Admissions, transport and relevant areas consultation

For general information on admissions in Devon or application forms find out more here

Local authorities are required to publish co-ordinated 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 run from Monday 2 November 2020 to Friday 8 January 2021.

The Plymouth CAST multi-academy trust will be consulting up to 22 January 2021 on a policy for its members schools. These are the nine Catholic primary schools located in Devon.

This will include its normal round co-ordinated admissions scheme for 2022-23, in-year co-ordinated admissions scheme for 2021-22 and Education Transport Policy for 2022-23 and the admissions policies for individual schools in Devon for 2022-23. It will also include a consultation on an Admissions Relevant Area for 2021-23.

Responses must be submitted either in writing to: Senior Policy Officer , Room L60, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD, or by email: schoolsadmissionpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

After the consultation, responses will be considered by the Local Authority and by relevant schools. A report will be presented to The Cabinet of the Council for its consideration on 12 February 2021.

The determined versions of all policies will be published by 15 March 2021 at devon.cc/lapolicies and devon.cc/schoolpolicy  and on the websites of schools and their own admissions authorities.

The following schools will also be included:

• • in Plymouth: Old Priory Junior Academy
  • Oreston Community 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
  • 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.

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 following changes are proposed for all schools in anticipation of amendments to the School Admissions Code which has itself been the subject of public consultation. It is possible that amendments to the School Admissions Code may not come into force until after policies in Devon are determined (by the end of February 2021). If so, these amendments will be inserted in due course as a mandatory requirement of the revised Code:

• to include children who have been adopted out of public care from outside England
• to require schools to provide information about numbers on roll to the Local Authority within 2 school days of being requested to do so.
• to reduce the timescale for in-year application decisions to 10 school days

Consultation on the Relevant Areas for Admission Arrangements 2021-23
Under the School Standards & Framework Act 1998, local authorities are required to establish a Relevant Area in which admission authorities must consult regarding their admission arrangements. The Education (Relevant Areas for Consultation on Admission Arrangements) Regulations 1999 requires local authorities to consult on these proposals every two years. Devon LA proposes the following as relevant areas for admission arrangements for 2021-22 and 2022-23:

1. 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 propose the following unchanged relevant area:

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

2. 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 LA administrative area, propose the following unchanged relevant area:

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

3. The academy trusts or governing bodies of academy, free, foundation and voluntary aided secondary schools, studio schools and university technical colleges acting as their own admission authorities, located within the Devon LA administrative area, propose the following unchanged relevant area:

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

If you have any comments or suggestions during the consultation, please contact us using the details at the bottom of this page. The closing date for responses, either to us or directly to a school is 8 January 2021.

To view the proposed Devon Normal Round Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme 2022-23, the Devon In-Year Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for 2021-22 and the Devon Education Transport policies for 2022-23, please visit devon.cc/lapolicies.

To view the proposed admissions policies for 2022-23 for Devon state-funded schools and for a number of Plymouth and Torbay academies, please go to devon.cc/schoolpolicy.

If you would like this in a different format such as large print, braille or tape, or in a different language, please contact the Council’s Information Centre on 01392 380101 or email info@devon.gov.uk. If you are unsure of any terms or have a question about any aspect of these arrangements, please contact the Policy and Strategy Officer, marking your email ‘School Admissions and Transport Policy’. Policies will be determined by 28 February 2021 and published here by 15 March 2021.

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.