School Admission Arrangements Free school meals FSM David

School Admission Arrangements & Free school meals (FSM) David Court (Head of Admissions and Pupil Benefits) Kim Mc. Millan (Pupil Benefits Manager)

School Admission Arrangements Who is the Admission Authority for your school/academy? • Community schools – Local Authority (Hackney Learning Trust) • • Voluntary Aided schools – Governing Body Academies or Free schools – Academy Trust Admission authorities must … • ensure that admission arrangements are compliant with the School Admissions Code 2014 and that the practices and the criteria used to decide the allocation of school places are fair, clear and objective. • set (‘determine’) admission arrangements annually.

School Admission Arrangements What are admission arrangements? • the overall procedure, practices, criteria and supplementary information to be used in deciding on the allocation of school places and refers to any device or means used to determine whether a school place is to be offered. How does it work? • admission authorities should review their admission arrangements around September each year and decide whether they wish to make changes. • fundamental changes to admission arrangements (e. g. oversubscription criteria, supplementary information form etc. ) must undergo public consultation • public consultation is not required if there are no changes (except that there must be consultation at least once every 7 years. )

School Admission Arrangements No changes to admission arrangements … • the admission authority must decide (i. e. ‘determine’) and publish their admission arrangements for 2021/22 by 28 February 2020. • the governing body or academy trust meet before 28 February 2020 to consider and ratify the 2021/22 admission arrangements. • prior to the meeting an updated set of admission arrangements for 2021/22 must be produced (with dates rolled forward as necessary) to be ratified at the meeting. • following the meeting and by 28 February 2020 at the latest, the finalised (or ‘determined’) arrangements must be published on the school or academy’s website.

School Admission Arrangements Intending to substantially change admission arrangements … • the admission authority must produce at set of proposed admission arrangements for 2021/22 incorporating the changes which then form the basis of the consultation. • the consultation must run for a minimum of 6 weeks between 1 October and 31 January of the school year before those arrangements are to apply. (ie. Consult between Oct ’ 19 & Jan ’ 20 for arrangements relating to the academic year beginning in September 2021) • the consultation period allows parents, other schools, religious authorities and the local community to raise any concerns about proposed admission arrangements. • feedback from the consultation should be considered by the admission authority prior to finalising (‘determining’) the arrangements for publishing

School Admission Arrangements Key messages and further information … • the governing body or academy trust make the changes rather than the headteacher (though they may identify and raise the need for changes) • changes must be made well in advance ! • HLT offer a traded service for academies and free schools around managing admission arrangements to ensure they are compliant and legal https: //www. hackneyservicesforschools. co. uk/categories/admissions • the requirements are outlined in the school admissions code https: //www. gov. uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2 • HLT Contacts David Court Marian Lavelle david. court@learningrust. co. uk, 020 8820 7667 marian. lavelle@learningtrust. co. uk, 020 8820 7577

Free school meals and pupil premium Information for schools FSM Reports available – when/how sent • Weekly updates are emailed every Monday to up to two named school emails • Monthly eligible and ineligible lists for each school are sent on the 1 st of each month • Pre transfer; Reception and Year 7 eligible reports are sent before the start of the school year • Adhoc eligible complete school reports are sent on request

Free school meals and pupil premium Managing the new cohort of children All schools should. . • Add links and information about online FSM applications to the parent starter pack • School website should include links to the online fsm application and guidance • Ask parents unable to apply online to visit HLT office for assistance on one of our open days or assist parents with their online application • Check the Pre transfer FSM list - if the pupil is transferring from a Hackney school they may be listed and therefore don’t need to apply • Send the CME Joiner/Leaver file via Anycomms for pupils allocated places after the 1 st day of the school term – any queries contact Loretta Johnson • Paper application can be completed in the school office and emailed to HLT, the application outcome will appear on schools monthly eligible or ineligible list

Free school meals and pupil premium Managing the new cohort of children • The MISA team (Management Information System Analysis) – send schools a transfer file with pupil information gathered from the previous Hackney Primary school for pupils starting Year 7 – this file may show that the pupil is eligible for fsm – this is not always correct. • Eligible pupils from Hackney schools – these pupils will appear on the Pupil Benefits report. • Eligible pupils from Out borough schools - schools have been asked to accept eligibility proof from the school transfer file – see UCT protection guidance. • Hackney Pupil Benefits cannot access eligibility history recorded by other boroughs.

Free school meals and pupil premium Universal Tax Credit roll out - Protected FSM entitlement • It’s different to Universal Infant Free School Meals – don’t confuse them! • With the introduction of Universal Tax Credit all pupils who are currently eligible for Pupil Premium FSM will have protected eligibility until 31 st July 2022 or the end of their current phase of education (irrespective of any change to the parent income). • ‘phase of education’ means; Primary - eligible for (Pupil Premium) FSM until the end of year 6 Secondary - eligible for (Pupil Premium) FSM until the end of year 11 • Sixth formers are not covered by this protection so HLT will review their entitlement as usual. • Joining siblings are freshly assessed so you may find that some younger sibling may not be eligible but older siblings have protected FSM until end of year 6.

Free school meals and pupil premium Online vs paper applications ? • This term we have seen a significant increase in the number of online FSM applications • Online application is preferable as paper application are: • time consuming to process as information has to be manually entered or checked • a possible duplication of an existing application • difficult to read or missing vital data e. g. parents NI number • Paper application should only be used if the pupil does not appear on the eligible or ineligible monthly list and the parent is unable to complete the online form

Free school meals and pupil premium FSM – information & links Universal Credit transitional protection https: //www. gov. uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-forschools-and-local-authorities Hackney Learning Trust - Free School Meals https: //www. learningtrust. co. uk/content/apply-free-school-meals Pupil Benefits email address Pupilbenefits@learningtrust. co. uk Pupil Benefits school hotline 0208 820 7125 - not for general public