Admission rules face shake-up as pressure grows at grammar

A HUGELY oversubscribed West Yorkshire school could have its admissions policy changed as part of an education shake-up sparked by a growing population and funding cuts.

The oversubscription admission criteria for Ilkley Grammar School may change to include a named feeder schools system for primary pupils living in the local area.

If the proposals go ahead seven local authority primary schools; Addingham, All Saints' CE, Ashlands, Ben Rhydding, Burley & Woodhead, Burley Oaks and The Sacred Heart Catholic will be given the highest priority followed by Menston Primary.

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Bradford Council, which needs to provide 40,000 extra school places by 2020, has begun consulting on changes it is proposing to make to schools admission arrangements, intake numbers and adjustments to school priority areas from September 2012.

Due to the district's growing population and reduced capital funding for school building, the council believes the changes are important if, in the future, parents are to be given the best choice of local schools available, says the local authority.

The council also says it wants to simplify what can sometimes be a complex process.

Moves to change the oversubscription admission criteria for Ilkley Grammar School follow the cancellation of expansion plans to meet growing demand with the halting of phase three of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

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Also under consideration are moves to change school admission intake numbers at some primary schools where there is a clear indication the population is likely to change.

The council wants to double the intake at St Stephen's CE Primary School in West Bowling from 30 to 60.

It is also looking at whether the admission numbers for Burley Oaks Primary School should be permanently increased from 45 to 60. Bradford Council is also proposing to remove some primary school priority areas, which were set up in 2000.

The council says now that these schools are mainly full, the use of priority areas makes the application process more complex and that sibling rule changes to this policy also mean the use of priority areas is no longer required.

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Last year it was agreed to remove a number of primary school oversubscription priority areas.

The council is now proposing to remove them from Margaret McMillan Primary school, Miriam Lord Primary school and Westbourne Primary school, all in Manningham.

This would mean that after those youngsters with siblings at a school, priority would be given to those living closest to the school.

People are also being consulted on proposals to change the number of preferences parents may make on the common application form from three to five schools.

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The council's consultation document on the proposals says: "Due to the rising population a significant number of secondary schools are becoming oversubscribed and pupils that have not gained places at any of their three preferred schools have therefore been allocated to the nearest available school. This may not have been a school which they would have selected.

"The proposal therefore is to change the maximum number of preferences from three to five to give parents a better chance of their children gaining access to a school which they would prefer."

Bradford has the fastest growing population of any major city in the country. It had planned to provide 3,000 extra places through secondary school expansion as part of its Building Schools for the Future plan until Ministers cancelled it.

Consultation letters have been sent to all schools and parents of children affected by the proposed changes.

The consultation will end on January 21 and a final decision will be made by the council's executive in March.