Annex A
CTC Chairmen's Forum
ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES
INTRODUCTION
CTCs are committed to the principles of openness
and fairness in their admissions procedures. They acknowledge
and are committed to meeting their legal obligations as amplified
in the Funding Agreements, namely to ensure that admissions arrangements
secure as far as is possible that the intake of pupils is representative
of the full range of ability among pupils in the catchment area
and broadly representative of the community in the catchment area.
Subject to this overriding requirement they are required to admit
students who, in the judgement of the Principal, are most likely
to benefit from what the college has to offer, have the strongest
motivation to succeed and intend to continue in full-time education
or training up to the age of 18.
Under these legal and contractual requirements
and within the context of the CTC joint mission statement the
CTCs have agreed to the common principles and good practice guidelines
set out in this paper. It is according to these principles that
each CTC will operate its admissions policy as approved by its
governing body. Each policy will be lodged with the DfES.
A. KEY ADMISSIONS
PRINCIPLES AND
GUIDELINES
The CTCs agree to the following principles and
guidelines, to take effect at the latest in the admissions round
for the Autumn 2000 intake.
— The method and criteria by which
CTCs draw up their intake list—if oversubscribed—will
be in line with the legislative requirements and the principles
set out in this paper and will be clearly identified and publicised
to all applicants. In each case they will be demonstrably fair,
consistent, replicable and objective.
— All CTCs that recruit at 11 years
to use a common, nationally standardised NFER non-verbal reasoning
test in order to check the appropriate distribution of ability.
The test results will be placed in nine bands (or stanines). This
is the sole test of general academic ability to be used by the
CTCs in the first part of the admissions process to determine
the nine ability groupings.
— It is recognised that there is a
variety of ways for a CTC, having regard to its obligations under
the Funding Agreement, to determine which pupils within each of
the nine ability bands should be admitted. Any such assessment
will be done in accordance with the principles set out later in
this paper.
— There will be no unstructured interviews
with students. It should however be open to CTCs to use "structured
discussions" (either one-to-one or in groups) to determine
specialist aptitude providing they comply with the assessment
principles referred to above.
— CTCs have agreed a common proforma
to be used where they wish to seek additional information from
primary schools.
— There will be no interviews or structured
discussions with parents of individual students. This is not to
rule out the attendance of parents to accompany children during
the assessment activities, but whether the parents are present
or not the assessment will be solely based on the child's responses.
CTCs will continue to use home-school agreements and recognise
that, in line with the provisions in the School Standards and
Framework Act, these cannot be used as a criterion for admissions.
— Final decisions will be made on the
basis of the professional judgement of the Principal, made in
the light of Funding Agreement and statutory requirements and
the CTCs' commitment to fairness and openness, as set out in this
paper.
— Appeals will be allowed only on matters
relating to the administration of the admissions process. All
15 CTCs agree to conduct appeals in accordance with the agreed
principles and guidelines.
— CTC reserve list systems will operate
on the basis that places on the reserve list are allocated within
stanines using the same methodology as that used for the allocation
of places. Colleges will publish the date at which the reserve
list for the new intake is dissolved. Vacancies thereafter will
be filled by the casual entry policy.
— For admissions other then through
formal entry at Year 7 the CTCs will operate a policy which as
far as possible follows the principles set out in this paper.
— Ability distribution curves based
on the NFER scores from the admissions ability test to Year 7
pupils recruited each year to be made available in September each
year to DfES and at any time to those with statutory rights of
access (DfES, OFSTED, HMI).
— CTCs undertake to work in co-operation
with other secondary schools in their catchment areas on practical
issues common to all schools (eg timing of procedures, the process
of notification of offers).
— Any discussion about catchment area
changes are to be resolved on an individual basis with the DfES.
— Issues relating to religious qualification
to be resolved with the DfES on an individual basis, but in accordance
with the principles set out in this paper on the allocation of
places within ability bands.
EXCEPTIONS:
— It is recognised that BRIT school,
which admits at 14 years, and has particular requirements including
the need to use auditions and whatever else is needed to determine
performance based specialist aptitude.
— Dixons have middle school complications,
as the rest of the city's secondary schools recruit at later than
11 years.
B. KEY PRINCIPLES
GOVERNING THE
SELECTION OF
PUPILS WITHIN
EACH ABILITY
BAND
INTRODUCTION AND
BACKGROUND
1. The crucial requirement on CTC admissions
is that pupils must be admitted to ensure as far as possible that
the intake of pupils is representative of the full range of ability
among pupils in the catchment area, and broadly representative
of its community. For convenience, this may be referred to as
stage one of the admissions process. Subject to this, CTCs ensure
that from among applicants of different abilities students are
selected who, in the professional judgement of the Principal,
are most likely to benefit from what the college has to offer,
have the strongest motivation to succeed and intend to continue
in full-time education or training up to the age of 18. This paper
sets out the common principles by which all 15 CTCs agree to operate
in this second stage of the admissions process.
PRINCIPLES
2. The principles are as follows:
Criteria for assessment should be set for the
selection process which are clear and can be fairly replicated.
What is being looked for/assessed in the student
should be clearly set out in sufficient detail to enable those
operating the process to be clear about their responsibilities.
It will also help the process to be as objective as possible.
In carrying out assessments under this part
of the admissions process the method of the assessment and its
relationship to the information sought should be clearly set out.
Any selection method should provide the same
opportunity to all students and to be capable of faithful replication.
No factors outside those set out to be assessed
should have a bearing on decisions.
It will be necessary for the Principal of a
college to use his or her professional judgement. This will be
done on the basis of clearly set out and detailed grounds and
from a clear evidence base.
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