Partially selective schools
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Clement Danes have a notice in this week's Watford Observer announcing their admissions criteria for Sep 2008 entry, but not giving them:
In any case, today begins the statutory six weeks for objections to be lodged.
Last year it was 10% each for music and academic. It's not entirely clear whether they have removed the music criterion, but if they have it would take them out of the scope of section 2.21 of the new Code (schools selecting more than 10% should not give priority to siblings).The Governing Body of St. Clement Danes School hereby gives notice that the arrangements for admissions to the School for the school year 2008/2009 have been determined and that these arrangements make provision for selection, such that not more than 10% of places shall be available by reference to academic ability.
In any case, today begins the statutory six weeks for objections to be lodged.
It seems to come from section 90 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, but para 4.20 of the Code says should rather than must. Evidently the adjudicator has some discretion.Anonymous wrote:Could you please tell us more about the statutory six weeks?
There's a timetable on TeacherNet:
* admissions arrangements determined by 15th April.
* interested parties notified within 2 weeks of determination.
* objections lodged within 6 weeks of notification.
Adjudicators have been known to consider objections that arrive later than that, especially if there was some defect in notification, but they're less likely to uphold them if it gets too late.
So notification is what Clement Danes have just done. Other schools might not notify until the end of April, making the objection deadline mid-June.
Adjudicators take 2 to 3 months to decide objections, though they try to finish them by mid-September. The later it gets after that, the less likely they are to uphold even well-founded objections, because LEAs are printing composite prospectuses, distributing them to parents, parents are going to open evenings, then expressing their preferences.
From the Dame Alice Owens newsletter of March 30th:
However the link to the new admissions criteria on their website is broken.The Governors have agreed the final Admissions Criteria for 2008. Parents will be delighted to know that the criteria has remained largely the same, with the exception of guaranteeing a number of local places, thus confirming the Governors’ intention to continue to admit siblings of all students at the school, including those students who will join the school from 2008. A full set of these criteria has been placed on the website for your information.