Agenda item - School Admission Arrangements 2019/20

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Agenda item

School Admission Arrangements 2019/20

Report of the Executive Director for Families, Children & Learning (copy to follow).

Decision:

49.1 RESOLVED: That the Committee agreed –

 

1.    To reduce the Published Admission Number at Moulsecoomb Primary School by 30 pupils in September 2019

 

2.    To reduce the Published Admission Number at Coombe Road Primary School by 30 pupils in September 2019

 

3.    To reduce the Published Admission Number at West Hove Infant School (Connaught Road site) by 30 pupils in September 2019

 

4.    To make no change to the Published Admission Number at Benfield Primary School in September 2019

 

5.    To make no change to the Published Admission Number at Hertford Infant School in September 2019

 

6.    To note the permanent increase to the Published Admission Number of Blatchington Mill School and Sixth Form from 300 pupils to 330 pupils with effect from September 2018

 

7.    To the permanent increase to the Published Admission Number of Patcham High School from 215 pupils to 225 pupils in September 2019

 

8.    To an additional temporary class of 30 pupils at Dorothy Stringer High School for admission in September 2019 and again in September 2020

 

9.    To an additional temporary class of 30 pupils at Varndean School for admission in September 2019 and again in September 2020

 

10.To note the request to permanently increase the Published Admission Number of Varndean School which will be subject to further discussions between the governing body and the Council

 

11.To make no change to secondary school catchment areas

 

12.That the proposed school Published Admission Numbers set out in Appendix 6 of the report be adopted for the admissions year 2019-20

 

13. That the admission priorities for community schools set out in Appendix 7 of the report be adopted for the relevant age groups

 

14. The co-ordinated schemes of admission for the admission year 2019-20

Minutes:

49.1    The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Families, Children & Learning, which outlined the responses to the published consultation undertaken between the 2 October 2017 and 19 November 2017, and made recommendations on the proposals to take forward. The report was introduced by the Head of School Organisation.

 

49.2    Councillor Brown thanked officers for the report and said she was in agreement with the recommendations. Both Hertford Infant and Benfield Primary Schools had put forward compelling reasons for maintaining their Published Admission Number (PAN), and the majority of parents would be delighted with the proposal to retain the current catchment areas. However, Councillor Brown was concerned that even with Dorothy Stringer and Varndean taking additional pupils they still wouldn’t be able to ‘catch’ all the children within that area. With regard to the decision to withdraw the support for the new secondary school, Councillor Brown said that it was a decision of the administration and neither the Conservative nor the Green Group had been involved. The Chair said that the decision had been taken in light of the offer from other secondary schools to take additional pupils, together with the drop in the number of pupils living in the city. Councillor Brown asked if there had been any feedback from the University of Brighton Academies Trust or the NHS. The Executive Director, Families, Children & Learning said the Authority had been in contact with both parties, and whilst the University were disappointed they understood that the number of children requiring a secondary school place had changed. With regard to the hospital, the school would have only used part of the site, and the Authority’s decision would not impact on their other plans. Councillor Brown noted that previously the three party leaders had signed a letter in support of the new school, and suggested it should have been a joint decision not to continue. The legal adviser to the Committee reminded members that making a decision on a new school was not within a gift of the Council, but was a matter for the Department for Education.

 

49.3    Councillor Phillips said that she was pleased that families would now have some certainty on school places for the next two years, and whilst it was good that some of the secondary schools had offered to take additional pupils, she was concerned on the impact on those schools, particularly for communal areas, and asked why the schools had made the offers so late in the day. The Executive Director, Families, Children & Learning said that there had been dialogue with secondary schools for some time, and one could only speculate on their decision, but prior to the consultation their views on taking additional pupils had been different. Councillor Phillips was disappointed that the other political parties had not been contacted prior to the announcement that the Authority would no longer be supporting the new secondary school.

 

49.4    Councillor Wealls asked whether the Brighton and Hove University Academy Trust had been advised that the Council were withdrawing their support for the new school before the decision was made public. The Executive Director, Families, Children & Learning said that they were aware that the Authority was considering it as an option.

 

49.5    Councillor Horan said that the consultation had been very useful, and had allowed dialogue with interested parties and for the Committee to make an informed decision.

 

49.6    Councillor Penn agreed that the consultation had been useful, and showed residents that the Authority did listen to their views. In view of that changing number of children in the city, and increased capacity of some secondary schools the Council could not defend the cost of a new school when there would be surplus places available.

 

49.7    Ms A Mortensen said that the consultation process had been stressful for parents, and noted that whilst Dorothy Stringer and Varndean had agreed to take additional children they still would not be able to ‘catch’ all the children living within their catchment area. The Chair accepted the consultation may have been stressful, but felt that it had been necessary.

 

49.8    Mr M Jones referred to the Admission Criteria and was surprised that those with an EHCP did not fall within Priority 2 ‘Exceptional Circumstance’. The Head of School Organisation said that those with an EHCP would have a named school and so would be allocated a place there; the Priority 2 was for other students who could show a compelling reason to go to a particular school.

 

49.9    Councillor Hamilton said that the consultation had been very useful, and when it had started the Authority were not aware of the additional places been offered at some of the secondary schools.

 

49.10  Councillor Druitt asked if the secondary schools had previously been requested to consider taking additional pupils. The Executive Director, Families, Children & Learning confirmed that they had.

 

49.11  Councillor Druitt noted that the Authority seemed surprised in the reduction of number of children in the city, and asked if data on the number of pre-school children was not obtained by the Council. The Head of School Organisation said that the Authority used both GP registration figures and school census data. Both sets of figures were taken in October each year and the Council received the data in November. This year the number of children in the city had fallen significantly.

 

49.12  Councillor Taylor supported the consultation but suggested that only parents from certain areas in the city had been listened to. He asked if the additional pupils Dorothy Stringer and Varndean would take was sustainable, and was advised it was.

 

49.13 RESOLVED: That the Committee agreed –

 

1.    To reduce the Published Admission Number at Moulsecoomb Primary School by 30 pupils in September 2019

 

2.    To reduce the Published Admission Number at Coombe Road Primary School by 30 pupils in September 2019

 

3.    To reduce the Published Admission Number at West Hove Infant School (Connaught Road site) by 30 pupils in September 2019

 

4.    To make no change to the Published Admission Number at Benfield Primary School in September 2019

 

5.    To make no change to the Published Admission Number at Hertford Infant School in September 2019

 

6.    To note the permanent increase to the Published Admission Number of Blatchington Mill School and Sixth Form from 300 pupils to 330 pupils with effect from September 2018

 

7.    To the permanent increase to the Published Admission Number of Patcham High School from 215 pupils to 225 pupils in September 2019

 

8.    To an additional temporary class of 30 pupils at Dorothy Stringer High School for admission in September 2019 and again in September 2020

 

9.    To an additional temporary class of 30 pupils at Varndean School for admission in September 2019 and again in September 2020

 

10.To note the request to permanently increase the Published Admission Number of Varndean School which will be subject to further discussions between the governing body and the Council

 

11.To make no change to secondary school catchment areas

 

12.That the proposed school Published Admission Numbers set out in Appendix 6 of the report be adopted for the admissions year 2019-20

 

13. That the admission priorities for community schools set out in Appendix 7 of the report be adopted for the relevant age groups

 

14. The co-ordinated schemes of admission for the admission year 2019-20

Supporting documents:

 


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