Sorry, no open evening this year (unless you're in our special club)

But you are contemptuous of these schools and think your school is fantastic so why are you so bothered about these other schools and other families for whom you are a self appointed spokesperson? It does sound paranoid and parents do have to make decisions. You did and for very sensible reasons. Maybe other parents do the same?

Schools are available to all who meet the criteria and if distance is a criteria, then so be it. I wonder if any other parent is as offended as you are by the choice on offer. No-one is excluded by the school but parents may not want the school, as you don't.

Is the school not just managing an Open Evening that has become out of control due to huge numbers attending? If distance is the criteria, are the invited schools not just those from where most admitted pupils typically hail from? No point viewing the school if people live miles away as there is minimal chance they would get a place. It is in the schools interest to not have to waste time showing people round from far and wide. Selective secretative admission sounds a bit paranoid.

Bubbles They have no option unless parents decide not to apply Which is the whole point of this thread! Schools doing stuff which encourages/discourages applications from certain families!

So I would not worry about the others and what they say to parents
Oh sorry, I didn't realise that I'm not allowed an opinion on something because my children are not directly affected. Best close down 99.9% of threads on mumsnet then if those are the rules.

How can a school do this with their published admissions criteria? They may be a bit sly with parents, (telling them what they want to hear by and large) but they are still having to take all children who qualify for a place, whatever their background and needs. They have no option unless parents decide not to apply. You cannot police the views and gullability of all parents. Most will know and undertstnad the ethos of a school and not all schools are the same. There are huge variations in dyslexia too, or SpLD, and some schools very much specialise in the more severe cases. This is reasonable as the budget can only go so far and often expertise is best placed in fewer schools. This is of greater help to the children. You may think these schools are more friendly but plenty of schools are not very friendly towards children with behavioural difficulties.

You did not say your children were adopted which clearly makes it different for you (but you will be in a tiny minority of having a wide choice) but most people do not want to travel miles and miles out of their neghbourhood to a school so tend to select the nearest that meets their requirements. You have, so I would not worry about the others and what they say to parents.

1. We de facto qualify for any school we fancy as we live in a non selective area and my DC are adopted. Unless there are 200+ children who live closer with an EHCP or who are LAC/ex-LAC then we qualify.

2. Absolutely some people do aspire to a 'grammar school curriculum'. My point with respect to the particular school in question stating this, is in fact its curriculum at the time was no different to the neighbouring school. So I feel that what it was doing to some extent was the gently pushing the less academic away from them to the neighbouring school. This in time would mean they would be able to boast they were 'better' due to better GCSE results. To some extent that has now stopped due to progress 8.

3. I am absolutely not complaining about the school we chose, it is fantastic. What I am complaining about is some other schools in my general area who for example, rather than improving their dyslexia provision, just make it known to people who enquire that it isn't very good and maybe the child would be better elsewhere ...

It is the 'secretly selective' bit I am concerned about, where schools consciously put off kids who might be harder to get good results from.

TeenTimesTwo: No-one qualifies for any school they fancy, unless all the schools have spaces and are under-subscribed. As you say they are over-subscribed and 10 miles away, you clearly do not qualify for those ones because you live too farf away and nearer children get the places. It is always best to read who has actually got into a school over the last few years. If it is distance, it will tell you the distance that qualified. If it was 2 miles away, so be it.

If you wish to choose a school based on the criteria you list, then that's fine, isn't it? Other people have different criteria and maybe do aspire to a grammar school curriculum. Although, how that differs in Y7 from any other school is beyond me, except perhaps for Latin. Parents can then look at the schools that provide an ethos they subscribe to. Exactly as you did.

You do not have to compete to get into these schools, because you want something different and can get it. I do not see why your views trump those of other parents who want something else for their children. It's horses for courses isn't it? You seem to have a chip on your shoulder in that you perceive you are not wanted, but complain about the schools that you do not want as being elitist. If you are happy with your choice, you are happy. I really cannot see why you are complaining.

Whats the point in the school having an open evening for several hundred touring parents who are mostly to far from the school to ever get in.

Sounds much more sensible to invite all those within distance and likely to get in. Don't see how this in any way affects actual admissions.

I would imagine, roughly, the feeder schools are the ones within the 'catchment' distance that's all. Our secondary goes into the local 'feeder' primaries and gives them a planner for y6, sends teachers in for certain subjects, coaches children in for transition days as well as other themed days. The allocations are still made on postcode but the feeder schools are generally oversubscribed too so unless you've moved you're within catchment for secondary school too. I think it makes sense for the secondary school to concentrate on the local children. If you live within catchment I would recommend you call the school and ask to join in with a tour.

Yes Bubbles but if a school puts off 'less desirable' people from applying to them at all, then they won't get in, even if they would have qualified.

We qualify for any school we fancy, even the ridiculously oversubscribed ones 10 miles away. One of our local schools however, seems much more welcoming for kids with SpLD, pastoral needs etc, so that's the one we picked. The other has been heard to make statements like 'we offer a grammar school curriculum' even though it is pretty much exactly the same as the school we went for in subjects offered! You can see who they are after.

Nothing wrong with the odd ukele group or electric guitar as well!
I know what I mean anyway...

If it is distance to get in, it's distance! It will have looked after, Sen and named on statement and possibly sibling priority above that. So it makes not one jot of difference what primary children attend. Only those who meet the criteria get in. If you don't live close enough, you don't. They seem to be doing this to manage numbers.

At the grammar schools around me, the world and his wife turn up. About 20% max get in. You really see more by making an appointment and I really agree with the benchmark comment. If they do their own admissions, they may want realistic applications to cut down admin. If hundreds fly kites, what is the point?

Most people aspire to a good school and expect to see a range of ethnicity, opportunities and the usp of the school as well as data. I do expect to see an orchestra picture because it shows aspiration. The majority of parents aspire to something good. Just showing pictures of classrooms is boring. Showing sport, music, art, drama, trips abroad etc shows you want more for your pupils. It is not designed to put people off but to say look at what you can achieve here! All schools should have this attitude in my view and it cuts no-one out. It may even show children what they can do instead of just bumping along.

hmmm i can see why the secondary does it tbh

i went to our local secondary open evening last year and there must have been over 1000 people. It was chaos, a crush. Most of DD's class were there, funnily enough most of those that I saw had no hope of ever getting in as were way out of catchment. However it is the best school locally (by a mile) and I think people like to just go and see the gold standard / use it as a benchmark for the private schools they're considering.

How many will be applying from your primary with a realistic chance of getting in? Ask for your own parents evening?

And the ever prevalent expensive complicated uniform, so not just 'white shirt, black trousers or skirt' but logoed purple shirts, logoed skirts and trousers, 7 different types of shirt for PE etc.

Spot on TeenTimesTwo....
You can even make your website a bit off putting as well.
I know one that just shows orchestral type shots and the like...
You can create an image of what child is expected at a school in many subtle and not so subtle ways...

running a bus !

I take 'secretly selective' to mean encouraging applications from the type of families you want, and discouraging those from those you don't want.

So inviting parents from particular nice schools (but not others) to hear talks.
Or saying 'I think the academic focus of our school might not be suitable for your SN child'
Or running a us from nice-area A, but not from not-so-nice-B even though it is closer

One talk I went to, had lots of focus on results and high achievers, but nothing at all about support for the strugglers - doesn't exactly encourage strugglers to apply does it?

I guess if they are that over subscribed then they probably know that almost all of the new students will come from the local schools, they then have scheduled tours for the very small numbers of children from outside these schools to be able to have a look around.
If you have never been to an open evening before you have no idea if 500 Parents went to the loca feeder schools evening and only 5 went to the general open evening!!

If its a school you want and you know the time and location of the special club I would just turn up.

If you feel that a group of parents from your current school are interested I would call in advance and say 'x primary will be attending also as we are likely to get in on your current admission criteria'

They can always call you and more clearly explain why you are being excluded!

Just turn up and bluff it.

Also ask on here, FB groups etc for local opinions of the school.

And then apply as usual.

Do you have to show an invite to get into the special talk for parents from former feeder schools?

Or could you just turn up and pretend your DC goes to school X if anyone asks?

Although I'm inclined to agree that you'll probably see more on a tour during a normal school day.

So what is your gut reaction/ feelings about situation op?

I feel it is about encouraging leafy school parents to subscribe to their school and sort of hoping other 'less favoured' parents from 'other' schools won't bother. Message seems clear to me...

The geography of our area is such that when DS's school was oversubscribed there was only 1 or 2 children in each entry year (of 240) who did not go to one of the neighbouring primaries. If OP's area used to have a feeder system, something similar may well apply. Presumably OP can always ask to go and view the school?

Secretly selective? The admissions criteria cannot be changed that quickly. They must apply what is currently on the web site regarding admissions. That could have changed for 2018 and the OP must check that.