Motion says council should have school admission powers

COUNCILLORS will this week be urged to support giving Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council back control of school admissions.

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The call from Labour Chelmsley Wood councillor Nick Stephens comes in the wake of a row about admissions at Tudor Grange Academy.

Using powers afforded it by academy status, the Solihull school is proposing to give priority to children from two Church of England primary schools if it is oversubscribed.

Pupils from St James and St Alphege schools would get priority over catchment area children.

The Conservative-run council has warned this could “destabilise” its current arrangements and see some local children miss out on a place.

 The school has branded this concern “groundless” as there are currently more than enough places for catchment area children and there will be until at least 2019.

The motion to Thursday’scouncil meeting says: “This council calls on the government to give back to local authorities the responsibility for setting admission criteria for the schools in their area, whether such schools are academies or local authority schools.

“The council calls upon the Local Government Association to support this proposal".

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