A local authority identified a problem with the way they had applied their own admission criteria used to allocate school places. The problem centred on the inconsistent methods used to calculate the distance from a child’s home to their school of choice meaning some children could have been refused a place at a school to which they were entitled. Once the issue had been identified the local authority instructed us to urgently advise on the legal and practical steps required to ensure all applications were dealt with fairly and to minimise the risk of a successful legal challenge ahead of the new term.
Working in partnership with the authority’s in-house legal team and education department we advised them and the relevant portfolio holders on the options available to achieve an equitable outcome for parents and children whilst minimising the potential risk and cost of a judicial review. After firstly managing the administrative law risk involved we advised on managing the admissions appeals process, and represented the authority at the related appeals.
A problem, with the potential to be very damaging to the local authority, was resolved without any legal challenges and without any parents seeking to challenge the outcome of the appeals. The affected schools opened for the new academic year without disruption.
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