SCHOOL ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS 2013

Isle of Wight Council is the admissions authority for all community and voluntary-controlled schools on the Island. The voluntary aided and foundation schools are their own admissions authorities, as are the academies. However, the council retains the responsibility for coordinating admission arrangements across all schools.

The Department for Education has recently published a new draft Admissions Code which was laid before Parliament on 1 December 2011. The code is expected to become law on 1 February 2012, and will come into effect for September 2013 school admissions.

The new code introduces a number of changes to current arrangements and those that are statutory have been incorporated into the new primary admissions policies.

In addition to the statutory changes required by the new code, the council is also proposing to change the arrangements for allocating places in community and voluntary controlled schools.

Under current arrangements, the Isle of Wight is divided into priority (catchment) areas. Each of these areas is served by a particular community or controlled primary school. In most cases, pupils living in a priority area currently have priority for places at the local school over those who live outside of the catchment area.

The council is proposing that in future, children applying for places in community and voluntary controlled primary schools will be allocated a place at the closest primary school to their home address. The home to school distance will be measured using the council’s Geographical Information System (GIS), from the centre of the building of the home address to the centre of the school building.

In order to reduce the number of children who currently change schools because their younger sibling(s) are not successful in applying for a place at the same school. It is proposed that children who, at the time of application, have an elder sibling who is already at the school (and who will still be in attendance at the school when the younger child takes up their place), will have priority over children whose home address is closer to the school.

The new Admissions Code and the proposed primary and secondary admissions policies for community and voluntary controlled schools can be viewed by:

Primary – click here
Secondary – click here

We would invite your comments on the above proposals. Comments on the new policies and the proposals contained within them should be made by 4.30 pm on 22 February 2012.

By email: admissions.consultations@iow.gov.uk

By post: Admissions consultation

Childrens Services Finance
Floor 3
County Hall

Newport
PO30 1UD