Agenda item

[Report of the Assistant Director for Schools and Learning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families.]

To agree the proposed arrangements for admission to community nursery classes, primary, junior and secondary schools and to St Aidan’s Voluntary Controlled School and for sixth form admission for the year 2020/21 can go out for consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families introduced this report which sought approval to commence a six week period of statutory consultation on proposed admission arrangements for 2020/21.The Cabinet Member clarified that paragraph 4.5 required a correction of ‘60’ to ‘30’ when describing the number of places available at Tiverton. Also at paragraph 7.14, points 3 and 4, the Cabinet noted that this should read 2019 instead of 2018.

In response to a question from Cllr Brabazon, about the reduction on planned admission numbers in Tiverton and Welbourne schools, and if this was connected with a reduction in family housing in the area, it was noted that , generally, primary school numbers have been falling in Haringey and London. This PAN reduction was at the proposal stage but if there was a future increase in housing then consideration could be given to increasing the PAN for these two schools. The impact of housing development on local areas was a longer term consideration but it was important to take the steps now and consider this issue. The Cabinet Member was happy to convene an internal meeting to explore this.

RESOLVED

1. To agree to consult on the proposed admission arrangements, including the proposed in-year admissions scheme for the academic year 2020/21;

2. To agree to consult on the proposed IYFAP which, if agreed at Cabinet in February 2019, would be come into force from 1 March 2019;

3. To agree that the co-ordinated scheme for the admission of children to maintained primary and secondary schools as set out in Appendices 2 and 3 of this report can be published on the Haringey website on 1 January 2019.

4. To note the proposal to reduce the PAN for Welbourne and Tiverton Primary Schools by one form of entry (1FE) – 30 Reception pupils each from September 2020 as part of the community and voluntary controlled (VC) schools? published admission arrangements.

5. To note that consultation on the proposed admission arrangements is scheduled to take place between 26 November 2018 and 7 January 2019;

6. To note that following the consultation, a report will be prepared summarising the representations received from the consultation and a decision on the final admission arrangements and the In-Year Fair Access Protocol will be taken by Cabinet in February 2019.

Reasons for decision

Why do we consult?–

This report and the consultation that will flow from it if the report’s recommendations are agreed will ensure that our proposed admission arrangements for 2020/21 are consulted upon and the co-ordinated scheme is set in accordance with the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code 2014.

The School Admissions Code (2014) requires all admission authorities to publicly consult on their admission arrangements where changes are being proposed. The Code stipulates that if no changes are made to admission arrangements, they must be consulted on at least once every 7 years.

We consult on our admission arrangements annually irrespective of whether or not there is a proposed change to the arrangements. This is to ensure transparency and openness on the contents of our arrangements and to allow parents, carers and other stakeholders who might not previously been interested in admission arrangements (perhaps because they didn’t have a child of school age) to make a representation which can then be considered as part of the determination of the arrangements.

What is the change and potential risk to the arrangements being consulted on for 2020 entry?–

Para 3.1 above sets out that we are proposing to reduce the PAN for Welbourne and Tiverton Primary Schools by one form of entry (1FE) – 30 Reception pupils each from September 2020. The School Admissions Code (2014) sets out the requirement for all admission authorities to undertake statutory consultation where they propose a decrease to the PAN of a school.

Tiverton Primary is a community school located at Pulford Road, London N15 6SP and sits within planning area 3 (see map of planning areas on page 7 below). The school normally admits 2 classes (60 Reception pupils) per year. However, due to a decrease in the demand for school places, we are proposing to reduce the school’s PAN to 60 for the 2020/21 academic year.

Welbourne Primary is a community school located at Stainby Road, London N15 4EA and sits within planning area 4 (see map of planning areas on page 7 below). The school normally admits 3 classes (90 Reception pupils) per year. However, due to a decrease in the demand for school places, we are proposing to reduce the school’s PAN to 60 for the 2020/21 academic year.

Planning areas 3 and 4 in which these schools are located show the most significant surplus of places. Both Tiverton and Welbourne Primary schools have vacancies across all year groups and our projections show that demand is likely to continue to decrease. Current school roll projections for planning area 3 (where Tiverton is located) suggest a surplus of school places of between 1-2 forms of entry between now and 2026/27.Current school roll projections for planning area 4 (where Welbourne is located) suggest a surplus of school places of between 3-4 forms of entry between now and 2021/22.

Approval was sought from the Schools Adjudicator for a temporary reduction in PAN for Tiverton Primary School for entry in September 2018. A reduction by 1 form of entry was agreed and it is likely that a similar request will be made for entry in September 2019 due to the lack of demand. Our projections show that demand is likely to continue to decline and the school will struggle to fill beyond 1 form of entry.

Welbourne Primary School has the highest number of vacancies across all year groups compared to other schools in Planning Area 4. It is likely that this will have had a ripple effect locally as falling demand is rarely evidenced at just one school but is often felt across several. A benefit of planning places judiciously is that it keeps rolls relatively buoyant across and beyond any planning area as surplus places are reduced.

We are proposing to reduce the number of available places at these schools to enable them to operate more efficiently and cost effectively. The proposed reduction of PANs for these schools will allow better alignment of PANs with actual number of pupils on roll, leading to cost savings.

Consulting on our admission arrangements for entry in September 2020 gives these schools sufficient time to review their internal structure so that any potential impact on staff reorganisation can be minimized. It will allow the school leadership teams in offering a more accurate number of places and also help with long term planning.

Equality consideration was given to the selection of these specific schools for a reduction in PANs to help frame any potential impact on protected groups. Our proposal will not adversely impact on families trying to access their local school with high quality provision. A projected surplus of school places in the planning areas where these schools are located means that we expect sufficient places to still be available for local children if the PANs are reduced at Welbourne and Tiverton Primary School for entry in September 2020.

All local schools are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and are able to support children with a wide range of abilities, special needs, disabilities and learning difficulties, from able, gifted and talented pupils to those with multiple and significant disabilities, medical conditions and learning difficulties. Welbourne and Tiverton do not offer any specific provision that is not provided elsewhere and we believe that the needs of the community can be met at other local schools and this will be tested during the consultation process. We will closely monitor the number of primary applications received at the time and in the event there is an increase in demand for primary school places and additional places are required, these schools can revert to their original PAN.

Alternative options considered

We are required by the School Admissions Code 2014 (para 1.42 – 1.45 of the Code) to consult on our admission arrangements between 1 October and 31 January each year for a minimum period of six weeks. Last year, the consultation on the proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled (VC) schools included a proposal to introduce an additional oversubscription criteria for children of staff to follow after the sibling criterion. Cabinet agreed to the proposal in February last year which means the children of staff criterion will come into effect from September 2019.

This year we are not proposing a change to the oversubscription criterion for community and VC schools. While there are other ways admission arrangements can influence the allocation of school places set out in the Schools Admissions Code 2014 (e.g. designated catchment areas, identified feeder schools or giving priority in our oversubscription criteria to children eligible for the early years premium/ pupil premium) no alternative option is being considered at the time of writing this report.