AdmissionsPublicityandMarketing

Admissions Publicity and Marketing
1. This report provides a summary of the admissions publicity and marketing and policy and practice, highlights some of the additional requirements planned for
2009/10 and provides an opportunity for the forum to comment and contribute to the process.
The Communications Plan
2. The communications plan for primary, secondary high schools and academy applications for 2009/10 includes a mix of publicity and marketing. The delivery of the plan includes sections in the City Council Website, advertising and primary and secondary high school brochures to encourage parents of Manchester children to apply for a school place on time.
Objectives
3 The objective is to ensure information on applying for school places is readily available to parents/carers and that all children are given fair access to a school place. We aim to ensure information is easily understood and that support is available for parents who find the process hard to understand, for example because of language difficulties. We also aim to encourage parents to choose Manchester schools by providing an efficient and transparent service in partnership with the schools. We also aim to advise parents of changes following school closures, mergers and new build, the development of academies and expansions of sites including offers of sixth forms.
Primary Applications- The Methodology
4. Currently the Local Authority (LA) obtains names and addresses of children approaching school age from the Health Authority. In October, the LA writes to parents with children due to start in reception in either the following September or January. This letter also informs parents that if their child currently attends a nursery they will receive an application pack automatically via the nursery.
5. Parents whose children are not in a nursery are asked to register with a primary school. Application packs are sent to their home address. A letter informs parents that they have to fill in an application form and return it to the Local Authority. Parents are informed of the deadline and reminded that securing a nursery place at a school does not guarantee a place in reception.
6. The LA requests a list from all primary schools of all children attending the nursery, on the nursery waiting list and those due to start in January. A list of children who have registered an interest in the school is also requested. The lists are combined and cross checked against the Health Authority list in preparation for the application packs being sent to parents in early November. Any children who are not on the list
sent by a primary school are sent an application pack to their address on the health authority list. A record of where these packs are sent is kept.
Promotion and Publicity
7. Posters are produced in A4 and A3 format, reminding parents, of the deadlines and the need to apply for a school place and informing them that having a nursery place does not entitle them to a reception place automatically.
The posters are displayed at the following locations:
• Schools,
• School nurseries,
• MCC run children’s centres and play groups,
• Private Nurseries,
• Sure Start Centres,
• Libraries
• Health Centres
• Town Hall (In the Advice Centre and on the Notice Board)
8. The city council website includes details on how and when to apply and an online form can be completed by parents applying for places. An advertisement is also published, 3 weeks into the application period, in the Manchester Evening News reminding parents to apply before the deadline. Nursery teachers from some schools also make home visits to parents who intend to take up a nursery place. These processes support the home to school transition and also give an opportunity for staff to remind parents that the nursery admission does not guarantee a reception place and that parents are required to complete the application pack for reception. Additional packs are available in schools.
High School Coordinated Admissions
9. In June the admissions team collate a list of all year 5 Manchester resident children. This list is sent to schools who check and validate the details. Application packs are collated, to arrive at schools at the start of the autumn term to be distributed to the year 6 cohort. Children known to the LA who are posted on the system as CME (child missing education) are sent a pack to their home address. Neighbouring Local Authorities advise us of any Manchester children who are attending non Manchester schools and the admissions team send an application pack to their home. Parents can apply on line and information on deadlines is available on the city council website.
10. Officers from the admissions team visit schools and advise on the process of application. Links have been formed with the Parent Support Service partnership who provide Choice Advice and additional support to parents of children with SEN. Choice advisors support parents in completing the application form and help them to make informed decisions on their child’s educational options, including advising on what individual schools may have to offer. They will provide bespoke support to families most in need of assistance to navigate the system. This may be because of such
things as language barriers, new to the area/country, the special needs of the child or parent or specific family circumstances.
Primary and High School Brochures 2010/11
11. We intend to make changes to the current brochures to bring them up to date and also provide additional useful information to parents. We plan to include information on the following;
• Academies and sixth forms
• Family Information Service (Formerly Children’s Information Service).
• New bus pass eligibility
• New primary school buildings
• Choice advice and support in completing the application form.
• A clearer explanation in the brochure of the equal preference system advising parents who only indicate one preference are limiting their choices in
comparison to other parents who indicate three or more.
Proposals
12. Customer feedback has told us that a number of parents feel uncertain whether we have received their application. Some parents who also need support with applications often apply late. In response to these issues and in a commitment to service development, we intend to continue with the current strategy on the whole but are considering some enhancements. Subject to the availability of resources these improvements might include;
• An email acknowledgement service for on line applications
• a postcard reply acknowledging receipt of postal applications
• email ‘notification of offer’ for on line applications
• A request for parents to decline or accept places within a given timescale once an offer has been made.
• Greater links with Family Information Service (FIS), information on the FIS website, FIS advisors being informed of the process and deadlines for
applications for admissions.
• An enhanced choice advice service
• Take account of the new proposals in the consultation on School Admissions.
Contact officers;
Nigel Trim, Head of Business & Access, Email *********************.uk,
Tel number 234 7067,
Carrie Mooney/Julia Wolfendale, Access Managers
Email***********************.uk, ***************************.uk
Tel number 276 2944。