JORDANHILL SCHOOL

Registered Company No. 108265 Registered Charity No. SC004463

45 Chamberlain Road, Jordanhill, Glasgow, G13 1SP
www.jordanhill.glasgow.sch.uk.

Rector: Dr P W Thomson BSc, PhD, Dip Ed, FRSA, FSQA Telephone: 0141 576 2500
Fax: 0141 576 2555
30th April 2020

Dear Parent/Carer

Proposed Changes to the Admissions Regulations from 2020

Jordanhill is a comprehensive school whose Board of Managers has for many years aspired to provide
education for as many young people living in the community as possible. In the autumn of 2018, the
school commissioned an independent review of its admissions policy and procedures. It said:

“(Jordanhill) School can be reassured that the processes adopted to manage admissions
and their regulations are transparent and equitable in the current circumstances. The
school indeed is to be commended for attempting to manage as best it can a very
complex situation made all the more difficult because of the emotions and personal
anxiety of many of the unsuccessful parents.”

Over the next few years, 406 new dwellings will be built by CALA Homes in Jordanhill Park immediately
adjacent to the school. Representatives from the school have met with CALA Homes as they have
progressed with the development of the site. While this was principally to share information and ensure
the safety and wellbeing of pupils, the question of the status of these dwellings in our Admissions
Regulations also arose.

As you know, currently the school has three lists of applicants for admission:
 List 1 for children whose permanent residence is a Jordanhill School designated address
 List 2 for children whose permanent residence is a supplementary address
 List 3 for children who live elsewhere

We give applicants on List 1 priority over applicants on List 2, who in turn are given priority over
applicants on List 3. Within each list, we also give priority to children who have a sibling in the school.
We then determine priority according to the official date of receipt of the application.

The Board has reviewed in detail the short-term and long-term benefits and implications of the
Jordanhill Park development on the school. These are dealt with in detail in a Question & Answer
document on the web site.

The Board also asked for a response from the author of the independent Review of Admissions on this
matter. He concluded:

“It is eminently sensible now to remove the List 2 completely incorporating it into List 1,
while at the same time assimilating the new build also into List 1, thus creating a more
coherent school community.”

At its meeting on 17th March 2020 the Board unanimously endorsed this principle.

It is standard practice in the majority of local authorities for developers to contribute planning gain,
through agreements towards local authority schools which are at or nearing capacity and therefore
require investment to mitigate the impact of the pupils generated by the development. CALA Homes
appreciates that the status of Jordanhill School is unique and that any agreement of this nature would
have to be dealt with directly between CALA and the school.
On this matter, the review added:

“It would be eminently sensible to capitalise on the good will of the current private
builders to use this contribution on enhancing the school’s facilities for all pupils and in
the case of the PE proposal both enhancing capacity in the future and also improving
facilities for the local community when using the playing fields.”

As a result, the school has agreed a development contribution with CALA Homes of £1.6 million. This is
considered to be commensurate with a development of this scale and will allow the school to accelerate
its improvement programme by enhancing our Sports Building – and will see all planned dwellings
within the Jordanhill Park development recognised on List 1 on a phased basis.

Such an agreement is the first step towards our aspiration to offer places to all local children by
secondary, takes cognisance of the review of admissions and provides a unique opportunity for
significant investment in the school which will benefit everyone in our community.

Accordingly, the Board of Managers is unanimously of the view that the Admissions Regulations should
be amended to incorporate all existing List 2 addresses into List 1 and to add to List 1 an agreed list of
dwellings which have been or will be constructed on the Jordanhill Park campus adjacent to the school.
The result will be that all residences within our historic geographic area will be offered the same priority
for admission.

While the final decision ultimately rests with the Board of Managers, they are keen to hear the views of
members on the proposed agreement. The Board acknowledges that increasing the number of
households in List 1 without a corresponding increase in the school roll will create further demands on
the school. (See Question & Answer)

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic precludes any public meetings or similar engagement events
and, if the Board ultimately chooses to proceed with the Agreement, any changes to the Admissions
Regulations have to be signed off by the end of session. At its meeting on 17th March the Board agreed
to proceed as follows:

 This letter to be sent to all members

 Publish the associated Question & Answer document.
 Invite members to submit questions or comments via the Response Form on the website by
Friday 29th May 2020
 The Board will consider any responses at its meeting on Tuesday 9th June and make a final
decision at that time.

The Board of Managers believes that this important decision is in the best interests of the school, its
future pupils and local residents. In making this decision, we believe everyone will be treated on an
equal basis going forward, while the current and future generation of pupils and the community will
enjoy the significant benefits of the enhanced sporting facilities.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Alexander
Convenor of the Board of Managers