Gosforth Group apologises to parents after fury over Newcastle school admissions rules

New admissions policies for four Newcastle academies were issued on Friday, after a watchdog found that the previous rules were not sufficiently clear and transparent

A Newcastle schools trust has apologised to families after a major dispute that led to it being ordered to rewrite its admissions rules. The Gosforth Group released new admissions policies for September 2025 entry to four city schools on Friday, after parents complained to a watchdog following a controversy surrounding the use of a random allocation tie break system.

Parents had staged a series of protests earlier this year amid complaints that the lottery system used to allocate places at the oversubscribed Gosforth Academy had left some children separated from their siblings and placed at the Great Park Academy instead, which is not yet built and will be located two-and-a-half miles away.

Rulings from the Office of the Schools Adjudicator found that previous rules for Gosforth Academy and Jesmond Park Academy “cannot be easily understood” and that it was “not set out clearly how random allocation will operate." While the adjudicator did not deem the multi-academy trust’s policies unfair and did not uphold all of parents’ objections, Jennifer Gamble’s verdict concluded that they were not clear and transparent.

In a statement issued on Friday after publication of the revised policies, which also apply to Gosforth Junior High and the Great Park Academy, new Gosforth Group CEO Alexandra Thorp said she understood the “frustration and concern that the lack of clarity in the admissions policies has caused”. Dr Thorp added that she “would like to apologise to those affected and thank parents for their patience whilst these changes have been made”.

Coun Deborah Burns, a parent at Gosforth Academy, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that families had been “completely vindicated” by the adjudicators’ rulings and that the Gosforth Group had “lost the trust” of its communities. But she said that she now was “genuinely looking forward to a more positive relationship with the trust”, with Dr Thorp having agreed to meet with her.

The Liberal Democrat councillor, who represents the Manor Park ward in which Jesmond Park Academy is located, added: “I think the Gosforth Group has lost the trust of the parents of the wider community through not communicating and not having that willingness to engage in a process to right these wrongs. Everything has been forced and so parents have been left feeling quite anxious and frustrated, rightly so.

“I think the new CEO now has the opportunity to restore the relationship between the trust and parents, to the schools, the wider community, and the local authority. There is an opportunity and I am quite hopeful that she plans to take it.”

Dr Thorp also pledged that parents would be consulted on further changes to the schools’ admissions arrangements for 2026 once the current process for September 2025 entries has closed. She wrote: “The Schools’ Adjudicator reports confirmed that our admissions procedures are lawful and fair but highlighted the need for us to revise our policies to ensure greater transparency and clarity, especially regarding how our oversubscription criteria are applied.

“We take the Schools’ Adjudicator's ruling very seriously and accept all the recommendations. We have sought legal support to ensure that our revised admissions policies are now easy to understand and transparent, whilst continuing to comply with all regulations. We recognise and understand the frustration and concern that the lack of clarity in the admissions policies has caused, and on behalf of the Gosforth Group, I would like to apologise to those affected and thank parents for their patience whilst these changes have been made.

“We remain committed to providing equal opportunities for all families who wish to apply for a place in our academies. We will ensure that a consultation with parents on any proposed changes to the admissions policies for September 2026 will begin after the closure of the September 2025 admissions window. Parents of children who have already completed their application for September 2025 will be notified by Newcastle City Council of the change in policy and sent further information as to how to make changes to their application if required.”

Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community

Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone.

To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN