Qualifying Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for Primary Schools in the Area of Tameside Local Authority 2010/11

Introduction

The scheme applies to arrangements in Tameside whereby children are to be admitted to primary schools in the normal admissions round for the academic year 2010/11. Tameside will operate an equal preference scheme.

Interpretation

In this scheme –

“admission arrangements” means the arrangements for a particular school or schools which govern the procedures and decision making for the purposes of admitting pupils to the school;

“admission authority” in relation to a community or voluntary controlled school means the Local Authority and, in relation to a voluntary aided school means the governing body of that school;

“eligible for a place” means that a child has been placed on a school’s ranked list at such a point which falls within the school’s published admission number.

“nearest appropriate school” is defined by distance measured as a straight line from the child’s home address, using the address point assigned by The National Land and Property Gazetteer, to the main gate to the school property. Measurements will be made using the Local Authority’s school admissions data mapping software, which employs a Geographical Information System based on Ordnance Survey. The address from which distance will be measured will be the permanent residential address, at the time of application, of the parent with whom the child is normally resident. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for part of a week, the home address is the address from which the child travels to school for the majority of school days per week. If the number of days is exactly equal the home address will be that of the parent who receives the Child Benefit.

“primary education” has the same meaning as in section 2(1) of the Education Act 1996;

“primary school” has the same meaning as in section 5(1) of the Education Act 1996;

“the Local Authority” means Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council acting in their capacity as local education authority;

“the Local Authority area” means the area in respect of which the Local Authority are the local education authority;

“the specified year” means the school year beginning at or about the beginning of September 2010;

“school” means a community, voluntary controlled or voluntary aided school (but not a special school) which is maintained by the Local Authority;

“voluntary aided schools” means such of the schools as are voluntary aided schools.
The Scheme

The Scheme

The main purpose of the co-ordinated scheme is to ensure that every parent/carer of a child living in Tameside who has completed an application form receives only one offer of a primary school place in the normal admission round.

The scheme applies to arrangements in Tameside whereby children are to be admitted to primary schools in the normal admissions round for the academic year 2010/11 (i.e. children who will be commencing Reception Year in September 2010).

The following admission authorities are covered by the scheme:

There will be a standard form known as the Common Application Form. The Common Application Form will be used for the purpose of admitting pupils into the first year of primary education at schools in the Local Authority’s area in the specified year. 

The Common Application Form must be used as a means of expressing up to three preferences for the purposes of section 86 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (as amended), by parents wishing to express a preference for their child to be admitted to any school within the Local Authority area (excluding independent schools).

The Common Application Form will –

• invite the parent to express preferences for up to 3 schools;
• invite the parent to rank the schools applied for in order of preference;
• invite parents to give their reasons for each preference;
• specify that all forms should be submitted to the preferred school by Friday 4 December 09 closing date.

All preferences expressed on the Common Application Form are valid applications.

The Local Authority will make appropriate arrangements to ensure:

• that the Common Application Form is available on request from the Local Authority and from all primary schools in the Local Authority area
• that parents can apply online
• that the Common Application Form is accompanied by a written explanation of the co-ordinated admissions scheme
• that parents are clearly informed of how to apply for schools outside the Local Authority area.

The Local Authority will distribute the Tameside school admissions booklet ‘Starting Out’, common application forms and covering letters to primary schools for distribution to parents by the 19 October 2009. Individual schools will be responsible for distributing a Common Application Form and the ‘Starting Out’ booklet to all parents who have registered their child’s details at the school. Schools may choose to distribute additional information about their particular school.

Copies of the ‘Starting Out’ booklet will also be available on Tameside’s website, and parents will be able to complete applications online for September 2009 admissions.

The governing body of a voluntary aided school can require parents who wish to indicate a preference for their school on the Common Application Form, to provide additional information on a supplementary form and/or complete supplementary application details only where the additional information is required for the governing body to apply their oversubscription criteria to the application. Where a supplementary form is required it must be submitted in accordance with school guidelines. Where applicable, supplementary forms can be obtained from the school or from the Local Authority.

Where a school receives a supplementary form it will not be regarded as a valid application unless the parent has also completed a Common Application Form and the school is nominated on it. Under the requirements of the scheme, parents will not be under any obligation to complete an individual school’s supplementary form where this is not strictly required for the governing body to apply their oversubscription criteria.

The closing date for applications is 4 December 2009. Forms must be returned by primary schools to the Local Authority Admissions Team as soon as possible after the closing date.

Processing of the Common Application Form

All schools should forward copies of all completed Common Application Forms to the Admissions Section. If any parent approaches a voluntary aided school direct about admissions, the governing body must ensure that the parent completes and submits a Common Application Form.

The Local Authority will forward the Common Application Form, together with any additional information provided by the parent, to all voluntary aided schools where the school is a parental preference. This will enable all admission authorities to be informed of parental preferences. All applications will be dealt with on an equal preference basis.

The allocation procedure is administered centrally by the Local Authority. The Local Authority will only make any decision with respect to the offer or refusal of a place in response to any preference expressed on the Common Application Form where:

• it is acting in its separate capacity as an admission authority, or
• an applicant is eligible for a place at more than one school, or
• an applicant is not eligible for a place at any school that the parent has nominated.

By 15 January 2010 the Local Authority will notify the admission authority for voluntary aided schools of every preference that has been made for that school, including all relevant details and any supplementary form received by this date, which schools require in order to apply their oversubscription criteria.

By 5 February 2010 all voluntary aided schools will have considered all applications for their schools, regardless of the preference order, apply the school’s oversubscription criteria and provide the Local Authority with a list of applicants ranked according to the school’s oversubscription criteria.

The Local Authority will collate all information and allocate places. If only one of the schools named can offer a place, that school will be offered. If more than one school can offer a place, the offer will be for whichever school has been ranked highest on the application form. This may not be the first preference school. Where a school is oversubscribed and the Local Authority is not able to offer any of the parental preferences, the Local Authority will offer a place at the nearest appropriate school to the child’s home with a place available.

On 26 February 2010 draft allocation lists will be sent to schools for validation. In any case where the Local Authority determine that a child is to be granted or refused admission to a primary school in their area for which they are not the admission authority, the Local Authority will notify the school’s governing body of their determination. Amended lists should be returned to the Local Authority by 5 March 2010.

On 29 March 2010 the Local Authority will inform schools of the pupils to be offered places at their schools.

With regard to any application relating to a child living in a different local education authority’s area, the Local Authority will notify that authority of their determination.

Change of Preference

Admission authorities will not allow preferences, ranking order or pupil details, to be changed after the closing date of 4 December 2009 except in exceptional circumstances for example, if the family has recently moved address. Evidence must be provided to support the request. No changes can be considered even where there are exceptional circumstances once information has been exchanged with the other admission bodies by the Council, because the allocations process has commenced. In the case of primary schools this cut-off date is the 15 January 2010.

Notification of Decision to Parents/Carers

Tameside Local Authority will inform parents/carers of the school place allocated, including the offer of places on behalf of Tameside voluntary aided primary schools, by letter, which will be posted first class on 29 March 2010.

Where parents are not offered their highest ranked school, they will be informed of the reasons for this decision in the offer letter, which will also inform them about their statutory right of appeal for any schools, who to contact to make an appeal, and about the operation of waiting lists.

Parents should inform the relevant school of their intention to accept or decline the offer of a place by 30 April 2010. If they do not respond by this date it will be assumed that they have accepted the place.

Late Applications

The closing date for applications in the normal admissions round is 4 December 2009. Applications received after this date will be considered after all applications received on time have been processed.
Applications received by schools after the closing date must be forwarded to the Local Authority immediately. Where only the supplementary form is received the school must inform the Local Authority immediately so it can verify whether a Common Application Form has been received from the parent and, if not, contact the parent and ask them to complete a Common Application Form. The Local Authority will enter the details onto its central database and, after consultation with the relevant admission authority, offer a place at the highest ranked school with a place available or, if this is not possible at the nearest appropriate school with a place available.

Waiting Lists

Parents should check with individual admission authorities in order to determine whether or not they operate waiting lists.

Definitions

Unless otherwise stated, the following definitions will apply:

Distance measurement

Distance will be measured as a straight line from the child’s home address, using the address point assigned by The National Land and Property Gazetteer, to the main gate to the school property. Measurements will be made using the local authority’s school admissions data mapping software, which employs a Geographical Information System based on Ordnance Survey.

Home address

The address from which distance will be measured will be the permanent residential address, at the time of application, of the parent with whom the child is normally resident. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for part of a week, the home address is the address from which the child travels to school for the majority of school days per week. If the number of days is exactly equal the home address will be that of the parent who receives the Child Benefit.

Tiebreaker

In the event of distances being the same for 2 or more applications where this distance would be the last place/s to be allocated, a random lottery will be implemented between the applications where the distance is the same. The random lottery will be carried out in a place accessible to the public and supervised by someone independent of the school. All the names will be entered into a hat and the required number of names will be drawn out.

In cases where twins, triplets, other multiple birth siblings, or other siblings whose date of birth falls within the same academic year, are split when allocations take place, parents will be offered a choice of breaking the sibling link and being offered places at two or more schools or all siblings being offered a place at the same school which may not be a preference school named on the common application form.

Timetable of co-ordinated primary school scheme

• 4 December 2009: Closing date for all Common Application Forms (CAFs) and supplementary forms to be returned to the Local Authority.
• 15 January 2010: Local Authority provides VA schools with details of all those who have named the school as a preference.
• 15 January 2010: The last date by which, exceptionally, changes of preference or details could be considered.
• 5 February 2010: Voluntary aided schools provide the Local Authority with ranked lists of applicants.
• 8 - 25 February 2010: The Local Authority will match the ranked lists of all the schools and allocate places.
• 19 March 2010: On this date the Local Authority will notify schools which pupils have been allocated places at their schools.
• 29 March 2010: Notification of offers sent to parents
• 7 May 2010: Closing date for receipt of appeals.
• 10 May 2010: Any places that have become available are allocated to parents in priority order.