Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Gibb on 2014-04-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 205W, on primary education: admissions, and of 6 March 2014, Official Report, column 904W, on academies, regarding primary school admissions from nursery schools, if he will make it his policy to reject the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s recommendation to issue further guidance for admission authorities and instead amend the admissions code to enable primary schools to create all-through primary schools that include the years prior to reception.

Mr David Laws

The School Admissions Code does not prevent a school from becoming an all-through primary school for children aged 2 or 3 to age 11. It does, however, prevent schools from giving priority for reception places to children who have been admitted to the nursery class unless they can do so fairly and without disadvantaging children whose parents choose other forms of early education.

Ministers are considering the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s recommendation that they issue further guidance for admission authorities so that there is fair access to schools for all children.

We take fair access very seriously but also want to explore the incentives for schools to use their expertise to enhance early years education.