Admissions warning as schools told to stamp out unlawful practices

Schools that act as their own admissions authorities, such as academies and free schools, do not always understand their responsibilities when it comes to lawful admissions.

The annual report of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) – covering the 2012/13 academic year – has ruled that too many admission authorities are not complying fully with the School Admissions Code 2012.

There are now 7,500 schools which act as their own admissions authorities, including academies, free schools, voluntary aided and foundation schools, and the report issues a warning to them over continuing breaches of the code.

It is the second year since changes to the code were introduced and the report says that in some cases there has been a lack of consultation by admissions authorities over changes to their policies, meaning many prospective parents have been left in the dark.