Alliance voices concerns about planned changes to school admission rules
22nd July 2014
Government plans to allow schools to give priority admission to children from deprived backgrounds who attend school nurseries is likely to place those that attend PVI settings “at an unfair disadvantage”, the Pre-school Learning Alliance has warned.
In a consultation launched today, the Department for Education has proposed amending the current school admission code to enable primary schools to give priority admission to children who have attended the school’s own nursery, provided they are eligible for the early years pupil premium, the pupil premium or service premium.
Commenting on the pla ns, Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch said: “While we of course support efforts to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are able to access high-quality education, allowing schools to give priority admission to children who attend their own nurseries is likely to put eligible children who attend PVI settings at an unfair disadvantage.
“Parents of eligible children who might have preferred to place their child with a local childminder or at a local PVI group setting may feel under pressure to instead opt for a school-based nursery to have a better chance of securing a place at that same school later on. We are concerned that this is yet another example of the government pushing for a more school-focused early years system at the expense of the PVI sector, and about the potentially detrimental impact this could have on children and families.”
A previous consultation on the schools admission code warned that allowing schools to give priority admission to children who have attended their own nurseries may “disadvantage families who have recently moved to the area and those who have opted for other providers or who choose to take up the free entitlement at an alternative local provider. It may make some parents feel they have to enrol their child at the school before they consider him or her ready, in order to gain a place at the primary school.”
The most recent Office of the Schools Adjudicator annual report also stated that “the practice of some primary schools of giving priority for admission to the reception year to children who have attended particular nursery provision has been found to be unfair to other local children”.
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Notes for editors
- The consultation on the schools admission code 2006 (see point 2.47 for the quote contained in the above release)
- (see Main Finding 5, p8 for the quote contained in the above release)
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.
- Through direct provision and its membership of 14,000 nurseries, sessional pre-schools and parent and toddler groups, the Alliance supports over 800,000 children and their families in England. The Alliance also develops and runs family learning programmes, offers information and advice, runs acclaimed training and accreditation programmes and campaigns to influence early years policy and practice.
- For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: