Agenda item

Report by the Head of School Organisation, Capital Planning & Transport.

The Committee are asked to note the report.

10.1   The Committee considered a report by the Head of School Organisation, Capital Planning & Transport (copy appended to the signed minutes).

10.2   Mr Olway introduced the report and explained that School Place Planning was a difficult task and bespoke software packages were used to analyse the data.

10.3   The Planning School Places document was highlighted which was published annually.  Special schools were looking to be included in this document in the future.  Members were sent a copy of the document each year.

10.4   Across West Sussex there were approximately 114,000 children attending schools and 13,000 empty school places across the County, but not necessarily where they were required.  Children did not always attend their local school and there was no guarantee of attending the desired school.

10.5   It was reported that the introduction of academies and free schools had led to the County Council having less control with school placements. Academies and free schools could be built in areas where they were not required.

10.6   Mrs Evans spoke on the admissions process and how the team looked to consider number projections and how Ofsted ratings could change potential preferences.

10.7   The Admissions Team strictly followed statutory guidance in the Admission Code.  The team tried to meet first preferences where possible and had a good success rate compared to neighbouring authorities.  Parents were encouraged to include three preferences on their requests.

10.8   The Appeals Panel was an independent body, separate from the Admissions Team, which considered individual parental appeals.

10.9     The Committee made comments including those that follow.

• Commented that Academies did not always have the budget to increase their placement figures.  – Mrs Evans explained that a growth fund could be utilised to assist schools that had been asked by the County Council to increase the number of places for children.  This was a type of bridging loan that would be used until the census data was updated.  There were currently no academies in Mid Sussex that had been asked by the County Council to increase their placements.
• Asked how catchment areas changed when new houses were built.  – Mrs Evans explained that catchment areas were linked to parish boundaries. Officers could consult on new catchment areas if required.  Free schools and academies in the main did not tend to have catchment areas. The deciding factor worked on straight line distances.
• Sought clarity on the pressures in the south of Haywards Heath for a new school.  – Mr Olway was not aware of particular pressures in the south of Haywards Heath.  Data was submitted to the Department of Education (DfE) to highlight where the needs were.  The DfE were keen to ensure that new schools were full.
• Queried the timescales for the Hurst Farm school.  – Mr Olway reported that there was no particular deadline, but officers would be putting pressure on an autumn decision to the DfE.  A decision on six free schools was still awaited from the DfE.

10.10  The Chairman invited questions from the public.

• Queried assistance with transport costs for distant secondary schools.  – Mr Olway explained that children generally travelled further for secondary schools and that children were expected to walk up to three miles providing the route was safe.  The County Council had a transport appeal system which had the power to issue public transport passes if a school was considered a sufficient distance.

10.11 Resolved – That the report be noted.