How to consult on your admissions arrangements and the impact of the new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on school admissions

Are you thinking about making changes to your school’s admissions arrangements for entry in September 2027? Is your school required to carry out a consultation because it’s been 7 years since you last did one? Would you like to know how the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will affect school admissions?

Led by Tracey Eldridge-Hinmers and  Adam Jackson and chaired by Theresa Kerr, our team provided an overview of the key things you need to know about school admissions, including the additional considerations coming from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We provided practical examples of best practice and common pitfalls and discussed the themes arising from the Office of the School Adjudicator’s annual report.

The session covered:

• Who’s responsible for determining admission arrangements
• How admission oversubscription criteria are set
• The deadline for setting admission criteria
• Changing admission arrangements: the duty to consult
• How to consult on admission arrangements
• Sixth Form admission arrangements
• How the proposed changes to admissions in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will affect your school

Who is this for? Admissions officers, headteachers, governors, trustees and anyone within your school or trust with responsibility for admissions. The session will be suitable for maintained schools and academy trusts. Please also feel free to share this with other colleagues in your local area or diocese.