9/3/22 – OUTCOME STATEMENT:
Further to the consultation period closing on 20th January 2022, all responses (three were received) were reviewed and actioned and then a report was sent to the BPET Board for review and approval. The BPET Board met on Tuesday 8th March 2022 and discussed the proposed changes. After which the decision was to move ahead with changes (1) and (3) but not change the criteria clauses relating to siblings within catchment. Therefore clause 2 of the over-subscription criteria will remain:
“Children whose permanent home address is inside the school’s designated area and who has a sibling at the school at the time of the application; who is expected to be attending the school when the child will enter the school.”
The full 2023-24 Admissions Policy can be read here and the Consultation Report and Appendix
DECEMBER 2021:
In accordance with the School Admissions (Admission Arrangements and Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2012, admission authorities must consult on their admission arrangements if changes are being proposed to the admission arrangements or if they have not been consulted on within the last 7 years. A consultation must run for a period of six weeks and be completed by 31 January 2022.
As the Admissions Authority, BPET are proposing two changes to the Evendons Primary School Admissions Policy for 2023-24 and onwards. This is our formal notification of a consultation period from 1st December 2021 until Thursday 20th January 2022. You can find the DRAFT proposed Policy in the link below within ‘How to Respond.”
Who is consulted
This consultation is for the attention of:
- Parents/carers of children currently at the school
- School staff and School Local Advisory Board (LAB)
- Pre-school and primary school providers within 1.5mile radius of Evendons Primary School
- Wokingham Borough Local Authority
What Changes are proposed?
BPET would like to change the Oversubscription Criteria in two ways:
(1) Remove the Criteria “Families who have exceptional medical or social needs as the grounds for their child’s admission to a particular school.” Because it is very rarely used and we do feel a child local school often best meets their medical needs; pupils who apply should be in a catchment of the school and we have no specialist facilities.
(2) Amend the notes of the Criteria “Children whose permanent home address is inside the school’s designated area and who has a sibling at the school at the time of the application; who is expected to be attending the school when the child will enter the school.” To simply “Children with a sibling at the school at the time of admission.”
This change brings Evendons Admission Criteria in line with all other BPET Schools and ensures that sibling families are ensured a place at the same school. This is important for attendance, punctuality and green/eco transportation to one school destination by the most efficient method.
(3) Amend the notes of the Criteria “Children of staff at the school. Children of staff in either following circumstances: i) where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time the child starts at the school.” Rather than “i) where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time of application.”
This minor change is proposed as the application date can be misconstrued as either submission date or statutory closing date for Reception Applications or further late application dates. We wish to treat staff and pupils fairly and this policy does relate to children starting school in the September of the Academic year. The start of the academic year is also the main intake date of new staff members.
Change in PAN (Published Application Numbers)
You may be aware that due to demand for school places in the local area, Wokingham Borough Council extended the number of places offered at Evendons Primary School for the Reception intake of September 2021 to 60 (from 54). The PAN is the maximum number of pupils that the admission authority will admit to each year group.
The impact of this for the school was as follows:
- Increase the Published Admission Number (PAN) for Reception to 60 from September 2021.
- Take 2 children from each year group’s waiting list across Years 1-5 to increase the year group to 56 during summer term 2020-21 and provide even class sizes of 28 from September 2021.
- Leave Year 6 September 2021-22 at 54 pupils.
This means that the number of pupils on roll at Evendons from September 20201 is 394 and this will then rise incrementally each year until we reach 420 pupils at September 2027.
How to Respond
This consultation will run from 1 December 2021 to 20 January 2022. You are invited to submit comments in writing about the proposed changes to the Evendons Primary School 2023-24 Admissions Policy draft, to Tracey Blandford at BPET.
Please address any comments FAO: Tracey Blandford, Marketing Manager, Bellevue Place Education Trust c/o Kilburn Grange School, Priory Park Road, Kilburn, LONDON NW6 7UJ, by midday on 20 January 2022 or by email to info@BPET.co.uk. Please mark the subject “Evendons Primary School 2023-24 Admissions Policy Consultation”.
What Happens After 20th January 2022
Following the consultation period BPET, as the Admissions Authority, will take any responses into account before determining the final policy arrangements and will prepare a report to be posted on the BPET and Evendons Primary Website by 28 February 2022.