Agenda and minutes

Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability - Tuesday, 26th February, 2019 2.00 pm

Venue: CC1, County Hall, Lewes. View directions

Contact: Aaron Sams  01273 335274

Items
No. Item

23.

Decisions made by the Lead Cabinet Member on 24 January 2019 pdf icon PDF 73 KB

Minutes:

23.1     The Lead Member approved as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 24 January 2019.

24.

Reports

Minutes:

24.1     Reports referred to in the minutes below are contained in the minute book.

 

25.

Admission arrangements for the 2020/21 school year pdf icon PDF 387 KB

Report by the Director of Children’s Services

Minutes:

25.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Children’s Services seeking approval of the admission arrangements for the 2020/21 school year.

 

DECISIONS

 

25.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to approve the admission arrangements for 2020/21, and (1) The proposed admission priorities and community areas;

 

(2) The proposed admissions numbers, noting that the proposed increase to the PAN (Published Admission Number) for Willingdon Community School has been deferred to 2021/22 at the request of the school so that the PAN will remain at 200 for admissions in 2020/21, and that the PANs for Buxted CE Primary School and Danehill CE Primary School will increase to 30 (from 25) and 15 (from 12) respectively at the request of their governing bodies;

 

(3) The proposed co-ordinated admissions schemes with the following changes from previous years:

 

           That the primary and secondary scheme be amended slightly to reflect the assumption that it is in the best interests of summer-born children to be admitted to reception at compulsory school age where their parents request it, unless there are clear reasons why this would be inappropriate, and that own admission authority schools in East Sussex should be advised of this assumption and encouraged to adopt it by the County Council;

 

           That parents still be required to make a case for this so that it can be demonstrated that the County Council has considered the rationale behind the request and made the decision in the child’s best interests;

 

           That the County Council continue to advise all parents, whose request for admission out of year group is agreed, of the potential difficulties this could cause later on, and continue to require parents to agree that they have understood this and take responsibility for this decision.

 

(4) That with respect to in-year admissions (for example, families moving into the area with a child who has already been deferred in another area or admission authority) that the County Council should work on the same assumption;

 

(5) That in cases where parents submit in-year applications (or phase transfer applications for junior or secondary school) for their children to be educated out of year group where this has not happened before, or where they have come from provision that does not follow the National Curriculum (e.g. private provision or overseas) the County Council advise parents of a likely delay and make a decision in the best interests of the child in consultation with the Headteacher of the relevant school as in the case of summer born children applying at reception entry.

 

(6) That the County Council adopt the recommendation set out in a letter from the Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for School Standards, that the definition of ‘looked after children and previously looked after children’ in the glossary of the County Council’s ‘Apply for a school’ guidance be amended to clarify that ‘this may include children previously in state care outside of the UK’.

 

Reasons

 

25.3     The County Council is required by law to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.