PARENTS BRIEFING 2006 Beginning Primary School or Moving on to Junior School

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PARENTS BRIEFING2006 Beginning Primary School
or Moving on to Junior School
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What happens in the autumn term?

• Parents and/or children arrange to visit or
  attend open days at primary schools
• Parents fill in ONE application form per LEA with
  their preferences (and any supplementary form
  needed for a particular school)
• Parents return the form for Bucks by 18 November
  2005 listing Buckinghamshire schools only

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What happens in the spring term?

• The allocation process happens
• The LEA you applied to tells you which school
  your child has been allocated on 20 February
  (offering each child only one place)
• You decide whether to accept the place and/or ask
  for an appeal for a higher preference
• You must reply within 14 days

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What happens in the summer term?

• If the LEA can offer any late places they will do
  so
• Parents can appeal for a place at their preferred
  school
• Children attend an introductory session at their
  allocated school (if arranged by school)

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The new way of listing preferences

• If you want a Bucks school you complete the Bucks
  form
• If you want a school in another LEA you can also
  fill in their form
• On the Bucks form you can list up to 3 maintained
  school preferences (do not include independent
  schools)
• You rank your list in genuine preference order
  putting your highest preference first
• It is in your best interest to list more than one
  school

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The new way of listing preferences (VA and F
schools)

• Buckinghamshire LEA will work with all the VA and
  Foundation schools in Bucks
• If you include a VA or Foundation school on your
  list you should check with the school to see if
  you need to fill in a supplementary form
• Each admission authority will apply their
  oversubscription rules to all children who have
  listed them

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Allocating places -1

• The admission authorities will tell the LEA which
  children can be offered places
• Where more than one of the schools you have
  listed can offer a place then the LEA will check
  to see which you have ranked highest on your list
• That offer is kept for you and the lower ranked
  place is offered to someone else

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Allocating places - 2

• This process is repeated until no more places can
  be offered
• If you cannot be offered any of the schools
  listed by this point in the process the LEA will
  offer the nearest school with a place
• Each parent/carer is told about the school that
  can be offered to their child

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An Example

• Tom has three preferences
• His mum lists them as
• 1. High Town School
• 2. Leafy Lane School
• 3. Long Avenue School

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Step 1
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Step 2
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Step 3
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Step 4
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Step 5
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Allocation Day

• The offer letter will be sent from the LEA by
  post on 20 February
• Each child will only get one offer from each LEA
  they apply to
• Parents can appeal against the allocation if they
  think that there has been an error in the way the
  arrangements have been carried out

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About Appeals

• The Independent Appeal Panel comprises three
  people who are unconnected to the Council
• The Panel has no connection to the school
  involved in the appeal
• You should attend the appeal, although it can be
  held in your absence
• At Key Stage 1 the panels powers are limited
  (entry to primary school)

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Most important things to remember!

• Fill each LEAs application form in by their
  deadline
• Put your preferences in the real order!
• Be realistic about where you think your child
  will get into a school
• Visit the school and make your own decision
  rather than depend on other people