As you are aware, we are welcoming refugee families from Ukraine to the country at the present time due to the ongoing crisis in their home country.
The advice received from the Department of Education (DFE) confirms that the children of these families are covered by the School Admissions Code, and that these children should be treated in exactly the same way as all other children when applications for school places are made.
Applicants
Normally applications are made by individuals with parental responsibility for the child. Many of the children will be accompanied by their mothers and, with support, should be able to make their own applications.
There will however be cases where the child is unaccompanied and, in these circumstances, applications should be accepted for these children from other individuals, for example, the child’s host.
In-year procedures
Applications for these children should be handled in the following three ways:
Approaches direct to schools where the Local Authority is co-ordinating in-year admissions for these schools
If you are a school who co-ordinates your in-year admissions with us and you are approached for a school place as the only preference school and can offer a place, please proceed and admit. You should then inform the Admissions and Transport Team by email of the admission, giving the child’s name, date of birth, address, the year group to which admitted, starting date and adult contact details.
Please ensure that you mark your email that this child is a Ukrainian refugee so that the Authority has a complete overview of all such children admitted.
If you are unable to offer a place, please direct the applicant to the Admissions and Transport Team at admissions.transport@derbyshire.gov.uk or telephone 01629 537479.
Applications direct to the Admissions and Transport Team
For applications made direct to the Admissions and Transport where we co-ordinate with you on in-year admissions.
These applications will be forwarded to you in the normal way for you to indicate if you are able to offer a school place. You should reply within 5 school days to this request for a school place from the Admissions and Transport Team so that we can meet the 15 day timescale for dealing with such applications as laid down in the School Admissions Code.
Applications where the school is handling its own in-year admissions
These should be handled by the school in accordance with its own in-year admission arrangements.
Applicants must be notified of the outcome of their application within 15 school days.
All applications must be notified to the Authority within two school days of the decision to the applicant by emailing admissions.transport@derbyshire.gov.uk and you should provide the child’s name, date of birth, address, the year group to which admitted and starting date if appropriate and adult contact details. Please ensure that you mark your email that this child is a Ukrainian refugee so that the Authority has a complete overview of all such children.
Cases where school places are refused
All applicants must be offered the legal right of appeal, but equally the Authority will try to secure an alternative school place for these children within a reasonable distance of the child’s home. Where this is not possible, the case will be referred to the Authority’s Fair Access Panel for action to place the child in accordance with the agreed Fair Access Protocol.
We hope the above information is helpful to you. If you have any queries, please email the Team at admissions.transport@derbyshire.gov.uk