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Agenda item

School Admissions - Draft Cabinet Report

(Report to follow)

 

 

(a)  Councillor Sarah Merry (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Employment & Skills) will be in attendance and may wish to make a statement;

 

(b)  Nick Batchelar (Director Education and Lifelong Learning), and officers will present the report and be available to answer any questions Members may have;

 

(c)  Questions from Committee Members;

 

(d)  The way forward for this item will be considered at the end of the meeting.

 

Minutes:

The Chairperson welcomed Councillor Merry (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Employment & Skills), Nick Batchelar (Director Education and Lifelong Learning) and Brett Andrewartha (School Organisation Planning Team Manager) to the meeting.

 

The Chairperson invited the Cabinet Member to make a statement in which she outlined the pressure on secondary schools and the need for the oversubscription criteria to be simplified. Following an independent review by Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) and public consultation on two options (Option A and Option B), the Cabinet is recommended to implement Option A, which is line with current policy.  

 

Nick Batchelar (Director Education and Lifelong Learning) also provided a statement, in which he explained that following consultation, few concerns were raised in respect of proposed changes to the oversubscription criteria for nursery and primary education. However, a number of concerns were raised in respect of secondary education.  He advised that in due course Cabinet is to receive a report on revisions to school catchment areas for 2020/21 and that there are three factors which need to be taken into account when looking at this; the admissions criteria; the number of places in a school; and the catchment areas.

 

Members were invited to comment, seek clarification or raise questions on the information received. Those discussions are summarised as follows:

 

·         Members noted that an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was undertaken on Option B, but not on Option A. Concerns were raised in relation to Roath Park and Marlborough Primary schools, where there are a high proportion of pupils who live on the edge of the catchment area for Cardiff High School and who do not get a place due to oversubscription. The Cabinet Member explained that any changes won’t take effect until 2019, and oversubscription could look different then and that the picture across the whole city needs to be taken into account. Officers explained that the analysis showed that implementing Option B would have a negative impact on four secondary schools, who would not be able to accommodate the number of pupils coming from their linked primary schools. Beyond 2019/20 the impact of this would be exacerbated. Overall, Option A is better for the whole city.   

 

·         Members noted that the 79% of respondents who chose Option B will feel that their views have not been listened to, and asked how this will be addressed. The Cabinet Member stated that numerous parents would feel equally strongly about Option A, and that it is important to note that many parents who may be affected by the changes will not have responded to the consultation. It has been given careful thought, and the impact to all schools has been considered. 

 

·         Members agreed that a city-wide solution is needed and queried whether it would be more suitable to carry out changes to the criteria after assessing the impact of Band B Schools. The Director explained that whilst there is never a perfect time to make an assessment, the criteria need refreshing and it would be a long time before the outcome of Band B. He added that it is important to consolidate and confirm the admissions process now with a rapidly rising population.

 

·         Members highlighted that the Education report shows improvement across all secondary schools, and asked what could be done to promote schools which are not so popular. Members were informed that Willows and Cathays High have been working closely with primary schools. There has also been work on the application forms to encourage parents to choose more than one school. The Director added that change is already happening, with Eastern High now attracting first choice offers for example, and with new schools that have opened there should be a shift in pupil’s choices over the coming year.

 

·         Members noted that whilst there has been an improvement across secondary schools, there will be a lag in terms of better results, and parents look at these when selecting a school. The Director agreed that it takes time for perceptions to change, but Cardiff should be proud of the fact that schools are doing better than the rest of Wales. The Cabinet Member added that exam results don’t necessarily reflect the work of the school.     

 

A number of questions were also provided in writing from Members of the Public as detailed below:

 

·         Marlborough Children’s Action Group (MCAP) noted that the Council appears to be prioritising the needs of Faith and Welsh Language pupils over those from English medium primary schools. The Cabinet Member said that this was not the case, and that a balanced assessment was made of schools across the city.

 

·         MCAP asked how the Council will address the oversubscription of Cardiff High School, which is disadvantaging pupils from Marlborough and Roath Park Primary Schools. The Cabinet Member explained that the outcome of the pupil’s responses to consultation showed that proximity to school is the priority and there are alternative closer secondary schools. Going forward, the catchment areas will be reviewed and secondary schools will be expanded.

 

·         MCAP queried whether Councillors would be willing to talk to current year 5’s and 6’s in Marlborough and Roath Park primary to discuss first-hand the impact the process is having on them. The Cabinet Member said that she would consider this, but if she did it would be to talk to the pupils from her experiences as a parent.

 

·         The issue of an EIA assessment not having taken place on Option A was again raised.

 

·         It was further queried why Option A was chosen, even though the majority of respondents chose Option B. The Cabinet Member explained that significant concerns were raised regarding Option B that would impact a number of pupils. Also, some parents who would be affected by the proposed changes did not respond to the consultation.

 

·         It was also noted that most of the formal bodies who expressed an opinion opted for Option B and their views were disregarded, to which the Cabinet member replied that every response has been considered and a balanced decision needs to be made. The WISERD report highlighted that there are pros and cons to both options.  

 

AGREED – That the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the Way Forward.

Supporting documents:

 

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