Admissions "free for all" possible in Kirklees (Kirklees Liberal Democrats)

Kirklees Liberal Democrats <info@kirkleeslibdems.org.uk>

Admissions "free for all" possible in Kirklees

February 15, 2006 10:50 AM

No to admissions "free for all"

Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Councillor Geoff Alvy has called for all councillors in Kirklees to lobby local MPs to actively campaign for education services to remain accountable to local people through local democracy.

"The Government launched the Education White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All, on October 25th 2005. I am concerned about the impact of these reforms on schools in Kirklees. Firstly, that there could be an admissions "free for all" where schools which are their own admissions authority choose the pupils they want. This will probably mean parents will not get the school places they wanted for their children. This clearly will undermine the work Kirklees that has already done to create a fair admissions system in Kirklees which also ensures places are available for 'hard to place' pupils" says Councillor Alvy. "All young people have a right to be treated equally in the school admission process. An admissions policy based around schools being encouraged to "poach" pupils from each other will only work in the interests of some schools, not in the interests of all young people which is something we will fight against. I believe that local authorities should continue to lead and co-ordinate a local admissions policy to ensure fair access for all - including hard to place children - as a fair admissions policy cannot be delivered on a school by school basis."

"I am also concerned the reforms will lead to a surplus of expensive and unnecessary and therefore wasteful additional school places in some schools when secondary school rolls are falling nationally. Pressure on some schools to expand at the expense of other neighbouring schools will threaten the viability of some schools which will lead to more school closures in deprived areas, contrary to the governments own policies on neighbourhood regeneration" says Councillor Alvy.

"I want to see improvement in education in Kirklees for the benefit of all our young people. That means schools should continue to be free to manage their own teaching, staffing and budgets. They should work together to deliver improved outcomes and the local authority has an essential co-ordinating role to play in achieving this" says Councillor Alvy. "In recent years too much effort has been wasted on tinkering with structures rather focusing focusing directly on improving teaching. These reforms seems to be more of the same with an even greater centralisation of power in the hands of unelected Whitehall bureaucrats through measures like the proposal for a new DfES Schools Commissioner and insisting that all new schools are trust schools or academies. Local schools should be funded locally, with decisions by elected bodies accountable to local people, rather than by funding formulas dictated by central government".

"The Liberal Democrats want to see local authorities to continue to lead and co-ordinate a local admissions policy to ensure fair access for all - including hard to place children - as a fair admissions policy cannot be delivered on a school by school basis. The status of community school to remain for both existing and new schools. We would like our MP's and Councillors to actively campaign for education services to remain accountable to local people through local democracy, and to vote for this principle when the measures contained in the White Paper are debated in Parliament."

For further information and comment:

Councillor Geoff Alvy 07799143116 (mobile) 01924 420671 (home