Fair Access Protocol for West Northamptonshire schools in 2021 to 2022 consultation

Overview

West Northamptonshire Council, as the local authority, is raising awareness of changes to the Fair Access Protocol in the new School Admissions Code 2021, which comes into force on 1 September 2021. This consultation is to enable schools, as well as other potentially interested parties, to register their views and opinions.

Each local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol, agreed with the majority of schools in its area, to ensure that unplaced and vulnerable children, and those who are having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible. 

The School Admissions Code (2021) includes changes to the Fair Access Protocol and states that: "The [Fair Access] Protocol must be consulted upon and developed in partnership with all schools in its area. Once the Protocol has been agreed by the majority of schools in its area, all admission authorities must participate in it".

For more information about the Fair Access Protocol for 2021, please read the Draft West Northamptonshire Fair Access Protocol (PDF 568KB).

An Equality Screening Assessment (PDF 207KB) has been completed to evidence what impact the proposal may have on equality groups.

This consultation will run from Thursday 15 July to midnight on Sunday 15 August 2021.

If you have any questions or enquiries about the consultation, please contact Jan Baines, School Admissions Manager, via email at Jan.Baines@northnorthants.gov.uk or by phone on 07500 071983.

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.  

What happens next

A longstanding Fair Access Protocol Steering group (with representatives from schools in all areas of Northamptonshire; the Manager and officers from the School Admissions Team and representatives from the Education and Inclusion Partnership (EIP) Team) is hosted by the local authority, and this has a remit to monitor and review the operation of the Fair Access Protocol in all North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council schools.

This consultation and feedback will be formally discussed and reviewed at the first Protocol Steering Group meeting of the 2021 / 22 academic year and then shared as appropriate.