Agenda and minutes

An officer presented a report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development, which put forward a proposal to change the current arrangements for confirming addresses in relation to applications for school places.  The report recommended that two pieces of documentary evidence be requested as proof of address when dealing with applications for maintained schools, with the preferred documents being a current year council tax bill and a utility bill issued within the last 3 months.

In response to questions from the Forum, the officer explained that:

·                     the Education Department would maintain a flexible approach when requesting proof of address and would be willing to accept other documentation if individuals could not meet the initial requirements;

·                     the public part of the electoral roll could be used to confirm the address of an applicant;

·                     the public part of the electoral roll could be used to confirm the address of an applicant;

·                     as the Admissions Service had access to the council tax database, it was possible to check that an applicant lived at the address given on an application form.  Only in circumstances where the applicant was not still registered at the address was it necessary to contact the applicant to request further proof of address.

Resolved to RECOMMEND:  (To the Portfolio Holder for Schools and Children’s Development)

That two pieces of documentary evidence be requested as proof of address in Harrow when dealing with applications for maintained school places.

Reason for Recommendation:  To ensure there is fairness and equity across all Harrow schools in relation to providing proof of address as part of the application process.

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance at this meeting.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members.

RESOLVED: To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rules 16, 14 and 15 respectively.

That the minutes of the special and the ordinary meetings held on 14 July 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the special and ordinary meetings held on 14 July 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.  Officers agreed to seek clarification on the decision made at the last meeting regarding Membership of the Harrow Admissions Forum.

Report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development.

An officer presented a report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development, which called for the Forum to determine whether the current admission arrangements of the Council met the needs of younger and less developed children, or whether a change was required.  It was noted that under the current arrangements the School Admissions Code of Practice required that admission authorities allow parents to defer their child’s entry into reception class later into the school year if the child was not of compulsory school age at the beginning of term.

Following discussion, the Forum noted that the Cambridge Group review was due to be published shortly and the recommendations set out in the Director’s report ought to be deferred.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the report be noted;

(2)  the Forum await guidance on the matter from the Department for Children, Schools and Families before making a decision.

Report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development.

An officer presented a report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development, which set out the role of the Nursery Admissions Working Party. 

The officer stated that in recent years the authority had reviewed both Rising 5 and high school admission arrangements.  Nursery arrangements had not been reviewed since 1997.  It was now a suitable time to look at nursery arrangements to determine whether the criteria still met local needs or whether they should be revised. 

RESOLVED:  That (1) the report be noted;

(2) members of the Nursery Admissions Working Party focus on the oversubscription criteria, including tie?breakers, and whether the current administrative arrangements were working in the best interests of children and families.

Report of the Director of Legal and Governance Services.

An officer presented a report of the Director of Legal and Governance Services on the designation of entry points for schools when calculating distances for admission purposes.   The officer stated that the Council’s Legal and Governance Department had clarified that decisions relating to the determination of official entry points were the responsibility of school governors.

In response to questions from the Forum, the officer stated that:

·                     maps showing the designated entry points for all community schools in Harrow were available on the Council’s website;

·                     the system currently used by residents to calculate the distance from an address to a school did not detail the entry point being used.  The Council was considering developing the service so that the information would be provided.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development.

An officer presented a report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development on the new requirement to co?ordinate in-year admissions and admissions to reception classes from 2010 and September 2011 respectively.

In response to a question from the Forum, the officer stated that faith schools had been involved in talks concerning the new requirement and a meeting would be arranged with the Krishna Avanti School and Moriah Jewish Day School.

A member of the Forum noted that there were concerns that the new procedure would slow the admissions process, although it was accepted that the new procedure was required by statute.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development.

An officer presented a report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development, which had been submitted in response to a request from the Forum for information on applicants that had not been offered any of their four preferred schools.  For each applicant, the report detailed the four preferred schools, the school that had been offered and the nearest school to the individual’s home.

The officer explained that six applicants had been offered schools that were a greater distance from their home than the schools that they had requested.

In response to questions from the Forum, the officer stated that:

·                     the possibility of offering applicants the opportunity to select six preferred schools, as opposed to four, would be considered at the next meeting of the Forum;

·                     common law required applicants that had expressed a preference to attend a school to be given priority over applicants that had not expressed a preference, regardless of the distance from their address to the school in question;

·                     when deciding the outcome of an application various factors were considered, including the number of siblings and the number of children living closer to the school;

·                     if there were further developments in the town centre, there could be an increased need for school places in the borough.

The Forum stated that there was concern that some applicants who selected their nearest schools as preferences were unable to gain a place at any, due to the distance oversubscription criteria.  In response, an officer stated that this problem currently applied to a small number of applicants and that the current system was seen as the most effective way of processing applications for admissions.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.