School places review as Hampden catchment widened (From Bucks Free Press)
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School places review as Hampden catchment widened
8:43pm Thursday 9th April 2009 in News By Oliver Evans
School places review as Hampden catchment widened
AN independent review into school admissions has been ordered by education bosses after a “difficult” decision to widen the catchment area of a High Wycombe grammar.
The demand for grammar places meant “now is the time” for the review, said Buckinghamshire County Council schools boss Marion Clayton.
It comes as the council decided to go ahead with plans to allow parents from Gerrards Cross and Denham to apply for John Hampden Grammar School.
The move followed concerns from parents in the villages, she said – and providing extra places to cope with demand was "not an option".
It will take effect from September next year. The school – which backed the plans – was not available for comment.
Councillor Clayton, cabinet member for education, said: “With the demands for admissions increasing on certain schools in the county, I feel that now is the time to commission an independent review to take a wider look at the issue.”
The council said the lack of places had been “very difficult” for families.
There has been concern the move will “displace” pupils from High Wycombe (see link, below).
Cllr Clayton said: “This decision has been very difficult, but has been taken to try to ensure that boys in Gerrards Cross and Denham can access one of their catchment schools.
“We remain committed to ensuring that every qualified Buckinghamshire child will be offered a place at a grammar school.
“Of course, this does not mean that every child can be guaranteed a place at their first preference school.”
She added: “Changes in population and different patterns of qualification make the admissions process difficult.
“Small, unpredictable changes in both the percentage rate of qualifying boys and girls and their school preferences can have a significant impact on the overall pattern of school allocations.”
Councillors “looked very carefully at the available historical data” to make the decision, she said.
She said: “Head teachers and governing bodies of the grammar schools concerned considered the suggestion and agreed with the proposal.
“All recognise that in the absence of offering more places at any school, which is not an option, no solution is going to increase the number of boys gaining their first preference catchment school.”
She added: “The aim of this decision is to ensure as far as possible that each qualified boy is able to access a place at one of his catchment schools if it is a named preference.”
Comments(10)
Moominmama
says...
4:04am Fri 10 Apr 09
Lisa S
says...
10:59am Fri 10 Apr 09
Moominmama wrote:come off it. Do you know where location of the school?
Perhaps it is time to get rid of Grammar schools? Of course the school will take extra pupils, this is how they get thier funding! More traffic on our roads every morning, travelling MILES to get to school, it is ridiculous! I bet there are some really good secondary schools in that area!
It is less than a minute away from M40.
I think it is the right decision for school. They need to fill the placs because currently it is a struggle. I blame parents in Wycombe for not forcing their children to work hard for education.
yog
says...
2:50pm Fri 10 Apr 09
As usual Wycombe will suffer.
Blueberry
says...
3:14pm Fri 10 Apr 09
This slight change gives more catchment choices where it's needed AND helps fill a grammar with spare places.
time to go shakespeare
says...
7:17pm Sat 11 Apr 09
Blueberry wrote:Utter rubbish
The reason for this is that there are not enough grammar places in the SE of the county, and cos Denham etc is right at the corner, their current access to alternative in-county schools is limited. This slight change gives more catchment choices where it's needed AND helps fill a grammar with spare places.
this is all about
Tory's playing the admission numbers --- if they want to fill more places from local kids -- lower the admission grades -- even better get rid of grammar schools
However Cllr Shakespeare and Cllr Clayton wont and would rather cost council £££££s moving kids round the county
yog
says...
2:40pm Sun 12 Apr 09
Blueberry
says...
10:26pm Sun 12 Apr 09
Tory's playing the admission numbers --- if they want to fill more places from local kids -- lower the admission grades "
There is no pretence that they want to fill more places with local kids or need to adjust the proportion of children who pass 11+. There are roughly the right number of places and passes in the county as a whole, but not necessarily in the right places. Catchments are regularly adjusted (in counties without grammars as well) to reflect changes in population. That's all this is about.
If you want to debate the pros and cons of grammars, that's fair enough, but it's not hugely relevant to this change - and which Bucks advertised as being open for consultation before the decsion was made. But it's a done deal now - until the next catchment change which will almost certainly be in less than 5 years, as they always are.
Steve Totteridge Hill
says...
9:10am Wed 15 Apr 09
Blueberry
says...
1:01pm Wed 15 Apr 09
Every year in the last half dozen years (and possibly long berfore that) it has offered places to ALL applicants who passed 11+ and lived in catchment AND to some who were out of catchment, typically up to ~9 miles from the school.
Welwyn Dowd says...
11:50pm Thu 9 Apr 09