The School Admissions (Admission Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2008

PART 5 Notification and publication of determined admission arrangements

Manner of notification of admission arrangements

18.—(1) This regulation prescribes for the purposes of section 88C(4) the manner in which, and the time by which, an admission authority must notify the appropriate bodies of determined admission arrangements.

(2) For the purposes of this regulation and regulation 22 “appropriate bodies” has the meaning given in section 88F(3) and—

(a) for the purposes of section 88F(3)(d) the prescribed admission authorities are those falling within regulation 12(2)(d) and (4);

(b) for the purposes of section 88F(3)(e) the religious bodies or persons are those set out in regulation 12(2)(i) and (7); and

(c) for the purposes of section 88F(3)(g) the prescribed persons are those persons falling within regulation 12(2)(g) and (h) and (6).

(3) The admission authority must, within 14 days after the date on which they determined the admission arrangements—

(a) give notice in writing of the admission arrangements to—

(i) each of the appropriate bodies set out in section 88F(3)(a) to (f),

(ii) any person falling within section 88F(3)(g) who responded to any consultation carried out under section 88C(2), and

(iii) any person whom the admission authority were required to consult by virtue of regulation 14; and

(b) place a copy of the determined admission arrangements on their website (if they have one).

(4) Where the determined admission arrangements differ in any respect from the proposed arrangements on which the appropriate bodies were consulted (save any difference which relates solely to exempt arrangements within the meaning of regulation 13(3)), the notification required by paragraph (3) must include a complete copy of the admission arrangements as determined.

(5) Notification under paragraph (3)(a) may be effected by the transmission of the notification in electronic form, except in any case where there are grounds for believing that the intended recipient is unable to make use of it in that form.

(6) Arrangements published under sub-paragraph (3)(b) must be displayed on the website until such time as they are replaced by arrangements published under regulation 22(2)(b) or by arrangements determined for the following academic year.

Publication by local authority

19.—(1) No later than 1st May in the determination year, a local authority must publish the following information on their website, and in a newspaper circulating in the locality of the local authority, namely—

(a) the extent to which admission arrangements have been determined for schools, Academies, city technology colleges and city colleges for the technology of the arts in the area of the local authority;

(b) the fact that copies of the determined admission arrangements are available on the local authority’s website and are available for inspection at the offices of the local authority and at such other places and by such other means as the local authority considers appropriate;

(c) a statement about parents’ right of objection to the adjudicator explaining—

(i) the effect of section 88H(3) (reference of objections to the adjudicator by parents),

(ii) that a parent may only refer an objection if the objection falls within regulation 27 and the parent falls within the relevant paragraph of regulation 26, and

(iii) the operation of regulation 28 in relation to objections falling within regulation 27(b);

(d) the address to which such objection should be referred;

(e) the date by which it must be referred; and

(f) the fact that further information about the determined arrangements and the ability of a parent to object may be obtained from the local authority including the address and telephone number for such contact.

(2) Where determined admission arrangements are varied under regulation 21, the local authority must publish a copy of the varied admission arrangements on their website within 14 days of —

(a) the variation, or

(b) in the case of admission arrangements for a school for which the local authority is not the admission authority, receipt of notification under regulation 22(3).

Additional publication by admission authority

20.—(1) This regulation applies in any case where-

(a) the admission arrangements for a school determined by an admission authority include pre-existing selection arrangements;

(b) the determined admission number for any relevant age group at a school is lower than the current indicated admission number for that age group.

(2) Within 14 days after the date on which the admission authority determined the admission arrangements they must publish the following information in a newspaper circulating in the locality served by the school—

(a) in a case falling within paragraph (1)(a)—

(i) the names of the admission authority and of the school or schools in respect of admission to which the provision for selection applies, and

(ii) the fact that admission arrangements have been determined which make provision for selection and a statement summarising the effect of the selection arrangements;

(b) in a case falling within paragraph (1)(b)—

(i) the names of the admission authority and of the school or schools in respect of which an admission number lower than the current indicated admission number has been determined for any relevant age group,

(ii) the current indicated admission number relating to each relevant age group to which the admission authority had regard when determining a lower admission number,

(iii) the determined admission number relating to each relevant age group which is lower than the current indicated number for that age group, and

(iv) the admission authority’s reasons for determining an admission number which is lower than the current indicated admission number; and

(c) in either case—

(i) the fact that parents living in the relevant area are able to refer an objection about the selection arrangements or, as the case may be, the admission number to the adjudicator,

(ii) the address to which, and the date by which, such an objection must be sent to the adjudicator, and

(iii) the fact that further information about the selection arrangements or, as the case may be, the admission number, or about parents’ right of objection may be obtained from the admission authority, including an address and telephone number for such contact.

(3) An admission authority must in addition provide to any person without charge on request—

(a) a copy of the selection arrangements or, as the case may be, details of the assessment of the school’s current indicated admission number relating to any relevant age group for which a lower admission number has been determined, and of any other parts of the admission arrangements that are material to them; and

(b) an explanation of the relevant area that applied to the admission authority’s consultation on the admission arrangements.