AGENDA ITEM 8

BOROUGH OF POOLE

CHILDREN’S SERVICES OVERVIEW GROUP – 27 MARCH 2007

REPORT OF HEADS OF PUPIL, PARENT AND YOUTH SERVICES AND SCHOOL ADVICE AND SUPPORT SERVICES ON THE RESULTS OF CONSULTATION ON THE PROPOSED ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED SCHOOLS for 2008/9

PART OF PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN: YES

STATUS – SERVICE ISSUE

1.PURPOSE

1.1.To inform the Children’s Services Overview Group on the results of the consultation process on the draft scheme for co-ordinated admissions and the draft admission arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools for the academic year 2007/8. Detailed reports outlining the proposals were circulated to and discussed by the CSOG at its meeting on 9 January 2007.

  1. DECISION REQUIRED.

2.1The Children’s Services Overview Group is requested to recommend the Cabinet at its meeting on 3 April 2007 to approve the proposed schemes for co-ordinated admissions, school admission policies, and Published Admission Numbers.

3. CONSULTATION

3.1A period of statutory consultation took place during January/February 2007 involving the Headteachers and Governing Bodies of all Poole Community and Voluntary Controlled schools, all admission authorities within the Borough, the Roman Catholic and Anglican diocese, the Poole Admissions Forum together with both the Bournemouth and Dorset local authorities. An officer from Pupil, Parent and Youth Services also attended a meeting of Parents’ Voice to explain the various proposals.

4.RESULTS OF THE CONSULTATION PROCESS.

4.1No comment or objection was received to the proposed Co-ordinated admissions schemes, school admission policiesand Published Admission Numbers for 2008/9 during the statutory consultation period.

5.LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

5.1There are no legal implications in agreeing the proposals. The proposed admission arrangements, as submitted to the Children’s Services Overview Group comply with requirements of the School Admissions Code of Practice 2007.

6.FINACIAL IMPLICATIONS

6.1There are no financial implications in agreeing the proposed school admission arrangements for 2008/9

7.POLICY FRAMEWORK IMPLICATIONS

7.1There are no policy framework implications in agreeing the proposed school admission arrangements for 2008/9

Vicky Wales

Head of Pupil, Parent and Youth Services

Di Mitchell

Acting Head of School Advice and Support Services

Background papers:

The School Standards and Framework Act 1998

The Education Act 2002

The Education & Inclusion Act 2006

The School Admissions Code of Practice

The Education (Determination of Admission Arrangements) Regulations 1999

The Education (Determination of Admission Arrangements) (Amendments) (England) Regulations 2002

The Education (Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements (Primary Schools) (England) Regulations 2002

The Education (Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements (Secondary Schools) (England) Regulations 2002

The Education (Admission of Looked After Children) (England) Regulations 2005

Officer contacts:

Co-ordinated admissions schemes:

Beryl Stokes, Pupil, Parent and Youth Services, telephone 01202 261910, e-mail:

Admission policies:

Nick Maguire, Pupil, Parent and Youth Services, telephone 01202 261912 e-mail:

Published Admission Numbers

Nicola Keynes, School Advice and Support Services, Telephone 01202 633, e-mail:

2 March 2007

BOROUGH OF POOLE

CHILDREN’S SERVICES OVERVIEW GROUP – 27 MARCH 2007

REPORT OF HEAD OF PUPIL, PARENT AND YOUTH SERVICES ON THE RESULTS OF CONSULTATION ON THE PATTERN OF SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES FROM 2008

PART OF PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN: NO

STATUS – SERVICE ISSUE

1.PURPOSE

1.1.To inform the Children’s Services Overview Group on the results of the consultation on the pattern of school term and holiday dates from September 2008.

  1. DECISION REQUIRED.

2.1The Children’s Services Overview Group is requested to recommend the Cabinet on 3 April 2007 to approve the adoption of the Standard School Year (SSY) from 1 September 2008 subject to Bournemouth Borough Council and Dorset County Council adopting the same calendar.

3.BACKGROUND.

3.1The three local authorities in Dorset currently operate the “historic” pattern of school term dates i.e. three terms per year based around the date of Easter.

3.2.1The Borough of Poole currently sets its school term and holiday dates for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools but Foundation and Voluntary Aided schools have historically set the same dates. In the three term year, the length and timing of the second and third terms is determined by the time of Easter. When Easter is early, the second term is short; when Easter is late, the second term is long. This means that the school terms are of varying length, and half-terms can be as short as three weeks.

3.3For some years the Local Government Association (LGA) has been recommending that all local authorities adopt a SSY in order that terms and holidays can be standardised across the country. The Department for Education and Skills has resisted calls for term dates to be set centrally. It considers that local authorities are best placed to set dates which reflect their own area.

3.4Since 2003 the three local authorities in Dorset have agreed to set the same term and holiday dates. This is mainly because of the cross-border traffic where parents were finding difficulties when each of the local authorities set different term dates. There is a concern that, where term dates do not match across authorities, there will be a tendency for parents to take children out of school during term time and that increased absence for holidays will have an adverse impact on teaching and learning

3.5Although Poole has only two neighbouring local authorities Dorset has six (including Poole and Bournemouth). Whilst Dorset tries to keep the same dates as Poole some of its other neighbours have adopted the SSY which in turn causes cross-border problems. Dorset has advised that for 2007/8 Devon, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset have separated Easter from the Spring holiday.

4.THE STANDARD SCHOOL YEAR.

4.1The SSY evolved from the six term year and the LGA publishes an annual calendar of term dates based on this each year.

4.2The main difference between the historic school year and the SSY is the school holiday traditionally taken around Easter.

4.3The historic school year (summer term, spring term and autumn term) was originally established nearly a century ago and was based around the collection of the harvest and on the date of Easter.

4.4The principles of the SSY are:

  • Start of the school year on a September date as near as possible to 1 September
  • Equalise teaching and learning blocks (roughly 2 x 7 and 4 x 6 weeks)
  • Establish a two week spring break in early April irrespective of the incidence of the Easter bank holiday (where the break does not coincide with the Bank Holiday the date should be, as far as practicable, nationally agreed and as consistent as possible across all LAs)
  • Allow for the possibility of a summer holiday of at least six weeks for those schools which want this length of break
  • Identify and agree annually designated periods of holiday, including the summer holiday, where Headteachers are recommended not to arrange teacher training days

4.5Schools would still have Good Friday and Easter Monday as holiday but the traditional two week break may not coincide with this each year.

4.6Some authorities set a calendar of 190 days, which is the number of days a year that schools are legally required to provide teaching for pupils. Other authorities set a calendar of 195 days, which includes 5 non-teaching days, to be taken at the convenience of the school. It is proposed that Poole continues to set a 195 day calendar, which allows for a degree of local flexibility.

4.7The SSY has six terms and for 2008/9 the main difference is the break between Terms 1 and 2 in the SSY and the half term in the original autumn term. In 2009 the two coincide but in other years when Easter is either earlier or later the two may not.

5.REASONS FOR CHANGE.

5.1As mentioned previously the historic three term year system was originally based on an archaic principle of collecting the harvest and a need to have school holidays over the Easter period. This resulted in terms of unequal and varying length.

5.2Research has concluded that pupils learns better in shorter terms interspersed with regular holiday patters,

5.3 The educational arguments in favour or a standard school year are:

  • Avoidance of excessively long terms where tiredness and sickness can increase;
  • A more regular pattern of learning for children;
  • More regular curriculum planning for teachers.

5.4Non-educational arguments for the adoption of the Standard School Year relate to problems experienced by parents who have children at schools in two different areas.

6 CONSULTATION

6.1A period of consultation took place across the county of Dorset during November/December 2006 and involved :

  • All schools in the county (Governing Bodies and staff were asked for their views)
  • Childminding and Early Years settings
  • Tourist industry
  • Teaching Unions
  • Parents (via each school’s PTA and Parents’ Voice)

6.2The results of the consultation were (in Poole):

  • 827 individual responses were received;
  • a total of 811 replies supported moving to the SSY;
  • 540 members of the NASUWT supported the move;
  • of the 16 schools which responded 14 were in favour; and
  • the Poole Tourism Management Board did not wish to raise any objection to the proposal

6.3On a county wide basis 7,711 replies were received to the consultation of which 6,728 replies were received in support of the move to the SSY with 974 against and 9 were not sure.

6.4The most frequent of the comments made related to the significance of Easter to faith communities. However, when the proposal to separate Easter from the spring holiday was first made by the Local Government Association in 2002, Church representatives responded favourably, pointing out that if children were at school during Holy Week this would be a good opportunity for them to learn about the significance of Easter.

7.LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

7.1There are no legal implications in agreeing the proposals.

8.FINACIAL IMPLICATIONS

8.1There are no financial implications in agreeing the proposed pattern of school term and holiday dates from September 2008.

9.POLICY FRAMEWORK IMPLICATIONS

9.1There are no policy framework implications.

Vicky Wales

Head of Pupil, Parent & Youth Services

Officer contact:

Nick Maguire, Pupil, Parent and Youth Services, telephone 01202 261912 e-mail:

5 March 2007

1