All Local Authorities are required to establish an Admission Forum to bring together the local authority and schools that are their own admission authorities including Academies to discuss, review and monitor admissions policies for the area and ensure both fairness and compliance with statutory requirements.

The Forum meets about three times a year (in September/October, February and May) and has a key role in ensuring that the admissions system does not disadvantage any groups of children compared to any others. The system should also be easy and straightforward for parents to understand.

Examples of issues discussed at previous meetings:

• Does the cost of school uniforms deter parents from applying to any schools in Hackney?
• Are the oversubscription criteria for admission to a secondary school fair for all Hackney residents?
• Do we need to encourage any secondary schools/academies to change their admissions arrangements so that they are consistent with the others?
• Is the information provided to parents easy to understand?
• Are there any schools that admit more pupils from certain groups (ethnicity, gender, or children on free schools meals) than others?
• Does any school take more children with SEN statements than the others?
• Do we have any children not able to obtain a place at a local school due to a lack of school places?

The Admission Forum also sends out an annual survey to parents of children who transfer to secondary schools as well as parents of children who just started in the Reception class to see if parents have any specific concerns that should be looked into.

The Admission Forum is responsible for monitoring compliance with the School Admissions Code of Practice and has the powers to refer an objection to the Schools Adjudicator where they consider a particular school’s admission arrangements to be unfair or not in accordance with the Code of Practice.

The current membership looks as follows:

• 2 representatives from Hackney Council (2 Councillors)
• 4 Headteachers or Governors of community schools (currently 1 nursery school Headteacher, 1 primary school Headteacher, 1 secondary school Headteacher and one primary school Governor)
• 4 Headteachers or Governors of Voluntary Aided schools (currently 2 Headteachers and 2 vacancies)
• 2 Academy representatives (currently 2 Headteachers)
• 3 representatives from bodies of any voluntary school in the relevant area (1 representative each from the Church of England Diocese and the Catholic Diocese; one vacancy for a Jewish representative)
• 3 parent representatives
• 1 member of the local community

If you have any questions please contact Asa Melander, Divisional Business Manager (Early Years and Primary) & Clerk to the School Admission Forum on 020 8820 7229.