Chippenham school to begin place allocations 'lottery' (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Chippenham school to begin place allocations 'lottery'

10:02am Monday 12th January 2009

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Governors at Sheldon School have announced they intend to start using the controversial system of random allocation to prospective pupils after the highest ever levels of oversubscription at the school.

If the school continues to be unable to meet demand in the town it will start to use the system, referred to by many as a lottery.

It means that all prospective pupils will be allocated a number and these will be used as the tie breaker in deciding whether a pupil gets a place unlike the factor of distance from the school which is currently used.

Headteacher Gerard MacMahon said: “We are pleased that Sheldon is an increasingly popular school. The down side is that many Chippenham parents are giving up on gaining a place for their child.

“The proposed random allocation will give all families in the town an equal chance of getting in.

“If the new system puts off some families who are less committed to Sheldon, then the chance for others of getting in will rise.

“The main objection to such systems in the past is that unsuccessful applicants who live near their first choice would have a longer journey to their second choice school, but all our Chippenham applicants can choose a second-choice school that’s either closer or equally close to their home.”

If the school decides to implement the new system it will come into force for the current Year 5 pupils.

Last year, 20 Chippenham parents who put Sheldon as their first choice were unsuccessful in gaining a place.

In addition, 42 applicants from outside the school’s rural and town catchments were also turned away.

This year, the school has been even more oversubscribed, with 40 to 60 Chippenham families likely to be unsuccessful, as well as a similar number from outside the school’s catchments.

Chair of governors at the school, Jeremy Hilton, explains, “At present, distance from the school becomes the tie breaker for children who meet the same oversubscription criteria. In the past, this was academic because all Chippenham children were able to get places.

“However, as the school has become more popular, those living further away have not been able to get in -last year this affected Pewsham.

“This year we will probably have to turn away children from Pewsham, Cepen Park South and Monkton Park. It is possible that only those within a mile of the school will get places.

“We looked at what we could do to make access to the school fairer. We have taken away the preference from families who go to our village primaries but live in Chippenham or further away. This will leave more places for Chippenham children.”

The government’s new admissions code now recommends random allocation as the fairest way to allocate places in urban areas.

Are you affected by these changes? Tell us below

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