Is it okay to only list your 1st preference in the secondary school application form?

Just remember, just because it's never happened before, doesn't mean it won't happen this year as in my case.

It depends where you live. I live in rural Wales, in the catchment area for two schools both around seven miles from my house. Most people put just one school on their application. I have never heard of anyone being turned down (both schools are good, just different). So here it would be fine. But it sounds as though your circumstances are very different to mine.

IT seems a lot of posters now seem worried about not getting their catchment area school because they meet no other admission criteria. It is well worth taking the time to check admissions at the catchment school to see the distance they have admitted children and whether all catchment children have been admitted for as many years as possible. Not just one year. Also, parents do seem to build up knowledge about whether all catchment children are admitted. I know loads of people around me put the catchment school only and it has admitted all catchment children since time began! You will get in! Having said that, I personally would never put down just one school, but where I live, the golden rule is always put down the catchment school, always.

When I used to work in education, we had a secondary school Head (25 years ago) who always told parents to put his school top of the preference form and he would guarantee their child was admitted. He then spent every waking hour badgering the LA to increase his intake! Ahhh - those were the days of LA power and simultaneously being held to ransom!

Telling parents to put it down as a first choice, yes, but why only choice

Many heads don't understand how school admissions work. I suspect that heads who say this think it is some kind of "best fit" system that aims to ensure as many people as possible get one of their preferences. If that were so their advice would be correct as a best fit system could decide to give you your second preference in order to avoid leaving someone else with a school that wasn't one of their preferences. However, the system doesn't work like that. If you qualify for a place for your first preference it will be offered to you.

Redsky- there are 2 other half decent schools in our area and 1 school which is rubbish generally undersubscribed and on a difficult bus route. Guess which one they got, because they didn't use their other choices.

In your case though HMSSaCM was there anything the parents could have done?

You often see questions on MN from people who will say stuff like

"I really ilke School A, but it's a faith school and we don't attend church so a bit of a long shot. School B is also not bad but we probably live a bit too far away to get in. And then there is the catchment school down the road, which I don't really like but I guess DC would get into."

And they are advised to put A, B,C in that order, on their form. If this is the year that it turns out that DC don't get into C either, they are basically stuck despite having done everything "right" in terms of the admissions form.

Dd didn't get her first choice school, despite every child from our area getting in every year since as far back as our long serving primary head could remember. Some people had only put one school for that reason and their children faced a long commute to a crappy school because that's all they were offered.

I'm surprised too - as most schools I know moan a bit about home much time and money it costs for Appeals (the Head is often out for days at them).

I was also wondering why a ht would be giving that kind of advice? As in, what's in it for them or the school? Telling parents to put it down as a first choice, yes, but why only choice?

I work in a secondary school admin office & when the admissions file arrives from out LEA, we have absolutely no idea whether those parents have put us 1st, 2nd or last. You've nothing at all to gain by not using all your choices. Good luck x

One of the things an appeal panel would ask would be, "Why did you put only one school?" But it wouldn't count in your favour.

Appeals can only be why your child needs to go to school A NOT why school B is a crap choice.

Well, yes, I've heard that - this is why I was wondering if someone could argue that putting down that school, and that school only supports their case FOR that school.

I am not personally invested in this, btw - just wondering about the appeals process. It's not very transparent, is it?

Tardigrade no it doesn't increase your chance at appeal. Appeals can only be why your child needs to go to school A NOT why school B is a crap choice.

Totally agree that it's best to use all 6 choices as it is much more likely that you'll end up with a school you're ok with.
BUT, I was wondering if not being offered one of your preferred options gives you a slightly higher chance to win an appeal for that school? Shows that you really want it that much? No idea if this is the case, appeals are a mystery to me. Does the ht in question know which appeals have been successful in the past? Of course he can't give any guarantees, but maybe he knows something parents don't?

The only time you would even consider doing this is if for some reason you knew for certain that you were absolutely definitely guaranteed a place at your first choice (super selective entrance exam result letter for example). Otherwise it's best to follow LA advice as they will be the ones allocating the spaces, not the schools.

Oh and afaik appeals aren't affected by whether or not you have one of your other five choices, certainly here they're not. I know a lot of people who got second choice and appealed for first choice and won.

On appeal you either prove they made a mistake in their admission process or you prove that by not going your child would be disadvanted more than the school would be disadvantaged having another child.

I promise you the headmaster is talking bollocks.

There is a head of a local decent secondary here who says the same. Totally incorrect info. You must put other choices down.

If you put the rural school 2nd and were offered it because you did not get in to your nearest school would the local authority have to provide free transport? There may be specific transport for school children even if there is no public transport.

Either the one in the town or the one 20 miles away unless they are c of e then they tend to go to the faith high school.