It is the responsibility of all Admission Authorities to set admission arrangements which adhere to regulations set by the Department for Education’s (DfE) School Admissions Code (2014) ensuring a clear and fair access protocol is in place for all school applications.
Admission arrangements are set by Bristol City Council for all Community and Controlled schools as well as those schools why buy into Bristol City Council’s Admissions service.
A public consultation was open from 27th November through to 19th January 2018. During this consultation the proposed admission arrangements and co-ordinated schemes for entry into Reception and Year 7 for the 2019/2020 cohorts were put online allowing persons of interest including; school staff, governors and parents/carers to submit comments and feedback.
The consultation was hosted on the BCC Citizen Space consultation page and promoted via contact with all Bristol nursery, primary and secondary schools, relevant academy trusts as well as on the BCC admissions webpage and Ask Bristol e-bulletin. The consultation was promoted for parents/carers as much as possible.
Minor alternations were made to the wording from the 2018/2019 admission arrangements. This was in part the result of feedback from relevant stakeholders and advice set by the DfE. Changes were also made for clarification concerning deferred and part-time entry for primary schools. The in-year application form has also been rewritten to comply with the DfE Admissions Code.
The key principles including the order of the oversubscription criteria remain unchanged from previous years.
The admission arrangements are largely unchanged. However, minor changes to wording/phrasing have been written to meet the regulations set in the DfE Admissions code.
We received some responses to our consultation which questioned the number of preference schools parents/carers could submit for their child. Bristol, like most Local Authorities permits three choices. We advised that the focus was to ensure that there were significant places available in the city. We are in line with the requirements of the Admissions code and with administrational resources three choices is the most the admissions department can currently process. Over recent years we have managed to offer 85% of parents their first preference schools and 95% of parents one of their three preference schools.
Other responses made to the consultation related to the clarity of the application process and the accessibility of the admissions website. Although these comments are valid and will certainly be taken on board in future discussions, they did not affect the writing and outcome of the admissions arrangements for 2019/2020
In order to comply with the Schools Admission Code, Sue Rogers – Interim Service Director for Education approved the Admission Arrangements on 28th February 2018, confirming that these have been formally agreed.
To view the Admissions Arrangements 2019 to 2020 visit:
https://www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/admission-arrangements-2019-to-2020
Bristol City Council is responsible for setting the admission arrangements for all Community and Voluntary Controlled schools in the city. This consultation includes the proposed new intake oversubscription criteria and co-ordinated admission schemes for the 2019/20 school year.
Also included in this consultation are the proposed arrangements for a number of 'own admission authority' schools - academies, foundation and voluntary aided schools.
If your chosen school is not listed here this may be because;
i) They use Bristol City Council's arrangements (see the admission arrangements appendix for a full list of relevant schools)
ii) They are running their own consultation
iii) Their admission arrangements are unchanged from previous years. Therefore, they are not consulting this year.
If you are uncertain, contact the school for more information.
Responses should be made by completing the Feedback form or by contacting the appropriate school representative, where stated.
[The document posted for Colston's Girls' School (Policy 2019-2020) Para 5.1 e) (ii) has been ammended to fully comply with the consultation on the school's website. 11th December 2017]
All admission authorities are required to consult on their proposed admission arrangements at least every 7 years or when changes are proposed and we would like to know your views.
All responses will be considered before the arrangements are agreed. This will be by 28 February 2018 The arrangements will be published on the Bristol City Council and/or schools' websites by 15 March 2018.
Final arrangements, along with other information for parents and application forms will be published in September 2018.
Share
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook