The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning will consider the proposed Fair Access Protocol for the upcoming academic year. This protocol outlines the procedures for ensuring vulnerable and unplaced children are offered school places.

Fair Access Protocol 2026/27

A key item scheduled for discussion is the proposed Fair Access Protocol for the 2026/27 academic year. This protocol is a requirement for all local authorities and ensures that vulnerable children who cannot secure a school place through the standard admissions process are offered a suitable school within 20 school days. This includes provisions for admitting children even when schools are already at their published admission number¹.

The report pack details that the proposed protocol sets out the criteria that the local authority will use to determine which children will be placed under Surrey's Fair Access Protocol, and how cases will be considered. It is designed to comply with the Department for Education's (DfE) School Admissions Code, which came into effect on 1 September 2021, and associated guidance. The protocol specifically applies to in-year admissions, not the normal admissions round, and does not cover children with an Education, Health & Care Plan².

The report highlights that the protocol aims to reduce the risk of children being left out of school by establishing shared responsibility between the local authority and schools. It also seeks to prevent undersubscribed schools from being asked to admit a disproportionate number of children who require placement under the protocol. The document notes that the protocol has generally worked well, with 86 children referred under it in the 2025/26 academic year to date. The report also mentions a minor proposed change for 2026/27, which involves renaming Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) funding to basic entitled funding to align with new Department for Education terminology.

The report further explains the legal principles of the School Admissions Code in relation to fair access, including the limited grounds on which a school can refuse admission for in-year applications. It clarifies that reasons such as poor attendance, a defined number of suspensions without consideration of grounds, special educational needs, or having a disability should not, on their own, be grounds for considering a child to display challenging behaviour. The protocol also outlines the process for agreeing placements, including direct placements and placement panels, and details the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, such as the School Admissions team and Attendance & Inclusion Managers.