York pupils fail to get place at first choice secondary school (From York Press)

York pupils fail to get place at first choice secondary school

9:37am Thursday 9th September 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

NEW figures have revealed that more than a quarter of children in one area of York failed to get into their first choice secondary school this summer.

The City of York Council statistics reveal that 27 children in the Holgate ward – 25.2 per cent of the 107 youngsters moving up – lost out.

That is the highest figure for any ward in the city this year, and compares with only 9.4 per cent of Holgate children who missed out last year.

The figures were discovered by Coun James Alexander, a Holgate councillor and local Labour leader, who claims a majority of those being turned down in Holgate had wanted to go to Manor CE School.

He claimed the school had new admission criteria which had damaged Holgate children’s chances of getting a place, but benefited Rural West children.

He said he believed after speaking to parents that difficulties in getting into Manor was feeding demand for the proposed new Free school in the Holgate ward and if Manor got new academy status, it would be able to set its admission criteria even more independently.

A council spokeswoman said Manor had received a record number of applications this year, with 331 pupils applying for the 180 available places. She said Manor was a Church of England Voluntary Aided school and therefore responsible for setting its own admission policy, although this was subject to consultation with the local authority and other schools in the city, and followed the national code of practice for school admissions.

Up to 55 per cent of places were allocated as faith places, based upon church attendance, and remaining ‘community’ places were allocated to students in its “Priority Zone”, covered by the catchment areas of Rufforth Primary school, Poppleton Ousebank Primary School and Carr Junior School.

She said Holgate included part of the catchment areas of two secondary schools, Millthorpe School and York High School, and was also well served by All Saints Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided School. She added it was expected all academy schools would be required to follow the national code of practice for school admissions.

Coun Alexander is temporarily covering education and children’s issues for Labour, following the resignation of Coun Roger Pierce.