Coundon Primary School - This is The North East

14 Education 2003Winning team: Just two years ago the staff of Lifelong Learning numbered two. Today it has 13 members of staff whoundertake a comprehensive programme of adult learning events and coursesLifelong Learning arunaway success!LIFELONG Learning is made upof two teams – Adult andCommunity Learning(including school governortraining) and Family Learning.It is a fairly new provider of adulteducation, having been establishedin April 2001 when funding foradult education became theresponsibility of the Learning andSkills Council.Lifelong Learning has recentlyjoined forces with the library tobecome one service and is nowbased at Darlington’s CrownStreet Library.Lifelong Learning started with justLIFELONG LEARNINGtwo members of staff andnow has 13.This rise in staffing reflects thesuccess of the service in increasingthe number of adult learners anddrawing in additional fundingthrough a variety of sources.The group has set up adulteducation classes at HaughtonCommunity School, LongfieldSchool and HurworthComprehensive School and isrunning Family Learningprogrammes in 14 schools.The main aim of Lifelong Learningis to increase adult participation ineducation.This is done by working closelywith local communities, listeningto their needs and setting uplearning programmes.The group also supports localvoluntary and community groupsthrough its Community LearningChest.The team at Lifelong Learning isinvolved in a number of publicityevents. Its next event will be held inMay at the Library when it will becelebrating Adult Learners’ Weekand the achievements of its adultlearners.What to do if you areturned down by yourfirst-choice schoolMOST children are offered aplace at their parents’preferred school – unlessthe school is so popular that morepeople apply than there are places.Parents who are not offered theirfirst preference school will usuallybe offered their second preferenceor, sometimes, another school.If you do not get your first choice ofschool and are unhappy with theschool place allocated to your child,you have a right to appeal to anindependent appeal panel.If you receive a letter telling youthat you have not been offered aplace at your preferred school, itwill also tell you about your rightto appeal and give informationabout what you should do next.The result of your appeal willdepend on the strength of your case.In most admission appeals thepanel goes through two stages.First it hears the case put by theadmission authority, explainingwhy it did not offer you a place atyour preferred school, and willdecide if there was a good reasonfor turning down your application.The phrase sometimes used is:‘whether the admission would beprejudicial to efficient education orefficient use of resources’. Anexample might be where the schoolhas very small classrooms andcouldn’t fit your child in withoutmaking the space too cramped forgood teaching and learning.If the panel does decide there was agood reason for turning down yourapplication, it will hear your caseand find out why you are appealingagainst the decision.You can mention all the reasonswhy that school would be the bestfor your child and what specialfactors justify your child getting in.The panel will then make a‘balancing judgement’ and decidewhether the benefits to your childof going to the school you areappealing for instead of the schoolyou have been offered outweigh thebad effects on the school and theother children of having one morepupil in the class.If the appeal panel decides thatyour case is the stronger, it willuphold your appeal and theadmission authority will then haveto admit your child to the school.Different rules apply if youradmission application has beenrefused because the school hasreached its legal limit of 30 in a class.In this type of appeal the panel areonly allowed to look at two things –whether the admission authoritystuck to its own rules (published inits admission arrangements) andwhether it acted unreasonably.If the admission authority broke itsown rules, either deliberately or bymistake, then your appeal cansucceed – but only if your childwould have got in if the rules hadbeen applied properly.For the decision to be ‘unreasonable’it must be completely illogical ornot based on the facts of the case.These include the publishedadmission arrangements, thenumber of applicants, the numberof classrooms at the school andother factors to do with the schoolor the admission authority. They donot include facts particular to yourchild or any special reason youmight have for wanting yourchild to go to that school (theconvenience of the journey fromyour home to school, for example).You are free to talk about personalfactors at the appeal hearing if youwant to, but in this type of appealthe panel cannot take them intoaccount unless they are relevant toone or other of the two things theyare allowed to look at.If your appeal succeeds, theadmission authority must offeryour child a place at the school. Ifyour appeal does not succeed, youcan ask the school to put your childon their waiting list (if the schoolhas one), as places sometimesbecome free after the start of theschool year. If you are unhappyabout the way the appeal hearingwas carried out, you couldcomplain to the Local GovernmentOmbudsman, who mightrecommend a new appeal.If you want to know more aboutappeals, contact the admissionauthority for the school, or contactthe School Admissions Teams inthe Department for Education andSkills.Adults Learners Week 10-16 May 2003 is the UK’sbiggest festival of learning. It could be your chance toexplore your potential!Come and join in the fun!!!Adult Learners Week10th - 16th MayTUESDAY 13th MAYLearn for LifeAn event for older learners.10.30am - 3.00pm Central Hall,Dolphin Centre. Free conference,guest speaker. Taster sessions -watercolour painting, musicalkeyboard and much moreSATURDAY 10th MAYCultural Diversity DayMONDAY12th MAYScience DayA range of activities throughoutDarlingtonCome along to Crown StreetLibrary between 9.30am until4pm and find out about modelaeroplanes. The BBC LearningBus will be in the MarketSquare. Board the bus and tryout some new technology. Eat aRainbow – healthly living andfood technology at Crown StreetAdult Learners’ Week is an opportunity to celebrate,promote and advance all form of adult learning and is coordinatedby NIACE, the national Institute of AdultContinuing Education.Please telephone 01325 388864for further detailsWEDNESDAY 14th MAYInternational Day ofFamiliesTHURSDAY 15th MAYLearning at Work DayFRIDAY 16th MAYSilver Surfers DayA day full of family fun andgames at Crown Street Librarybetween 9.30 until 4.00pm. Booka tour to discover the internationalhistory of Darlington Civic TheatreJoin in and gain new skills atyour workplaceFREE IT/Internet facilitiesavailable - Darlington LibraryQueen Elizabeth 6th Form,Darlington College ofTechnology and other locations