Minutes:
The meeting was informed that the co-ordinated admission arrangements for admission to schools 2005/06 had worked extremely well.
Communication with other admission Authorities had been excellent and everyone had cooperated very well.
Information from Rotherham’s Aided Schools had been very good and very few problems had arisen.
One of the main differences for the LEA and parents, as part of the new arrangement, is the equal preference system. This had meant, for example, that if a parent had applied for three schools and one was a catchment school, they would at least have been guaranteed the catchment school.
The following figures were given:-
Reception/Foundation Stage 2
7 primary schools were oversubscribed and had waiting lists
2 others had reached the Published Admission Number exactly
Y2/3 Transfers
2 schools were oversubscribed and had waiting lists
One other school had reached the Published Admission Number exactly
Y6/7 Transfers
10 out of the 16 secondary schools were oversubscribed with waiting lists
The number of on-line applications received was:-
44 Reception/Foundation Stage 2
2 for Y2/3
24 for Y6/7
The number of children whose parents had not expressed a preference by 1st July, 2005 was:
11 for Reception/Foundation Stage 2
3 for Y2/3
4 for Y6/7
In accordance with the co-ordinated scheme, on 1st July, the LEA allocated a place at a school for these children.
For admissions in 2006/07 the secondary booklet was issued on 1st July, 2005. To date the LEA has received 34 online applications.
The reception figure was slightly higher but this was due to the fact that details for children due to start in reception/Foundation Stage 2 were received quite early but, in some cases, were more difficult to trace if they moved out of the area. Any child not receiving education would be referred to the Education Welfare Service in September.
There seemed to have been less parents changing their minds later on in the process because they had been offered a high ranking preference, in particular with one Secondary School bordering with Barnsley.
There had been fewer appeals, particularly by Y6/7 pupils in comparison to previous years.
There are still a great deal of transfers, and waiting lists appear to be shorter. People had been placed on the waiting list mainly for higher ranked preferences.
With Primary Schools, one or two Aided Schools had experienced slight difficulties with ranking applications but had worked very well with the LEA in terms of expectations from them to comply with the LEA’s computer system and ranking.
One particular problem regarding a school’s admission criteria on baptism had been sorted out for next year.
Rotherham LEA had built up trust with other admission Authorities which had been a major feature of the work, with everyone working together to achieve results.
Agreed:- That, on behalf of the Local Admissions Forum, the Admissions staff of the LEA be congratulated for their hard work and the smooth running of this year’s admission process given the new co-ordinated arrangements for 2005/06.