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

We only get 3 choices to put on the form here. There was a choice of Upper for DD as we didn't want our catchment school and because it had expensive new buildings, lots of parents wanted it, leaving spaces in the one we wanted.

With Middle School for DS there wasn't really a choice as we weren't in catchment for the one we wanted, so predictably didn't get in. This means there was no option other than a C of E school (our local Middle school) which is quite annoying when you are not a religious family.

Choice at 6th form bigger as we are on the border of another area which doesn't have 6th forms in the schools so has 6th form colleges. The bus to on goes from outside our house so very handy.

Only 3 schools on the form here and
the SCHOOL never sees the form
as prh47bridge endlessly reminds people, list number means nothing if the school os legally applying the admission code.

Me! Live in London and have a choice of two all boys schools for my son.

Am absolutely not going to waste my time filling in all six options on the form - it just involves a lot of correspondence and pointless testing for the pupils.

I was tempted just to put down the school DD1 ended up with, and more tempted to put down just that school for DD2. Actually I know people who just put down that school this year.

You get to express a preference, you don't have a choice as such.

Put your preferred school down as option 1.

Next preferred as option 2.
etc.

As option 6 put down your safest bet acceptable school (usually the catchment) if you haven't already listed it higher up.

I am in London, and had a genuine choice of 3 schools - though one admits on lottery, so would have been a matter of luck. Obviously there are many poeple who have no realistic chance of any school other then the closest comp, and that may well be dicey.

However: the distances given are for the first round of offers only, not the second and third and waiting list places that spread the catchment a bit wider throughout the summer. If a faith school admits a small number on non-faith places - well, they have to go to someone. SElective stream or scholarship? Again - someone has to get them.

And if one of the long-shot schools really does suit your DS much better than your dead cert, for demonstrable reasons, and he would be disadvantaged if he had to go to the dead certs school - well then that is grounds for successful appeal and you would presumably lok stronger if you had included the sought-after school higher on your list than the allocated dead cert school on your application.

Of course it is best to be realistic - we get to express a preference, they don't call it a choice.

And it is also important to list your schools in actual order of preference - if the long-shot schools are your real favourites, list them first and your dead cert local last. If you list your long-shot favourites below your dead cert local you will be offered the dcl even if one of the long shot favourites could have given you a place.

I put all except one of our catchment schools on my form and was offered the one I didn't put. Finally managed to get into another school out of catchment.

2/3 of Secondary schools are now academies.

the VAST MAJORITY of children go to their catchment school because their parents cannot afford for them to do anything else.

parents who care may get heir kids into the next school along if the local one is really dire

but ONLY on Mumsnet and in Michael Gove's head does choice actually exist.

If you think you might want to appeal you need to have put the school you want to appeal to first on the form. If you only put one, and don't get it, they can offer you any school anywhere. So if there's any doubt, you need to make your wishes clear.

Just be thankful you don't live in an 11+ area!

OP - I think you are saying you have options of catchment school (A), 5 other OK schools B, C,D,E, F and failing academy G. A to F are full every year with the only spare places at G.
This however does not mean that all schools A to F fill up each year with catchment children. The children of catchment G probably apply for all schools in the area in order to avoid school G. Thus causing all the other schools to be full.
If there was to be a popolation boom in catchment and you do not get a place at school A and have not applied for any other school you will be allocated the only school with places after everyone elses preferrances have been looked at eg, school G. If you apply for eg school B and this school does not fill up on catchment children the remaining places are usually allocated according to distance, so if you live closer to school B than the children in school G catchment then you stand a chance of a place there.
So my recommendation would be to consider any other school that is closer to you than it is to the children of the failing academy as your chances of a place there may not be as slight as you think.

Our local secondary is the only school for 50 miles!! We're adopting the philosophy that a good student should thrive anywhere (and a few prayers for good measure!)

typo, sorry - I mean NO choice here.

So choice here, just a fairly poor secondary with no library and various other limitations, so we're moving to a town which has a choice of two very good ones.

Main difference is that our current town has a private school but the new town doesn't, so in current town all the parents who can possibly afford it go for the private, whereas in the other town going private means commuting so state is the default options.

Where we are you generally have the choice of your catchment school. But some years not everyone in catchment has got in. If there are enough of them, they'll open a bulge class up at two neighbouring schools where they have the extra space to.

Hence why I would put down my catchment school then the neighbouring schools. I did meet someone who just put the catchment school and nothing else - didn't get it and didn't get into the bulge class at the neighbouring schools because she didn't put them down on the list. She was randomly allocated a school miles away.

So for us it makes sense to fill in all the choices. Even though realistically, if I put the neighbouring school first, I probably wouldn't get it. I'd get my catchment school if there was space.

Everyone gets into catchment school here (Scotland) and unless you're choosing the Catholic system or the one specialist language school in the city (we chose that, as dcs were in the attached primary they got an automatic allocation without needing a placing request), everyone goes to the local one or the next one over

It just doesn't seem to be as angsty here. No putting choices in order, you accept offered school and do a placing request if you want something different. No Free Schools, no Acadamies, no Grammar system, no 11+, no sats! and most importantly! no Gove.

I don't really see why it can't be as simple elsewhere, maybe I'm missing something??

We live in the London suburbs. In our area, there are two groups of people with choice. The first are those with the £££££ to opt out of the state system. The second are the religiously observant, who can choose the state founded religious options or take the local comp.

Those without access to an extra £100K+ over the coming years, or piety have to accept the local comp.

I only put one school down on my DS's secondary school application. It was our catchment school and it has never been known for any child living in our village not to get a place. It is the best high school in the area (of a mediocre bunch) so I would have appealed/home educated while on waiting list rather than send him to any of the others.

Where we live 99% of children either go to their catchment school or go private. I'd only apply out of catchment if there was a very good reason because if we got it my ds would live far away from all his school friends who would all live close to each other and therefore be in the same after scho clubs, scouts, sports clubs etc. I think there's a lot to be said for attending catchment schools in terms of community building.

I think that "choice" in education is a bad thing for most of society and the root of much inequality. It should only be necessary for children with very unusual support needs or very specific talents.

But.... I would still put down a second and third choice in case of something dramatic and weird happening (eg the school burns down or is closed for some reason).

Only one "choice" of secondary here. The next nearest state secondary is about 20 miles away.

I think the general advice to fill out the choices, is probably an idea that having a single message covers everyone whether or no it matters. Listing all your choices helps:

a) where there is a bit of choice you might get it
b) in places where you might need all choices to get any school at all
c) and in places where listing more than one school won't make any difference, filling them in is not that onerous and it keeps the message clearer

There is a tendency on MN to assume that admission issues in parts of cities (particularly London) are the same in other places and this tends to dominate posting.

Choice caries hugely ime. If you have a good enough school on your doorstep, go for it, avoid all the angst.
We opted partly through choice, partly thro necessity, to go out of area for an outstanding school rather than the " good" one locally so are paying considerable transport premium as well as being limited work wise due to school run. But lucky enough to be able to afford this and we thought it necessary to give dd the best education. Horses for courses.

We had no choice. There are plenty of secondary schools in our area but there are a shortage of places and most have a religious requirement. Being godless heathens, we knew that it did not matter which school we applied for we would be allocated the only school in the area that did not demand attendance at a church of some kind.

The one we ended up at was number 6 on our list (surprise surprise) and does not have the best of OFSTED reports, but DD is thriving in a community that is incredibly mixed.

Only one Secondary in our town. It didn't work out for DS1 so we moved him. He now goes to one 12 miles away, on the school bus, but we have to drive him 6 miles to the stop and pay for the bus.