§ Baroness Blatchasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many copies of each of the following consultation documents were printed: (a) School Admission Appeals Code of Practice; (b) School Admissions Code of Practice; and (c) Consultation on Revised School Admissions and Admission Appeals Codes of Practice and Accompanying Regulations; and on what basis the recipients of these documents were decided. [HL6265]
115WA
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland):Eighteen hundred copies of each of the draft codes were printed, and 1,000 copies of the draft regulations, with electronic copies also being available via the department's website. The consultation was targeted towards admission authorities, as they would have the most direct interest in changes to the codes and regulations. This is why all local education authorities, as the admission authorities of community and voluntary controlled schools, were consulted, along with a representative sample of foundation and voluntary aided schools, which are their own admission authorities, and a smaller sample of other non-admission authority schools. Representative bodies of all school types were also consulted, as well as numerous national bodies. As part of a drive to reduce the amount of paperwork sent directly to schools, the department routinely consults representative samples, rather than going to every individual school.
§ Baroness Blatchasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the consultation period for school admissions and admission appeals lasted for only 25 days. [HL6266]
§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland:The consultation period was shorter than normal as during the passage of the Education Act 2002 we stated our commitment to introducing changes to school admission arrangements from the 2004-05 academic year. This more compressed consultation schedule was therefore necessary in order to have the codes and regulations ready to come into effect from January 2003, so that the necessary work arising from them could be completed to affect 2004 admissions.
Much of the content of the new codes and regulations had already been the subject of consultation in September 2001 and of further debate during the passage of the 2002 Act. The department supported the paper consultation with a number of meetings around the country, at which over 400 local authority representatives and headteachers were able to give views. The consultation documents were also posted on the department's consultation website.
§ Baroness Blatchasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why all school and local education authorities were not consulted about proposals for admissions and admission appeals policies. [HL6267]
§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland:All local education authorities were consulted in writing, along with a representative sample of foundation and voluntary aided schools, which are their own admission authorities, and a smaller sample of non-admission authority schools. As part of a drive to reduce the amount of paperwork sent directly to schools, the department routinely consults representative samples, rather then going to each individual school. The documents were also available on the 116WA department's website, and 400 representatives of local education authorities and schools were consulted at meetings. The central themes of the new codes of practice and regulations were the subject of an earlier consultation beginning in September 2001.