Applications to primary school

[Sparrowlegs248]

I have two that I'd like dc1 to go to. One is a bigger school, dc goes to pre school there. Out of catchment area. 2nd is catchment village school. Less keen as smaller , shared year groups etc. All other local schools are VERY small (4 -7 reception places). So don't want to put any down.

Dc2 will start pre school next year so if dc1 doesn't get first choice (bigger school) I'll have a year of going in opposite directions with them.

I've been told to just put one choice down, and not catchment school as if I put catchment school down I won't be considered for the other school. Is this the case?

[DunesOfSand]

No!
If you qualify for the first school on your list, you will get it whatever else us on your application.
Please, please put down a school you a pretty certain yo get into, however much it wouldn't be ideal. If you don't, you risk getting a much worse school, miles away.

Put the schools on your list in your true preference of where you would like your child to go, and include one you are pretty sure you would get offered a place for. You will get the highest school on you list that you qualify for a place at.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

No, it's not the case. That's bad advice.
If you don't get your first choice and it's the only one you've put down, they'll allocate any old school that happens to have a place free.

[KnotsInMay]

God, these irresponsible myths!

Put your schools down in the exact order that you prefer them.

Each school looks at all the applications, they don't know who put them first, who last, they look at them all and judge them all against their published admissions criteria, and give the LA a list, in order, as to how each applicant meets the criteria and whether they can be offered a place.

If more than one school can offer you a place, the LA allocates you the school which is highest up your list.

If none of the schools on your list can give you a place (i.e possibly your preferred school if you are unlucky) then once all the other applicants have been allocated their places , the LA looks to see what places in schools there are left and will allocate you one of those. It might be a school miles away and one that no-one wants!

If you get allocated your second choice, you will automatically go on the waiting list for your first choice, and if someone doesn't take up their place, (moved away, gone private, preferred another school...) then you will get that place as soon as you are next on the waiting list.

Use all your choices in order of preference.

Do not list one school repeatedly, in each position on the list.

These are stupid myths spread by people who have not studied the system.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

Definitely don’t follow that advice. If you only put one school down and you don’t get a place there, then the LA will allocate everybody else’s places and then look for the closest school to you that still has a space. If you are lucky, that might be the village school but it could be any school up to an hour away.

Fill all the spots on the form with the schools paced in your genuine order of preference and make sure there’s at least 1 ‘banker’ in there even if you don’t like it much and it’s your last preference on the form.

[Sparrowlegs248]

Thanks all. I was pretty sure it wasn't correct. I think the village school ought to be a given, as we live there. I guess I should look into the other local schools in more detail in order to fill the third space!