Suffolk’s Fair Access Protocol

The School Admissions Code (September 2021) requires a local authority to have a Fair Access Protocol (FAP), agreed with the majority of schools in its area to ensure that – outside the normal admissions round – unplaced and vulnerable children, and those who are having difficulty in securing a school place in-year, are allocated a school place as quickly as possible.

The operation of FAP is triggered when a parent or carer of an eligible child has not secured a school place under in-year admission procedures.

All admission authorities (including schools that are their own admission authority) must participate in the FAP. The FAP process is in effect a safety net for where the normal in-year admission procedures have failed to ensure a pupil needing a school place has secured one.

The FAP and In-Year Fair Access Panel guidance were up-dated in line with the School Admissions Code (September 2021) after a consultation with schools:

Meeting dates for the In-Year Fair Access Panel (IYFAP) for the 2025/2026 school year: