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Secondary education

Adjudicator Ruling - should it be followed?

9 replies

23balloons · 27/01/2011 13:31

I started a thread last year about a local Catholic Secondary school and it's feeder list. I don't want to go through the whole thing again but some posters were very helpful with their advice & I think I need a bit more.

Basically a parent took 2 Catholic Secondaries with conflicting policies to the Adjudicator. He ruled one was fine but the other had breached the code with it's feeder list and said he would have removed them for 2011 but it was October by the time the decision was made and it was too late. However, he 'strongly' recommended removal for 2012. The said school has published it's draft criteria and is proposing to keep most of it's list, it has made slight amendments in other areas but nothing like what the Adjudicator recommended.

I was going to contact the School Admissions Forum for the area the school is in. On checking the members of the committee it turns out the Head of the school that was told to change is on the committee. The minutes for the last meeting were on the website, the Adjudicator ruling was discussed and the SAF decided they didn't like the process the Adjudicator followed and were going to write and complain, also the Head of the school in question went on to reassure the committee that his 2012 criteria wouldn't be disadvantaging local families (this is not true). The Head did not declare any conflict of interest at the beginning of the meeting.

I find this very wrong. The Head should not surely be using this Forum for his own purpose. It means local families who are affected are now afraid to contact the forum. Surely this represents a conflict of interest? I have sent an email to the Adjudicator. Is there anything else I could/should do without jeopardising my own child's chance of getting into this school?

Thank you

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prh47bridge · 27/01/2011 14:32

Some heads need banging together here. It is not up to the SAF or the school to decide whether or not they like the process followed by the Schools Adjudicator. The Adjudicator's ruling is final. There is no appeal. The school is required to implement the adjudicator's decision.

Having said that, if the Adjudicator "strongly recommended" that gives the school some wriggle room. You really need a firm decision from them. So contacting them is exactly the right thing to do.

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23balloons · 27/01/2011 22:36

Thanks, I did contact them and they said they couldn't enforce the ruling as it was too late in the year. They have advised to keep a close eye on the policy for 2012 and go to them straight away if we feel it is unfair. Regarding the Head being on the SAF and promoting his policy before it had been decided or announced, they couldn't advise.

I attended the open evening of the school before the Adjudicator made the decision and the Head actually told me he didn't want the Adjudicator forcing him to change his policy!

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prh47bridge · 27/01/2011 23:09

This head seems to think he is above the law. If the Adjudicator make a proper ruling this time and the head refuses to comply I expect he'll get a letter from Michael Gove telling him that he has no choice.

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zanzibarmum · 27/01/2011 23:10

The head doesn't set the admissions criteria; the GB does.
Adjudicator rulings often conflict - besides the admissions code of some diocese allows feeder schools

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23balloons · 28/01/2011 00:26

I know feeder schools are allowed but his method of selecting feeder schools is not objective or fair which is requied by both the code and the Archdiocese. He has 6 feeder schools spanning 3 boroughs but has decided not to add my son's school which is the 2nd closest primary to his school and not a feeder for any other school. The result being parents are removing children from my sons school with the sole purpose of attending a listed school to gain entry to the Secondary school. This is having a detrimental effect on my son's school. Hence there is no objectivity in his reasoning.

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prh47bridge · 28/01/2011 00:59

zanzibarmum - Schools Adjudicator decisions are generally consistent. They are there to enforce the statutory Admissions Code. That takes precendence over anything the diocese want. And the situation outlined by 23balloons certainly appears to be contrary to the Admissions Code.

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zanzibarmum · 28/01/2011 02:23

Generally consistent. But sometimes spectactularly inconsistent.
Though what seems to be happening in this case does seem to be indefensible. What is the school?

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prh47bridge · 28/01/2011 10:54

Do you have an example of decisions being spectacularly inconsistent?

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23balloons · 28/01/2011 11:53

Obviously I cannot name the school here but I will also add that it is a boys school and the sister school for girls has no feeder list (nor does any other Catholic Secondary in the area). Therefore, girls in my sons primary do apply to and gain places at the girls Secondary but not one boy has ever gained a place at the boys school unless they already had a sibling in the school.

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