Review of school catchment areas

Public Consultation

28 April - 13 June 2014

Introductions• Vicky Wales - Head of Children, Young People &

Learning, Borough of Poole

• Julie Gale - Strategy Manager, Admissions, Exclusions and Educational Awards

• Nicola Keynes - Principal Asset Planning and

Development Manager

The proposal

• To remove school catchment areas for all Primary-phase schools

• To replace them with a system to offer places based on distance from the school

Catchment areas

• Catchments form part of schools’ oversubscription criteria

• Catchments are only used as part of the admissions process when a school is oversubscribed

• There is a legal requirement for schools to have oversubscription criteria but there is no legal requirement to have catchment areas

Why do catchments need to be reviewed?

• Some schools are not within their own catchment area

• Due to housing development and increases in birth rates some catchments have too many children in them to be accommodated at the catchment school if parents decide to apply for a place

• A new junior school is being built that will not have a catchment area

Catchment Options Study

Prior to the consultation, the LA undertook a detailed study to consider:

1. Removal of school catchment areas (replacing them with a system to offer places based on distance from the school)

2. Keeping catchment areas as they are now

3. Making changes to the boundaries of the current catchments

What was the outcome of the options study?

• Changing catchment boundaries did not solve all of the current issues. It was decided this would not be considered further

• There should be public consultation on removing catchment areas with the alternative being to leave catchments as they are

Which schools are included in the consultation?

• All Primary-phase schools where the LA is responsible for the admission arrangements, i.e. all Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools

• The following schools who are responsible for their own admissions arrangements have asked to be included in the consultation:– Ad Astra Infant School– Bishop Aldhelm’s Primary School– Canford Heath Infant School– Canford Heath Junior School– Haymoor Junior School– Stanley Green Infant Academy

• St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and all secondary schools are not included

Why not leave catchments as they are now?• Some schools will continue to be oversubscribed by

children living within the catchment area

• Additional schools will become oversubscribed by in catchment children in the future

• The new junior school will not have a catchment area

• Schools responsible for their own admission arrangements (Academies, Foundation and Voluntary Aided Schools) will increase in numbers and some are likely to consider removing catchment areas. This would result in some addresses in Poole having a catchment school and some not

When would any changes be made?

• The earliest catchment areas could be removed is for pupils starting Reception or transferring to Junior/Middle in September 2016

How will you decide who gets a place at a school if there are no catchment areas?

• Places will not be offered by lottery• The admission arrangements for the school

must be clear, fair and detail how places will be offered if the school is oversubscribed. It is important to read these when you are applying for a school place

• Distance from the school will be a key factor when deciding who to offer places to, just as it is now

How will removing catchments impact on admissions policies?

• Admissions policies will have to change as catchments will no longer be an oversubscription criteria

• Admissions policies for 2016 will be reviewed in Autumn 2015. Following amendments there will be a public consultation period.

What happens next?• Responses from all consultees will be summarised in a report

to Council

• If Council decides to go ahead, the admission arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools will be decided by the Local Authority

• For all other schools the decision to retain or remove catchments will be made by their Governing Bodies

• Details of admission arrangements will be publicly consulted on for a minimum 8-week period held between 1st November 2014 and 1st March 2015

• Admission arrangements for September 2016 will be finalised by 1st May 2015

Your questions