Somerset Council is asking members of the public to have their say on proposed changes to admission arrangements for Somerset schools for the academic year 2025 to 2026.
The availability of school places is affected by admission criteria, which includes catchment area boundaries, numbers of places available and other criteria.
Any parent or carer whose child is starting or transferring school in the academic year 2025/2026 is encouraged to take part, as it could directly affect school choices for their child.
Individuals are invited to share their thoughts via the online consultation which can be found on the Somerset Council website. The consultation closes on 26 January 2024.
The consultation is open to all members of the public and all comments will be taken into consideration by Somerset Council. The government has ruled that Academies run their own admissions arrangements so any comments about academies will be passed on to those school leaders.
Councillor Tessa Munt, Executive Lead for Children, Families and Education at Somerset Council said: “Sharing your views and feedback helps us ensure that the admissions process is easy to navigate, and more importantly, fair.”
“In Somerset, the vast majority of children receive a place at their first choice of school (94% of primary school aged children, and 98% of secondary aged children) but we always welcome new ideas and any ways of making the system fairer. I would urge all parents and carers who are due to apply for a school place to spend a few minutes responding to this consultation. This will help us understand what people want and continually improve the process.”