Agenda and minutes

Agreed:

1)    That Mrs. I. Hartley be appointed as Chair of the Rotherham Local Admissions Forum for the 2022/23 academic year.

2)    That Mrs. C. Cockayne be appointed Vice-Chair of the Rotherham Local Admissions Forum for the 2022/23 academic year.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 June 2022.

Agreed: That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 June 2022, be approved as a correct record.

Further to Minute No. 40 (Admissions Update), the Forum was informed that the DfE had confirmed they would not approve the addition of further classrooms at Waverley Junior Academy due to the sufficiency of existing classroom places within the local area.

The membership of the Forum was discussed noting that there were vacancies.  The Head of Service – Access to Education would seek to find additional representation to fill those vacancies.

Agreed: The Head of Service – Access to Education would attempt to fill the vacancies.

The Forum considered its Terms of Reference and felt that they remained fit for purpose.

Agreed: That the Terms of Reference for the Rotherham Local Admissions Forum were fit for purpose.

The Forum received the annual school adjudicator report for 2022, noting the earlier submission date of 31 October 2022.  This submission had been approved by the Director of Children and Young People’s Services and was now before the Forum for approval.

Agreed:  The Forum agreed the Annual School Adjudicator Report 2022.

Consideration was given to the consultation document sent to all schools regarding the proposed admission arrangements (i.e., criteria and admission number) which would apply for school admission in the 2024/2025 academic year. 

The timetable for the year was:

The report referred the admission criteria and numbers for both community and controlled schools and for voluntary aided schools, academies and trust schools.

Also included within the report were details of each school and academy’s proposed admission number for 2024/2025.

Agreed: 

1)    That the report be noted.

2)    That the finalised document be submitted to the February meeting for approval.

In terms of School Organisation Forum Members noted that the new free school in Dinnington had opened at the beginning of September 2022 with all pupils now transferred.

Agreed: The Forum noted the update.

The Forum was advised that the closing date for secondary school applications was 31 October 2022, however applications would still be accepted up to 30 November.  There were currently 180 outstanding applications.

The closing date for primary school applications was January 2023.

The Council was still receiving a large number of applications for in-year transfers.

Agreed: The Forum noted the update.

The Forum received information regarding the high volume of in-year transfer admission appeals being submitted.  The Governance Team were setting appeal hearing dates for January 2023 onwards.

Both the Appeals and Fair Access processes were being used as required for Ukrainian children as instructed by the DfE.  It was clarified that the Fair Access process could not overturn an admission appeals panel’s decision.

Members of the Forum noted the growing number of admission appeals being processed and offered their thanks to all involved with the admission appeals process.

The admission appeals timetable for all schools and academies to publish on their respective websites had been prepared and would be shared with Forum members for their information.

Agreed: The admission appeals timetable would be circulated to Forum members for their information.

The Forum noted the updated list of Rotherham schools which had converted/about to convert to academies as of October 2022.

It was noted that West Melton Junior and Infant school had not yet converted.

It was noted that there were only around twenty maintained schools remaining.

Agreed: That the information be received, and the contents noted.

Consultation on the school calendar for the 2024/25 academic year would take place with all school in January 2023.

Last years fixed calendar had proved popular and ensuring term dates were aligned with other neighbouring authorities where possible to ensure continuity across the county.

Agreed: The Forum noted the report and it’s contents.

Thursday, 9^th February, 2023 at 10.00 a.m.

Agreed:  That the next meeting of the Local Admissions Forum take place on Thursday 9 February 2022 at 10.00 a.m. proposed venue was MS Teams.