Ensuring that vulnerable children are allocated a school place (Fair Access Protocol)
9. Buckinghamshire Council’s Secondary Fair Access Boards
The Local Authority Secondary Fair Access Board is composed of:
- Chair – Independent Education Consultant
- Headteachers or person with delegated authority to accept placements on a school’s behalf
- Representatives from Aspire (Pupil Referral Unit)
- Head of Achievement and Learning
- Education Entitlement Manager
- Exclusions and Reintegration Officers
- Admissions and Transport Manager
- Integrated SEND Service Representative
- Education Officer or representative – Youth Justice and Support Team
- Social Care representative as required
- Commissioner Education and Sufficiency
- Thames Valley Police
- Business Support Specialist
Board members need to read and sign the Information Sharing Protocol at the beginning of the academic year.
The aim of the Board is for pupils to be admitted or reintegrated into school within twenty school days of the decision made at the Fair Access Board.
To ensure children are placed in a timely manner the expectation is that all schools send a representative, with decision-making powers to the meeting. A decision will be made by the Fair Access Board irrespective of attendance of the school representative.
Pupils returning to a mainstream school following a permanent exclusion, who have not been able to secure a school place via the usual admissions process will be admitted at the new school under the Fair Access Protocol based on available information and previous placement data. A pupil's readiness to return to mainstream school will be assessed using the 'Readiness to Return Scale,' a structured tool completed by Aspire. The results will support the reintegration process.