Report to the Schools Adjudicator from Brighton & Hove Local Authority 2024

Report cleared by

Name: Richard Barker

Job title: Head of School Organisation.

Report submitted by

Name: Saul Johnston.

Job title: School Admissions Manager.

A. Co-ordination

Which of the following best describes the level of challenge for your main admissions round in 23/24 compared to 22/23?

Please give examples to illustrate your answer if you wish.

Year 3 junior admission round was less challenging as there are now fewer junior schools and almost every applicant received an offer of their first preference school.

B. Looked after and previously looked after children

1. How well does the admissions system in your local authority area serve the interests of looked-after children at normal points of admission?

   Very well.

2. How well do the admissions systems in other local authority areas serve the interests of children looked after by your local authority at normal points of admission? 

   Very well.

3. How well does your admissions system serve the interests of children who are looked after by other local authorities but educated in your area at normal points of admission?

   Not applicable.

4. How well does the admissions system in your local authority area serve the interests of previously looked after children at normal points of admission?

   Very well.

C. Special educational needs and/or disabilities

1. How well served are children with special educational needs and/or disabilities who have an education, health and care plan that names a school at normal points of admission?

   Very well.

Please provide any comments you wish to make on the admission of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities at normal points of admission.

There is good communication between School Admissions and SEND teams which helps serve these children very well.

A. Which of the following best describes the overall level of challenge for your in-year admissions in 23/24 compared to 22/23?

If you wish, please explain the factors that have changed the level of challenge for your in-year admissions.

There has been an increase in in-year applications even excluding the closure of 2 primary schools whose children required placing in alternative schools.

There has also been more push back particularly from primary schools in relation to pupils with challenging behaviour which seems indicative of the funding pressure schools are under and the difficulty with providing additional support for these pupils.

B. Looked after children and previously looked after children

1. How well does the in-year admission system serve children who are looked after by your local authority and who are being educated in your area?

   Very well.

2. How well do the in-year admission systems in other local authority areas serve the interests of your looked-after children?

   Well.

3. How well does the in-year admission system serve the interests of children who are looked after by other local authorities but educated in your area?

   Very well.

4. How well does your in-year admission system serve the interests of previously looked after children?

   Very well.

C. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities

1. How well served are children with special educational needs and/or disabilities who have an education, health and care plan that names a school when they need to be admitted in-year?

   Very well.

2. How well served are children with special educational needs and/or disabilities who do not have an education, health and care plan when they need to be admitted in-year?

   Well.

3. Please give examples of any good or poor practice or difficulties which support or exemplify your answers about in-year admissions for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities:

   There have been difficulties and delays with placing children with SEND needs but no EHCP and have moved into the area generally from abroad.  Schools are reluctant to admit these children due to existing pressures on their support staff and resources. 

D. Fair access protocol

What proportion of the state-funded mainstream schools in your area have said that they agree to the local authority's fair access protocol? 

Primary: 100%.

Secondary: 100%.

1. How many children were admitted to schools in your area under the fair access protocol between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024? 

2. If you have seen a change in the number of children referred to your Fair Access Protocol between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024 compared to the previous academic year please indicate what you consider the key reasons for this change to be?

   Similar numbers in secondary to the previous year but there has been an increase in primary pupils refused under section 3.10 of the code.

   There seem to be both more primary-age children with challenging behaviour coupled with an increased pressure on funding means schools feel unable to support and manage these children appropriately.

3. How well do you consider children referred to the Fair Access Protocol are served in your area?

   Very well.

4. Please provide any comments you wish on the protocol not covered above:

   FAP panels meet every 2 weeks (secondary) and 3 weeks (primary), and pupils are almost always placed within this time frame.

E. Directions to maintained schools to admit children

Only Directions to maintained schools are included here. Numbers of Directions to academies are already held by the Department.

How many directions did the local authority make between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024 to maintained schools for which the local authority is not the admission authority to admit children (including children looked after by the local authority but resident in another area)?

F. Other points on in-year admissions

1. For the schools for which the local authority co-ordinates in-year applications, in the year between 1 Aug 2023 and 31 July 2024 did you receive

   Significantly more than last year.

2. For what proportion of primary schools in your area did the local authority co-ordinate in-year admissions during the 2023/2024 academic year

   Between 75% and 100%.