Part III School admissions
Chapter I Admission arrangements
F2Admission arrangements: England
88MF1Co-ordination of admission arrangements
1
Regulations may require a local authority in England—
a
to formulate, for any academic year in relation to which prescribed conditions are satisfied, a qualifying scheme for co-ordinating the arrangements for the admission of pupils to maintained schools in their area, and
b
to take prescribed action with a view to securing the adoption of the scheme by themselves and each governing body who are the admission authority for a maintained school in their area.
2
Subject to subsection (3), the Secretary of State may make, in relation to the area of a local authority in England and an academic year, a scheme for co-ordinating the arrangements, or assisting in the co-ordination of the arrangements, for the admission of pupils to maintained schools in that area.
3
A scheme may not be made under subsection (2) in relation to a local authority and an academic year if, before the prescribed date in the year preceding the year in which that academic year commences—
a
a scheme formulated by the local authority in accordance with subsection (1) is adopted in the prescribed manner by the persons mentioned in paragraph (b) of that subsection, and
b
the authority provide the Secretary of State with a copy of the scheme and inform the Secretary of State that the scheme has been so adopted.
4
Regulations may provide—
a
that each local authority in England must secure that, subject to such exceptions as may be prescribed, no decision made by any admission authority for a maintained school in their area to offer or refuse a child admission to the school is to be communicated to the parent of the child except on a single day, designated by the local authority, in each year, or
b
that, subject to such exceptions as may be prescribed, a decision made by the admission authority for a maintained school in England to offer or refuse a child admission to the school is not to be communicated to the parent of the child except on a prescribed day.
5
In this section
“academic year” means a period commencing with 1st August and ending with the next 31st July;
“qualifying scheme” means a scheme that meets prescribed requirements.
6
Nothing in this section applies in relation to arrangements for the admission to maintained schools of pupils—
a
who—
i
have ceased to be of compulsory school age, or
ii
will have ceased to be of compulsory school age before education is provided for them at the school, or
b
for the purpose of receiving sixth form education.
S. 88A cross-heading inserted (26.1.2009) by Education and Skills Act 2008 (c. 25), ss. 151(2), 173(4); S.I. 2008/3077, art. 4(d)