Move to change ‘unfair’ school admissions system as many pupils miss out

HUNDREDS of pupils missed out on a place at one of Wales’ most popular high schools this year, new figures have shown.

And just one of the 53 independent appeals against decisions not to offer applicants places to start at Cardiff High this September was successful.

The figures, obtained from Cardiff council, come as significant changes are proposed to school catchment areas. Parents appealing against school admissions decisions in the city have only have a slim chance of succeeding, council data shows.

Nearly three times as many pupils applied to Cardiff High as their first choice school this term as got in.

Of the 87 appeals against decisions for admission to high schools across the city this year, most were for failing to get into Cardiff High.

At the moment Cardiff operates a system where children in the catchment area have first priority, followed by siblings. Proximity is used within all three criteria when there are too many applications.

That may be about to change in the face of growing anger from parents.

Cardiff council is launching a consultation on changes that include giving children at primary schools that traditionally feed into a secondary school priority over other children, even if they live closer to the secondary.

Rodney Berman, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Penylan, welcomed plans to change the system.

He said: “Many parents feel that the current arrangements are unfair for deciding which pupils get places when a school is over-subscribed.

“Pupils who have just moved into a catchment area currently get considered above those who may have lived there all their lives simply because they live closer to the school. Some parents who have the means to do so move closer to the school to take advantage of this, while those who can’t afford to do that miss out.

“That seems wrong from a social justice perspective.”