Petition to include ‘Staff’s Children’ in school admissions priority list.

This petition is for any teacher, teaching assistant, school staff member, school governing body member or parent who believe the current UK schools admission code should be changed. Finding a Primary or Secondry School place for your children can be a complicated and distressing experience. I am a teacher (10 years) and parent who cannot find a school place for my son. I have been working at my current school for 5 years, and despite living locally my son was not admitted. I am the first teacher at my school whose child has not been offered a place! This is the case for many teacher/parents in my area (Hertsmere) and for many in heavily populated areas around the UK. The reason for this is because of the current School's Admissions Code. The Admissions Code applies to all state and voluntary aided schools, whether they are secular or religious. Parents who have lived in the same area for many years are finding that their children are losing out to their first choice of schools. The current code priority list consists of SEN statements, children in care and siblings currently in attendance. Even though these criteria are noted as priority cases it still does not guarantee your children a place. This petition wishes to propose that children of 'school staff' are placed in the same category as 'siblings'. The reason for sibling priority is due to child safety and the ease of dropping off and picking up from school for parents. This reason is applicable, if not more so for school staff. Please sign this petition if you believe that the children of teachers and school staff who have given years of service to education should be given precedence in the school admissions process. Please note that this should only apply if teachers adhere to the other school and Local Education Authority rules of admissions. This petition will be handed to our local MP on Friday 18th March Thank you.