School admissions changes to go before councillors
Brighton & Hove City Council wants to reduce the intake at three secondary schools, introduce an open admission policy and increase the number of preferences that families can make.
While the original proposal was to allocate 20% of places for pupils who live in single school catchment areas, this drops to 5% in the modified plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
An eight-week public consultation in December and January received almost 4,000 responses, while concerned parents staged a protest last month.
Five per cent open admission for pupils from single-school catchment areas
Reduce the intake in year 7 by one class or 30 pupils at Blatchington Mill and Dorothy Stringer, and by two classes at Longhill
Offer four choices rather than three when applying for secondary school
Give priority to children eligible for free school meals up to 30% of admissions
Move part of Whitehawk into the Dorothy Stringer and Varndean catchment area and Kemp Town into the Longhill catchment area
The open admissions policy would give children living in four secondary school catchments – BACA, PACA, Longhill and Patcham High – a better change of a place at schools such as Stringer, Varndean, Blatchington Mill and Hove Park.
Deputy council leader Jacob Taylor said the recommendations had been "shaped by the responses we received during the consultation stage".
Separately both Brighton MPs have raised concerns about the impact on children with SEND, particularly those without an education, health and care plan (ECHP).
Chris Ward, Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, is concerned that the current catchment proposals "could result in some children with SEND having to travel a long way and potentially via multiple forms of transport" to go to school.
The proposals will go before councillors on 27 February.
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Parents protest over school intake changes
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