Schools' admission arrangements for 2011/12

• Aims & Purpose

  We are carrying out a consultation on proposed admission arrangements for the academic year 2011/12.

  The consultation is being carried out by us for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools.

  The admission authority for individual Voluntary Aided, Foundation Schools and Academies is the school’s governing body and details of each school’s consultation can be found in respect of the named schools below.

  Any comments regarding the arrangements for Voluntary Aided, Foundation Schools and Academies should be sent to the relevant school. 

  All other comments should be sent by email to admissions@derbyshire.gov.uk or to:

  Student Services
  Children and Younger Adults
  Derbyshire County Council
  County Hall
  Matlock
  Derbyshire
  DE4 3AG

  The consultation closes on 1 March 2010 which is the closing date for the receipt of any comments.

  Community and Controlled Schools 
   
  The admission arrangements proposed for 2011/12 are broadly in line with the current arrangements for 2010/11 apart from the changes indicated below and the following changes to Published Admission Numbers:

  • Henry Bradley Infants - from 70 to 60 - Review of net capacity

  • Loscoe Primary - from 20 to 25 - New classroom built

  • Chapel High - from 170 to 185 - Review of net capacity

  • Arkwright Primary - from 20 to 17 - Review of net capacity

  • Whitwell Primary - from 50 to 40 - Review of net capacity

  • Mary Swanwick Primary - from 50 to 30 - TCF project to refurbish one building and utilise as offices/Children’s Centre, etc

  • Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar - from 218 to 236 - Building project

  • Hope Valley College -  from123 to 132 - Building project

  • Lenthall Infants - from 37 to 30 - Review of net capacity

  • Woodville CE Junior - from 58 to 73 - Building project

  • Unstone St Mary’s Infant - from 15 to 25 – Review of net capacity

  • Simmondley Primay - from 40 to 45 – Extension and remodelling

  • Cotmanhay Junior from 90 to 60 – Review of net capacity

  Transfer at 16+

  The School Admissions Code (Paragraph 1.43) indicates that an admission number need only be set for a school sixth form when it is a normal point of entry to a school, ie the school sets out to admit external candidates to its sixth form, rather than just deal with ad-hoc applications.

  There are no admission limits at schools for those pupils who are progressing from Year 11 to Year 12 at the same school, but there may be admission limits on external pupils entering the school for the first time as a sixth form pupil in certain schools.

  The community and voluntary controlled schools for which we have set an admission number for external pupils joining the sixth form are:

  • Alfreton Grange Arts College - 0

  • Ashbourne, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School - 4

  • Buxton Community School - 6

  • Brookfield Community School:  A Specialist Sports College - 45

  • Newbold Community School - 0

  • Tupton Hall School - 20

  • Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School - 0

  • Eckington School - 0

  • Glossopdale Community College - 0

  • Aldercar Community Language College - 0

  • Ilkeston School - 0

  • Kirk Hallam Community Technology College - 0

  • Wilsthorpe Community School - 0

  • Highfields School - 0

  • New Mills School Business and Enterprise College - 25

  • Swanwick Hall School - 0

  • Anthony Gell School - 0

  Some aided and foundation schools also admit external pupils to the sixth form. 

  Details of each school’s requirements to gain entry to their sixth form can be found by contacting the school. Any student who is refused admission to a sixth form has a right of appeal to an independent appeal panel. 

  Schools with Published Admission Numbers (PAN) less than the Indicative Admission Number (IAN)

  This applies to the following schools:

  • Brooklands Primary School, Long Eaton - PAN 60 (IAN 63)

  • Duffield Meadows Primary School – PAN 40 (IAN 42)

  • Kirkstead Junior School, Pinxton – PAN 56 (IAN 62)

  • Marlpool Junior School, Heanor – PAN 47 (IAN 52)

  • Parkside Community Junior School, Ashbourne – PAN 74 (IAN 79)

  • Richardson Endowed Primary School, Smalley – PAN 20 (IAN 22)

  • Spire Junior School, Chesterfield – PAN 50 (IAN 51)

  • Springwell Community School, Staveley – PAN 170 (IAN 191)

  • Wirksworth CE (Controlled) Infant School – PAN 30 (IAN 36)

  Voluntary Aided, Foundation and Academy Schools

  You can view the policies for these schools from the related documents section below (they will be added as we receive them from the school).

  All Saints CE Voluntary Aided Primary School

  Belmont Primary School

  Belper School and Sixth Form Centre

  Bishop Pursglove CE (Aided) Primary School

  Bonsall CE (Aided) Primary School

  Camms Endowed CE (Aided) Primary School

  Carsington and Hopton C of E (A) Primary School

  Chinley Primary School

  Christ the King Catholic Primary School

  Dinting CE (Aided) Primary School

  Denby Free CE (Aided) Primary School

  English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School

  Fairmeadows Foundation Primary School

  Fitzherbert CE (Aided) Primary School

  Fritchley CE (Aided) Primary School

  Friesland School

  Hathersage St Michael's Church of England (Aided) Primary School

  Heanor Gate Science College

  Immaculate Conception Catholic Primary School

  John Port School

  Killamarsh St Giles' CE Primary School

  Lady Manners School

  Linton Primary School

  Litton CE Aided Primary School

  Longstone CE (Aided) Primary School

  Mill Hill School

  Netherthorpe School

  Newbold CE Primary School

  Newton Solney CE Voluntary Aided Infant School

  Pennine Way Junior School

  Pilsley CE Aided Primary School

  Redhill Primary School

  Scargill CE (Aided) Primary School

  Shirebrook Academy

  St Andrew's CE / Methodist Primary School (Dronfield)

  St Anne's Catholic Primary School (Buxton)

  St Charles's Catholic Primary School

  St Edward's Catholic Primary School

  St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School

  St George's CE (Aided) Primary School

  St Giles' CE (Aided) Primary School (Matlock)

  St John Houghton Catholic School

  St Joseph's Catholic And Church Of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

  St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Matlock)

  St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Shirebrook)

  St Laurence CE (Aided) Primary School

  St Margaret's Catholic Primary School

  St Mary's Catholic High School

  St Mary's Catholic Primary School (Chesterfield)

  St Mary's Catholic Primary School (Glossop)

  St Mary's Catholic Primary School (New Mills)

  St Philip Howard Catholic School

  St Thomas Catholic Primary School

  St Thomas More Catholic School - Science College

  Taddington and Priestcliffe CE Aided Primary School

  The Curzon CE (Aided) Primary School

  The Ecclesbourne School

  The Long Eaton School

  The Pingle School

  Tintwistle CE Primary School

  Turnditch CE Voluntary Aided Primary School

  Weston on Trent CE (Aided) Primary School

  William Gilbert CE Endowed Primary School

  Co-ordinated Arrangements – Secondary Schools - 2011/12 Intake

  No significant changes are proposed to the Co-ordinated Scheme for the 2011/12 admissions round.

  The closing date for applications will be 31 October 2010, preferences forwarded to other Local Authorities by 19 November 2010 and to Foundation, Aided Schools and Academies by 3 December 2010. These will confirm completed preferences ranking by 17 December 2010.

  The exchange of information with other local authorities will be 7 January 2011. We will apply the scheme by 28 January 2011 and National Offer Day will be 1 March 2011. Offers posted by 2nd class post.

  Waiting lists

  It is proposed that the period for holding waiting lists under the co-ordinated scheme will be until the end of Autumn Term 2 in the academic year of admission.

  After this date waiting lists for Community and Controlled Schools will cease though Aided and Foundation Schools may keep them longer in which case they should specify if so and for how long including the precise arrangements in their own published admission arrangements.

  The co-ordinated scheme has been amended and is attached.

  Co-ordinated Arrangements – Primary Schools – 2011/12 Intake

  Significant changes are proposed to the Co-ordinated Scheme for the 2011/12 admissions round as the scheme has been amended to take account of the new requirements for inter - authority coordination of primary applications.

  In addition a national closing date for primary applications has been set by the DCSF.

  As this is much later than Derbyshire’s usual closing date and coupled with the requirement to coordinate applications with other Local Authorities the offer date has had to be put back.

  The closing date for applications is now prescribed as 15 January 2011.

  By 7 February 2011 we will exchange applications with other Local Authorities. By 18 February 2011 we will have released all preference details to Voluntary Aided and Foundation Schools These schools will complete their ranking of preferences by 11 March 2011 leading to an exchange of information with other Local Authorities by 18 March 2011.

  The DCSF prescribed 31 March 2011 as the date for final offer exchange with other Local Authorities.

  As a result, Offer Day will be 9 May 2011. Offers posted by 2nd class post. 

  Waiting lists

  It is proposed that the period for holding waiting lists under the coordinated scheme will be until the end of Autumn Term 2 in the academic year of admission.

  After this date, waiting lists for Community and Controlled Schools will cease though Aided and Foundation Schools may keep them longer in which case they should specify if so and for how long/precise arrangements in their own published admission arrangements.

  The Coordinated scheme has been amended and is attached.

  Local Authority coordination of all in-year applications for Primary and Secondary from the 2010/11 academic year onwards

  A revised version of the School Admissions Code came into force on 10 February 2009.

  One change to the code is the requirement to extend coordination to include all in–year applications from the 2010/11 academic year.

  As a result it will no longer be an option for parents to approach schools direct for school places.

  Parents must in future complete the common application form (either online telephone or paper form) and all offers must be notified by the home authority.

  Our coordinated scheme has been amended to reflect this and is attached. 

  One point of admission to reception classes in Derbyshire

  The Secretary of State has accepted the recommendations of the independent review of the primary curriculum in England. One of the recommendations (Recommendation 14(i)) was that:

  “The preferred pattern of entry to reception classes should be the September immediately following a child’s fourth birthday. However, this should be subject to well informed discussion with parents, taking into account their views of a child’s maturity and readiness to entry to reception class as an exciting and enjoyable experience for all children, with opportunities for flexible arrangements such as a period of part-time attendance if judged appropriate.” 

  As a result the DCSF has recently conducted a consultation into making changes to the School Admissions Code (the Code) in order to implement this. In doing so the DCSF has asked admission authorities to include the proposed changes to the code in this consultation.  

  The code changes proposed are that paragraphs 2.65 and 2.69 should be amended to read as follows:

  Admission of children below compulsory school age

  For admission to the 2011/12 school year, and subsequent years, admission authorities for primary schools must provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday.

  When determining the arrangements for primary schools the admission authority must make it clear that:

  a) the arrangements do not apply to those being admitted for nursery provision including nursery provision delivered in a co-located children's centre;
  b) parents of children who are admitted for nursery provision need to apply for a place at the school if they want their child to transfer to the reception class;
  c) attendance at the nursery or co-located children's centre does not guarantee admission to the school;
  d) parents can request that the date their child is admitted to the school is deferred until later  in the school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year; and
  e) parents can request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age. Admission authorities must accommodate these requests where it appears to be in the best interest of the child.

  Deferred entry to primary schools

  Admission authorities must allow parents of children who are admitted to the school before they are of compulsory school age to defer their child's entry until later in the school year.

  Where entry is deferred, admission authorities must hold the place for that child and not offer it to another child.

  The parent would not however be able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child's fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted.

  This must be made clear in the admission arrangements for the school.

  We are consulting on amending our admission arrangements in line with these proposals and further relevant information is attached.

  Fair Access Protocols

  The School Admissions Code requires each local authority to have a Fair Access Protocol.

  The purpose of the protocol is to ensure that access to education is secured quickly for children who have no school place but for whom a place at a mainstream school or alternative provision is appropriate.  It also ensures that all schools in an area admit their fair share of children with challenging behaviour, including children excluded from other schools. 

  Copies of Derbyshire’s primary and secondary schools’ protocols are attached for consultation purposes.

  Admission Arrangements – 2011/12

  Our current general arrangements for the management of admissions, published admission numbers, admissions criteria and related information for parents are set out in “How to apply for a place at Secondary/Primary School - A guide for parents 2010/12”.

  No changes to school’s normal areas for 2011/12 are proposed. A school’s normal area is a defined geographical area, made up of the area around the school, which the school serves.

  Details of existing normal areas maps can be found as links from the school detail pages in the school names and addresses section (opens in a new window) and are subject to annual consultation.

  Alternatively, you can enter your postcode into an interactive tool (via the Find your nearest school section of the main school admissions (opens in a new window) page) to find out the normal area school for a particular address.

  Where not all children of a multiple birth can be admitted within the Published Admission Number, the other child/children will also be admitted unless this would create an infant class of more than 30 pupils.

  As regulations do not allow exceptions to the infant class size limit in these circumstances, ultimately, if there is no alternative, the parents will be asked to decide which of their children should be offered a place. It should be noted that following the Chief School Adjudicator’s Annual Report the Secretary of State is proposing to consult on this issue. 

  Apart from the above amendments no other changes are proposed to the arrangements for 2011/12.

  All proposals are subject to consideration by the Derbyshire Schools’ Admission Forum which meets on 27 January 2010.

• Topic
  Children and Young People
  Education
  
• Start Date
  11 December 2009
• End Date
  1 March 2010
• Project Stage
  Open
  
• Method
  By post
  email
  
• Feedback
  Derbyshire County Council website
  

• General Target Groups
  Parents or guardians
  Residents
  Voluntary or community organisations
  
• Specific Target Groups
  Faith groups
  
• Geographical Area
  All Derbyshire (including Derby City)
  

• Name
  Student Services - Children and Younger Adults
• Address:
  Derbyshire County Council
  County Hall
  Matlock
  Derbyshire
  DE4 3AG
• email
  admissions@derbyshire.gov.uk