A nodal point in UK school admissions over-subscription criteria is a geographical location, used to specify a school's catchment. If a school is oversubscribed, the distance from applicants' homes to the nodal point can be used for prioritising admissions. This can ensure the school not only serves pupils closest to it but also those living in other areas, for example areas that have more limited access to school places.[1] Nodal points are sometimes known as admissions points or centroid points.[2][3]
The term nodal point is also sometimes used to define a specific location on school premises to which home-school distance will be measured.[4][5]
Usage edit
Nodal admissions points are used by some local authorities to mitigate the effects of the Greenwich judgment on their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for local children.[6][7] They are also used by schools which are not located within, or near the centre of, the area that they are intended to serve,[8][9] or by schools which have opened at a temporary location, pending a move to a permanent site.[10] Some schools that are intended to serve a wide area, or several dispersed areas, use transport hubs such as train stations as nodal points.[11][12] Nodal points have also been used to ensure a mixed socio-economic intake,[13] and put forward as a potential means of resolving school access issues in rural areas.[14]
References edit
- ^ "Free school admissions guidance" (PDF). Department for Education. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Admissions Policy for Europa School UK" (PDF). Oxfordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Sandwell Academy Centroid Points" (PDF). Sandwell Academy. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Turnham Academy Admission Arrangements 2019/2020" (PDF). Turnham Academy. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Admissions Policy". Fairlawn Primary School. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Sandwell Academy Initiative Update". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Consultation Findings: School Admissions Criteria" (PDF). London Borough of Hillingdon. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Admissions". Ealing Fields High School. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ Scott, Shan. "Office of the Schools Adjudicator Annual Report, September 2015 to August 2016" (PDF). Office of the Schools Adjudicator. Department for Education. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "One Degree Academy Admissions Policy" (PDF). One Degree Academy. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ Coughlan, Sean. "One school, four catchment areas". BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Admissions Policy and Procedure" (PDF). Health Futures UTC. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "School Admission Arrangements in Bristol" (PDF). Bristol Local Authority. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "The Piggott School". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2020-08-12.