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Consultation on School Admissions for the School Year 2007-2008 (Archived Document)

This Consultation has now closed

In accordance with legislation and the requirements of the current Code of Practice on Admissions, the County Council is consulting on the admission arrangements for community and voluntary-controlled schools for the academic year 2007-2008.

There are 5 consultation documents (at appendices 1 to 5) for your consideration along with a response form. The changes we are proposing are as follows:

1. To amend the arrangements for admission to single sex schools, as follows:

1. To introduce an element of random allocation to the admission rules relating to single sex schools. For children who live in the relevant single sex priority area, places would be allocated to each parish/unparished area or town in proportion to the applications made. In the event of there being more applications than places available to a particular parish/unparished area or town, places would be allocated on a random basis within each parish/unparished area or town. The proposed new Rule 6 reads:
   
   "Children who live in the priority area. Places will be allocated to each parish/unparished area or town in proportion to the number of applications made. In the event of there being more applications than places available to a particular parish/unparished area or town, places will be allocated on a random basis for each parish, unparished area or town." Children would be allocated from outside the priority area on a random basis, as a revised Rule 7.
2. To split the combined parish/unparished area and towns of Hitchin and Letchworth Garden City included in the existing single sex Priority Area for Hitchin Boys and Hitchin Girls, to offer the same division between these towns as used for the co-educational priority areas.

2. To amend the arrangements for admission to co-educational secondary schools as follows:

1. Moving Watford Rural parish from Priority Area 6 to Priority Area 11 Borehamwood, Bushey and Watford Rural.
2. Withdrawing the parishes of Northwood (Hillingdon) and Pinner (Harrow) from Priority Area 6.

We would like to draw your attention to the definition of "Shortest Designated Route". In the light of an outstanding Ombudsman case, and a related review which is underway on the definition of the shortest designated route, the inclusion of “a cycleway adopted by Hertfordshire County Council” is subject to further consideration. In view of the legal opinion officers have obtained it is felt prudent to draw consultees’ attention to this possible change. Hence, as part of the consultation process, we are asking consultees for their feedback on the possible withdrawal of this sub-section of shortest designated route.

With regard to Rule 5 of the admission rules for community and voluntary-controlled co-educational and single-sex secondary schools (except Tring), if any school wishes to consider the potential use of this rule, they should contact Sarah Vize, Senior Manager – Admissions and Transport by 17th February 2006.

3. Schedule of proposed Published Admission Numbers (PAN) for September 2007 (Appendix 3)

The Published Admission Numbers (PANs) for individual schools have been developed having taken into account the Indicated Admission Numbers (IANs) as derived by the net capacity assessment conducted earlier this year, the recently developed framework for assessing Published Admission Numbers and the forecast demand as identified in the School Organisation Plan.

4. Sixth Form Arrangements (Appendix 4)

To update arrangements for admission to 6th Form at Year 12. The proposed PAN, a summary of minimum entry requirements and the criteria upon which any tiebreak will be decided is set out in the Schedule.

5. Co-ordinated Schemes of Admission for Primary and Secondary Schools 2007-2008 (Appendix 5)

In order to comply with the requirements of National Co-ordination, there is a change at 9(a), this allows ranking information to be shared with a school if that school needs the information to apply its own admission arrangements

This Consultation has now closed