Agenda item - Public Involvement

To consider the following items raised by members of the public:

(a)      Petitions: To receive any petitions presented by members of the public to the full Council or to the meeting itself;

(b)      Written Questions: To receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12noon on the 8^th January 2025;

(c)       Deputations: To receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 8^th January 2025.

24.1 There were no public questions or petitions. There was one deputation presented by Adam Dennett, the lead spokesperson.

24.2 The Chair responded to the deputation as follows:

Thank you Adam for this detailed deputation and for the time you have taken today to present here at this committee.

I understand that the Parent Support Group have been interested in the council’s proposals and have invested a good deal of time in considering the implications of these. I know that you have undertaken and been involved with others in some detailed analysis pieces which have been shared widely across the city.

I have asked officers for views on some of the direct points you make in your deputation and whilst I know these points have been debated in a number of meetings, I thought it helpful to repeat some of that here.

I am aware that the Council has to be mindful that at the point of seeking the determination of a set of arrangements, a detailed analysis of its impact must be provided. The admission system currently gives parents the opportunity to use 3 preferences. All preferences for each school are considered only when more than one place can be offered so the order of preferences does have a bearing. An offer will be made to the highest preference school. There is interplay between all preferences and each school that will affect how places are allocated - this is why modelling its impact is difficult.

I’m informed that stating authoritatively that unless you have a sibling link or an eligibility for free school meals you will only have a 25% chance of getting into a catchment area school depends on certain permutations.

There are priority criteria within the admission arrangements which support local children to gain a place at a local school – priorities 1 and 2 - plus the way that local children with an EHCP who wish to attend a catchment area school are allocated. And children with older siblings in the school must live in the catchment area as well.

I do understand that the point you are making with the 25% is in reference to children who will be considered under the proposed priority 7 – children who live in catchment but don’t qualify for a higher priority. I am aware that there is debate across the city about what the risk may be of not gaining a place at a local school and I know that the Administration is listening carefully to the points being raised on this within this consultation period, and analysing different permutations as part of the consultation. 

The council has access to data and insights that are not able to be placed in the public domain, and our own forecasting and school place planning work has long been recognised as highly accurate

As Chair I wish to be clear that accurate forecasting is difficult to provide robust assurance on and all parties should acknowledge that.

Regarding the points you raise about absenteeism, I would like to thank you for the work you are doing to raise the profile of this most important area of work with school aged children. Absence rates, and particularly where absence is persistent, is an area that remains of great interest and concern to us all at the council and one that has had a focus placed upon it for many years now.

Our Brighton and Hove Inclusion Support Service have developed a tool to identify the push and pull factors impacting on pupil’s attendance that is nationally recognised and used by other Local Authorities. There will be unique factors for each child and family impacting on attendance at school as well as important school based factors. 

Whilst you raise an important point about links between absence levels and attainment, we do not believe this matter to be mutually exclusive to that of disadvantage. We also wish to continue to see a twin track of work that both focusses on absenteeism AND tackling disadvantage in the city.

I thank you again for your time and your detailed think pieces on this topic. I know that the council appreciates the engagement from you and the wider group and will continue to listen very carefully to the points you raise.