The School Admission Code, published in September 2021, requires admissions authorities to consult on their admission arrangements if they are proposing to make changes or if admission arrangements have not been subject to consultation at least once in the last seven years.
The Published Admission Number [PAN] for Oldbury Academy is currently 310. Having reviewed this, Oldbury Academy’s Senior Leadership Team, in consultation with the Local Governing Body and Stour Vale Academy Trust (the Admissions Authority) wish to reduce the PAN to 270 with effect from September 2024.
The basis for this change is to ensure the excellent teaching and learning, identified by Ofsted, continues and is further enhanced by supporting class sizes that will promote a focussed learning environment for the benefit of current and future students.
The figures published in the School Census 2021, for the Oldbury area, (please see the table and graph on the next page) and more generally across Sandwell, indicate that the reduction of the PAN should not adversely affect other secondary schools. New schools have been built (in Sandwell) and capacity increased in various establishments to ensure that there are sufficient places to meet demand for 11 – 16 places. Indeed, Oldbury will have more capacity than needed by 2023/24 with the available data suggesting this will be the case for several years after that.
You are invited to respond to the consultation by writing to:
Kerry Penn, clerk to the Local Governing Body, Oldbury Academy, Pound Road, Oldbury, B68 8NE or
by email to [email protected] between 7th November 2022 to 19th December 2022.
Following the consultation period the Local Governing Body will consider any comments received and will present their recommendations to Stour Vale Board of Trustees who will make the final decision.
The final admission arrangements for 2024/25 will be determined by 28th February 2023 and any subsequent objections will need to be made to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator [see link below] by no later than 15th May 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-schools-adjudicator
