Agenda item

(1)         Mr Burleton referred to item 21 (3) of the Minutes and confirmed that the Diocese was in the process of seeking a replacement for Mr McBride. 

(2)         Reverend Genders referred to item 26 of the Minutes and advised the Members that they still had the opportunity to comment on the item.

(3)         Mr Dalton referred to item 26 (i) of the Minutes and sought clarification on the rationale of allocating Grammar Assessed pupils to an Academy where another grammar school was not nearby.  Mr Bagshaw advised that this decision was taken because a number of Academies are now located in selective areas of education and are wide ability schools. Academies are by definition able to be meet the needs of pupils across the entire ability range. In light of parents expressing concerns in previous years about their children being offered schools many miles from their home the LA offered a local wide ability school to grammar assessed pupils who were resident in the selective area of education and unable to secure one of their named preferences or where there was no grammar school within a reasonable travelling distance.

(4)          (i)     Mr Dalton suggested that some Academies did not have a selective policy and should not be considered as being able to meet wide ability needs.  This view was shared by Mr Luxmoore. 

(ii)        Mr Bagshaw explained that Funding Agreements for Academies and notice when set up was on the basis that they were Wide Ability Schools.  In selective areas with ‘G’ and ‘H’ Academies were seen as Wide Ability Schools.  Mr Bagshaw explained that Hextable is in a Comprehensive Area and where children living in a comprehensive area had been assessed as suitable for grammar school but unable to secure a local grammar place, the LA would offer the nearest school with a vacancy this would have been either the local comprehensive school or Academy depending on which was closer.

(iii)      Mr Cooke felt that the issue was more one of distance.  The Local Authority had been criticised in the past for sending ‘G’ assessed pupils across the County to another grammar school.  He commented that the Academies were new schools in their own right and that they should be recognised as such rather than the High Schools they replaced, e.g. Skinners Academy and not Tunbridge Wells High School.  In response to Mr Dalton’s concerns Mr Cooke confirmed that some ‘G’ assessed pupils who could not be offered a grammar school were offered Wide Ability Schools that were not Academies.

(iv)       Mr Bagshaw advised the Forum that the Local Authority was legally obliged to make an offer of a school on National Offer Day but that in practice parents would not be happy with any of the offers they received if they do not relate to one of the named preferences.

Reverend Genders requested that a policy view be ready for next year.  Mr Cooke confirmed that there was not a policy in the Cabinet that Academies should be given priority only that a Wide Ability School should be looked for.