Further information about each item is given below and I would be grateful to receive your feedback on all matters by
21 December 2021.
- Formal Consultation on Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s Co-ordinated Schemes
Please find below draft co-ordinated schemes for; primary, secondary and in-year admissions.
co-ordinated admission scheme primary schools
co-ordinated admissions scheme secondary schools
co-ordinated in-year admission scheme, mid-term policy
As you will be aware all local authorities are required co-ordinate the offers of places for schools in their area so that every child receives one place on national offer day. As we co-ordinate in-year admissions for some schools in the area we also need
an in-year scheme.
The
School Admissions Code 2021 sets out that when a scheme is substantially different from the scheme adopted for the previous academic year, the local authority must consult the other admission authorities in the area. Some changes have been proposed so
we wanted to take this opportunity to formally consult on the attached documents.
The changes made to the co-ordinated schemes include:
- To amend the format to provide greater clarity to the reader.
- To pre consult on automatically adding applicants to a waiting list of a school they have applied to but have not been offered (unless they have secured a higher preference school). This applies to primary and secondary admissions and not to in-year
admissions.
- To pre consult on how an alternative school is identified if an applicant cannot be offered a preference school
- To pre consult on enabling parents to submit additional preferences after 1st March to include oversubscribed school.
- To provide greater clarity to the definition of when a child goes on roll
- To provide greater clarity as to when and how preferences can be updated after national offer day
- To include information to set out how applications will be considered from UK crown servants or UK military families
- To include information to set out how applications will be considered from applicants who have the right to reside in the UK and are intending to move or return to Bradford from overseas.
Following the consultation, the final documents will be shaped by your feedback and the Council’s Executive will be asked to approve the final schemes in February.
We hope that it will always be possible for every child to secure a school place through normal admissions processes or via a Fair Access Panel. However, on the rare occasion where a child is not admitted to a named school following an offer, the authority
may move towards directing admission to a school or requesting a direction for an Academy. There is no statutory duty to consult with you on our direction policy but we would welcome your feedback to help us to shape the final policy. Please provide any
comments by 21 December.
Further information about the Direction process is given in the School Admissions Code.
We are revising our guidance on these matters to provide further clarity to parents of children starting school. There is no statutory duty to consult with you on this guidance but again we would welcome your views to help us shape the final guidance.
Many thanks for your time considering these matters and I look forward to receiving your feedback by return to
schoolcontactadmissions@bradford.gov.uk by 21 December 2021.