School Admissions Code consultation

27 May 2011

Commenting on the draft admissions code, out for consultation today, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said;

“These are a very disparate set of proposals whose unifying theme appears to be to destroy the strategic role of the Local Authority and cause divisions in the education provision afforded to children and young people.

“Allocating school places is a complicated process and it is essential that there is a body which maintains an overview. To weaken the role of Local Authorities in this process is a recipe for disaster.

“What is important is that every child from whatever background has access to a good local school which draws from a balanced intake across the local community and reflects all levels of ability and background.

“This code will not require every school to give priority to those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, and as it only applies to academies and free schools it is unlikely to be much used. A far better approach would be to put in place measures to support and encourage those schools which are facing challenges.

“The idea that primary class sizes could go beyond 30 for whatever reason is a backward step. This is of no benefit to anyone, least of all children. Large class sizes will increase the dependency upon teaching assistants who, while providing very useful support and back up in the classroom, have been shown to have little effect on attainment. We need to see class sizes reduced to at least 20 to ensure pupils get the maximum support and attention from their teacher.

“The changes to the rules on local accountable admissions panels, and limits to the jurisdiction of the schools adjudicator in the Education Bill, are worrying as it will reduce both local accountability and the independent oversight of how admissions arrangements are being implemented.

“While no one would argue against a reduction in bureaucracy, to throw away the expertise, oversight and accountability measures of the Local Authority are wrong. This will lead to more problems than it will ever solve. Yet again we see decisions being made based on politics not rationale.”

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