CONTROVERSIAL plans to give
priority to two primary schools for admissions to Tudor Grange Academy
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School governors have dropped plans
to favour St Alphege Primary School if the school is oversubscribed from
September 2014.
But Tudor Grange Primary
Academy St James in Shirley children will get priority over youngsters who live
in the catchment area and those with siblings at the school.
Tudor Grange can make the
changes as it now has academy status, giving it independence from Solihull
Metropolitan Borough Council, which opposed the admissions changes.
Its academy trust – a group
of schools – includes St James.
A school report said a public
consultation found a “large number” who supported and opposed the plans.
Concerns mostly considered
the impact on catchment area children and that Tudor Grange would become a
faith school as St James and St Alphege are Church of England.
There were also concerns from
existing parents about siblings when their child attends Tudor Grange but does
not live in the catchment area.
Governors who made a
decisions said they had an “overriding principle” to have a “commitment” to St
James and catchment area children.
Up to 30 St James children
will apply each year to Tudor Grange’s 250 places.
It said: “We believe the
decisions above would maintain our overall objective and commitment to Tudor Grange
Primary Academy St James in particular but would also demonstrate a sensible
response to the more genuine concerns that have come out of the recent
consultation.
“It is clear from all the
number projections that the arrangement
above would offer no realistic threat to catchment area children being refused admission.”
Responding to concerns it
would hit house prices, the report said: “There is and always has been a
substantial premium on house prices in the Tudor Grange catchment area.
“While we are confident that
the proposals would not have that impact, there was a real fear
about this risk.
“We believe it is reasonable
to respond to this by giving greater protection to the catchment area
criteria.”
It added: “We have no plans
to make Tudor Grange Academy Solihull a faith school. We are affiliated to the
Diocese of Birmingham and have very similar values.”
But it said giving favour to
children of siblings at the school could result in “on-going manipulation”.
The report said: “For example
this could be true where people take out
rentals in the catchment area and then move out once a sibling connection has
been established.
“In the long term the governors have decided that the sibling
criteria should be eliminated
completely.”
