SECONDARY SCHOOL ALLOCATION - how do you hear about yours?

[cabbageroses]

I am doing some research on how parents find out which school their child has been allocated.

Do you log-on, or do you find out by mail?

Also, how are your places allocated- by post code or by a lottery system?

[crazymum53]

You can send off your form on-line but the LEA send out offers by 1st class post.

Allocation of places is a mixture:
one local school is faith school so they have faith criteria followed by distance from school

another local school has entry test followed by lottery system

other local schools it's distance from the school but some popular schools have a catchment area as well.

[mummytime]

Places are offered based on distance. I got a text message last year, as well as an email and then a letter in the post.

[Talkinpeace]

Letter

Catchment
Non catchment sibling plus feeder
Non catchment sibling or feeder
Non catchment
I am 1/2 mile outside catchment boundary. 4.5 miles from school. DD is in, DS is at feeder
Have fingers crossed.

[admission]

Cabbageroses,
No schools will be allocating places on the basis of distance using postcodes, as it is not accurate enough. All LAs have a computer based system that measures distances far more accurately using datum points on the school and on the individual dwelling.
Post codes may be used for determining catchment zones which could then be part of the admission criteria.

[CameronCook]

Letter or if you applied online you can find out online on the day.

Local school goes

SN
Catchment
Siblings
Feeder
Distance

Single sex oversubscribed in main county town goes

SN
Siblings
Random allocation equal across 5 ability bands

Equal preferencing is used so putting single sex as 1st choice does not negatively impact on allocation for local school.

[bigTillyMint]

In London if you applied online, you get the school online. We got the offer in the post later in the day, I think, but it could have been the next day.

I felt really sorry for the kids whose parents had applied by snail mail - they had to wait all day till after school to get the post while the others were talking about nothing else all day.

In London each school has it's own criteria, so it is pretty confusing and not the same rules for each school.

[nymphadora]

No idea how we hear. only one school though. Otherwise it's a catholic one 15 miles away or a small school about 10 miles away.

[cabbageroses]

If your kids friends hear online, and their school gets the news theday before ( as they do) would you want your child told by the school- or would you want to wait until they got home and tell them yourself?

[Pterosaur]

Email

11+ result where applicable

Distance - not sure how this is calculated

On your last point - our school allows children to stay at home and wait for the post if they and their parents wish. I wouldn't want the school to tell my child, I don't think, because of the potential complication of the 11+ result.

[bigTillyMint]

IME the schools do not tell the children at all - it is for the family to sort out.

Are you a head / teacher wanting to tell children who don't get their letter before school? If so, I would contact the parents individually and check with them what they wanted.

[cabbageroses]

No- not a head teacher at all- doing some writing/research on parent's preferences etc.

[bigTillyMint]

Well I would say that getting your secondary school is a very sensitive issue, particularly in places like London where you have to put up to 6 schools in order of preference and there's no knowing how it will pan out.

My DD and all her classmates were VERY worried, infact my DD cried with releif when the result came through. I wouldn't have wanted her to have to hear it from her school - what if she had been disappointed?

[Talkinpeace]

Thank goodness I do not live in London.
3 schools on form.
One of which is your catchment one (unless you are mad).
All secondaries are comps - no exams.
over 80% chance of getting first option.
Much, much saner.

Parental "choice" has turned into rather a nightmare IMHO. Cheers Bliar.