Councillor T Smith introduced a report by the Director of Children’s Services invited the Cabinet to determine the Authority’s admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools and the co-ordinated schemes for 2016-2017. This was a statutory requirement.

The Authority was required to determine admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools.  The New School Admissions (England) Regulations (2003) also required the Authority to have in place a co-ordinated scheme for admissions to all primary and secondary schools including Academy schools, in 2016-17.  The proposed schemes were attached along with proposed admission numbers for community and controlled schools (Appendices 1 and 2 to the report).

The Cabinet noted that no responses had been received to the consultation.

The Cabinet also noted that subsequent to the commencement of the Wirral consultation on 26November 2014, on 19 December 2014 the Department for Education issued a new version of the statutory guidance on school admissions, replacing the previous version dated 2012.  Relevant sections of the Wirral co-ordinated schemes had, therefore, been updated accordingly in line with the new Code.  For example, all paragraphs which previously referred to Statements of Special Educational Needs now also included reference to the new Education Health and Care Plans.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools and the Wirral co-ordinated schemes for 2016-2017 be agreed.