OVERVIEW SUMMARY OF CONSULTATION RESPONSES
 

In Favour of the Proposed Changes

We had emails and face-to-face conversations from parents and local residents who agreed with the proposed changes. The main reasons for their agreement are summarised below:

• The named primary schools are now, in law, part of the same educational organisation as Erasmus Darwin Academy; Primitas Learning Partnership. This means that the pupils and staff of all these schools will work together in increasingly close and collaborative ways, in order to improve educational provision. Therefore, pupils of the named primary schools will increasingly feel that they are part of a close-knit family of schools which includes Erasmus Darwin Academy. When all this is considered, it seems morally wrong and educationally irrational if pupils were denied access to a secondary school which is part of the same educational organisation as their primary school and which has worked closely with them in their formative years.

Those in favour of the proposed changes also had a clear awareness of the fact that this kind of reasoned selective arrangement is a common feature of Multi Academy Trusts and other educational institutions; it is nothing unusual, unprecedented, or inherently unfair.

In Opposition to the Proposed Changes

Numerically, there were more responses which were not in agreement to the proposed changes.  However, in every single case, the responses (summarised in bold below) were based on misconceptions and inaccuracies which are addressed underneath the responses:
 

• “Only pupils from the three named primary schools will be admitted to EDA.”
  This is incorrect. EDA will continue to admit pupils from 30+ primary schools. Indeed, in the last five years, EDA has admitted pupils from over 50 primary schools and this broad range of feeder-schools will remain.

• “The proposed change will turn EDA into a selective school. “
  This is incorrect. Even with these changes applied, EDA will still continue to be an overtly inclusive school i.e Up to its PAN, anyone from any school who wants a place at EDA will still be given a place, no questions asked. It is only when EDA is oversubscribed that the proposed changes would be applied, thus introducing a small element of selection into the admissions process.
• “It is ridiculous that pupils from the closest school to EDA will be affected.”
  This is a misconception. The distance of a child’s primary school to EDA has no bearing on the chances of that child gaining a place at EDA. The home address of the pupil’s usual place of residence is the key factor. 
• “The proposed change will cause a disproportionate number of pupils from the three named primary schools to be admitted every year.”

Based on the most current data that we have, this does not appear to be factual; From the three named primary schools, only 7 additional pupils, who named EDA as their first choice for September 2022, did not gain a place.

• “The proposed change will block the admission of pupils from St. Joseph and Theresa’s.”

Based on the most current data that we have, no pupils from St. Joseph and St. Theresa’s would have been displaced/blocked by the 7 additional pupils from the three named primary schools gaining a place.

• “Pupils who live half-a-mile-away from EDA will not get in, which goes against EDA’s claim of being a school for the local community.”

Based on 2022 admissions figures, none of the pupils that would have been displaced by these incoming 7 pupils lived half a mile away from the school. They lived at least 1.25miles away.

• “More pupils from out of the area will be admitted, thus increasing the number of pupils who travel by car and causing congestion and parking problems. “

There is little or no evidence, based on 2022 data, that there will be a huge influx of pupils from out of the area, who will travel to EDA via car, thus increasing congestion and parking problems. In fact, it is more likely, on the balance of probabilities, that the proposed changes may reduce such problems. This assertion is made for two reasons:

1. Any pupils from the named schools who gain a place due to the proposed changes are likely to live in the geographically-defined area of Burntwood. Consequently, there is a good chance that they will be able to walk to school and/or share lifts with friends.
2. There is also a strong likelihood that many of the displaced pupils would be those living in Walsall, travel to school by car via busy main roads like the A5 and who would be very unlikely to walk.