To expect my son to get into a school less than 50m from me

[Rumpleteezer]

When I know all the places will go to siblings in September 2018 :(

[user1471134011]

A bit U I guess, but it really really sucks and you have my sympathies OP. We were in a similar situatuon with DD's school and ended up sending her to a different school for Reception

[ShiksaSista]

Had the same 7 and 10 years ago
As it happens I had to go to a school miles away and I'm so glad we did all mine got a fantastic start at a wonderful village infant school.

Some things are meant to be

[ElephantsandTigers]

Fifty metres?

[splendide]

Yes I’m similar, it’s very frustrating. About 200 metres in my case.

[HaHaHmm]

Metres or minutes?

How do you know it will be filled with siblings? They might take a bulge class.

[MuchasSmoochas]

I take it you're in London? That's rotten. I wonder how many of the families who get sibling preference still live where they lived when the first child enrolled.

[Allthewaves]

My friend in the reverse. Local school have scrapped sibling rule so now parents are being forced to send kids to different schools - it's an utter disaster.

[SilverSpot]

I wonder how many of the families who get sibling preference still live where they lived when the first child enrolled.

Probably hardly any.

I really don't think siblings should take priority if you move - its crazy that in some schools the entire class is made up of siblings.

[CorbynsBumFlannel]

Yabu. Siblings take priority. If your child was already in the school I'm sure you wouldn't be impressed if someone 45m away got in ahead of their younger sibling. Siblings in different schools causes all kinds of ball ache with drop off and collection and different inset days etc.

[Rumpleteezer]

They are at the end of 5 years of two form intake, having to stop as it's a listed building and they can't continue (though arguably they shouldn't have continued for so long having created a massive sibling problem). Our house backs on to the playground, lots of people drive and park outside my house to drop their kids at the school. Just doesn't seem fair at all :(

[Dozer]

Too late now, but some schools that popular have admissions policies that prioritise distance over siblings.

[Theresnonamesleft]

You never know. He might still get in. I was told repeatedly by everyone that my dc's would never get into various schools because of siblings, oversubscribed etc. There's was one school they didn't get and was put on the waiting list.
Various schools because when they were heading to secondary, they each decided a different school fit them best.

[Rumpleteezer]

I do understand the reasons behind the sibling rule but we would get in through catchment with any subsequent children we had as we are so close, why are we being penalised for living close by when people are driving there? The nearest alternative school is 2 miles away and I don't drive so that will be 8 miles walk per day.

[HaHaHmm]

I wonder if you are in Manchester. Their sibling rule is nuts.

[Becles]

Siblings in catchment should have priority but siblings outside the catchment area come after the general catchment kids.

[Fresta]

They are at the end of 5 years of two form intake
What does this mean? I don't understand.

[HaHaHmm]

Becles not everywhere. In Manchester all siblings have priority regardless of distance.

[HaHaHmm]

Fresta for five years they have taken 60 children. This year they are only taking 30 but that class is likely to be filled by siblings.

[Rumpleteezer]

Fresta, sorry, it means for the past 5 years they have had an intake of 60, next year it will be 30. So one year there was an intake of more than 35 new children and now the legacy is that the siblings of those 35 drawn from further out are now taking all the more 'local' places.

[Fresta]

Ah, I see.

Surely there won't be 30 siblings? If there are any more places not taken by siblings, at only 50m from the school, you will likely be one of the first to in line to get those places.

[Rumpleteezer]

Last year there were 35, the year before there were 40. My daughter didn't get into the nursery this year which is a 30 intake.

[SpotAGuillemot]

I had that with ds1. School is directly opposite my house. A few years back the school became the only ofsted rated outstanding school in the area. Loads of people then moved their kids as the school was half empty, driving for up to 40 minutes. It's only a 16 a year intake and we were told when we went for a look round that there were 18 siblings (only one of the families actually live in the village ).

We applied anyway and by sheer luck a couple of families moved away in the mean time so there was actually space. It's bloody ridiculous that siblings from absolutely bloody miles away get priority though.

[DumbledoresApprentice]

I think it’s much fairer when there are distance bands and siblings are given priority within a band rather than jumping ahead of kids who live much closer. It makes sense to give some priority to siblings but not if it ends up with kids who live next door not getting a place whilst kids from miles away get in.

[SpotAGuillemot]

We're in Kent and seem to have same rule as Manchester as well.

[Bekabeech]

I would still put it top of my list. You might be lucky or get in via the waiting list. And would have a reasonable chance once your DC is going into year 3 to win an appeal (if you still want to).