Decision details

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THE CO-ORDINATED ADMISSION SCHEMES FOR 2024-25

Decision Maker: Children, Young People & Education Committee

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

The report invites the Children, Young People and Education Committee to determine the Council’s admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools and the co-ordinated schemes for 2024-2025. The Wirral Fair Access Protocol has also been amended to reflect feedback from Wirral schools and the 2021 Fair Access Guidance.

Decision:

Resolved – That

 

(1)  The admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools and the Wirral co-ordinated scheme for 2024/2025 be approved.

(2)  The revised Wirral Fair Access Protocol be approved.

Reasons for the decision:

Wirral Council as the Local Authority (“the Council” is required to determine admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools. The Council is also required to have in place a co-ordinated scheme for admissions to all primary and secondary schools including Academy schools, in 2024-25. The proposed schemes are attached along with proposed admission numbers for community and controlled schools (Appendices 1 and 2).

 

The Council is required to have in place a Fair Access Protocol agreed with the majority of schools which ensures that there is a fair and balanced approach to admitting unplaced children, particularly those who are most vulnerable, outside the normal admissions round. The Wirral Fair Access Protocol has been developed in partnership with local schools. All admission authority schools must participate in order to ensure that children are allocated a place quickly. The criteria list of children included is set out in the Fair Access Protocol Guidance. The Protocol is reviewed annually; in 2021 the Protocol was updated to reflect amendments to the new Admissions Code 2021 and was in force from September 2021 accordingly.

 

Following from the 2021 amendments, schools have been asked to give feedback or comments on the Wirral Protocol which are reviewed in this report. The revised Protocol will be circulated to primary and secondary school headteachers in December 2022 and is expected to be agreed prior to Committee.

Alternative options considered:

The arrangements could remain unchanged, however, it is recommended that the variations detailed in section 3 to the Fair Access Protocol are made for the reasons set out in the report, as agreed by Wirral schools.

Publication date: 24/01/2023

Date of decision: 24/01/2023

Decided at meeting: 24/01/2023 - Children, Young People & Education Committee

Effective from: 31/01/2023

Accompanying Documents: