Secondary School Admissions Panel (October 2005)

A working group is considering changes to the secondary school admissions system for the 2007 year of entry.

The panel consists of councillors from all political parties, including Goldsmid councillor Simon Battle, plus School Governor and Headteacher representatives. The chair, Dr Bryan Slater, is fully independent of the City Council and an expert in the field.

Although 90 per cent of parents were successful in attaining their first choice secondary school this year, concerns were raised by parents, especially in certain ‘disenfranchised’ areas. In these parts of the City – for instance near Queens Park, central Hove, and central Brighton – there are no secondary schools.

The panel has met several times already to consider the options and recently held two Select Committee-style hearings where parents came and made personal submissions to the Panel. In the summer, the working group also wrote to parents inviting them to return a questionnaire on the pros and cons of the present system.

“Parents are giving us the message that they want more certainty in the admissions system,” says Goldsmid Ward councillor Simon Battle. “The lack of secondary schools in the centre of the City is the root cause of the small number of parents not receiving their preferences.

“I am confident we can improve the system but I am aware that we must be sensitive. The system is currently serving the great majority of parents well so we need to proceed cautiously.”

The present system relies heavily on a ‘distance to school’ criterion. The panel will be recommending whether the system can be improved and its proposals will go out to consultation shortly.

Options include associating communities with certain schools and creating ‘virtual schools’ in areas without physical schools for distance measurement purposes.

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