Online Schools Admissions National Project

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Online Schools Admissions National Project
Amanda Derrick November 2004
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Introduction / Background

• Need to simplify and speed up the application
  process for parents/carers, children and LEAs
• Funded by the ODPM as part of an 80 million
  programme to help LAs with e-Government
• Launched February 2004 with Hertfordshire County
  Council appointed as lead authority

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Aims Objectives

• Establish a route map for other LEAs to follow
• Define best practice and core standards for
  online admissions
• Build on existing standards along with DfES
• Liaise with LEA suppliers to help ensure that
  their products meet the needs of LEAs
• Use agreed standards and develop a set of
  specifications to allow rapid procurement by LEAs
  of online admissions systems

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Deliverables

• Online applications via a transactional e-form
  (not a pdf document)
• An email facility to deal with queries throughout
  the admissions process (Including appeals and
  In-year Admissions)
• Links to other relevant sites such as local
  schools, OFSTED, DfES, etc.
• Online information/help on the admissions
  process, e.g. admissions rules

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Target for September 2006

• All 150 LEAs are required to offer online schools
  admissions, for the 2006 process for 2007 entry.

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Stage 2 Framework
Stage 2 gt Oct 04-Mar 05
Interactive Admissions Booklet
In-Year Admissions
Appeals
GIS
Implementation of Minimum Feature List
PAN LONDON
Feasibility Study
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The Pan London Project

• Working alongside the Schools Admissions National
  Project
• 33 Boroughs and 7 LEAs
• Aim
• Co-ordinated system for admissions
• Establish a fairer and simpler system than the
  one currently used

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Feasibility studies

• National
• Looking at the back office software
  implementation for schools admissions processing
• Looking at national/regional web portal
• Led by Birmingham City Council
• Due December 2004

• Pan London
• Looking at the possible implementation of a web
  portal for the support of online admissions
  within London LEAs
• Due November 2004

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Benefits of Online Schools Admissions

• For Parents/Carers and Children
• Makes process quicker and easier
• Makes process more reliable by online validation
• Provides more easily accessible information
• Enables them to register Continued Interest or
  Appeals online
• Enables them to change the application right up
  the deadline date
• Allows them to view their childs allocated place
  without waiting for post

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Benefits of Online Schools Admissions

• For LEAs
• Receive applications faster with less errors
• Saves time in importing data into the allocation
  system
• Enables LEAs to achieve some of the ODPMs
  Priority Outcomes related to Schools
• R1 (online admissions)
• G1 (admissions portal)
• E1 (take up targets)
• Cost savings if application brochures available
  online and allocation details sent via email

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Benefits of Online Schools Admissions

• For All Schools
• Provides an online list of applicants for each
  school
• Can allow confirmation of siblings to be done if
  required
• Allows online submission of rank order/preferred
  applicants to be submitted from schools where
  appropriate

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Benefits of Online Schools Admissions

• For Primary Schools
• Can check online that all their pupils have made
  applications to secondary schools
• General
• Reduction in paperwork and paper waste

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Timeline
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Website

• The Online Schools Admissions National Project
  website is at

www.eAdmissions.org

• Visit it to find out about the project framework,
  research results, events and the tool box

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Hertfordshire Experiences

• The pilot
• Hertfordshire piloted an online nursery
  admissions system in 2002
• 3.5 of parents/carers applied online for a
  nursery school or class

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Hertfordshire Experiences

• Online admissions in 2004
• Parents/Carers can apply for nursery, primary,
  junior and secondary school places online
• Parents/Carers can retrieve their allocation
  details online
• Parents/Carers can lodge an appeal or apply for
  continuing interest online

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Hertfordshire Experiences
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Hertfordshire Experiences

• Lessons Learnt
• In larger LEAs, ensuring the correct school is
  selected
• include the schools town in the drop down list
• Ensuring UACs (Unique Application Code) are not
  duplicated
• Issue the UAC through the online admissions
  system rather than recording it on the paper
  application form

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Hertfordshire Experiences

• Lessons Learnt
• Parents/Carers not remembering their security
  details
• Ensure there is an automated process to deal with
  forgotten security details
• Communication with schools
• If appropriate, schools need access to
  information with regard to online applications