(Report by Mr Mark Dance, Cabinet Member for Operations, Resources and Skills, Mr Leyland Ridings, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Educational Achievement, Dr Ian Craig, Interim Managing Director for Children, Families and Education and Mr Keith Abbott, Interim Managing Director for Children, Families and Education)
(Mr Scott Bagshaw, Head of Admissions and Transport was present for this item)
(1) In introducing this report Mr Bagshaw highlighted the main points in the report. The County Council in its capacity as the local authority is the admissions authority for Community and Voluntary Controlled schools, and was required to consult on its proposed admissions arrangements for those schools annually, and to determine its admission arrangements by 15 April each year. In proposing these admissions arrangements there had been wide consultation including Head teachers and Chairman of Governors of all Kent primary and secondary schools; neighbouring local authorities; diocesan bodies; independent schools; parents and parental groups together with the Admissions Forum. The Forum supported the continuation of the existing schemes and agreed the need for minor changes in the primary scheme dates in order to avoid the Easter holidays clash.
(2) During the course of discussion, Mr Carter spoke about the admissions and the appeals processes and said many of the difficulties which arose was because of the removal of powers from elected Members to quangos. Mr Dance spoke about the measures which the County Council was taking and also the discussions which it was having with neighbouring authorities such as Medway and Bexley in order to facilitate more grammar school places in West Kent.
(3) Cabinet agreed:-
(a) the proposed scheme to co-ordinate admissions to primary schools in September 2010 be determined as set out in Appendix A to the Cabinet report;
(b) the proposed scheme to co-ordinate admissions to secondary schools in September 2010 be determined as set out in Appendix B of the Cabinet report;
(c) the over-subscription criteria detailed in Appendix A and Appendix B relating to Community and Voluntary Controlled primary and secondary schools are determined for 2010;
(d) that the Published Admission Numbers for Community and Voluntary Primary and Secondary schools are determined as set out in Appendix A and Appendix B of the Cabinet report;
(e) Cabinet also noted:-
(i) the comments made during the course of the consultation as outlined in Appendix C of the Cabinet report; and
(ii) that from September 2010, the County Council would be required to administer all Casual Admissions (a process currently devolved to schools and academies) – a further consultation would take place later in the year to develop a “casual admissions schemes” which must be determined by no later than January 2010.