How many parents don't really have a school "choice"?

I had a real choice of six primary schools for my son for reception 2013. We are in Surrey. Two of those six I wouldn't have wanted but the other four are all fine. Interestingly we weren't close enough to get into our 'nearest school' though and my son got the last place offered on distance for the school he did go to.

Mintyy, Bath has an excess of secondary places. Living in most of the city you have a choice of five (which five depends on boy/girl). If you're also church-going (not necessarily Catholic) or at a Catholic primary (some of which are undersubscribed) or can get in on aptitude, the Catholic school makes six.

Details here if you are bored. We've got one secondary with a PAN of 102 that made 36 offers last year.

London burbs here and there isn't a single school my kids can walk to. If we ignore selectives we get a very rough school with 40% A-C GCSEs.

I dream of the choice others have and would happily settle for a "bog standard comp" that everyone in the area walks to. That is why independent education is so popular in London and surrounding areas.

I'm in the countryside and my DCs are at the catchment school. It's the most popular, but does take DCs from our of catchment. We had the choice of 3 additional schools that we would have got into if we'd put them as first choice. All of the schools are "good".

We have no real choice - small town with one (good) comprehensive, or private. Since the comp is actually a good school and literally 400 yds down the road from where we live, we've just gone for it. I did put a second choice on the form, a no-chance school in the nearest town. No way was I going to go for the SM Free School in the other nearest town!

Here in West London, Mintyy, (secondary, at least). But that includes faith schools, so probably not quite what you meant.

I think I've posted a thread on here before asking if anyone at all in the whole of the UK has a realistic 6 choices, for either primary or secondary. I'd be really fascinated to know if such a place exists.

I agree that there are areas where there is not much of a choice to be made. However even in OP's post she has a choice with chances the catchment school or the appalling school. Ok most will go with catchment school but that is a choice to make.

I live in one county close to border with 2 others so actually yes for my children we have a choice. We also live in an 11 plus area. That is another choice to take or not to take. With my oldest 2 we opted out of the 11+ area and they got to a 2ndary in another county ds is in a Grammar school in our county and dd3 is taking 11 plus this Sep if she doesnt pass we are looking at a 2ndary school in county as it will suit her better than others.

This current year 6 there was only 3 who got first choice, 1 who was allocated wrong but ended up staying in school he had been allocated. of the other 11 students 1 was not offered any of their choices, another had wrongly filled in form and again was not given any of own choices (had only put one on too) and the last 9 was offered choices 2-4 This was in March. By now most are in 1st or 2nd choice schools the 2 without any choices 1 is in a school not on list but one she is VERY happy with (and was given option to go to 2nd choice after but decided to stay with this school) and the other won appeal so is in first choice school. Out of the 15 it is usually a spread of 6-9 schools they go to

For us for certain yes I would say there is a choice,. It may not be the ideal choice but yes it happens other places bar MN. I do not think that this is unusual in England but then nor do I think it is unusual in areas to only have the 1 " choice" with realistic possibilities.

and hope that you are not in a new build house that is not IN a school catchement

We live in the London suburbs. Population growth is so high (also population turnover) that it has become unrealistic to say DC should attend 'local option', because school provision does not match school need in any sensible way, whereas public transport is excellent.

The other people with choice are those able/prepared to move area to one with less of these problems, but it's hard to know what happen in future - would be a pain to have to move for primary and again for secondary, and very expensive.

OP, do follow some of the advice here, so you're covered if something unexpected happens with your first preference.

As others have said you should add other schools to reduce your chances of ending up at the school you want to avoid. Also, if you really like one of the schools where you think you have no chance of a place you should make it your first choice. You never know. This might be an unusual year that allows you to get a place at this school.

Yep- I use a car. That was only a subsidiary point. Not saying you shouldn't do whatever you want- but the "local option" is never going to get any better if the committed parents all go elsewhere......

But why should those "committed parents" put their children at risk of a poor education which 'may' improve? I wasn't prepared to run the risk that one of the three primaries within walking distance of us 'might' improve if we sent our children there and got involved in the school.

We opted to home educate for primary. Several people said the same to us about how the school would change if parents like us got involved. Not one of those three schools has performed well in the entire time that DD would have been there.

She is now choosing to go to secondary school and we only applied for schools we (and she) would have been prepared for her to attend. I am not going to take the chance on her education by putting her in a 'might improve' school. If she hadn't got one of those schools we would have continued to home educate until a place became available at a school which was already proving itself to be capable of providing a decent education.

My son has a statement (soon to move to EHC)...

I get to state ONE preference and if the evidence does not support that preference he will be given the nearest appropriate school. Rights to appeal and all that of course.

Yet there I was in a school open evening listening to some arse man moaning - 'oh it's ok for those bloody people with a statement because they get what they want'

Ha ha ha - same school showed me the door when I mentioned his full time statement.

My parents were of that view, deeply committed to the greater good, which,while very admirable, can be not so good for the individual affected. And i had a piss-poor sec education as a result courtesy of local bog standard sch of low aspiration. Over my dead body will my kids go to our local equivalent. I sincerely hope it improves but its failure more due to local private options and local housing/riral transport policy than a "rival" comp.

There is only one school our area is in the catchment for. Unless you pass 11plus or can afford private there is no choice at all

Yep- I use a car. That was only a subsidiary point. Not saying you shouldn't do whatever you want- but the "local option" is never going to get any better if the committed parents all go elsewhere.......

Oh bugger off,Hak. You dont know our circumstances! Assume you never use a car?!

"Well we are activating our choice by travelling to nearest outstanding, avoiding local option. Considerable annual petrol/bus cost but we think worth it. Aa do nany other oarents."

Think what would happen to the local option if all the committed parents who destroy the ozone layer by driving past it went there...........

No real choice for us.
DCs are at the feeder primary for the closest. It's outstanding, highly recommended by every patent I know with a child there.
The other one has just gone into special measures and had an awful reputation before that.
Some parents are now considering school 3 on the basis that they'll now have ££££ pumped into it, new management team etc, so in a couple of years it will be a great school

I'll go and see both, but I can't imagine not choosing the first.

Well we are activating our choice by travelling to nearest outstanding, avoiding local option. Considerable annual petrol/bus cost but we think worth it. Aa do nany other oarents. Its not a catchment sch in reality and nsny kids travel far to get there. Wd like a better local choice but not prepared to compromise on dds' education. Doesnt feel much of a choice to be honest! Think only works in london and other big cities where travel options much wider/shorter.

I live in an ex mining town. We aren't Catholic so the only real option is the local Academy. The next village along (4 miles) has an outstanding secondary, but but not many bother to opt for it from our town and it's probably over subscribed as it serves another village which has a massive new housing estate on it. Besides our local secondary is on track for outstanding on it's next inspection.
The other schools are all too far away, and all served mixed communities so all very similar IMO with no totally middle class areas.

I don't get the fuss, my sons school was Satisfactory when he started, then Good, now it's in Special Measures. They can change so quickly under the current Ofsted. And heads can go bad so very easily!

So OP I'll just be putting one school down on my DC's forms.

We live fairly rurally and although there's a bus to the nearest city, city children have priority over all those schools. Our catchment school is the only one that the council provide transport for, so we had no choice unless we were prepared to drive her and we both work, so not really practical.
Our form only has 3 spaces. We put our local school first and then filled it up with the 2 of the city schools. We knew we would get the 1st choice so it was all a bit daft really.

We live on the county border between 3 counties, and if you don't have a car, then you have no choice.

There is the catchment school (which thankfully is excellent, and a free school bus for that).

Otherwise, all the other schools are 6-8 miles away, and are in different counties. To get there, you'd be walking along busy A roads, with no paths for pedestrians. Two of the schools have no public transport at all, and the other has a bus which would drop you off at the school about an hour and a half before school starts or 40 minutes after school has started. And that's if you got in. Last year, the school was oversubscribed, and despite it being our next local school, in the opposite direction to us, is a large town which tends to fill the school. We'd be further out than those who live on the right side of the town for that school, so would be unlikely to get in anyway.

The only other alternative is to stay in county and go to the big town 12 miles away. Unfortunately, the first bus of the day does not get you to the town until 40 minutes after school starts, and even then you'd have to get to the school!

Hence, almost everyone here goes to the catchment school, and I'm likely to only put our catchment school on the form in Sept, as I don't think I could physically get DD to another school.