Agenda item - Admissions Arrangements for Brighton & Hove Schools 2014/15

Extract from the proceedings of the Children & Young People Committee meeting held on the 11^th March 2013, together with a report of the Interim Director of Children’s Services (copies attached).

108.1          Councillor Shanks introduced the report which outlined the proposed admission arrangements for the forthcoming 2014/15 school year.  She noted that these did not include the proposed increase for Stanford Infant School as a result of the consultation process.  However, it had highlighted the need to think further ahead in terms of admission levels and to consult earlier so that plans could be made.

108.2          Councillor Wealls suggested that there was a need to improve consultation with parents and to take account of the responses that are received more effectively, as was the case with Stanford Infants where 180 respondents had opposed the increase compared with 20 for.  He agreed that there was a need to consult at an earlier stage and hoped that lessons would be learnt.  He also suggested that consideration needed to be given to encouraging other school providers into the city and noted that the London Borough of Redbridge had successfully provided a new school with the help of £40m government funding.

108.3          Councillor Hamilton referred to Item 109 on the agenda and stated that there was need to consider the situation in the west of the city in terms of school places and the impact on schools locally.  He noted that in 2010 Benfield School had accepted two additional reception classes because of the situation in Hove, however now that additional places were being provided it would result in empty places at Benfield and other Portslade Schools.  He questioned whether the impact was being taken into account and what action was proposed to support the schools affected.

108.4          Councillor Pissaridou asked for a restatement of the strategy previously agreed by the cross-party working group and queried whether it was necessary.

108.5          Councillor Gilbey noted that there was a significant investment being made into PACA and that the new Kings School was likely to take children that would have gone to PACA.  She questioned whether there was a need for two secondary schools in Portslade.

108.6          Councillor Hyde suggested that the provision of free schools and academies enabled parental choice and noted that a number of pupils from her ward would be attending the Kings School as the local school was not performing to parental satisfaction.

108.7           Councillor Meadows noted that BACA was performing well and had capacity and therefore queried why this was not being utilised and investment made into the transport links to encourage more pupils to attend.

108.8          The Leader of the Council stated that detailed arrangements had to be put in place in regard to school admissions and government policy had led to the situation that was faced currently.  The location of the Kings School was still under discussion and the intention had to be to enable schools to provide excellent services and facilities.

108.9          Councillor Janio stated that there was a need to allow for parental choice and that included the option to send their children to Free Schools or Academies and this should form part of the planning process for future admissions.

108.10      Councillor Simson stated that there was a need to have a suitable transport system available to support the movement of children to school and noted that there were a number of children in her Woodingdean that wanted to attend BACA.

108.11      Councillor Shanks noted that the proposed expansion of Stanford Infants had been turned down and she hoped that when the final admission figures came out there would not be a need to direct too many children to other schools as they had not been able to be offered their first choice.  She stated that parents were not choosing BACA or PACA at present but hoped as the schools developed it would encourage more applications.  However, because of the low numbers it was difficult to justify costly transport provision and therefore alternative methods had to be explored.

108.12      The Mayor then put the recommendations to the vote.

108.13      RESOLVED:

(1)    That the proposed school admission numbers set out in the consultation documents be adopted for the admissions year 2014/15, with the exception of Stanford Infant School which would remain at 90 rather than increasing to 120 as proposed;

(2)    That the admission priorities for Community Schools set out in the Consultation documents be adopted for all age groups;

(3)    That the final version of the Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic Secondary School and King’s Church of England Free School admission arrangements (as amended in light of the Diocesan response and parental and school responses) should be reviewed to decide whether the council should comment further;

(4)    That the co-ordinated schemes of admission be approved; and

(5)    That the City boundary be retained as the relevant area for consultation for school admissions.