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Report to: |
Lead Member for Education, Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability
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Date of meeting:
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16 October 2023
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By: |
Director of Children’s Services
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Title: |
Admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools in East Sussex 2025-26: permission to consult
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Purpose: |
To seek agreement for consultation on proposed admission arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools in East Sussex for the 2025-26 academic year and on proposed co-ordinated schemes of admission for the same year as required by the School Admissions Code 2021.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The Lead Member is recommended to:
1) agree to consult on the proposed admission arrangements for Community and VC schools for the 2025-26 academic year as set out in appendix 1;
2) note that there are no proposed changes to the admission arrangements;
3) To agree to consult on the proposed published admission numbers (PANs) for Community and VC schools for 2025-26, as set out in appendix 2, noting the proposed change to the PAN for Mayfield CE School; and
4) To agree to consult on the proposed co-ordinated schemes of admissions as set out in appendices 3-5.
1.1 The School Admissions Code 2021 states that admission authorities must determine (set) their admission arrangements annually. However, provided the relevant admission authority is not proposing any changes to their admission arrangements, there is no requirement to consult annually; where there is no change to arrangements consultation must take place every seven years.
1.2 For the avoidance of doubt, East Sussex County Council consults annually, whether there is a change or not.
1.3 As part of the consultation process, and in accordance with current statutory requirements, the consultation will include parents, schools, the relevant Dioceses and neighbouring local authorities, and details of the proposed arrangements will be posted on the Council’s website.
1.4 The relevant area for the purpose of consultation is the administrative County of East Sussex, and there are no proposals to change this for 2025-26.
2.1 The Lead Member is advised that it is proposed to make no changes to the admission priorities this year. The proposed priorities are set out in appendix 1.
2.2 The proposed changes to the Co-ordinated scheme are to the dates only.
2.3 The consultation will include Priory School, Lewes, whose trust is responsible for admissions to the school. This is because the trust has requested that the Council consults on their behalf as they propose to use the Council’s admission arrangements.
2.4 The governors of Mayfield CE Primary School have requested a reduction in PAN for September 2025 from 30 to 20, due to the number of vacant places in the school. Pupil forecasts indicate that numbers are unlikely to increase in the short to medium term.
2.5 Should numbers increase the expectation is that the school will be able to increase its PAN to enable all children living in the Mayfield community area to be placed in the school, should this be their parents’ preference.
3.1 The County Council is required by law to consult on its admissions arrangements every seven years, or sooner if any changes to those arrangements are proposed for the schools for which it is the admission authority. The Lead Member is recommended to agree to consult on the attached admissions arrangements for 2025-26 with the proposed changes outlined in section 2 above.
3.2 The results of the consultation will be reported back to the Lead Member after the consultation period closes in January 2024 with recommendations for amendments as necessary resulting from comments received. Final admission arrangements will be determined by 28 February 2024 and published by 15 March 2024 in line with statutory deadlines.
ALISON
JEFFERY
Director of Children’s
Services
Contact Officer: Jo
Miles
Tel.
No. 01273 481911 / 07701021572
Email: jo.miles@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL MEMBERS
ALL
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS
None.