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CHAIR'S OPENING REMARKS
\nTo receive any opening remarks from the\nChair
\nMinutes:
\nIn opening the meeting the Chair welcomed\neveryone in attendance and extended a special welcome to Helen\nLewis and Amy Williamson who were attending for the first time.
\nREVISED MEMBERSHIP OF THE ADMISSION FORUM IN THE NEW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CODE PDF 28 KB
\nTo inform the Admission Forum of the revised\nMembership of the Leeds Admission Forum required by the School\nAdmissions (Local Authority Reports and Admission Forums) (England)\nRegulations 2008 (“the Regulations”) following\nconsideration by Leeds City Council Executive Board at it’s\nmeeting on 1st April 2009.
\n\n
(Report attached)
\nMinutes:
\nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report which set out the revised Membership of the Leeds\nAdmission Forum required by the School Admissions (Local Authority\nReports and Admission Forums) (England) Regulations 2008\n(“the Regulations”) following consideration by Leeds\nCity Council’s Executive Board at it’s meeting on\n1st April 2009.
\n\n
The revised Membership is as follows:
\n\n
Local Authority\nRepresentatives
\n\n
Councillor P Gruen
\nCouncillor R Harker
\n\n
Parent\nRepresentatives
\n\n
Mrs L Bryan – High School\nRepresentative
\nMr I Faulkingham\n– Primary School Representative
\n\n
Local Community\nRepresentatives
\n\n
Ms P Hill – NHS Leeds Primary Health Care
\nMr N Pyke –\nBlack Governors Information Network
\nMrs S Knights – SEN Interests
\nMs S Taylor – Prospect
\n\n
Diocesan\nAuthorities
\n\n
Mrs B Sice –\nRoman Catholic Diocese
\nMrs F Beevers/ Mrs\nS Ulyett – Church of England\nDiocese
\n\n
Schools\nRepresentatives
\n\n
Mr J Daulby\n– Community School (High)
\nVacancy – Community School (Primary)
\nMrs H Lewis – Jewish Aided
\nMr M Wood – Aided School
\nVacancy – Controlled School
\nVacancy – Foundation School
\n\n
Academy\nRepresentative
\n\n
Mr P Forbes – David Young Community\nAcademy
\n\n
College\nRepresentative
\n\n
Mr H Warring – Joseph Priestly\nCollege
\n\n
Other\nRepresentatives
\n\n
Mr J Fryett\n– Fair Access Project Director
\nMs A Williamson – Choice Advice Parent\nPartnership Service
\n\n
The Chair sought clarification as to how the\noutstanding vacancies in respect of the School Representatives\nwould be filled.
\n\n
In providing a response Mrs Buckland, Head of\nService, Admissions and Transport, Education Leeds said that the\nissues would be referred to the Headteachers/ Governors Forum
\n\n
It was further reported that changes to the\nAdmission Forum Membership would also impact on the Membership of\nthe two Sub Committees of the Forum which would now require\nrevision
\n\n
RESOLVED
\n\n
\n\n(i) \nThat the contents of the report be noted
\n\n
\n\n(ii) \nTo note the Membership of the Forum as set out above
\n\n
\n\n(iii) \nTo determine revised Membership of the Forum’s \nSub Committee’s
\n\n
\n
\n
\n
ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR PDF 59 KB
\nTo consider a report by the Secretary to the\nForum setting out the process for electing the Chair and Vice Chair\nof the Leeds Admission Forum and to seek nominations for those\npositions
\n\n
(Any Members submitting nominations should\ncontact the clerk to the Forum in advance of the meeting)
\nMinutes:
\nThe Secretary to the Forum submitted a report\nexplaining the process for electing the Chair and Vice Chair to the\nLeeds Admission Forum.
\n\n
The Clerk to the Forum reported the receipt of\n3 nominations, all for Councillor Gruen\n for the position of\nChair.
\n\n
Mr Forbes seconded the proposal
\n\n
RESOLVED – That Councillor\nPeter Gruen be elected Chair of Leeds\nAdmissions Forum for a one year period
\n\n
(Councillor\nGruen assumed the Chair)
\n\n
The Clerk to the Forum reported the receipt of\na single nomination for Sue Knights for the position of Vice\nChair.
\n\n
Mr Faulkingham\nseconded the proposal
\n\n
RESOLVED – That Sue Knights\nbe elected Vice Chair of Leeds Admissions Forum for a one year\nperiod
\n\n
APPOINTMENTS TO THE FORUM'S SUB COMMITTEES PDF 59 KB
\nTo consider a report by the Secretary to the\nForum seeking appointments to the Forum’s Sub Committees:
\n\n
\n\n(i) \nChallenging and Vulnerable Children’s Sub Committee
\n\n
\n\n(ii) \nVoluntary Aided Schools Admissions Policies Sub Committee
\n\n
And to seek nomination for the appointment of\nChair and Vice Chair respectively
\n\n
(Report attached)
\n\n
\n
\n
\n
Additional documents:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\nMinutes:
\nThe Secretary to the Forum submitted a report\nexplaining the process for electing the Chair and Vice to the\nForums Sub Committees.
\n\n
Voluntary Aided Schools Admissions Policies\nSub Committee
\n\n
In relation to the Voluntary Aided Schools\nAdmissions Policies Sub Committee Mrs Buckland reported that the\nSub Committee was established 3 years ago. It’s role was\nto collect and analyse\nVoluntary Aided schools admission policies to ensure they were\ncompliant with the DCSF Admissions Code\nof Practice by 1st March in each year. Mrs Buckland said\nthe Sub Committee had done an excellent job under the Chairship of Councillor Coulson. All interested parties were now fully\naware of the necessary timescales and appropriate procedures were\nin place to produce the required information.
\n\n
The Chair questioned if the Sub Committee\nshould continue to meet under it’s existing remit given the\nfact that a procedure for the collection and analysis of\nVA admission policies was now well\nestablished.
\n\n
In the discussion that ensued it was generally\naccepted that the Voluntary Aided Admission Policies Sub Committee\nshould cease to operate.
\n\n
Challenging and Vulnerable Children’s\nSub Committee
\n\n
The Chair reported that following revisions to\nthe Membership of the Forum, vacancies were now available on the\nChallenging and Vulnerable Children’s Sub Committees. In\nseeking expressions of interest the Chair said a key role of the\nForum was to monitor the Fair Access Scheme and this was a\nmajor \nundertaking of the Sub\nCommittee.
\n\n
\nSue Knights, Ian\nFaulkingham, Paul Forbes and John Fryett all expressed an interest to continue to\nserve on the Sub Committee. John Daulby\nand
\n\nPam Hill also\nagreed to become Members of the Sub Committee
\n\n
The Clerk to the Forum reported the receipt of\none nomination for Sue Knights for the position of Chair.
\n\n
Ian Faulkingham\nseconded the proposal
\n\n
RESOLVED
\n\n
\n\n(i) \nThat the Voluntary Aided Schools Admission Policies Sub Committee\nbe discontinued
\n\n
\n\n(ii) \nThat Membership of the Challenging and Vulnerable Children’s\nSub Committee be agreed as follows:
\n\n
\nSue Knights, Ian\nFaulkingham, Paul Forbes and John Fryett, John Daulby and\nPam Hill (Councillor Gruen as Chair of\nthe Forum)
\n\n
\n\n\n(iii) \nThat Sue Knights be elected Chair of the Challenging and Vulnerable\nChildren’s Sub Committee for a one year period
\n\n
\n\n\n(iv) \nThat the position of Vice Chair be determined at the next meeting\nof the Sub Committee
\n\n
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
\nTo receive apologies for absence (If any)
\nMinutes:
\nApologies for absence were received from Mr N\nPyke and Mr A Warring
\nMINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING PDF 81 KB
\nTo consider the minutes of the previous\nmeeting held on 20th January 2009
\n\n
(Copy attached)
\nMinutes:
\nRESOLVED – That the minutes of\nthe previous meeting held on 20th January 2009 be\naccepted as a true and correct record
\nMATTERS ARISING
\nTo consider any matters arising from the\nminutes
\nMinutes:
\nChallenging and Vulnerable Children’s\nSub Committee (Minute 41 refers) – Commenting on the Fair\nAccess Protocols Mr J Daulby queried the statistical information\ngathered by Education Leeds. Referring to John Smeaton Community College, Mr Daulby said he was aware that the college had\naccepted 14 pupils under the Fair Access Protocols but this was\ndisputed by Officers within Education Leeds who claimed the figure\nwas only 5.
\n\n
Mr Daulby suggested that the Fair Access\nProtocols was flawed and highlighted the following areas of\nconcern:
\n\n
\n
Responding to the issue about officers making\ndecisions Mr Fryett said that he was aware of one instance in the\nNorth West Area where the Panel were unable to arrive at a decision\nand had requested officers from Education Leeds to address the\nsituation.
\n\n
Mr Daulby said that he was aware that the\nDavid Young Community Academy had refused to accept pupils on the\ngrounds that the Academy had a unique curriculum. This was not in\nthe spirit of the protocol said Mr Daulby and suggested that\nschools should not have exclusivity, deciding through other\npolicies and practices that the school could not meet the\nchild’s needs.
\n\n
(At this point, in light of the comments made,\nCouncillor Gruen declared a personal\ninterest as a Governor at both John Smeaton Community College and\nthe David Young Community Academy)
\n\n
In offering clarification Mrs Knights said\nthat the whole ethos of the Fair Access Protocol was to share the\nchallenging children around but reminded Members that parents did\nhave the right to express a preference for a particular school.
\n\n
Mr Forbes suggested that in view of the\naccusations that the protocol was not being adhered to, a review of\nthe protocol should take place which could address the issue of\neffective monitoring.
\n\n
Councillor Harker expressed concern about the\ndifficulties Mr Daulby had raised commenting that they required\naddressing.
\n\n
Mr Fryett suggested that many issues referred\nto by Mr Daulby should be addressed by the schools themselves and\nnot in this Forum
\n\n
\n
\n
In bringing the discussion to a conclusion the\nChair said a number of issues required further investigation and\nthis could be best done through a review of the protocol
\n\n
RESOLVED – That a meeting be\nconvened at the earliest opportunity involving Mrs Knights, Mr\nFryett, Mr Forbes and Councillor Gruen to determine how a review of\nthe Fair Access Protocol would be best achieved
\nCHALLENGING AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN'S SUB COMMITTEE
\nTo consider the minutes of the Challenging and\nVulnerable Children’s Sub Committee held on 21st\nApril 2009
\n\n
(Copy to follow)
\nMinutes:
\nThe Minutes of the Challenging and Vulnerable\nChildren’s Sub Committee held on 21st April 2009\nwere circulated for Members consideration and approval.
\n\n
The Chair announced that Bob Stott had\nrecently resigned as Chair to the Sub Committee following his\nrecent appointment to a post in Lancashire.
\n\n
In the absence of a Sub Committee Chair the\nChair called upon John Fryett\nto comment on the\naccuracy of the minutes
\n\n
In responding Mr Fryett identified a number of minor corrections and\nsuggested that they were an accurate record of the discussion.
\n\n
RESOLVED –
\n\n
\n\n(i) \nThat subject to the inclusion of a number of minor amendments the\nMinutes of the meeting held on 21st April 2009 be\naccepted as a true and correct record
\n\n
\n\n(ii) \nThat a letter be sent to Bob Stott on behalf of the Forum thanking\nhim for his contribution to the work of the Leeds Admission Forum\nand wishing him every success in his future endevours
\nVOLUNTARY AIDED, FOUNDATION AND ACADEMY SCHOOLS ADMISSION POLICIES PDF 17 KB
\nTo consider a report by the Chief Executive\nEducation Leeds which provides the outcome of the Voluntary Aided\nSchools Admission Policies Sub Committee meeting held on\n17th March 2009
\n\n
(Report attached)
\nMinutes:
\nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report informing Members of the outcome of the Voluntary Aided\nSchools Admissions Policies Sub Committee held on 17th\nMarch 2009
\n\n
RESOLVED –
\n\n
\n(i) \nTo note that all Voluntary Aided schools in Leeds are fully\n \n \n \ncompliant in accordance with the New Admissions Code of\n \n \nPractice
\n\n
\n(ii) \nTo note the excellent response from the Voluntary Aided\n \n \n \nGovernors and Headteachers in meeting\nthe requirements of the \n \ncode
\nVOLUNTARY AIDED SCHOOL ADMISSION POLICIES SUB COMMITTEE PDF 52 KB
\nTo consider the minutes of the Voluntary Aided\nSchool Admission Policies Sub Committee held on 17th\nMarch 2009
\n\n
(Copy attached)
\nMinutes:
\nRESOLVED – That the Minutes of\nthe Voluntary Aided Schools Admissions Policies Sub Committee held\non 17th March 2009 be accepted as a true and correct\nrecord
\nADMISSION POLICY 2010/11 PDF 23 KB
\nTo consider a report by the Chief Executive\nEducation Leeds informing Forum Members that the Admission\nArrangements for 2010/2011 had now been determined
\n\n
(Report attached)
\nAdditional documents:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\nMinutes:
\nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report indicating that the Admission Arrangements for 20010/11\nhad now been determined.
\n\n
In providing background information Mrs\nBuckland said that the outcome of the consultation was presented to\nthe Executive Board on 1st April 2009 where it was\nsubsequently determined
\n\n
RESOLVED –
\n\n
\n\n(i) \nThat the Admission Forum note the positive way in which the local\nauthority, diocese, Foundation, Academy and schools had worked\ntogether to ensure full compliance with the School Appeals Code
\n\n
\n\n(ii) \nThat following the submission of the information to the Schools\nAdjudicator, it may be necessary to convene a further Meeting of\nthe Forum if the Forum wish to submit further objections to the\nSchools Adjudicator
\nADMISSION APPEALS 2007/08 PDF 72 KB
\nTo consider a report by the Chief Executive\nEducation Leeds which sets out the pattern of parental appeals for\nthe academic year 2007/08, both for admissions in September 2007\nand also those relating to in year transfers
\n\n
(Report attached)
\nAdditional documents:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\nMinutes:
\nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report informing Members of the pattern of parental appeals for\nthe academic year 2007/08, both for admission in September 2007 and\nalso those relating to in year transfers
\n\n
Addressing the report Mrs Buckland said that\nthere was a demographic\ndecline in young people entering secondary school and as a result\nthe demand at a number of schools has fallen.
\n\n
There\nhad been an increase, both locally and nationally, in the birth\nrate over recent years and this has already begun to affect entry\ninto Leeds primary schools and this would filter through to\nsecondary. There was an\nincreasing number of primary schools who were unable to accommodate\ntheir nearest children. \nThe number of primary schools oversubscribed on first preference\nwas 51. Education Leeds continue to actively work with partners to\nresolve the situation.
\n\n
There\nwere 1669 appealed lodged during the academic year. Of these 669 were in year transfer\nappeals, 639 annual cycle appeals for secondary schools and 361\nannual cycle appeals for primary schools. It was reported that there were\nrelatively few successful appeals for Reception because most of the\nappeals for primary schools are covered by the infant class size\nlegislation and unless a mistake had been made it was very unlikely\nthat an appeal could succeed.
\n\n
Primary – annual cycle
\n\n
Of the\n361 primary appeals, 80 were withdrawn or settled prior to the\nappeal hearing. This\noccurs when a parent has been offered one of their higher\npreferences through the waiting lists and is happy to accept that\noffer. Of the remaining\n281 appeals that were heard only 19 were granted, in the main at\nschools where the class size legislation does not\napply. Whilst most\nprimary schools in Leeds had admission numbers to match the\nlegislation there were still a small number with irregular numbers\nwhere parents may be successful.
\n\n
Talbot\nPrimary school had the largest number of appeals heard at 21 and\n19% of these were Kashmir Pakistani, 14.9% Indian and 14.9%\nPakistani. No appeals were granted for the school.
\n\n
There\nwere appeals for 68 different primary schools and 53% of these\nappellants were white/British, however only 5.7% were\nsuccessful. The other\nsuccessful appellants were 1 Bangladeshi and 2\nPakistanis. Indian and\nPakistani were the two groups with the highest number of appeals\nafter the white/British.
\n\n
Secondary\n– annual cycle
\n\n
There had been a significant reduction in the\nnumber of secondary appeals heard since 2006/07. There had also been a reduction in\nthe number of successful appeals. This was a reflection of the\namount of work that had been involved working with schools to\ndevelop more comprehensive statements of case outlining the issues\nfaced by schools when they had to admit additional\npupils. It also\nindicated that the admissions policy was being applied correctly\nwhen places were allocated. The declining birth rate was\ncurrently affecting intakes into secondary school.
\n\n
The majority of secondary schools were\nreflective of their local community in respect of ethnicity.\n Allerton Grange and Parklands Girls High both\nattract a higher proportion of Pakistani and Kashmiri Pakistani\npupils than live in their immediate area.
\n\n
Of the 639 appeals lodged for secondary\nschools 170 were settled or withdrawn before being\nheard. 469 appeals were\nheard with 32% of parents successful. 61% of the appeals heard were from\nwhite/British parents and they were successful in 41% of\ncases. The majority of\nthese appeals were for Roundhay.
\n\n
Mrs Buckland said it should be borne in mind\nthat the groups are small in statistical terms and the conclusions\nthat can be drawn from one year of data is limited. Appeals are based around the\npersonal circumstances of the families concerned and therefore vary\ngreatly.
\n\n
There were twice as many appeals heard for\nRoundhay as for any other secondary\nschool. 25% of\nappellants were white/British with a very wide spread of\nethnicities appealing for the school. The white/British families\nrepresented 61% of all appeals heard. This was a much higher percentage\nat schools such as Garforth, Temple\nMoor, Woodkirk, Pudsey Grangefield and Cockburn, and much lower at school\nsuch as Allerton High, Roundhay and Primrose.
\n\n
In year appeals
\n\n
Of the 669 appeals lodged 229 were withdrawn\nor settled prior to being heard. Of the 440 appeals heard 56% were\nsuccessful. \nWhite/British families accounted for 57% of in year appeals and\nwere successful 37% of the time. Families from black/African, mixed\nblack/African and Pakistani backgrounds were relatively much more\nsuccessful, as were Gypsy Roma families.
\n\n
Primary
\n\n
Bankside continued\nto have the most appeals heard for in year transfers. There were 11 appeals, 82% from\nBangladeshi families, seven were successful. It is not unusual for families to\nlose their place in the school when taking extended holidays\nabroad. Of the 108 primary appeals heard they were spread across 38\ndifferent schools, once again suggesting that there were relatively\nfew difficulties for parents in obtaining a place in a school they\nwere happy with.
\n\n
\n
\n
\n
Secondary
\n\n
There were 332 secondary appeals heard 64% of\nwhich were by white/British families. The most appealed for school with\nin year requests was Primrose, (30) with a wide spread of\nethnicities appealing for the school. Similarly Roundhay had the second highest number, again with\na broad mix of appellants, only 37% of which were\nwhite/British.
\n\n
In year appeals had the highest success rate\nfor parents and this was often due to moving into an area outside\nof the normal admission round and finding that the local school was\nalready full. In these\ncircumstances, if the Authority was unable to offer an alternative\nschool within a reasonable distance then it presents no surprise\nthat appeal panels will offer places where appropriate. The relatively high success rate\nof parents at this type of appeal was a reflection of the\nappropriate use of the appeal process now picked up in the Fair\nAccess Protocol which should reduce the number of appeals.
\n\n
\n
In conclusion Mrs Buckland said that the data\nindicated that all ethnic groups were accessing the appeals process\nand there was no significant evidence of any bias for or against\nany particular ethnic group. Primary appeals were relatively\nunsuccessful due to infant class size legislation. Secondary\nappeals for annual cycle places were successful in around 32% of\ncases. This\nappropriately reflects the need for an appeal process to hear the\nexceptional cases that are unable to be considered adequately\nwithin any admissions policy.
\n\n
The higher success rate of parents submitting\nin year appeals, around 59%, is reflective of the lack of places\nthat can be available in many of our secondary schools when\nfamilies move into an area outside of the normal admission\nround.
\n\n
There was no evidence to suggest that a\nfamily’s ethnicity or social background affects their ability\nto gain admission to any particular school.
\n\n
RESOLVED – To note the information on\nthe breakdown of\nappeals by ethnicity and school.
\n\n
\n
\n
ADMISSION FORUM WORK PROGRAMME FOR 2009/10 PDF 48 KB
\nTo receive the Forum’s work programme\nfor the period 2009/10 and consider if further adjustments are\nrequired to the programme
\n\n
(Report attached)
\nMinutes:
\nMembers received and considered the\nForum’s Work Programme for the period 2009/10
\n\n
RESOLVED –
\n\n
\n\n(i) \nTo note the Scheduled Work Programme for 2009/10
\n\n
(ii) \nTo update the Work Programme to reflect decisions made at\n today’s\nmeeting
\nANY OTHER BUSINESS
\nTo consider any other business (If any)
\nMinutes:
\nAdmission Numbers for 2010 – Mrs\nBuckland informed Forum Members that due to a high demand for\nplaces at a number of Leeds Schools there was a necessity to increase the number of\nforms of entry. The proposal was currently being drafted and would\nbe put the schools Adjudicator in due curse.
\n\n
The Chair requested that Forum Members be kept\ninformed
\nDATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
\nTo consider a date and time for the next\nmeeting of the Forum
\nMinutes:
\nRESOLVED – To note that future\nmeetings be arranged as follows:
\n\n
Thursday 1st October 2009
\n\n
Tuesday 2nd February 2010
\n\n
Meetings to be held in the Civic Hall, Leeds\ncommencing at 4.00pm
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| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t CHAIR'S OPENING REMARKS \n\n \nTo receive any opening remarks from the\nChair \nMinutes: \n\n \nIn opening the meeting the Chair welcomed\neveryone in attendance and extended a special welcome to Helen\nLewis and Amy Williamson who were attending for the first time. \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t REVISED MEMBERSHIP OF THE ADMISSION FORUM IN THE NEW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CODE \n \nTo inform the Admission Forum of the revised\nMembership of the Leeds Admission Forum required by the School\nAdmissions (Local Authority Reports and Admission Forums) (England)\nRegulations 2008 (“the Regulations”) following\nconsideration by Leeds City Council Executive Board at it’s\nmeeting on 1st April 2009. \n\n (Report attached) \nMinutes: \n\n \nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report which set out the revised Membership of the Leeds\nAdmission Forum required by the School Admissions (Local Authority\nReports and Admission Forums) (England) Regulations 2008\n(“the Regulations”) following consideration by Leeds\nCity Council’s Executive Board at it’s meeting on\n1st April 2009. \n\n The revised Membership is as follows: \n\n Local Authority\nRepresentatives \n\n Councillor P Gruen \nCouncillor R Harker \n\n Parent\nRepresentatives \n\n Mrs L Bryan – High School\nRepresentative \nMr I Faulkingham\n– Primary School Representative \n\n Local Community\nRepresentatives \n\n Ms P Hill – NHS Leeds Primary Health Care \nMr N Pyke –\nBlack Governors Information Network \nMrs S Knights – SEN Interests \nMs S Taylor – Prospect \n\n Diocesan\nAuthorities \n\n Mrs B Sice –\nRoman Catholic Diocese \nMrs F Beevers/ Mrs\nS Ulyett – Church of England\nDiocese \n\n Schools\nRepresentatives \n\n Mr J Daulby\n– Community School (High) \nVacancy – Community School (Primary) \nMrs H Lewis – Jewish Aided \nMr M Wood – Aided School \nVacancy – Controlled School \nVacancy – Foundation School \n\n Academy\nRepresentative \n\n Mr P Forbes – David Young Community\nAcademy \n\n College\nRepresentative \n\n Mr H Warring – Joseph Priestly\nCollege \n\n Other\nRepresentatives \n\n Mr J Fryett\n– Fair Access Project Director \nMs A Williamson – Choice Advice Parent\nPartnership Service \n\n The Chair sought clarification as to how the\noutstanding vacancies in respect of the School Representatives\nwould be filled. \n\n In providing a response Mrs Buckland, Head of\nService, Admissions and Transport, Education Leeds said that the\nissues would be referred to the Headteachers/ Governors Forum \n\n It was further reported that changes to the\nAdmission Forum Membership would also impact on the Membership of\nthe two Sub Committees of the Forum which would now require\nrevision \n\n RESOLVED \n\n \n\n(i) \nThat the contents of the report be noted \n\n \n\n(ii) \nTo note the Membership of the Forum as set out above \n\n \n\n(iii) \nTo determine revised Membership of the Forum’s \nSub Committee’s \n\n \n \n \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR \n \nTo consider a report by the Secretary to the\nForum setting out the process for electing the Chair and Vice Chair\nof the Leeds Admission Forum and to seek nominations for those\npositions \n\n (Any Members submitting nominations should\ncontact the clerk to the Forum in advance of the meeting) \nMinutes: \n\n \nThe Secretary to the Forum submitted a report\nexplaining the process for electing the Chair and Vice Chair to the\nLeeds Admission Forum. \n\n The Clerk to the Forum reported the receipt of\n3 nominations, all for Councillor Gruen\n for the position of\nChair. \n\n Mr Forbes seconded the proposal \n\n RESOLVED – That Councillor\nPeter Gruen be elected Chair of Leeds\nAdmissions Forum for a one year period \n\n (Councillor\nGruen assumed the Chair) \n\n The Clerk to the Forum reported the receipt of\na single nomination for Sue Knights for the position of Vice\nChair. \n\n Mr Faulkingham\nseconded the proposal \n\n RESOLVED – That Sue Knights\nbe elected Vice Chair of Leeds Admissions Forum for a one year\nperiod \n\n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t APPOINTMENTS TO THE FORUM'S SUB COMMITTEES \n \nTo consider a report by the Secretary to the\nForum seeking appointments to the Forum’s Sub Committees: \n\n \n\n(i) \nChallenging and Vulnerable Children’s Sub Committee \n\n \n\n(ii) \nVoluntary Aided Schools Admissions Policies Sub Committee \n\n And to seek nomination for the appointment of\nChair and Vice Chair respectively \n\n (Report attached) \n\n \n \n \n Additional documents: \n\t\t\t\t\t\n
Minutes: \n\n \nThe Secretary to the Forum submitted a report\nexplaining the process for electing the Chair and Vice to the\nForums Sub Committees. \n\n Voluntary Aided Schools Admissions Policies\nSub Committee \n\n In relation to the Voluntary Aided Schools\nAdmissions Policies Sub Committee Mrs Buckland reported that the\nSub Committee was established 3 years ago. It’s role was\nto collect and analyse\nVoluntary Aided schools admission policies to ensure they were\ncompliant with the DCSF Admissions Code\nof Practice by 1st March in each year. Mrs Buckland said\nthe Sub Committee had done an excellent job under the Chairship of Councillor Coulson. All interested parties were now fully\naware of the necessary timescales and appropriate procedures were\nin place to produce the required information. \n\n The Chair questioned if the Sub Committee\nshould continue to meet under it’s existing remit given the\nfact that a procedure for the collection and analysis of\nVA admission policies was now well\nestablished. \n\n In the discussion that ensued it was generally\naccepted that the Voluntary Aided Admission Policies Sub Committee\nshould cease to operate. \n\n Challenging and Vulnerable Children’s\nSub Committee \n\n The Chair reported that following revisions to\nthe Membership of the Forum, vacancies were now available on the\nChallenging and Vulnerable Children’s Sub Committees. In\nseeking expressions of interest the Chair said a key role of the\nForum was to monitor the Fair Access Scheme and this was a\nmajor \nundertaking of the Sub\nCommittee. \n\n \nSue Knights, Ian\nFaulkingham, Paul Forbes and John Fryett all expressed an interest to continue to\nserve on the Sub Committee. John Daulby\nand \n\nPam Hill also\nagreed to become Members of the Sub Committee \n\n The Clerk to the Forum reported the receipt of\none nomination for Sue Knights for the position of Chair. \n\n Ian Faulkingham\nseconded the proposal \n\n RESOLVED \n\n \n\n(i) \nThat the Voluntary Aided Schools Admission Policies Sub Committee\nbe discontinued \n\n \n\n(ii) \nThat Membership of the Challenging and Vulnerable Children’s\nSub Committee be agreed as follows: \n\n \nSue Knights, Ian\nFaulkingham, Paul Forbes and John Fryett, John Daulby and\nPam Hill (Councillor Gruen as Chair of\nthe Forum) \n\n \n\n\n(iii) \nThat Sue Knights be elected Chair of the Challenging and Vulnerable\nChildren’s Sub Committee for a one year period \n\n \n\n\n(iv) \nThat the position of Vice Chair be determined at the next meeting\nof the Sub Committee \n\n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE \n\n \nTo receive apologies for absence (If any) \nMinutes: \n\n \nApologies for absence were received from Mr N\nPyke and Mr A Warring \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING \n \nTo consider the minutes of the previous\nmeeting held on 20th January 2009 \n\n (Copy attached) \nMinutes: \n\n \nRESOLVED – That the minutes of\nthe previous meeting held on 20th January 2009 be\naccepted as a true and correct record \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t MATTERS ARISING \n\n \nTo consider any matters arising from the\nminutes \nMinutes: \n\n \nChallenging and Vulnerable Children’s\nSub Committee (Minute 41 refers) – Commenting on the Fair\nAccess Protocols Mr J Daulby queried the statistical information\ngathered by Education Leeds. Referring to John Smeaton Community College, Mr Daulby said he was aware that the college had\naccepted 14 pupils under the Fair Access Protocols but this was\ndisputed by Officers within Education Leeds who claimed the figure\nwas only 5. \n\n Mr Daulby suggested that the Fair Access\nProtocols was flawed and highlighted the following areas of\nconcern: \n\n
\n Responding to the issue about officers making\ndecisions Mr Fryett said that he was aware of one instance in the\nNorth West Area where the Panel were unable to arrive at a decision\nand had requested officers from Education Leeds to address the\nsituation. \n\n Mr Daulby said that he was aware that the\nDavid Young Community Academy had refused to accept pupils on the\ngrounds that the Academy had a unique curriculum. This was not in\nthe spirit of the protocol said Mr Daulby and suggested that\nschools should not have exclusivity, deciding through other\npolicies and practices that the school could not meet the\nchild’s needs. \n\n (At this point, in light of the comments made,\nCouncillor Gruen declared a personal\ninterest as a Governor at both John Smeaton Community College and\nthe David Young Community Academy) \n\n In offering clarification Mrs Knights said\nthat the whole ethos of the Fair Access Protocol was to share the\nchallenging children around but reminded Members that parents did\nhave the right to express a preference for a particular school. \n\n Mr Forbes suggested that in view of the\naccusations that the protocol was not being adhered to, a review of\nthe protocol should take place which could address the issue of\neffective monitoring. \n\n Councillor Harker expressed concern about the\ndifficulties Mr Daulby had raised commenting that they required\naddressing. \n\n Mr Fryett suggested that many issues referred\nto by Mr Daulby should be addressed by the schools themselves and\nnot in this Forum \n\n \n \n In bringing the discussion to a conclusion the\nChair said a number of issues required further investigation and\nthis could be best done through a review of the protocol \n\n RESOLVED – That a meeting be\nconvened at the earliest opportunity involving Mrs Knights, Mr\nFryett, Mr Forbes and Councillor Gruen to determine how a review of\nthe Fair Access Protocol would be best achieved \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t CHALLENGING AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN'S SUB COMMITTEE \n\n \nTo consider the minutes of the Challenging and\nVulnerable Children’s Sub Committee held on 21st\nApril 2009 \n\n (Copy to follow) \nMinutes: \n\n \nThe Minutes of the Challenging and Vulnerable\nChildren’s Sub Committee held on 21st April 2009\nwere circulated for Members consideration and approval. \n\n The Chair announced that Bob Stott had\nrecently resigned as Chair to the Sub Committee following his\nrecent appointment to a post in Lancashire. \n\n In the absence of a Sub Committee Chair the\nChair called upon John Fryett\nto comment on the\naccuracy of the minutes \n\n In responding Mr Fryett identified a number of minor corrections and\nsuggested that they were an accurate record of the discussion. \n\n RESOLVED – \n\n \n\n(i) \nThat subject to the inclusion of a number of minor amendments the\nMinutes of the meeting held on 21st April 2009 be\naccepted as a true and correct record \n\n \n\n(ii) \nThat a letter be sent to Bob Stott on behalf of the Forum thanking\nhim for his contribution to the work of the Leeds Admission Forum\nand wishing him every success in his future endevours \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t VOLUNTARY AIDED, FOUNDATION AND ACADEMY SCHOOLS ADMISSION POLICIES \n \nTo consider a report by the Chief Executive\nEducation Leeds which provides the outcome of the Voluntary Aided\nSchools Admission Policies Sub Committee meeting held on\n17th March 2009 \n\n (Report attached) \nMinutes: \n\n \nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report informing Members of the outcome of the Voluntary Aided\nSchools Admissions Policies Sub Committee held on 17th\nMarch 2009 \n\n RESOLVED – \n\n \n(i) \nTo note that all Voluntary Aided schools in Leeds are fully\n \n \n \ncompliant in accordance with the New Admissions Code of\n \n \nPractice \n\n \n(ii) \nTo note the excellent response from the Voluntary Aided\n \n \n \nGovernors and Headteachers in meeting\nthe requirements of the \n \ncode \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t VOLUNTARY AIDED SCHOOL ADMISSION POLICIES SUB COMMITTEE \n \nTo consider the minutes of the Voluntary Aided\nSchool Admission Policies Sub Committee held on 17th\nMarch 2009 \n\n (Copy attached) \nMinutes: \n\n \nRESOLVED – That the Minutes of\nthe Voluntary Aided Schools Admissions Policies Sub Committee held\non 17th March 2009 be accepted as a true and correct\nrecord \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t ADMISSION POLICY 2010/11 \n \nTo consider a report by the Chief Executive\nEducation Leeds informing Forum Members that the Admission\nArrangements for 2010/2011 had now been determined \n\n (Report attached) \nAdditional documents: \n\t\t\t\t\t\n
Minutes: \n\n \nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report indicating that the Admission Arrangements for 20010/11\nhad now been determined. \n\n In providing background information Mrs\nBuckland said that the outcome of the consultation was presented to\nthe Executive Board on 1st April 2009 where it was\nsubsequently determined \n\n RESOLVED – \n\n \n\n(i) \nThat the Admission Forum note the positive way in which the local\nauthority, diocese, Foundation, Academy and schools had worked\ntogether to ensure full compliance with the School Appeals Code \n\n \n\n(ii) \nThat following the submission of the information to the Schools\nAdjudicator, it may be necessary to convene a further Meeting of\nthe Forum if the Forum wish to submit further objections to the\nSchools Adjudicator \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t ADMISSION APPEALS 2007/08 \n \nTo consider a report by the Chief Executive\nEducation Leeds which sets out the pattern of parental appeals for\nthe academic year 2007/08, both for admissions in September 2007\nand also those relating to in year transfers \n\n (Report attached) \nAdditional documents: \n\t\t\t\t\t\n
Minutes: \n\n \nThe Chief Executive Education Leeds submitted\na report informing Members of the pattern of parental appeals for\nthe academic year 2007/08, both for admission in September 2007 and\nalso those relating to in year transfers \n\n Addressing the report Mrs Buckland said that\nthere was a demographic\ndecline in young people entering secondary school and as a result\nthe demand at a number of schools has fallen. \n\n There\nhad been an increase, both locally and nationally, in the birth\nrate over recent years and this has already begun to affect entry\ninto Leeds primary schools and this would filter through to\nsecondary. There was an\nincreasing number of primary schools who were unable to accommodate\ntheir nearest children. \nThe number of primary schools oversubscribed on first preference\nwas 51. Education Leeds continue to actively work with partners to\nresolve the situation. \n\n There\nwere 1669 appealed lodged during the academic year. Of these 669 were in year transfer\nappeals, 639 annual cycle appeals for secondary schools and 361\nannual cycle appeals for primary schools. It was reported that there were\nrelatively few successful appeals for Reception because most of the\nappeals for primary schools are covered by the infant class size\nlegislation and unless a mistake had been made it was very unlikely\nthat an appeal could succeed. \n\n Primary – annual cycle \n\n Of the\n361 primary appeals, 80 were withdrawn or settled prior to the\nappeal hearing. This\noccurs when a parent has been offered one of their higher\npreferences through the waiting lists and is happy to accept that\noffer. Of the remaining\n281 appeals that were heard only 19 were granted, in the main at\nschools where the class size legislation does not\napply. Whilst most\nprimary schools in Leeds had admission numbers to match the\nlegislation there were still a small number with irregular numbers\nwhere parents may be successful. \n\n Talbot\nPrimary school had the largest number of appeals heard at 21 and\n19% of these were Kashmir Pakistani, 14.9% Indian and 14.9%\nPakistani. No appeals were granted for the school. \n\n There\nwere appeals for 68 different primary schools and 53% of these\nappellants were white/British, however only 5.7% were\nsuccessful. The other\nsuccessful appellants were 1 Bangladeshi and 2\nPakistanis. Indian and\nPakistani were the two groups with the highest number of appeals\nafter the white/British. \n\n Secondary\n– annual cycle \n\n There had been a significant reduction in the\nnumber of secondary appeals heard since 2006/07. There had also been a reduction in\nthe number of successful appeals. This was a reflection of the\namount of work that had been involved working with schools to\ndevelop more comprehensive statements of case outlining the issues\nfaced by schools when they had to admit additional\npupils. It also\nindicated that the admissions policy was being applied correctly\nwhen places were allocated. The declining birth rate was\ncurrently affecting intakes into secondary school. \n\n The majority of secondary schools were\nreflective of their local community in respect of ethnicity.\n Allerton Grange and Parklands Girls High both\nattract a higher proportion of Pakistani and Kashmiri Pakistani\npupils than live in their immediate area. \n\n Of the 639 appeals lodged for secondary\nschools 170 were settled or withdrawn before being\nheard. 469 appeals were\nheard with 32% of parents successful. 61% of the appeals heard were from\nwhite/British parents and they were successful in 41% of\ncases. The majority of\nthese appeals were for Roundhay. \n\n Mrs Buckland said it should be borne in mind\nthat the groups are small in statistical terms and the conclusions\nthat can be drawn from one year of data is limited. Appeals are based around the\npersonal circumstances of the families concerned and therefore vary\ngreatly. \n\n There were twice as many appeals heard for\nRoundhay as for any other secondary\nschool. 25% of\nappellants were white/British with a very wide spread of\nethnicities appealing for the school. The white/British families\nrepresented 61% of all appeals heard. This was a much higher percentage\nat schools such as Garforth, Temple\nMoor, Woodkirk, Pudsey Grangefield and Cockburn, and much lower at school\nsuch as Allerton High, Roundhay and Primrose. \n\n In year appeals \n\n Of the 669 appeals lodged 229 were withdrawn\nor settled prior to being heard. Of the 440 appeals heard 56% were\nsuccessful. \nWhite/British families accounted for 57% of in year appeals and\nwere successful 37% of the time. Families from black/African, mixed\nblack/African and Pakistani backgrounds were relatively much more\nsuccessful, as were Gypsy Roma families. \n\n Primary \n\n Bankside continued\nto have the most appeals heard for in year transfers. There were 11 appeals, 82% from\nBangladeshi families, seven were successful. It is not unusual for families to\nlose their place in the school when taking extended holidays\nabroad. Of the 108 primary appeals heard they were spread across 38\ndifferent schools, once again suggesting that there were relatively\nfew difficulties for parents in obtaining a place in a school they\nwere happy with. \n\n \n \n \n Secondary \n\n There were 332 secondary appeals heard 64% of\nwhich were by white/British families. The most appealed for school with\nin year requests was Primrose, (30) with a wide spread of\nethnicities appealing for the school. Similarly Roundhay had the second highest number, again with\na broad mix of appellants, only 37% of which were\nwhite/British. \n\n In year appeals had the highest success rate\nfor parents and this was often due to moving into an area outside\nof the normal admission round and finding that the local school was\nalready full. In these\ncircumstances, if the Authority was unable to offer an alternative\nschool within a reasonable distance then it presents no surprise\nthat appeal panels will offer places where appropriate. The relatively high success rate\nof parents at this type of appeal was a reflection of the\nappropriate use of the appeal process now picked up in the Fair\nAccess Protocol which should reduce the number of appeals. \n\n \n In conclusion Mrs Buckland said that the data\nindicated that all ethnic groups were accessing the appeals process\nand there was no significant evidence of any bias for or against\nany particular ethnic group. Primary appeals were relatively\nunsuccessful due to infant class size legislation. Secondary\nappeals for annual cycle places were successful in around 32% of\ncases. This\nappropriately reflects the need for an appeal process to hear the\nexceptional cases that are unable to be considered adequately\nwithin any admissions policy. \n\n The higher success rate of parents submitting\nin year appeals, around 59%, is reflective of the lack of places\nthat can be available in many of our secondary schools when\nfamilies move into an area outside of the normal admission\nround. \n\n There was no evidence to suggest that a\nfamily’s ethnicity or social background affects their ability\nto gain admission to any particular school. \n\n RESOLVED – To note the information on\nthe breakdown of\nappeals by ethnicity and school. \n\n \n \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t ADMISSION FORUM WORK PROGRAMME FOR 2009/10 \n \nTo receive the Forum’s work programme\nfor the period 2009/10 and consider if further adjustments are\nrequired to the programme \n\n (Report attached) \nMinutes: \n\n \nMembers received and considered the\nForum’s Work Programme for the period 2009/10 \n\n RESOLVED – \n\n \n\n(i) \nTo note the Scheduled Work Programme for 2009/10 \n\n (ii) \nTo update the Work Programme to reflect decisions made at\n today’s\nmeeting \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t ANY OTHER BUSINESS \n\n \nTo consider any other business (If any) \nMinutes: \n\n \nAdmission Numbers for 2010 – Mrs\nBuckland informed Forum Members that due to a high demand for\nplaces at a number of Leeds Schools there was a necessity to increase the number of\nforms of entry. The proposal was currently being drafted and would\nbe put the schools Adjudicator in due curse. \n\n The Chair requested that Forum Members be kept\ninformed \n | \n\t\t
| \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t | \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING \n\n \nTo consider a date and time for the next\nmeeting of the Forum \nMinutes: \n\n \nRESOLVED – To note that future\nmeetings be arranged as follows: \n\n Thursday 1st October 2009 \n\n Tuesday 2nd February 2010 \n\n Meetings to be held in the Civic Hall, Leeds\ncommencing at 4.00pm \n | \n\t\t