Fair admissions

A new school admissions code, expected to come into force this month, has been welcomed by the NASUWT teachers' union.

It will apply to all maintained schools including sponsor-run academies, whose adherence to local admissions arrangements has been a source of concern (see "Fears grow over academy schools" elsewhere in this issue).

The new code is binding and gives local authorities a clear role in ensuring fair admissions in future. With more autonomous self- governing schools in prospect, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) says it will rule out "unacceptable" oversubscription criteria (such as parent's occupation, financial or marital status).