Memorandum submitted by Mrs Patricia Fairburn,
Council on Tribunals (SA 48)
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO A REPORT FROM THE
COUNCIL ON TRIBUNALS ON SCHOOL ADMISSIONS AND EXCLUSION APPEAL
PANELS
On 28 May you sent a copy of the Council's Special
Report on School Admission and Exclusion Panels to Sheila Scales
and Caroline Macready. Sheila has temporarily taken up a new position,
and Alex Sevier has taken over her duties in Improving Behaviour
and Attendance Division.
Your report has helpfully focussed on some important
issues. Over the summer we have sought the opinions of our key
partners—including local education authorities, teacher
unions, admission authority schools and admission and exclusion
appeal panel members and clerks—on your recommendations.
They agree with us that many of those recommendations are useful
and practical and should enhance the operation of admission and
exclusion appeal panels. But they disagree with other recommendations,
as do we.
Annex A to this letter responds to the 15 recommendations
concerning Admission Appeal Panels only.
Annex B responds to the six recommendations
concerning Exclusion Appeal Panels only.
Annex C responds to the three recommendations
concerning training issues for both Admission and Exclusion Appeal
Panels.
We hope that you and your colleagues will find
our response helpful. As you will see, at a number of places in
Annex A we envisage addressing recommendations through the new
admission and exclusion appeals website we have set up jointly.
You can access it on http://www.dfes.gov.uk/schooladmissions/discussion/
We would be happy to have your comments, and work with the Council
on future developments.
16 October 2003
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