Policies, Protocols, and Statistics

Fair Access Protocols  

Fair access protocols exist to ensure that unplaced children outside the normal admissions round, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a suitable school as quickly as possible, and to ensure that all schools in the area admit their fair share of children with challenging behaviour.

The Primary Fair Access Protocol is here:
The Secondary Fair Access Protocol is here:

The protocol applies to all local authority maintained schools, community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools, and academies. It does not apply to maintained or private nurseries, independent schools, sixth form schools or colleges.
 
The operation of the fair access protocol is outside the arrangements of co-ordination and is triggered when a parent of an eligible child has not secured a school place under the in-year admission arrangements.

 

Initiation of the Fair Access Protocol  

If a child who falls under one of the fair access categories is unable to find a school place, the local authority will initiate this protocol. Parental preference will be taken into consideration. However, under the protocol, parental preference no longer applies, and the local authority can approach any suitable school and ask them to admit the child. If a school does not want to admit the child, they can refer the case to the in-year fair access panel for consideration.

The panel will consider the circumstances of the case, taking account of both the needs of the child and the school. As these applications can be complex, it may be up to 20 school days before the decision of the panel, and the name of the school the child is to attend, will be communicated to the parent. Admission to the school should then be arranged within 10 school days.
 
If your child is refused a place at your preferred school you have the right of appeal. Where practical, your child should continue attending their current school whilst an appeal is being processed.
 
For more guidance on appealing a school place decision, please click here

 

Admissions Process for Children in the Care of Local Authorities 

DfE Admissions guidance is clear that the highest priority within each school’s admission arrangements must be given to looked after children and previously looked after children (children who have left care through adoption, a special guardianship order or child arrangements order). The Looked After Children Admissions Policy sets out the key processes that the Virtual School and the School Admissions team will follow, in order to ensure the consistent, transparent and timely admission onto school roll of looked after children without an EHCP outside the normal admissions round. Applications for admission to a school as part of a normal intake to Reception, Year 3 or Year 7 will be managed in accordance with Tameside’s coordinated admission scheme.

 

 

Ofsted 

 

For information on Ofsted and the way they inspect schools please click here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-is-changing-how-it-inspects-schools