel have to work with the admission criteria as they are, provided they comply with the Admissions Code.

The consultation for any changes to the admissions arrangements for this current admissions round should have happened in early 2022.

To be a little bit more precise on consultations, the consultation should have started no earlier than 1st October 2021 and finished no later than 31st January 2022. It was not required to run for that entire period but should have lasted for at least 6 weeks.

Even if there was no consultation, the Schools Adjudicator may have a few things to say but the appeal panel won't throw out the current admission arrangements and revert to the old ones. Similarly, whatever the reasons for changing the admission arrangements, the appeal panel won't throw the new ones out. The only question for the appeal panel is whether the admission arrangements comply with the law and the Admissions Code.