The School Admissions Code (December 2014) 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 children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible.
The operation of FAP is triggered when a parent 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 in order to ensure that unplaced children are allocated a school place quickly. The protocol 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.
Further information:
- Fair Access Protocol (PDF, 224KB)
- In-Year Fair Access Guidance (PDF, 263KB)