To approve the commencement of the Council’s consultation on admission arrangements to ensure the statutory requirement for admissions consultation is met. The Council is the admissions authority for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools.

1.      That the commencement of consultation for the proposed changes to the Council’s admission arrangements for the academic year 2019/20 be approved.

2.      That the Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Executive Member for Education and Skills, be authorised to determine the Council’s Admission Arrangements for the academic year 2019/20 in response to the outcome of the consultation, noting that the Council’s admission arrangements must be determined by 28 February 2018 as required by legislation.

The Executive considered a report from the Executive Member for Education and Skills that sought approval for the commencement of the Council’s consultation on admission arrangements.  The proposed changes to the admission arrangements were to:-

·         include children of staff as a priority to Leighton Middle School’s oversubscription criteria;

·         include the following lower schools as named feeder schools to Edward Peake Middle School’s oversubscription criteria; Dunton VC Lower, Northill VA Lower, Sutton VA Lower and Wrestlingworth VC Lower;

·         remove catchment areas for admission to lower schools in Leighton Buzzard; and

·         amend the catchment area boundary for Lawnside Lower and St. Andrew’s Lower School (East).

The Executive Member for Education and Skills proposed an amendment to recommendation 2 and this was duly seconded:

“That the Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Executive Member for Education and Skills, be authorised to determine the Council’s Admission Arrangements for the academic year 2019/20 in response to the outcome of the consultation, noting that the Council’s admission arrangements must be determined by 28 February 2018 as required by legislation.”

In response to a question, the Executive Member for Education and Skills explained that the request to include children of staff as a priority in the oversubscription criteria needed to be made by the school and consulted upon before being approved.  He would investigate whether such requests needed to be considered by the Executive on each occasion or whether delegated authority could be granted to consider such requests as and when they were received from a school.

Reason for decision:  To enable the Council to consult on the changes to its admission arrangements within the statutory timescales as set out in the School Admissions Code.

RESOLVED

1.      that the commencement of consultation for the proposed changes to the Council’s admission arrangements for the academic year 2019/20 be approved; and

2.      that the Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Executive Member for Education and Skills, be authorised to determine the Council’s Admission Arrangements for the academic year 2019/20 in response to the outcome of the consultation, noting that the Council’s admission arrangements must be determined by 28 February 2018 as required by legislation.

The decision was unanimous.