The Cabinet Member with the Children and Young People Portfolio introduced the report of the Director of Children and Adults Services (previously circulated) requesting that consideration be given to the Local Authority’s Admission Arrangements (also previously circulated) for the 2020/21 Academic Year, for maintained schools in the Borough.

The submitted report stated that, in line with the Schools Admission Code, an Admission Authority was required annually to determine the admission arrangements used to allocate places for schools for which it was the admission authority; once approved, there was a statutory duty on the Local Authority to forward a Co-ordinated Admission scheme for both primary and secondary schools to the Secretary of State by 28 February 2019; and that the oversubscription criteria had been amended to include children who had been previously in state care.

RESOLVED – (a) That the Local Authority’s admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools, as appended to the submitted report, be approved.

(b) That the Co-ordinated Admission Schemes for both primary and secondary applications for the 2020/21 academic year, as appended to the submitted report, be adopted.

REASON – (a) The Authority is under a statutory duty to determine admission arrangements for primary schools for which it is the admission authority for the academic year 2020/21.

(b) If the co-ordinated scheme is not adopted and returned to the Department for Education by the 28 February 2019 the Secretary of State may impose a scheme on the Authority.