Co-ordinated school admission arrangements: regulatory impact assessment

Two options are considered:

• keep the status quo: no requirement for admission authorities to co-ordinate their admission arrangements.
   
• make the draft Regulations: make the draft Regulations that place a duty on local authorities to formulate a qualifying scheme for the co-ordination of admission arrangements.

Option 1: keep the status quo: no requirement for admission authorities to co-ordinate their admission arrangements

Maintaining the status quo would mean there is no requirement for admission authorities to co-ordinate their admission arrangements. Although there is nothing stopping local authorities and governing bodies from voluntarily developing a scheme for the co-ordination of admission arrangements (many do so on a voluntary basis), not requiring them to do this means that in some authorities, some parents are holding onto more than one school offer resulting in other parents potentially have no offer of a place for any of the preferences expressed.

This situation prolongs uncertainty for some families and admission authorities. As there is requirement on parents to confirm which offer they are taking up, this blocks a number of school places until each September when it becomes known which school the child will be attending. Although parents who have been offered places are normally asked to decide whether to accept the place within a set deadline, admission authorities invest a great deal of time and resource chasing these responses, sometimes unsuccessfully. The holding of places prevents the allocation of places to those without a place.

Option two: make the draft Regulations: make the draft Regulations that place a duty on local authorities to formulate a qualifying scheme for the co-ordination of admission arrangements

Making the draft Regulations would mean local authorities would be required to formulate a qualifying scheme for the co-ordination of admission arrangements for schools they maintain. They would need to secure the adoption of the scheme by themselves and each governing body who is the admission authority for a maintained school in their area. They would also be required to include in their composite prospectus a summary of the local authority’s co-ordinated scheme as determined each year, alongside a clear explanation of the stages in the process of applying for a school place.

This option would lead to more pupils being offered places promptly and reduces the period of uncertainty for parents and pupils when applying for a school place. It will help to stop the holding up of places and in turn will allow quicker allocation of places to others. It will reduce the blocking of school places that would otherwise happen until each September when it becomes known which school the child will be attending.

Option 1: keep the status quo: no requirement for admission authorities to co-ordinate their admission arrangements:

• Although keeping the status quo wouldn’t add any financial pressures, there would be a missed opportunity for efficiency savings to be made at a local authority level if there was a requirement to co-ordinate admission arrangements.
• Currently, where the adoption of an admission scheme has not been undertaken by all admission authorities within a local authority, the local authority invests a lot of time and resource in chasing responses from parents who have been provide multiple offers for school places.

Option two: make the draft Regulations: make the draft Regulations that place a duty on local authorities to formulate a qualifying scheme for the co-ordination of admission arrangements:

• As well as the benefits of reducing the period of uncertainty for parents and pupils, we know from discussions with members of the ADEW School Admissions Officer Group that the co-ordination of admission arrangements will result in saving time and resource for local authorities who chase responses from parents who hold more than one offer for a school place.

A competition assessment has not been undertaken as the proposal does not affect business, charities or the voluntary sector.

Should the draft Regulations be made, Welsh Government will monitor their implementation to ensure that they are having the intended effect. Furthermore, implementation of any changes to the School Admissions Code to reflect the draft Regulations will be closely monitored.

Welsh Government will regularly liaise with the ADEW School Admissions Officer Group which has representation from all local authorities and diocesan authorities in Wales. This continued engagement will include feedback on the implementation of the Regulations should they be made.