Report CDS15111

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report providing an update on the outcome of the primary admissions and secondary transfer process for Bromley children and in-year admissions for the 2015/16 academic year.

For the 2015/16 academic year, 97.2% of Bromley children remained in-Borough for their new reception mainstream primary education with the remaining 2.8% of Bromley children accepting out-of-Borough places.  5% of Bromley places were allocated to children who were resident out-of-borough.  To ensure that the Local Authority was able to meet its duty to offer all Bromley children a place on National Offer day on 16^th April 2015, it had been necessary to add bulge classes at three schools in the Beckenham and Penge areas and one bulge class at a school in the Farnborough area.  Applications continued to be submitted and over 300 further applications had been received since National Offer day.  It continued to be difficult to allocate school places to these children as they were applying in areas that were already over-subscribed and too far from schools with vacancies.  There had been a total of 3989 reception mainstream primary applications received for 2015/16 (not including in-year admissions), of which 83% received their first choice preference and 8% received their second choice preference, which was an improvement on previous years.

The overall percentage of Bromley children remaining the Borough for their secondary mainstream education for the 2015/16 academic year was 78.7%.  16.6% of Bromley children accepted out-of-Borough places, including Grammar, Church and Harris Academy schools, and 4.7% accepted places in the Independent sector.  There had been an unprecedented lack of available places for boys in the Beckenham and Penge area and with no availability within reasonable travelling distance, places were offered in neighbouring Croydon.  In-year applications for secondary places continued to be submitted and were increasing every year, and due to a lack of places across the Borough, it was proving increasingly difficult to resolve the issue within statutory timescales.  There had been a total of 3518 mainstream secondary applications received for 2015/16 (not including in-year admissions), of which 72% received their first choice preference and 13% received their second choice preference, which was a reduction on the previous year.

The Assistant Director: Education advised Members that the Local Authority had worked closely with secondary academies and schools in an informal Secondary Admissions Forum following the creation of three secondary bulge classes for 2015/16.  Given the need to create additional school places across the Borough in a fair and transparent way, it was proposed that an Admissions Forum covering both primary and secondary admissions, be constituted with the first meeting to be held in the summer term 2016.

In response to a question from the Chairman, the Assistant Director: Education confirmed that some schools had been under-subscribed for the 2015/16 academic year, but that the available places were being taken up by the increasing number of in-year admissions.  There had been a shortage of secondary places for boys in the Beckenham and Penge area for 2015/16, following which places had been offered in Croydon.  Although there were available places at secondary schools in the south of the Borough due to a reduced number of applications from out-of-Borough pupils, this had not been an appropriate option for some Bromley pupils due to distance.  A Member was concerned that schools that had been under-subscribed would be impacted by a reduction in funding.

A Member was pleased to note the high number of Bromley pupils who had received their first choice of primary or secondary school.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Note the outcome of the primary admissions and secondary transfer process for Bromley children and in-year admissions for the 2015/16 academic year; and,

2)  Agree the constitution of an Admissions Forum on primary and secondary admissions.