Cabinet considered the report that that set out the local authority’s duty to determine the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for the academic year 2021/22.

The lead member for Housing, Communications and Youth Engagement introduced the report on behalf of the Lead Member for Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Health and Mental Health.

Cabinet were informed that as the admissions authority for all community and voluntary controlled schools in the royal borough the School Admissions Code 2014 required the admission arrangements to be determined on an annual basis and any changes to be consulted upon.

The following changes were proposed and required consultation:

·         Introducing higher priority for admission for children attending a linked infant school on transfer to school in Year 3, and for children of a member of staff across all community and voluntary controlled schools.

·         Reducing the published admission number for Courthouse Junior School from 105 to 90.

It was also proposed to automatically adding children to the waiting list for any higher preferred schools following the initial allocation on national offer day so that parents would no longer be required to call the authority.

Cllr Price mentioned that she had been informed that Holyport College were looking to change their admission arrangements and asked why this was not in the report.  The Corporate Director informed that as their own admissions authority they were consulting on increasing intake at year 7 which would be a positive for Maidenhead pupils but would result in a decrease in year 9 pupils. 

The Lead Member for Planning and Maidenhead reported that as the ward member he was delighted at the proposed changes to Holyport’s admission arrangements.

Resolved unanimously: that  Cabinet notes the report and:

i)          approves public consultation on the RBWM Admission Arrangements for 2021/22 set out at Appendix 1.

ii)         delegates authority to the Director for Children’s Services in consultation with the Lead Member,  to approve and thereby determine the revised admissions arrangements by the 28 February 2020 deadline.

iii)        approves consultation on the RBWM Co-ordinated Admissions scheme for 2021/22 set out at Appendix 2.

iv)        delegates authority to the Director for Children’s Services in consultation with the Lead Member, to approve and thereby determine the revised coordination scheme by the 1 January 2020 deadline.