A parents’ campaign group has welcomed Brighton and Hove City Council’s proposals to create an open admissions policy – but said that the measures did not go far enough.
Equity in Education, formed by parents and carers who live in the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) catchment area, want their children to have a better chance of accessing other schools in the city.
The proposals going before a special council meeting next Thursday (27 February) include allocating 5 per cent of spaces to open admissions to give children from single-school catchment areas a greater chance of attending a different school if they wish.
Equity in Education wanted 20 per cent of places open to children living in the BACA, Longhill, PACA and Patcham High catchments.
The group said: “We have consistently stated that a minimum of 20 per cent open admissions is necessary to meaningfully balance school communities and improve educational opportunities for those in the north east of our city.
“While the introduction of 5 per cent open admissions is a step in the right direction and represents an acknowledgement that change is needed, we are deeply disappointed that the council has opted for such a low percentage.
“Though this may benefit a small number of children, it falls far short of addressing the deep-rooted social segregation in our area.
“We support the 5 per cent open admissions as a first step in a phased approach and note the commitment of the council to keep this under review, along with assessing whether a sibling link should be reintroduced for out-of-catchment families.”
Equity in Education was particularly pleased to see that 1,452 people from the BN2 postcode area responded to the consultation.
There were 431 responses from the BN2 4 area which includes Bevendean, Moulsecoomb, Woodingdean, Brighton Marina, Ovingdean, Rottingdean and Saltdean.
Equity in Education asked the council for permission to submit responses on behalf of residents and 10 per cent of the 3,836 responses were submitted this way.
The group said: “The unprecedented number of responses from residents in the ‘BN2 4’ postcode during the consultation is a clear indication of the urgent need for change.
“These voices must not be ignored. We remain committed to working with our communities and the council to push for further and more meaningful reforms to ensure fairness and real choice in school admissions.
“In the meantime, we urge all councillors to support these changes.”
The final recommendations due to go before the council are
• Five per cent of the published admission number (PAN) to be open admission for pupils from single-school catchment areas
• Reduce the intake in year 7 by one class or 30 pupils at Blatchington Mill and Dorothy Stringer and by two classes at Longhill
• Give parents and guardians four choices rather than three when applying for secondary school
• Give priority to children eligible for free school meals up to 30 per cent of admissions
• Move part of Whitehawk into the Dorothy Stringer and Varndean catchment area and Kemp Town into the Longhill catchment
The special council meeting is due to start at 3pm next Thursday (27 February). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
What a sad indicment on the quality of some of our local schools. All schools should offer equally good standards of education. Those responsible for ensuring this have now admitted their abject failure in this respect and now introduce an asinine system involving more travel, involvement of scores of councils administrators , and denial of places to local children in an attempt at social mobility. All I see here is cost and more failure.
Agree. This feels like a lobby group for parents who don’t feel their local school is good enough
What do you mean “feels like?” That’s explicitly what they’re saying.
When I used to Attend PCC in Portslade I the 90’s
Couple of my Friends ( who lived in same street in Gladstone Rd) went to Stanley Deason-none of this Catchment Area or Free Travel if on Low Income etc, you could put it down, approved by Admission-get in and attend.
I’m sure Brighton Council as it was known then are still paying some kind of Debt to School that Closed 20years ago.
And a lot of Students from other areas tarnished that School, so Stanley and Longhill School no body really wants as they go on Old Reputations.
‘Equity in Education asked the council for permission to submit responses on behalf of residents and 10 per cent of the 3,836 responses were submitted this way.‘
Lol. They pre-filled responses for people, and only submitted them if those responses agreed with their view. So all responses came from the same computer address and could not be checked to stop the same person submitting many of them. A complete joke.
It was a petiton approach. We didn’t collect data from anyone who didn’t sign up to our agreed approach. We re-directed people to the more complex form if they wanted to enter more complex answers. Many did follow that route.
We weren’t born yesterday
I live in the BACA catchment and I am not part of the group. My girls have gone to/are at BACA and it’s has been an excellent school for them both. I would highly recommend it to everyone.
However, it is unfair that families living in this catchment area, realistically, will only have the chance of going to one school.
That’s good to hear about BACA. I agree only being able to choose one school is unfair. But sending hundreds of children from Fiveways/Preston Park/Lewes Road on 2/3 buses to a poor performing school in Ovingdean doesn’t seem fair either.
Open up a Grammar School for the most able students like they have done in Sevenoaks