Please find our admissions policy in the policies section or click the link below.
SCHOOL ADMISSION INFORMATION
Though we are an Academy, Blackpool Council administer Admissions on our behalf.
APPLICATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2023
The on-line application system is now live at www.blackpool.gov.uk/schooladmissions
Closing dates for applications are:
SECONDARY – 31ST OCTOBER 2022 PRIMARY – 15TH JANUARY 2023
NEW TO AREA REQUESTS AND TRANSFERS
The school census deadline this year is on Thursday 6th October 2022. Children must be on roll by this date to be eligible for funding via the census return.
There are around 550 children across the full primary and secondary age range waiting for offers of admission or transfer in the Blackpool area. Within the total 275 are new to area.
SCHOOL ADMISSION TEAM – CONTACT DETAILS
Routine Admissions – annual intakes and appeals; 01253 476474 (Martin Hawkins); 476471 (Elaine Hammond).
Non-Routine Admissions; new to area; 01253 476446 (Kathryn Evans); transfers and IYFA; 476833 (Meg Tench).
Please direct admission enquiries to schoolaccess@blackpool.gov.uk
September 2022
NEW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CODE (4) – IN YEAR FAIR ACCESS
Blackpool Council will review the locally agreed primary and secondary IYFA Protocols and circulate amended versions of these for and comments and suggestions.
The new requirements of the Code will be included, as will suggestions for the ongoing administration of the IYFA protocols.
Code paragraphs 3.14 to 3.22.
SUMMER BORN CHILDREN
The Department for Education updated guidance (September 2020) is attached for your information.
Please also note the attached statement from the Secretary of State dated 27th May 2021 – particularly the penultimate paragraph.
OUR CHILDREN
Just a polite reminder that for Our Children (Blackpool LAC) you must ensure that the Virtual School is aware about any change in circumstances. Please note this is not only about school transfer but also in relation to any change in hours, off-site placement (whether alternative provision or work placements) or if there is potential for exclusion – this also includes any planned periods of managed move - virtual.school@blackpool.gov.uk
EU SETTLEMENT SCHEME
The scheme will allow EU citizens currently living in the UK to apply for a new form of immigration status called settled or pre-settled status. It means they will be able to continue to work in the UK and continue to be eligible for public services, such as healthcare and schools; public funds and pensions and; British citizenship, if they want to apply and meet the requirements. I have attached an information leaflet should you wish to display this in school or forward in any bulletins to parents.
IN YEAR SCHOOL ADMISSION APPLICATIONS
1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 UNTIL 31ST AUGUST 2023
New to Area and Retuning to School from Elective Home Education (EHE)
If you have moved to reside within the Blackpool area, or already reside here and require a school place for a child who is being home educated, then you must complete Blackpool Council’s In Year Application Form.
This is available on the Council’s web site at:
https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Residents/Education-and-schools/Forms/In-year-admissions-form.aspx
Transfers between Blackpool Schools and Academies
If you have a child who is already on roll in Blackpool then you must obtain a transfer form from your child’s current school or academy. For secondary transfers forms are available from each secondary academy. For primary transfers forms are available from each school or from the admission team (see email address below).
Please complete the form, have it signed by the school or academy, and then returned to Blackpool’s School Admissions Team at:
Blackpool Council, School Admissions Team, Bickerstaffe House (Second Floor), Talbot Road, Blackpool, FY1 3AH.
Local Agreements about In Year Admissions
Blackpool secondary schools and academies participate within local arrangements to coordinate In Year Admissions. Please also note the following local agreements:
LOCAL AUTHORITY PROTOCOL
THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL NEEDS
ENSURING A GOOD EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WHO CANNOT ATTEND SCHOOL BECAUSE OF HEALTH NEEDS
This document refers to applications for short-term support for medical reasons. This is separate alternative provision from other placements within the “hospital school” which is part of Educational Diversity.
Revised January 2021 (V3) – panel membership updated 30/11/21 (P5)
Revised May 2022 (V4)
CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND NEEDS
SUPPORT AT SCHOOL
All schools and academies must have regard to the statutory DFE guidance “Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions” (December 2015) (updated August 2017)
The guidance refers directly to the statutory duties of all schools and academies to arrange support in school for children with medical conditions. It also applies to activities taking place off-site as part of normal educational activities. (This guidance does not apply to maintained nursery schools or 16-19 academies).
The Children and Families Act 2014 – Section 100 states that:
“The governing bodies, management committees, proprietors and trusts of maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units have a duty to arrange support at their school or academy for children with medical conditions”.
The Equality Act 2010 requires that:
“Schools and academies must consider whether they need to make any reasonable adjustments to provide suitable access to premises or provision for the child”.
There are many circumstances where children with health needs will receive suitable education that meets their needs without the intervention of the Local Authority. For example:
Please note that where a child is, for medical reasons, currently only able to attend school for a limited number of hours per day, and is doing so, then a referral for out of school provision at Athena is not appropriate.
The Local Authority would not become involved in such arrangements unless it had reason to think that the education provided to the child was not suitable or, while otherwise suitable, was not full-time or for the number of hours the child could benefit from without adversely affecting their health. This might be the case where a child can attend school but only intermittently.
REMOVING CHILDREN FROM A SCHOOL ROLL
The Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 2006 state that a school can only remove a child who is unable to attend because of additional health needs where:
Removal from roll for health reason cannot happen unless one of the above apply – even where Blackpool Council has become responsible for a child’s education.
THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY
Local Authorities must have regard to the statutory DFE guidance “Ensuring a Good Education for Children Who Cannot Attend School Because Of Health needs” (January 2013).
Local Authorities must arrange suitable full time education (or as much education as the child’s health condition allows) for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, would otherwise not receive suitable education.
They must:
They should not:
The Director of Children’s Services has delegated the role for the Local Authority’s named officer responsible for the education of children with additional health to Ms V O’Farrell, Head teacher – Educational Diversity - vofarrell@eddiversity.blackpool.sch.uk
MEDICAL REFERRALS TO EDUCATIONAL DIVERSITY
Please e-mail referrals to Karen.turner@eddiversity.blackpool.sch.uk
Where third parties are making referrals, they must ensure that the child’s school or academy is aware. This is especially important as the Council will only fund the initial 6 weeks and each establishment (or the third party referrer) will need to consider requests to fund extended placements (see page 8).
8) The referral form must have parent / carer consent for submission and data sharing.
*Statutory guidance requires supporting medical evidence and specifically a referral from a Consultant. However, in order to avoid delays and the provision of appropriate support for children, Blackpool Council will accept information and consider recommendations from senior medical practitioners (for example Senior CAMHS; Senior Paediatric or Senior Psychological practitioners or specialists).
The Panel may take other medical evidence and information into account (for example from a GP or School Nurse) where a child’s wider circumstances and needs are of concern. In these circumstances, the Panel may agree exceptionally to an initial time limited placement.
This will be pending the provision of additional information from a senior medical practitioner and reconsideration by The Panel of the initial offer.
CONSIDERING REFERRALS FOR SHORT-TERM SUPPORT
A Panel will meet to consider referrals for statutory medical provision or alternative support (outreach) for children with medical conditions. Meetings will usually be monthly (but not normally held during the summer break).
If there are very few referrals then the Panel may not actually convene. Information exchange will occur and individual views and recommendations collated in order to reach decisions.
The first element of the process will be deciding if a referral is for statutory medical provision or alternative provision (out of school). If it is the latter, and support is agreed, then the agreed alternative provision funding arrangements will apply.
The Panel will consist of:
Victoria O’Farrell Head Teacher – Educational Diversity
Simon Coulter Assistant Head Teacher – Educational Diversity
Mike Power Lead Teacher – Educational Diversity
Gemma Hartley SENCO – Educational Diversity
Julie Smith CAMHS
Helen Beckett School Nurse Team
Angela Wellings Head of Service, SEND, Blackpool Council
Maria Stewart Principal Educational Psychologist & SEND Manager
Blackpool Council
Paul Turner Assistant Director, Education, Blackpool Council
Blackpool Council
Paul Bainbridge School Organisation & Admissions Manager
Blackpool Council
(Other professional may occasionally attend as reserves for the main panel or if involved with individual cases).
EMERGENCY / URGENT CASES
In the case of a referral for a child who is in crisis and / or where there are significant safeguarding concerns then the Head teacher of Educational Diversity may exceptionally decide to agree an immediate admission (or support). There musts be liaison with Blackpool Council. This includes urgent medical cases.
The Admissions Team must be informed within 1 school day and cases considered at the next meeting of the Panel. will accept urgent referrals where children may require placement at Educational Diversity other than for medical reasons. If agreed any existing dual roll arrangement must not cease. In cases where a school / academy already funds a placement, this will continue where short-term medical support is agreed.
AFTER ADMISSION TO EDUCATIONAL DIVERSITY
The Educational Diversity document “Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions” (September 2019) outlines aims, procedures, entitlements and expectations for children and parents.
RE-INTEGRATION TO SCHOOL
The aim is to return children to the school where they are on roll as quickly as possible. Placements should typically be for 1 term or exceptionally 2 terms.
We have confirmed (page 7) that the Council will fund the initial 6 weeks of agreed placements. Educational Diversity advice is that an additional 6 week is usually required to ensure that the agreed professional support is effective. Schools and Academies should be aware when applying that for short-term support for medical reasons that they will need to consider providing funding after the initial 6 weeks of each placement.
Educational Diversity will work with schools and academies to establish a re-integration plan for each child. There is an expectation that schools and academies will provide a representative to attend meetings to formulate re-integration plans and / or arrangements for their children.
The re-integration plan must consider the school’s responsibility under the Equality Act 2010 to make any reasonable adjustments to provide suitable access to premises or provision for the child.
Schools must be aware that failure to meet a child’s needs could amount to discrimination under Equality Act 2010. Where Blackpool Council feels that there may be discrimination they will refer this to the appropriate governing board or academy trust.
For any decision not to re-integrate a child outside of the provisions of this policy, Educational Diversity must provide a review of the child’s circumstances. We will consider these cases at panel meetings.
Exceptionally, where longer term provision is ongoing for statutory medical reasons, The Director of Children’s Services (or a designated senior officer of Blackpool Council) may review cases and make decisions about ongoing provision.
FUNDING OF THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL NEEDS
Blackpool Alternative Provision Rates
Year group | Charging rates 2022-23 |
Years 0-6 | £6,013 |
Years 7-9 | £8,423 |
Years 10-11 | £8,993 |
Statutory Medical Provision
Where pupils access an agreed Statutory Medical Provision place, there will be no charges for the first six weeks of education. Thereafter, charges will apply, calculated as a weekly proportion of the Blackpool Alternative Provision Rates, as agreed annually by Schools Forum. Charges will be invoiced or journal transferred to schools on a termly basis.
Alternative Provision
Where children are accessing Educational Diversity other than for Statutory Medical Provision places approved by the Panel, charges will be calculated as a weekly proportion of the Blackpool Alternative Provision Rates, from day 1 of the dual registration.
Medical Provision – Single Roll
Pupils with medical needs who attend Educational Diversity will be dual registered with their home school / academy. In exceptional circumstances, a child with medical needs may not be able to return to their mainstream setting. Agreement of the Director of Children’s Services is required to allow a move to single roll at Educational Diversity (parents / carers must also agree). The home school will pay charges until the end of the financial year, based on the Blackpool Alternative Provision
Following the end of the financial year there will be no further charges to the school for that child. This is consistent with the provisions of the School Finance Regulations. These state that charges may be applied where a pupil leaves a school for reasons other than permanent exclusion and is receiving education funded by the Local Authority.
GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS (GDPR)
Blackpool Council will be processing the information provided in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.
For more information on how we process your data, please refer to our privacy notice – www.blackpool.gov.uk/privacy