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Original poster

Can someone explain the state school catchment system to me?

112 replies

scubacat2292 · 22/10/2012 22:38

We are relocating to London from the United States in the next two months and I am really concerned about finding good schools for my boys. Independent schools are out of the question due to the high costs, so I need to find good state schools for them. While I've been researching, I'm getting more and more confused about how the system works. People have said to be sure to live in the catchment area of a good school, but then say some are oversubscribed. Does that mean even if you live in the area, you won't get in? And if we move now in December, will we be able to get in for January? I've seen people talk about entrance exams and deadlines, about there being no secondary schools for certain areas, etc. How can that be? In the US, if you live within the boundaries of a school, you go to that school. It doesn't matter if it is "full" -it must take your child. I'm guessing London doesn't work that way? Can someone please help me out here. :)

My boys are 13, 10, and 7, so we need both primary and secondary. We are looking in the surrounding areas of London - anywhere within 30 to 40 minutes to the Waterloo station would be fine.

OP posts:
Kewcumber · 23/10/2012 09:44

I don't know if our borough (Richmond is unusual) but certainly the primary schools local to me are all good - even the one which has the worst reputation is only in comparison to the others and I wouldn't have any issue with my DS going there if there was no choice. Secondary schools are slightly different but still most near me are either already good or are rapidly improving at an astounding rate.

I'd be tempted to start a thread specifically asking what areas within a 40 minute commute of Waterloo have consistently good schools. Richmond will certainly come up but I don't know what your budget for renting is but the "neighborhoods where I couldn't really go wrong" come at a significant premium. £2,500 to £3,000 a month for a four bed house is about the cheapest you'll find (possibly down to £2k if you're lucky)
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Kew.html?sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=4&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses

I'm not sure how helpful the good schools guide is for state schools but you can use it to find all schools within a mile of where you're thinking of living and check their ofsted report/ring the council

www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/find-a-school

prh47bridge · 23/10/2012 08:12

No, I'm afraid that isn't what a council is like.

Your council is responsible for a range of services in your area - rubbish collection, social services, education and so on. They will co-ordinate admissions for all the schools in the area they cover. A typical council will have some good schools and some that are not so good. It will have some popular schools (not necessarily the good ones) and some unpopular schools (not necessarily the bad ones).

You say areas are covered with independent schools. You may be right but just in case you are confused I should point out that most CofE and Catholic schools are state schools. You can get a list of state schools in the area from the website of your council.

mummytime · 23/10/2012 07:18

Where do you need to get to? How long are you prepared to commute?

Original poster
scubacat2292 · 23/10/2012 00:39

Leafy suburbs was what I was expecting, but don't know how to tell which ones. It seems like the areas are covered with independent schools I couldn't even begin to consider with three kids. Any suggestions??

OP posts:
MrsVincentPrice · 23/10/2012 00:24

If you live very centrally (zones 1-3 say) and move very close to a preferred school of a reasonable size then the turnover is so high in the centre that places come up quite frequently and you are likely to be close enough to be top of the waiting list after a bit of Home Ed-ing.

Alternatively you could move to the leafy subburbs where turnover is lower but all the schools are pretty much fine.

Original poster
scubacat2292 · 23/10/2012 00:09

Kewcumber - thanks - this is what I was hoping for - to find some neighborhoods where I couldn't really go wrong. Here in the states you pretty much get good school districts. If you end up redistricted into another school sometime in the future, chances are very good that this new school is also pretty good as long as you're in the same school district. Is that what a council is like?

I would love any other recommendations for neighborhoods to look into where I would find good education options no matter which school they assign us. I'm not looking necessarily at huge A scores or whatever they're called. I'd be more interested in smaller class sizes, caring teachers, reasonable facilities, and happy, engaged children.

OP posts:
Kewcumber · 22/10/2012 23:54

Admissions officer in each council may be able to give you some advice about school places.

Kewcumber · 22/10/2012 23:53

Our school (In richmond area so within your 30-40 mins from Waterloo) would most likely have a place for a 7 and 10 year old because although the school is oversubscribed in the first year we are in quite a mobile area (lots of ex-pats) and lots of people leave. Virtually all of the primary schools in the area are good so you wouldn;t go far wrong. Having said that, as a result its extremely popular area and rental and house prices are expensive.

Can't comment on secondary spaces but there are good and average secondary schools as far as I know.

prh47bridge · 22/10/2012 23:49

If you don't get into your preferred schools you will be offered the nearest school with places available. If there are no schools with places within a reasonable distance the council's Fair Access Protocol kicks in and you should be offered a place at the nearest school best able to handle an additional pupil.

The fact that a school is unpopular does not necessarily mean it is no good. Reputation tends to lag reality. It takes a while for people to realise that a school has improved.

Original poster
scubacat2292 · 22/10/2012 23:28

So how can I determine where to move to? I had planned to find a good school and move into that area, but if that good school is full, then how do I determine where they will send my kids instead? What kind of distance could I be dealing with?

And do I just resign myself to a sub-standard education for half the year? It sounds like all the good schools will be full and any school with available space will not be as desirable?

OP posts:
tiggytape · 22/10/2012 23:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prh47bridge · 22/10/2012 22:56

State primary schools do not have an entrance exam, nor do most secondary schools.

Most state schools do not have a formal catchment area, although many people talk as if they do. All state schools have admission criteria that determine which children will be admitted if there are more applicants than places. In many cases they use distance from the school as a tie breaker, so living close to a school improves your chances of getting a place.

You will be an in year applicant so you don't need to worry about deadlines. Unfortunately that means you are unlikely to get places at popular schools. However, you may be able to go on a waiting list for places. Your position on the list will be determined by the admission criteria. You won't necessarily start at the back of the list.

Good luck.

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