Select Committee on Education and Skills Minutes of Evidence


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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