School admission arrangements 2019/20

Proposal

In accordance with mandatory requirements, Shropshire Council, as the admission authority for all of its community and voluntary controlled schools, has a duty to consult on proposed changes to admission arrangements. 

No significant changes are proposed to the arrangements for community and controlled schools in 2019/20. However, a small number of areas have been identified where the primary catchment area boundary and the secondary catchment boundary are misaligned.  This could potentially result in children from within the same primary school catchment area being considered in a different secondary catchment area to their fellow pupils.

In order to rectify these anomalies, minor amendments are proposed to seven catchment areas (shown in the attached maps). This will affect a small number of residents located at Bomere Heath, Hoptonheath, Rowton (near Broome), English Frankton, Atterley, Pennerley and Stanwardine in the Wood. Primary and secondary schools affected, local members of the wards concerned and the relevant parish councils will be consulted about the proposals. Each resident potentially affected will also be consulted individually. 

In addition to the above, consultation will run simultaneously on proposed changes to admission arrangements for own-admission authority schools, such as academies and foundation schools. Responses to these will be co-ordinated by Shropshire Council. 

Crowmoor Primary School (a foundation school) in Shrewsbury has proposed a slight reduction in their published admission number from 34 to 30 to enable better class organisation. Proposals to increase published admission numbers are not subject to consultation.

Barrow 1618 CE Free School, Ellesmere Primary School, Severn Bridges Multi-academy Trust in Shrewsbury (Greenfields Primary School, Mount Pleasant Primary School and Radbrook Primary School) and Shrewsbury Cathedral Catholic Primary School have proposed changes to their oversubscription criteria. 

The proposed admission arrangements are laid out in the attached documents.  Consultation must take place for a period of six weeks, and will last from 15 December 2017 until 26 January 2018.

The proposed changes are summarised as follows:  

• Shropshire Council's admission arrangements to remain mostly unchanged. However, minor changes are proposed to the designated catchment area at secondary transfer to align with the primary designated catchment area. This will affect a small number of residents located at Bomere Heath, Hopton Heath, Rowton (near Broome), English Frankton, Atterley, Pennerley and Stanwardine in the Wood (shown in the attached maps)    
• Responsibility continues to be delegated to schools for mid-term (in-year) admissions and admission to school sixth forms. Individual admission policies relating to these can be found on schools' own websites
• Crowmoor Primary School in Shrewsbury is proposing a reduction to its published admission number from 34 to 30
• Barrow 1618 CE Free School is proposing the addition of children of teaching staff as a new criterion in their policy
• Ellesmere Primary School is proposing the addition of children of their teaching staff as a new criterion in their policy and prioritised children with siblings attending the school
• Severn Bridges Multi-Academy Trust in Shrewsbury (Greenfields Primary School, Mount Pleasant Primary School and Radbrook Primary School) is proposing the addition of children of staff criterion to each of their school policies
• Shrewsbury Cathedral Catholic Primary School is proposing to prioritise all looked-after children, regardless of whether they're baptised Catholic children, and to make minor changes to their oversubscription criteria