How do I find out the catchment area of a school?

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

....when it is not on the LEA's website?

do they have to tell me if I write and ask?

the only way I can see otherwise is to pay for a subscription to the Good Schools Guide.

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

bump

[Madsometimes]

Perhaps it does not have a catchment area. In my LEA school admissions are decided on distance, and these are different each year. They also vary for different ability bands within a given year.

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

I wondered that but according to the admissions policy it does. They just don't say where

dh is getting all paranoid about it and thinks it is deliberate, in order to try to stop middle class parents exploiting the system by moving into the area.

[onimolap]

Check the school's website for its most recent admissions footprint, or ring up and ask.

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

thanks, will get dh to ring up, I think we have exhausted the info available online.

[prh47bridge]

Which school and LA are we talking about? If you let me know I'll see if I can help.

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

thank you.
it's Malton School, North Yorks. I have the thing that lists feeder primary schools but I need to know more precisely where the boundary is within Malton/Norton in particular, because there's another (also good but very different) comprehensive in Norton.

[GintyMarlow]

I answered on your York thread about this but think you have already found what I was able to find.

[prh47bridge]

It does seem remarkably opaque. As far as I can see if you are in catchment for one of the primary schools listed as the Malton cluster you are in catchment for this school.

I think you are going to have to ring the school or the LA for detailed information.

[GintyMarlow]

Wonder what the one in Norton says about its catchment?

[admission]

I would agree with PRH, if you live in the catchment zone for one of the named primary schools then you will be considered to be within the catchment zone.

As far as admissions are concerned last year Malton School had an admission number of 125 and whilst it received a total of 210 preferences only 87 actually were offered places at the school. Norton however had an admission number of 145, a total of 215 preferences and 145 places taken up. In other words Malton was not full last year, but Norton was.

Having said that I would have thought if these figures are repeated this year there is a fair chance that you would get a place at either school if you express a preference.