Councillor slams 'unfair' system and calls for change after Kings Langley School nearly four times over-subscribed

AN ‘unfair’ school admission system has been slammed by Abbots Langley Cllr Sara Bedford, after the publication of data by the county council.

Last year Kings Langley School was so over-subscribed it received applications from more than 700 would-be pupils for just 186 year seven places.

And in line with the admissions process, applications were prioritised from pupils living in particular ‘priority’ areas – for whom it is their nearest Hertfordshire school.

But that, says Cllr Bedford, means that some children living closest to the school and within the priority area are still not getting places – because there are other schools that are closer to their homes.

And now she is calling for places to be allocated based ONLY on distance between home and school – which she says would bring the school in line with other non-selective schools in the county.

Cllr Bedford points to data – published in response to a written question at a meeting of the full council – that shows that this year it would have made a difference to 29 pupils.

That’s 29 pupils who were refused a place at the school for September – but who live closer to the school than successful pupils living elsewhere within the priority area.

Most of those children who are missing out, she suggests, live in and around Abbots Langley.

That’s because although they live closer to the school – there are other schools that are closer to their homes.

Current admission rules at the school have been in place since 2011 – when a change was made by the county council to give a higher preference to children living in Bovingdon.

But Cllr Bedford says that ‘contrived’ rules that favour one area over another are not fair.

“It is not fair,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “The rules are contrived to favour one community over another.

“I believe the rules should operate as they do for almost every other non-selective school in the county – where children get in on the basis of distance to school.”

Admissions for Kings Langley School are co-ordinated by Hertfordshire County Council.

And in response to Cllr Bedford’s concerns a spokesperson for the county council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they are ‘satisfied that the admission rules used by the Academy are compliant with the national School Admissions Code’.

Kings Langley School headteacher David Fisher acknowledges the admissions concerns that parents in Abbots Langley have – and the overall pressures for places in areas of Hertfordshire.

And he says Kings Langley has taken steps to increase its intake where possible – including the admission of an extra 30 pupils in year seven last year.

Commenting directly on the concerns surrounding the school’s admissions criteria – set by the county council in 2011 – he said: “Kings Langley is significantly over-subscribed as a school – with parents citing culture, ethos and results for their reasons.

“We follow the Hertfordshire admissions process which is in line with national admissions rules.

“At no point has Cllr Bedford contacted the school directly to discuss her concerns – or to talk to me about how we support families in Abbots Langley.

“And I would welcome Cllr Bedford coming to discuss it.”