Part 3

Further provisions about maintained schools

School admissions

Prohibition on interviews
44
After section 88 of SSFA 1998 insert—

Prohibition on interviews
88A
1
No admission arrangements for a maintained school may require or authorise any interview with an applicant for admission to the school or his parents, where the interview is to be taken into account (to any extent) in determining whether the applicant is to be admitted to the school.
2
If the maintained school is one at which boarding accommodation is provided for pupils, subsection (1) does not apply in relation to any interview intended to assess the suitability of an applicant for a boarding place.
3
Where the admission arrangements for a maintained school make provision for a permitted form of selection by aptitude, subsection (1) does not prevent the arrangements from requiring or authorising any audition or other oral or practical test to be carried out in relation to an applicant solely for the purpose of ascertaining the applicant's aptitude in accordance with the arrangements.
4
In this section, “permitted form of selection by aptitude” is to be read in accordance with section 99(4).
S. 44 in force at 27.2.2007 for E. by S.I. 2006/3400, art. 6(c)
S. 44 in force at 30.6.2008 for W. by S.I. 2008/1429, art. 3(1), Sch. Pt. 1