Plymouth schools admission forum

Under the provisions of the Education Act 2002, local authorities are required to establish an admissions forum, to discuss and issue advice on a range of school admissions issues. Membership of the forum is made up of representatives of the admission authorities in Plymouth such as the City Council, voluntary aided and foundation schools, together with the Church of England and Roman Catholic Diocesan Authorities, neighbouring Councils, parents and community representatives.

The issues which the forum looks at include:

• how well admission arrangements serve the interests of children and parents
• the comprehensiveness and accessibility of admission literature and information for parents
• the effectiveness of the Council's coordinated admission arrangements, how admission processes might be improved and how admissions relate to the published admission numbers
• monitoring the admission of children newly arrived in the area to ensure the fair distribution of such children among local schools
• the promotion of admission arrangements for pupils with special educational needs, looked after children, and children excluded from school

More detail on the function of the forum is provided in the School Admissions Code of Practice. The forum operates to set terms of reference which are reviewed annually, and can be downloaded here:

The forum is required to publish its advice and recommendations to all admission authorities, schools and academies within their relevant area on the school admissions section of their website.

The local authority is required to publish an annual report, which can be downloaded below.

The latest Plymouth Schools Admission Forum meeting agenda and the reports issued with the agenda can be downloaded below:

The minutes of the last meeting can be downloaded below.

If you require any further information about the Plymouth Schools Admission Forum, please contact the School Admissions Team.

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