Six secondary schools have joined forces to object to one of the proposed changes in Brighton and Hove City Council’s review of admissions rules.
The heads and chairs of governors of all six local authority maintained schools in Brighton and Hove have written to the council as an eight-week consultation ends today (Friday 31 January).
While they welcome changes that would widen choice for children who are eligible for free school meals, they are united in challenging a proposed “open admissions” priority.
The open admissions proposal would give families in catchments with a single school – BACA, PACA, Longhill and Patcham High – more chance of a place at secondaries in other catchment areas.
But the idea hasn’t found favour with Longill or Patcham High – nor with the heads and chairs of governors at Blatchington Mill, Dorothy Stringer, Hove Park and Varndean School.
Separately, all six schools are understood to have expressed concern about the additional effects that might be experienced by pupils with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities).
The joint letter said: “We acknowledge and commend Brighton and Hove City Council’s commitment to addressing the attainment gap for disadvantaged children across the city.
“As such, we applaud and support the introduction of the free school meal (FSM) admission priorities … which aim to ensure all schools have an FSM pupil proportion that aligns with the city average.
“However, we oppose the proposed addition of an ‘open admissions’ priority … for September 2026 which would allocate a proportion of school places to pupils living outside the two central catchment areas.
“We believe if change is considered more carefully it has the potential to bring about positive outcomes for pupils across the city and strengthen the future of our local authority community schools.
“The current proposals could have significant unintended consequences for pupils across the city.
“While each of us has a unique response, we are united in our shared concern on this particular point.
“Each school will provide more detailed information on these concerns in their individual responses to the consultation.
“We remain committed to working collaboratively with the council, families and the wider community to develop a sustainable and inspiring long-term vision for education in Brighton and Hove, ensuring every pupil has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.”
The letter appears to couch its criticisms carefully and emphasises a desire to work collaboratively with the council and in a way that retains the trust of parents and school leaders.
But it is also notable that all six council maintained schools – the perceived winners and as well as the perceived losers – share a common stance on this point which has proved divisive over the past few months.
Given the extent to which the council relies on the co-operation of school leaders, there appears to be a hope that, on this point at least, the council will recognise the city-wide strength of feeling.
Frankly whether schools see themselves as winners or losers isn’t the point. Surely it’s about the city collectively meeting the needs for f every child….. meanwhile in my part of the city the status quo becomes further entrenched…
Isn’t the choice of school in your part of the city the reason for Longhill’s declining pupil numbers, with parents choosing Cardinal Newman, Lewes Priory and Peacehaven instead?
Damning verdict on rushed and poorly thought out plans.
Surely the council have to start listening. Let’s go back to the drawing board and sort this out properly not with a rushed and ill thought out proposal which causes so many unintended consequences. The council have everyone’s attention and passion, use it to your advantage to get excellent proposals drawn up. There is a wealth of expertise and knowledge in the city willing to contribute to make some really positive groundbreaking changes, yes it might take a bit of time but it would be worth it for the future of the Brighton education system.
How can the council launch a consultation proposing significant changes without first consulting with the relevant schools first!
Did Cllr Taylor seriously believe that transporting children for miles and hours each day from their homes in deprived areas of the city would be some sort of panacea for their deprivation? They would have suffered, like all displaced children throughout the city, from being removed from their supportive community and friends, and being too tired to learn. His proposals were as much a recognition of failure to improve schools as they were of the need for equal opportunity. He should put ALL his efforts now into supporting school improvement to achieve equitable standards.
Children from Whitehawk apparently can go to Longhill, Cardinal Newman, Baca, & Hove Park-School Buses are provided from The Council aren’t they
But Longhill, Blatchington Mill & another school are cutting numbers due to School Numbers declining.
But some Parents still lie to get there Children into the Popular Schools I’m sure-I wanted to get my Boys in any school but not Longhill, appealed against it 3 times-didn’t win at all, My boys did well at Exams, but parents don’t like it because of Reputation from Years ago,
Should bring back Stanley Season-but someone told me that School still pays B&H Council the Debt-is that even true.
I left my post as the Principal of East Brighton College of Media Arts when I realised the entrenched snobbery in the city would never acknowledge that all children are potentially marvellous. It’s adults who shape them, ignore them, make excuses or have faith in them. I am very sad to see that nothing seems to have changed. I had been successful in two previous schools (I still have letters from parents, students and staff) but within six months of arriving I was being treated by my fellow heads in Brighton as if I were inadequate, because only ‘inadequate’ people would associate themselves with the school. I discovered from CoMart students that this was an all too familiar experience for them. Still, staff and I together got the school out of Special Measures in a year. Nobody was interested. At that time, my union, the Association of School and College Leaders, was utterly supportive of me. I wonder what they are thinking now. I applaud Curtis James for all the work he has done over the past years, through ClassDivide, to draw attention to the injustice still rampant in Brighton.