OCC in Year Admissions & Fair Access Protocol

OCC In year Admissions & Fair Access Protocol

Fifth Draft for discussion

8th January 2008

Oxfordshire County Council

In-Year Admissions Protocol

Including

Fair Access to Schools

AF_SEP1708R03.docNovember 2007

Introduction

1.Principles

The educational needs of children and young people are best met in a stable and continuous environment. Evidence suggests that many children are disadvantaged by moving between schools. Only in very exceptional circumstances should a child need to move school and particularly mid-year. Sometimes however, children can find themselves without a school place, because their personal circumstances are such that they have had to move home; or they are Children Looked After (CLA); or they have been permanently excluded from a school.

In those exceptional circumstances, Oxfordshire schools and the LA recognise that they share a collective responsibility for all pupils, including those deemed hard to place and are committed to work in partnership to ensure that the in year admissions procedures are fair, transparent and timely.

This protocol aims to ensure that;

values are agreed and shared
statutory responsibilities are fully met
procedures are agreed and clear for the management of all types of in year admissions, including fair access, planned transfers and parental requests for a change of school

2.The Legal Framework

In accordance with the new School Admissions Code 2007, all admission authorities and Admission Forums must have an In Year Fair Access Protocol in place to ensure that unplaced children arriving outside the normal admissions round, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place as quickly as possible and to ensure that all schools in an area admit their fair share of children with challenging behaviour.

Using DCSF guidance, the following groups are included in this Oxfordshire protocol;

a. Permanently excluded pupils, including those whose parents’ appeal against exclusion has been upheld but where the independent panel has decided that the pupils should not be re-instated and pupils at serious risk of permanent exclusion but subject to an agreed ‘Planned Transfer’

b. Children Looked After;

c. Children whose parents have been unable to find them a place after moving to the area, because of a shortage of places,

d. Children of refugees and asylum seekers not in accommodation centres;

e. Children with English as a second language or with no English;

f. Children of homeless families and children living away from home, to include pupils living away from the family home;

g. Children known to the Youth Offending Service, to include children returning from secure accommodation;

h. Children of Traveller heritage.

3.The Scale of Movement

The Local Authority has monitored the movement of children between Oxfordshire secondary schools from the 5 vulnerable groups listed below. The table below shows that the number of children involved has remained stable over the last three years and is very small compared to the total number of in year admissions.

Identified Actually changedNumber of In Year

for a move. roll in yearAdmissions?

04-05158138No data available

05-06158103No data available

06-071511012011

Groups include:

Children Looked After

Children returning from custody

Traveller Children

Children who have been excluded permanently or for whom a Planned Transfer has been agreed

Children with Statements of Special Educational Need

4.Agreed Expectations and Procedures

All schools in Oxfordshire are included in this protocol including those responsible for their own admissions. Schools will continue to admit local pupils who apply for an available place under normal admission arrangements.

This protocol covers all other arrangements for in year admissions;

All schools agree to work in partnership to share hard to place pupils in a fair and effective way;

The LA role is to ensure that in year admission requests are coordinated and managed fairly according to the protocol;

The protocol requires schools to admit pupils above their published number according to the table in Appendix A;

Pupils meeting the criteria of the protocol should be given priority for admission over others on another school roll who are on a waiting list or waiting an appeal;

Schools will respond immediately to requests for admission so that the admission of the pupil is not delayed. From request to start date, the process should take no longer than 15 school days ;

Appeals do not apply under the protocol

The Local Authority will consider any genuine concerns about the admission, for example, a previous serious breakdown in the relationship between the school and the family, or a strong aversion to or desire for the religious ethos of a school;

Wherever possible, parents’ views/preferences will be considered, but will not override the protocol if the preferred school is unable to take the pupil;

Whenever possible, pupils with a religious affiliation should be matched to a suitable school, but this should not override the protocol if the school is unable to take the pupil, or if the pupil identified for the school does not have that affiliation.

Where a parent initiates a request to change schools without moving house, the Local Authority will work closely with the current school to bring about the best outcome for the pupil. An application for Transfer Form (see Appendix C) should be completed by the parent and signed by the Head teacher of the current school before being sent to admissions. Every attempt should be made to resolve any issues, with a transfer being a last resort. Should a transfer be appropriate, the admission will be treated and recorded as either routine or hard to place according to the protocol criteria.

Where a school wishes to organise a Planned Transfer to help avoid a permanent exclusion the Planned Transfer Request Form (Appendix B) must be completed in conjunction with either the SIO or SEN Officer. A Planned Transfer will only be agreed where there is a full history of intervention and clear evidence to suggest that a child has reached the point of permanent exclusion. This is agreed with either the SIO or SEN Officer.

Informal moves and arrangements outside the planned transfer scheme are not part of the protocol and can lead to difficulties should any informal arrangement later break down. The Locality Coordinator of the Integrated Support Service should be contacted if a vulnerable child’s school place becomes unstable. This would normally be applicable where factors contributing to the instability are both in school and outside of school and a Team Around The Child approach may be required.

Schools’ should continue to make full time provision for all children awaiting transfer to a new placement, until such time as the child/ young person actually starts their new placement.

Responsibility for Placement Decisions

The routine Admission of pupils will continue to be overseen by the County Admissions Team, in liaison with the County Social Inclusion Team.

Decisions about placements will be coordinated through a weekly ‘In Year Admissions Panel’, chaired by the Service Manager Admissions and Student Support. This panel will have oversight of all in year admissions for identified vulnerable groups to ensure fairness and speed of admission. This will include admission of Permanently Excluded pupils and Planned Transfers where these pupils are considered appropriate for immediate placements.

Pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need will be placed in accordance with the appropriate legislation by the SEN team.

The monitoring and reporting role of the Local Authority is crucial in ensuring that the protocol is adhered to and that it is working fairly across the county. The capacity of schools to manage hard to place CYP may vary. DCSF recognises that some schools in challenging circumstances may not be in a position to take their fair share.

The Local Authority will be sensitive to overburdening the following categories of schools;

Schools which:

a) require special measures or have recently come out of them (within the last two years);

b) have been identified by Ofsted as having serious weaknesses or requiring significant improvement and therefore given “notice to improve”;

c) are subject to a formal warning notice;

d) are a Fresh Start school or Academy open for less than two years; or

e) are a secondary school where less than 30% of children are achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grades A* - C, or a primary school where fewer than 65% of pupils achieve level 4 or above at Key Stage 2 in both English and mathematics for four or more consecutive years.”

However, there is often a balance to be struck between finding a place quickly, say in an undersubscribed school or one facing challenging circumstances, and finding a school place that is appropriate for the child. It is also important that no school should be asked to take an excessive or unreasonable number of pupils who have been excluded from other schools. A request to a school in any of the above circumstances cannot however be ruled out altogether.

Funding

For permanently excluded pupils DCSF regulations require the pro rata AWPU to be passed to the receiving school. This should apply whether the pupil moves within Oxfordshire or from a neighbouring authority.

Secondary Head teachers have agreed that for pupils subject to a Planned Transfer the full AWPU will be transferred to the receiving school if the roll change takes place after the January Census date and before 1st September. No AWPU will move with pupils transferred between 1st September and January Census date, as such pupils will be funded fully from the following April by reason of the pupil appearing on the January Census for the new school.

For all other pupils, if they are moving from one Oxfordshire school to another, the pro rata AWPU will follow the pupil. If the pupil was not previously registered at an Oxfordshire school, no funding will be allocated until the pupil appears on the January Census on which the AWPU for the following April is calculated.

There is no additional funding attached to placing pupils other than the AWPU at this time.

Additional Re-integration Support

If a pupil is subject to this protocol because of a permanent exclusion or a Local Authority supported Planned Transfer, Meadowbrook College (formally PRUIS) will support the reintegration for up to 15 hours over a 6 week period. Meadowbrook will also work with the family and the receiving school prior to the pupil be placed on roll at a new school.

Meadowbrook College will support the integration of other pupils under this protocol if the pupil has been on roll at Meadowbrook, for example as a Looked After Child returning to Oxfordshire, or a Young Offender returning from a longer custodial sentence where the pupil’s previous school has legally removed him from the school roll.

Other vulnerable pupils and their families may be eligible for support from Local Authority and voluntary sector services to assist with settling in or reintegration. (Appendix D) lists a range of agencies and their contact information.

Where it is appropriate to seek support for reintegration this should ideally be done through a re-integration planning meeting and the development of a PSP (Pastoral Support Plan).

Record Keeping

The Admission Team will keep records of all pupils placed in accordance with the provisions of this protocol, together with all notified in-year admissions. Schools will be expected to pass pupil records to other schools as a matter of urgency once admitted. Information on placements will be published by the Local Authority, as determined by the Admission Forum.

Monitoring the Protocol

The Admission Forum requires reports from the local authority at least three times in the first year so that it can assess how well the In-Year Fair Access Protocol is working, how quickly the children are found places, and the contribution every school in the area is making. Reports will include data relating to pupils moved as a result of planned transfer. The monitoring process will be supported by both the admissions team and the tracking and monitoring administrator in Macclesfield House.

Appendix A

Expected admissions above published number
Secondary Sector
Schools with Published Admission Numbers above 900 -up to 3 above published number in each year group
Schools with Published Admission Numbers less than 900 -up to 2 above published number in each year group
Primary Sector
All primary schools can be asked to admit at least 1 vulnerable pupil in each year group above published number.

Note: An ‘In Year Admissions Panel’, chaired by the Service Manager for Admissions and Student Support will coordinate In Year Admissions. This panel will monitor “Fair Shares” between schools and take into account any special circumstances including transport.

Appendix B

Planned Transfer Request

Form to be completed with SIO or SEN Officer (a copy to be given to the Children Missing Education Admin Officer).

Parent’s/carer’s name(s):
Address:
Pupil’s Name:
Date of Birth:
Address if different to that above:
Year group:
School from which move is requested:
Date requested:
School Action:
Or school action plus:
Traveller:
Young Carer:
Youth Justice System:
Statement of SEN:
LAC:
(Please provide copy of latest IEP/PSP or parenting contract)
Dates of previous exclusions:
Reasons for request:
Criteria for request met: / Yes/No
Agreed by LA Officer: / (Date)

Additional Information

Attendance:
Actual:
Authorised:

Please attach recent certificate of attendance.

Please briefly outline what support mechanisms have been put in place prior to referral, using the Local Authority’s guidance on interventions at school action/school action plus & attach a copy of the pupil’s IEP.
School contact and responsibility:

Academic Ability

Please comment upon the student’s progress in the following subjects with reference to National Curriculum attainment levels.

KS3:
Subject / NC Levels / KS2 SATS Levels

English

Maths

Science

KS4
GCSEs/GNVQs currently being undertaken by the pupil. Please include details of syllabus and options.
Current assessment of performance – please indicate most recent assessment results, for example, modular tests and portfolio assessments.
Agency Involvement
Level of vulnerability in accordance to the Local Authority Child Concern Model
Please indicate if the following agencies are involved with the student
Education Psychology / Contact
Education Social Work / Contact
Children & Families / Contact
Behaviour Support Team / Contact
PCAMHS / Contact
YOS / Contact
Health / Contact
Other (please specify) / Contact
CAF completed? / Contact
Head teacher’s signature:
Print Name:
Date:

Agreed by SIO/SENOSignature:

Date:

Appendix C

APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER

CASUAL ADMISSION TO SECONDARY SCHOOL

This form is for applicants to transfer between schools or to join a school in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11

Please read these notes before completing the application.

Please complete all sections of the form in full.
Each school has a limited number of places available. A parent whose application is rejected because the available places are taken has the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel.
Completed forms should be returned to the address at the top of the form.
If your child attended a school outside of the UK please give as much detail as you can about their education and include copies of any school reports you may have.
If your child has recently arrived to the UK, he or she may be asked to attend a Language Assessment Unit to help with placing your child in school.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE INFORMATION BELOW USING CAPITAL LETTERS AND BLACK INK:

PUPIL’S NAME:DATE OF BIRTH:
(as stated on birth certificate)
GENDER:
HOME
ADDRESS:POSTCODE:
Name of Parent/Carer living at home address above:
Title: / First Name: / Surname:
Relationship to child:
Home Telephone: / Work Telephone: / Mobile:
About your child’s current school
If your child has recently arrived in the UK please give details of their education and enclose copies of passport and Visa, if applicable.
Name and address of present/ last school
Has the transfer been discussed with the current school? / YES / NO / If the answer is NO, please do so before proceeding with your request for transfer.
Name of Head teacher/Year head of current school
Signature of Head teacher/ Year head of current school / Date:
Does your child have a Statement of Special Education Needs / YES / NO
Is your child in the public care of a Local Authority / YES / Name of Authority: / NO
Has your child ever been permanently excluded from school? / YES / NO / Has your child ever had any fixed periods of exclusion from school? / YES / NO
If YES please give details, including the date of exclusion

Years 10 & 11 – places in these year groups are limited. Please also note that it is very difficult to integrate a child into these year groups. Please give details below of subjects and courses being studied.

First Preference: / Office use:
Reason for transfer:
Any other relevant information:

The Authority reserves the right to verify the information given on this form. Any offer of a place will be on the basis that the information supplied is accurate and up to date. I agree to reasonable enquiries being made if information needs to be verified.

Signature(s) of Parent(s)/Carer(s) / Date:

Equal Opportunities

PERSONAL INFORMATION SUPPLIED WILL BE HELD ON COMPUTER AND IS SUBJECT TO THE DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998. DATA MAY BE EXCHANGED WITH OTHER LOCAL AUTHORITIES IF NECESSARY

20/05/2019

OCC In year Admissions & Fair Access Protocol