Please can someone explain how the admissions process works?

[PatButchersEarring]

Hi,

We will find out on 1st May if DD has got in to our 1st choice. Obviously, we dearly hope she has, and if it comes down to it I think we have good grounds for appeal. However, I'd really rather that it doesn't come down to a battle to get her in- we've had a bad year already, and could do without the extra stress!

Please could someone explain to me in layman terms how the process works?

We're literally about 10 metres outside of catchment area and actually closer to the school we want than the one that is in catchment (and that we absolutely don't want DD to attend).

Does anyone know what the pecking order is? I'm assuming that all who have applied and are actually in catchment will (quite rightly) get first dibs, as it were..but then what? Will everyone else have to appeal?

Would just like to know as can then prepare myself for battle if need be!

Thanks.

[happyoverhere]

You need to check the admission criteria for the individual school, they all differ, check their website is probably easiest.

[PatButchersEarring]

Thanks. Will do.

[HeadFairy]

Where we live the order of admissions is:

1. looked after children or children with some kind of special care needs
   
   
2. siblings
   
   
3. children for whom the school is their closest
   
   
4. Any other children on a distance basis.
   
   Each council is different though, we don't have catchment areas where we are in East Surrey, so it's less definite when you move to an area if you'll get in or not. It all depends on the number of siblings usually. DS's school has only one intake each year, ie 30 kids, and the year before DS started there were 20 siblings, so after they'd been allocated places they only accepted children up to 400m away
   
   I took a punt and was lucky because they announced after I'd put the school as my first choice that they were taking a bulge class so ds scrapped in by the skin of his teeth!

[PatButchersEarring]

..OK, just checked the site, and distance to school (as measured by a straight line) is number 6.

The school we're hoping praying for only has class sizes of 25 per year. If, for example, 3 people lived as close as one another, does anyone know how they would choose?

[PatButchersEarring]

OK thanks. God, this is so bloody stressful!

[prh47bridge]

It is rare to get a tie for last place unless the children concerned live in a block of flats for example. Many councils state what they will do in that situation - random draw, lowest numbered flat wins or something else.