Reasonable admissions
Where we are unable to offer a place at one of your preferred schools and your child does not currently attend a school in Bolton, we will offer an alternative school place at the nearest school to your home address. Wherever possible, this will be a reasonable offer of a school place.
How do we define reasonable?
The word ‘reasonable’ is used several times throughout admissions legislation in relation to in-year fair access, infant class size legislation and admission appeals. There is no clear definition of the word ‘reasonable’ in law, rather it is a standard that holds that each person owes a duty to behave as a reasonable person would under the same or similar circumstances.
In relation to school admissions purposes this means that the offer of a school within a reasonable distance for in year fair access and infant class size purpose must be determined on a case-by-case basis. To ensure consistency in decision making, the following factors will be considered when determining the ‘reasonableness’ of a school offer.
- Free transport support is only provided after 2 miles walking distance for up to 8-year-olds and up to 3 miles for 8-16 year olds. This doesn't mean that school places over this distance can't be offered, but that the local authority must give consideration to distance and supporting travel where these distances are exceeded.
- Good practice suggests that primary aged children should not spend more than 45 minutes travelling to get to school. This increases to 75 minutes for secondary aged pupils.
- Complexity of a journey may need to be considered, such as multiple bus changes and waits between buses.
- Secondary school pupils are likely to be lone travellers and therefore elements such as SEN may have an impact on the child’s ability to complete a complex journey.
- Primary aged pupils will be accompanied by an adult and therefore the total journey time travelling daily for that adult may need to be considered as a factor in reasonableness
- Where the family comprises of a sibling group, overall travel time and impact on the family of siblings being sent to separate schools should be considered using the above points.
The above factors are considered together on an individual case basis and a decision is made on whether the offer is reasonable. Where no reasonable offer can be made, then the local authority will utilise the fair access protocol to place children.