catchment area

[Portree68]

Hi I'm new to this so please be gentle. just wondered what you all thought. i know catchment areas is an emotive subject so I will try not to offend anyone.Right now my ds is in p4 in a scottish primary school. we were not in catchment area when he started at nursery but he did still get in to the primary school which is a very good one as there were spaces. Following on from that we were told that the feeder schools were the criteria for secondary school in our area but as of last month this has been changed to catchment area! We are now faced with moving house which was something which was always in our minds to do anyway bearing in mind that other councils in scotland as well as england adopt this stance. What is upsetting is a couple of mums that I considered friends and whose children my child is very friendly with have let me down. One in particular has let me know in no uncertain terms what she thinks of people like us (! ) taking places in the catchment area when we do not live there. the other friend if i can call her this (bearing in mind this is someone whose child I frequently look after as a favour and take along with mine to school clubs/outside activities etc) has been telling another mutual friend that she is totally against people like me and my family being outwith catchment and being allowed to still go to that school! To say I feel upset at their behaviour is an understatement. I thought they were friends but they are making me and my child feel like lepers! ha ha ok rant over. I do understand why people feel like this but am upset that, the council having let us believe that our children will be going to the feeder secondary school have now moved the goalposts so to speak and we will now have to move.

[lunar1]

Your friends are being horrible. You were offered a genuine place at the school because they had room in his intake. You are now looking to move as the criteria for secondary has changed. They have no reason to behave the way they are.

[SavoyCabbage]

They sound awful. They must have far too much time on their hands too.

[CecilyP]

There is no way you would have been offered a place in a non-catchment school if there had not been a place available once all the in-catchment children had been allocated, so you haven't taken a place from anyone - and your friend is inaccurate as well as mean. Are you sure you wouldn't get a place at the secondary for which your primary is a feeder? Is the secondary very popular and oversubscribed - it might be worth checking the actual situation with the council before going to the trouble of moving.

[CecilyP]

I meant if you put in a placement request, how likely would you be to be successful?

[AgentProvocateur]

Before you move, check what the S1 intake is capped at, and how many catchment children there are. Your LA will know both these figures. It would be pointless moving if you could get in on a placement request

My DC were at a popular school, and their S1 year was at the limit, but 30% was placing requests, so the secondary might not be as full of catchment children as you think.

[Portree68]

Thanks everyone fo your comments. Have already been to meeting with the council education convener at the secondary school. Both council and education convener are saying that in they are almost at capacity for s1 and in the next few years it will only get worse as the numbers have increased year on year. Unfortunately they have said that the worst year affected is p4 (which is DS's year!) and that as it stands there will only be a few spaces left (current p4 nos are sitting at 217 and the s1 capacity is 220) so they have warned us that as numbers are tight and getting worse they will be acting now and changing criteria to catchment only. We just don't want to risk it as it is such a big thing. So that is why we have decided to "get moving"! it is a thought but at least we will no longer be "social lepers" ha ha!

[Portree68]

AgentProvocateur , have established that the school is made up of approx 25 - 30% catchment at the moment but am finding it really hard to judge as to whether this means we have a good chance of getting DS in or not. The council are saying that currently there should not be too many problems with P5,P6 & P7 pupils however once it gets to P4 (DS's year) they are anticipating problems based on current numbers as they stand just now. So we have a dilemma really. Sit it out and worry as we watch house prices go up in the catchment area? Or bite the bullet and just move? What a choice! Have said to the council and education convener that in all fairness that if they are changing the criteria and moving the goalposts so to speak they should honour the current policy for pupils who are currently in the system who were led to believe they would go to the associated feeder school and perhaps ringfence them from there on. Thereafter if they are changing the policy at least those coming into the school would be aware of this and could make an informed choice. However don't think the council will be accomodating us on this one unfortunately so we are in between a rock and a hard place. Am also aware that due to this as we speak house prices in the catchment area are on the up!! So am thinking that we don't want to leave it too long to move in order to avoid paying escalating house prices!!! Oh well time to tighten the belt again!!