Completed petition Review the School Admissions Code

We call upon the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to review the School Admissions Code as it is not fit for purpose.

The School Admissions Code is not fit for purpose because:

• It plays lip service to the United Nations Rights of the Child as there is no requirement to consult with children in decisions that affect them;

• It plays lip service to the Equality Act as there is no requirement to undertake an Equality Impact Assessment;

• It is not prescriptive enough so leads to differences in implementation, some good, some bad;

• There is very restricted rights of Appeal for Parents and Governing Bodies to Welsh Government in particular Governing Bodies who are considered statutory consultees and yet are restricted to very specific circumstances in which they can appeal;

• The wording within the School Admissions Code is ambiguous and is not easy to penetrate by those who are forced to use it;

• The School Admissions Code does not define “reasonable” with regards to Consultation periods;

• The School Admissions Code, for all of the above reasons, is not appropriate when dealing with significant changes such as changes to catchment areas.