School's Prejudice Statement
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Pattie
School's Prejudice Statement
I have been visiting this site and reading all the relevant psoting regarding appeals. i have found this site invaluable!
I am appealing for a Grammar School Place for my son in Warwickshire. (Appeal date is 22.5.07). The school is a Voluntary Aided School.
I recently received the school's case against my son's admission. my appeal is against non-qualification. Anyway, the school has a Published Admission number of 94 but the school has been assesed as having 116 places. However, the Girls Grammar school's PAN is 94 and has been assessed as so.
The statement states: The planned admission number for boys school matches the number of places availabe at girls school . While the admission number does not reflect the school's physical capacity it does mean that equal numbers of places are available for boys and girls, as required by Equal Opportunities legislation.
Since 2004 the number of pupils admitted on appeal equals 113, 106 & 112 respectively.
Can anyone advise as to how to best challenge this statement?
I am appealing for a Grammar School Place for my son in Warwickshire. (Appeal date is 22.5.07). The school is a Voluntary Aided School.
I recently received the school's case against my son's admission. my appeal is against non-qualification. Anyway, the school has a Published Admission number of 94 but the school has been assesed as having 116 places. However, the Girls Grammar school's PAN is 94 and has been assessed as so.
The statement states: The planned admission number for boys school matches the number of places availabe at girls school . While the admission number does not reflect the school's physical capacity it does mean that equal numbers of places are available for boys and girls, as required by Equal Opportunities legislation.
Since 2004 the number of pupils admitted on appeal equals 113, 106 & 112 respectively.
Can anyone advise as to how to best challenge this statement?
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Guest
Difficult to know what to advise. As a school governor I can tell you that schools (at least in our county, Kent) are not allowed to take over their PAN into year 7 unless extra children get places on appeal. Because of a dip in birth rates some primary schools have seen their PANs cut, much against their wishes.
The grammar may well wish to take extra pupils since most of a school's annual funding is in the form of a set amount per pupil on the school roll. It is the LEA, therefore, rather than the school who are likely to be your real opponents. The school's statement suggests that they are hoping that appeals will be sucessful!
For what it's worth I think that in my area we have uneven numbers of places for boys and girls in our local grammars as some have expanded substantially in recent years to meet the demand from the varying numbers of boys and girls passing the eleven plus. We have a full grammar system in most of Kent, however, with a county-wide test so it's a bit different.
The grammar may well wish to take extra pupils since most of a school's annual funding is in the form of a set amount per pupil on the school roll. It is the LEA, therefore, rather than the school who are likely to be your real opponents. The school's statement suggests that they are hoping that appeals will be sucessful!
For what it's worth I think that in my area we have uneven numbers of places for boys and girls in our local grammars as some have expanded substantially in recent years to meet the demand from the varying numbers of boys and girls passing the eleven plus. We have a full grammar system in most of Kent, however, with a county-wide test so it's a bit different.
An interesting question.
I believe a parent in Kingston is taking action because the number of grammar school places available is not the same for boys and girls.
This is what the current code of practice says about the admission number:
The appeal panel should be satisfied that the school’s published admissions number is a justified limit.
An appeal panel would normally expect there to be a very good reason if the admission number is set lower than the available capacity, otherwise it might well take the view that additional pupils could be admitted without prejudice.
I think, Pattie, you need to establish whether there really is a legal obligation on a boys' VA grammar school to artificially limit its intake in order to match the number of places available at a neighbouring girls' grammar school.
The Equal Opportunities Commission helpline might be able to assist you:
http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=16823
Or you could take legal advice.
Or, at the stage 1 meeting, you could insist on an explanation of the precise legal basis for the school's admission number. Are they sure it is a requirement for them to do what they're doing? Or are they uncertain about the law, and just being cautious?
On the EOC's website it states "It is unlawful for a state or private educational establishment to discriminate in its admission policies, unless it is a single s e x establishment ......."
I believe a parent in Kingston is taking action because the number of grammar school places available is not the same for boys and girls.
This is what the current code of practice says about the admission number:
The appeal panel should be satisfied that the school’s published admissions number is a justified limit.
An appeal panel would normally expect there to be a very good reason if the admission number is set lower than the available capacity, otherwise it might well take the view that additional pupils could be admitted without prejudice.
I think, Pattie, you need to establish whether there really is a legal obligation on a boys' VA grammar school to artificially limit its intake in order to match the number of places available at a neighbouring girls' grammar school.
The Equal Opportunities Commission helpline might be able to assist you:
http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=16823
Or you could take legal advice.
Or, at the stage 1 meeting, you could insist on an explanation of the precise legal basis for the school's admission number. Are they sure it is a requirement for them to do what they're doing? Or are they uncertain about the law, and just being cautious?
On the EOC's website it states "It is unlawful for a state or private educational establishment to discriminate in its admission policies, unless it is a single s e x establishment ......."
Etienne
It is an interesting question whether places for Boys and Girls have to balance. Individual schools are not permitted to try and balance their intake:
"Admission arrangements for a co-educational school may not be used to achieve a fixed proportion of boys or girls at the school, as this may be in breach of the S e x Discrimination Act. " (School Admissions Code of Practice 2003)
I do not know where one would find out information as to whether an authority should attempt to balance the places over two schools.
Many mixed Grammar Schools end up with more girls than boys because girls tend to do better at 11+. I can, however, think of places where there are single s e x schools where the boys' schools have more places available than the girls'.
"Admission arrangements for a co-educational school may not be used to achieve a fixed proportion of boys or girls at the school, as this may be in breach of the S e x Discrimination Act. " (School Admissions Code of Practice 2003)
I do not know where one would find out information as to whether an authority should attempt to balance the places over two schools.
Many mixed Grammar Schools end up with more girls than boys because girls tend to do better at 11+. I can, however, think of places where there are single s e x schools where the boys' schools have more places available than the girls'.
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Guest
It may be worth checking whether they published the fact that they had set an admission number lower than the school's net capacity. If the number to be admitted is lower than the school's capacity indicates then schools have to do this in a newspaper, after the admission arrangements were determined for this year's entry - which was last April.
