CAF submitted

My area may be an exception, where this statement has been relevant:
Can I ask though. Only last week did a headmaster of a very popular over subscribed school in the South West tell me that I must put his school first if I wanted any chance of getting a place. This is just bull yes?

There are two schools in a catchment area. Historically, one over-subscribed, one under. Selection is by lottery once the SEN/LAC/Sibling bit has done. If you put School A (oversub) first - you may or may not get a place depending on the lottery - you may get School B. If you put School B first, you will get School B, as they can offer places to all who want it.

In this case, the Head of School A would be correct to say that if you want a chance (and it is only a chance in the lottery), to get a place in his school, then you have to put School A down as your first choice.

Having said that, with the pressure on school places, last year both schools were oversubscribed, so for the first time, that advice would no longer be relevant. Some people got offered neither school till they got all cross and the LA forced the schools to take all the extra pupils.

Can I ask though. Only last week did a headmaster of a very popular over subscribed school in the South West tell me that I must put his school first if I wanted any chance of getting a place. This is just bull yes?

Agree with tiggy and prh who have interpreted this correctly for schools with a distance criteria. This school could be a banded lottery school (there is one in the South West where with no siblings or SEN etc, there are approx 10 applicants per place) in which case distance isn't a factor. I would assume that for banded lottery schools every applicant is ranked in order for each band.

It is explained well in the admissions section on LA websites and booklets, but people don't seem to read it and then listen to out of date information from other people instead. I've certainly had people tell me this rubbish about schools being offended if they're not first choice and this was by people who'd already been through the process themselves.

On the email about passing the first Tiffin exam, they say "You should list the schools on your common application form in your preferred order. If your preferred school is Tiffin, then you must place it first on the common application form." You can see how people can be misled by the schools. It should say if it is your first preference school then put it first on the form. Schools like Wilson's always say to put the schools "in your true order of preference", which is more honest.

Only last week did a headmaster of a very popular over subscribed school in the South West tell me that I must put his school first if I wanted any chance of getting a place

I get really annoyed about head teachers who make this kind of statement. It is rubbish. Either he doesn't know how the system works or he is deliberately misleading parents in an effort to make his school appear more popular.

Tiggy, that's brilliant. Thanks for explaining in such detail. I feel like this is the sort of thing that each LEA should have on their website, or schools should give a similar explanation on a printout around September each year. It would cull so many playground myths.

Thanks Tiggy, I'm always relieved when I see your info x

Can I ask though. Only last week did a headmaster of a very popular over subscribed school in the South West tell me that I must put his school first if I wanted any chance of getting a place. This is just bull yes? What happens with the preferences when a school is so over-subscribed they can just fill up all their spaces with first choices? Is it obviously just purely co-incidence that naturally most people do put them first?

Every school I visited over the last few weeks said they were over-subscribed so be careful with preferences. It's all a bit nuts.

So many schools come out with that 'you have to put us first as we're so popular' crap as well. I raise my eyebrows & mutter 'equal preference' under my breath

I've just submitted in the hope of getting it off my mind, only to find out I can still change the order of preference up to the deadline date! Gah.
I'm still not sure which school to put first. At the moment we have -

1st school - Average but rapidly improving comp. Dd's favorite (I liked it too). Not our nearest comp but a fairly good chance of a place. Not certain though.

2nd school - different LEA but still not too far. Better school results wise. Lots more school friends will go. Fairly good chance of a place but not certain.

3rd school - ok school catchment school. Just didn't find it very inspiring.

Both dd and I are still contemplating swapping first and second choices up to the deadline. I will be quite disappointed to get School 3 if honest. Although the odd pupil has done well there, I just didn't get a great vibe.

I live in a non-grammar area so at least we don't gave the added stress of that. However I will be a barrel of nerves by March. There's a huge part of me telling myself I'm mad not to put the higher achieving school first. I wish I was sure.

Thanks Tiggy, really appreciate your reply. Yes we are fortunate. I still think it takes a stupidly long time though. Especially as we are in 11+ area with all the gubbins that adds to the procedure.

Have put a lot of effort into being low key and chilled, and positive about all the options, in front of DC... then discovered another mum has been interrogating them every week on the way to an activity. Perils of a lift share.

Thanks Tiggy! Sorry!!!

To clarify -

School B always has spare places.

I think we are unlikely to get School A.

So if we did get lucky and get an offer for School A that's why I think we/he could ask for a place at School B instead. Then turn down School A.

Gawd I hope that makes sense?

Ours is done. I have no idea which school we are likely to be offered.

School A is my fave
School B is DC's claimed fave where his friends are applying for
School A is DC's secret fave (imo)

If we are offered School A I think we could decline it and still get a place as School B but not the other way round. I think.

Who bloody knows.

I don't know about birthrate but do know that they keep building houses and more and more families are moving into the area (because it is so lovely of course!) and whilst they've focused in creating extra primary places the pressure is starting to filter into secondaries. Four years ago my house would have been in catchment for two regular comprehensives that we would have been delighted for DD to go to, but our closest comp now goes out 1.01 mile which is about 400 yards too far away for us, the other school also a similar distance away is selective so we've gone through all the eleven plus palaver, fortunately with good results.

we were told that it was a low birth rate year.

But in a way that is irrelevant, the issue is how many kids of that age in your catchment area.

so eg our year 3 and year 2 have bulge classes, not due to birth rate, but due to new housing estate that they forgot to plan school for, because they didn't expect so many families to move into 2 bed starter homes.

done.
we are in the lucky position of knowing that we will get our first choice.
The whole process is so nerve wracking

Yep.Is the birth rate much higher this year then? I thought it was the current year 3's where it exploded.

I submitted mine on Saturday afternoon so I could celebrate with a glass of . It was a weight off my shoulders. It was a three way decision made between DH, myself and DD. Before I hit submit I kept annoying DH with information on where the login details were to get test results and access eAdmissions as I kept worrying 'what if...'. Where have all those years in primary school gone that our DCs will soon be moving on?