Admissions, transport and relevant areas consultation

Local authorities are required to publish coordinated admissions schemes for the first entry to schools in their area. That means primary schools (reception, a transfer from infant to junior schools, first to middle schools) and secondary schools (middle to high schools and primary to secondary schools).

Devon County Council’s annual consultation on School Admission and Transport Arrangements will take place between Monday 1 November 2021 and Friday 7 January 2022. Policies will be determined by the end of February and published by 15 March.

School admission arrangements

This will include the normal round co-ordinated admissions scheme and in-year co-ordinated admissions scheme for 2023-24, detailed at devon.cc/lapolicies and the admissions policies for individual state-funded, mainstream schools in Devon for 2023-24.

The following schools will also be included:

• • in Plymouth: Old Priory Junior Academy
  • Plympton St Mary’s C of E Infant School
  • St Edward’s C of E Primary School
  • St George’s C of E Primary School
  • St Matthew’s C of E Primary and Nursery School
  • St Peter’s C of E Primary School
  • and in Torbay: All Saints, Babbacombe C of E Primary School
  • Brixham C of E Primary School
  • Collaton St Mary C of E Primary School
  • Ellacombe Academy
  • Galmpton C of E Primary School
  • Ilsham C of E Academy
  • Oldway Primary School
  • Roselands Primary School
  • Shiphay Learning Academy
  • St Marychurch C of E Primary School
  • St Michael’s C of E Academy
  • Upton St James C of E Primary School
  • Warberry C of E Academy

A summary of significant Proposed Changes for Policies will be published during the consultation at devon.cc/schoolpolicy.

Education Transport Policy

This will be for the policy for primary and secondary schools and for post-16 education for the academic year 2023-24.

Devon relevant area for school admissions

Devon County Council as the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled infant, junior, primary and secondary schools and with responsibility for co-ordinated admissions schemes and the Fair Access Protocol proposes no change to the relevant areas for admission arrangements which were set for 2022-23. That is, for 2023-24 and 2024-25, they will be:

• the administrative area of Devon County Council (not including the administrative areas of Torbay Council or Plymouth City Council)
• an area within 3 miles of the border in the local authorities of Cornwall, Dorset, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.

The academy trusts or governing bodies of academy, free, foundation and voluntary aided infant, junior and primary schools acting as their own admission authorities, located within the Devon County Council administrative area, will be required to consult within the following relevant area:

• a 10 mile radius of the school, or, where this covers a neighbouring authority area, up to 3 miles into that area.

The academy trusts or governing bodies of academy, free, foundation and voluntary aided secondary* schools (including studio schools and University Technical Colleges) acting as their own admission authorities, located within the Devon County Council administrative area, will be required to consult within the following relevant area:

• A 15 mile radius of the school, or, where this covers a neighbouring authority area, up to 3 miles into the area.

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Responses to the admissions, transport and relevant areas consultation must be submitted either in writing to Senior Policy Officer, Room L60, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD, by email to schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk or to individual schools.

After the consultation, responses will be considered by the Local Authority and the admission authority for each school. A report will be presented to The Cabinet of the Council for its consideration on 11 February 2022.

The determined versions of all policies will be published by 15 March 2022 at devon.cc/lapolicies and devon.cc/schoolpolicy and on the websites of schools and their own admissions authorities.

In Devon, we believe that arrangements should be open for consultation annually, including all aspects of the arrangements such as the number of places available at each school. While not a legal requirement where there are no changes proposed, this enables parents new to admissions and new members of staff and governors at schools to consider the arrangements. You are invited to review the arrangements for Devon County Council and individual schools and to ask yourself the following questions:

• are the arrangements reasonable?
• are the arrangements clear?
• are the arrangements objective?
• do the arrangements comply with the school admissions code 2014 and the school admissions appeals code 2012, and the laws and regulations behind them?
• will the arrangements cause disadvantage or discrimination?
• could changes be made that would improve the arrangements, including the number of places available at a school, how they prioritise children when they have more applications than places, the designated areas for schools or how applications are managed?

The information below constitutes an appendix to all local authority policies:

• DfE School admissions code
• Office of the schools’ adjudicator
• Education and Skills Funding Agency
• UK – General education and learning information
• UK – School admissions and transport to school advice
• Ofsted – Office for Standards in Education
• Ofsted – Primary and Secondary schools’ information and reports
• GIAS – Get information about schools

Contact us

You can email schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk or write, marking the letter ‘School Admissions and Transport Policy’ to: Senior Policy Officer, Room L60, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD.