Secondary School Fair Access Protocol (FAP)

Section 2 - Key principles

The majority of pupils are admitted to schools through the routine admissions procedures.  The FAP will be underpinned by a transparent, collaborative approach with the best interests of children at the forefront.

• FAP arrangements must be fair, equitable and transparent.
• FAP must acknowledge and address the needs of children not on a school roll and deal with place requests quickly and sympathetically.
• FAP will seek to reduce the time that vulnerable children spend out of school.
• FAP will seek to share Fair Access admissions between schools in an area though there will be occasions where a strict order cannot be applied.
• FAP will apply to in year admission requests and not to children already within annual intake process.
• Area Pupil Access Teams will administer and monitor FAP and may make referrals direct to secondary schools or to Fair Access Panels depending on the timing of the panel meetings.
• Decisions made by the Fair Access Panels will be acted upon unless there are exceptional circumstances that the panel members were unaware of. This is essential to avoid delays and the unlawful refusal of places.
• Lancashire's secondary FAP will apply to all families resident within the County. Those resident in other areas should approach their home local authority for advice. There may be exceptions where the Local Authority or a panel has accepted a referral within its agreed FAP.
• Parental school preferences and denomination / faith requirements will be noted when considering a suitable school but this will not override the protocol when making referrals for admission.