Every school is required by law to set its admission arrangements policy which governs how places are offered to applicants.
Within the policies are criteria that the schools use in determining the order of priority for allocating places. If a school decides they are changing the way they offer places, they are required to undertake consultation a year before the change becomes effective.
Schools are also required to undertake a consultation every 7 years even where no changes are required.
The law expects schools and academies to bring their consultation to the attention of:
- parents of children between the ages of 2 and 18
- other persons in the area who have an interest in the proposed arrangements
- all other schools and academies within the local area
- the local authority
- any neighbouring local authorities
- relevant faith bodies.
The consultation process which allows any concerns about changes to be raised, should take place for at least 6 weeks between 1 October and 31 January.
At the end of the consultations, decisions are made, and the arrangements are considered as 'determined'. The admission arrangements must be determined by 28 February and published by 15 March.
The governing body of a school is responsible for making decisions about its admission arrangements. For community schools, decisions are made by the local authority while decisions for voluntary aided, free and academy schools are made by their individual governing body.
Please visit each school's website for full details and how to submit your concern.