Secondary School Fair Access Protocol (FAP)

Section 8 – Escalation procedures

If a school fails to respond, causes undue delay or refuses to admit a Fair Access pupil, the Fair Access and Pupil Placement Officer will make every attempt to discuss the request with the head teacher, preferably by telephone but by email if need be. It is always preferable to negotiate an agreed placement.

A refusal to admit by a head teacher or school representative inevitably results in a vulnerable child being out of education for a protracted period and therefore results in exactly the opposite of what the Fair Access Protocol intends to achieve.

If a resolution cannot be reached, then the Area Pupil Access Officer may take the refusal up direct with the Chair of Governors and seek their assistance in proceeding with the Fair Access admission.

Where the school still refuses to admit, the Area Pupil Access Officer will assess the circumstances of the case and follow the steps below:-

• Liaise with the school in question to resolve the block to the admission, liaising with the Chair of Governors where necessary.
• Where these discussions are unsuccessful, the Area Pupil Access Officer will discuss with senior colleagues to consider a direction.
• If it is agreed that there are good grounds to refuse admission the Fair Access and Pupil Placement Officer will secure an alternative place at another local school.

Where the Local Authority remains of the view that the school is the most appropriate placement and the reasons put forward for refusal are not legitimate, it will direct the school to admit.  For academies, the decision will be whether to seek a direction to admit from the Secretary of State.