Online Schools Admissions National Project

1. Online Schools Admissions National Project Amanda Derrick November 2004

2. Introduction / Background • Need to simplify and speed up the application process for parents/carers, children and LEAs • Funded by the ODPM as part of an £80 million programme to help LAs with e-Government • Launched February 2004 with Hertfordshire County Council appointed as lead authority

3. Aims & Objectives • Establish a route map for other LEAs to follow • Define best practice and core standards for online admissions • Build on existing standards along with DfES • Liaise with LEA suppliers to help ensure that their products meet the needs of LEAs • Use agreed standards and develop a set of specifications to allow rapid procurement by LEAs of online admissions systems

4. Deliverables • Online applications via a transactional e-form (not a pdf document) • An email facility to deal with queries throughout the admissions process (Including appeals and In-year Admissions) • Links to other relevant sites such as local schools, OFSTED, DfES, etc. • Online information/help on the admissions process, e.g. admissions rules

5. Target for September 2006 • All 150 LEAs are required to offer online schools admissions, for the 2006 process for 2007 entry.

6. Stockport Consortium Birmingham Consortium Hertfordshire Consortium Stockton-on-Tees Consortium Wiltshire Consortium Buckinghamshire Consortium East Riding of Yorkshire Consortium East Sussex Surrey Thurrock West Berkshire Stoke Nottinghamshire Derby Cheshire Oldham Herefordshire Bristol South Gloucestershire Devon Plymouth Dorset North Somerset Swindon Norfolk Sunderland Newcastle South Tyneside North Tyneside Wakefield Rotherham Sheffield Leeds Stage 2 Framework Stage 2 > Oct 04-Mar 05 Interactive Admissions Booklet In-Year Admissions Appeals GIS Implementation of Minimum Feature List PAN LONDON Feasibility Study

7. The Pan London Project • Working alongside the Schools Admissions National Project • 33 Boroughs and 7 LEAs • Aim • Co-ordinated system for admissions • Establish a fairer and simpler system than the one currently used

8. National Looking at the back office software implementation for schools admissions processing Looking at national/regional web portal Led by Birmingham City Council Due December 2004 Pan London Looking at the possible implementation of a web portal for the support of online admissions within London LEAs Due November 2004 Feasibility studies

9. Benefits of Online Schools Admissions • For Parents/Carers and Children • Makes process quicker and easier • Makes process more reliable by online validation • Provides more easily accessible information • Enables them to register Continued Interest or Appeals online • Enables them to change the application right up the deadline date • Allows them to view their child’s allocated place without waiting for post

10. Benefits of Online Schools Admissions • For LEAs • Receive applications faster with less errors • Saves time in importing data into the allocation system • Enables LEAs to achieve some of the ODPM’s Priority Outcomes related to Schools • R1 (online admissions) • G1 (admissions portal) • E1 (take up targets) • Cost savings if application brochures available online and allocation details sent via email

11. Benefits of Online Schools Admissions • For All Schools • Provides an online list of applicants for each school • Can allow confirmation of siblings to be done if required • Allows online submission of rank order/preferred applicants to be submitted from schools where appropriate

12. Benefits of Online Schools Admissions • For Primary Schools • Can check online that all their pupils have made applications to secondary schools • General • Reduction in paperwork and paper waste

13. Timeline

14. Website • The Online Schools Admissions National Project website is at www.eAdmissions.org • Visit it to find out about the project framework, research results, events and the tool box

15. Hertfordshire Experiences • The pilot • Hertfordshire piloted an online nursery admissions system in 2002 • 3.5% of parents/carers applied online for a nursery school or class

16. Hertfordshire Experiences • Online admissions in 2004 • Parents/Carers can apply for nursery, primary, junior and secondary school places online • Parents/Carers can retrieve their allocation details online • Parents/Carers can lodge an appeal or apply for continuing interest online

17. Hertfordshire Experiences

18. Hertfordshire Experiences • Lessons Learnt • In larger LEAs, ensuring the correct school is selected • include the school’s town in the drop down list • Ensuring UACs (Unique Application Code) are not duplicated • Issue the UAC through the online admissions system rather than recording it on the paper application form

19. Hertfordshire Experiences • Lessons Learnt • Parents/Carers not remembering their security details • Ensure there is an automated process to deal with forgotten security details • Communication with schools • If appropriate, schools need access to information with regard to online applications