Having nightmares over secondary school selection...

Where are you reading that? It says some schools had vacancies, and those were the ones that were filled from late applicants.

Schools don't keep places to one side just in case.

Have you been to look at the different schools? Can totally understand your thoughts re Kings as they prob have a long way to go both academically and pastorally even with support from RGS (and GA I think? Have a feeling they are now part of GA MAT are they not?) however I know several people with children at Christ’s who are all very happy with it so that may not be a bad option for you if you can’t get GA or County?

I think Hoe Valley probably not a realistic option for you as you will be too far away - they are relatively small and full with local applicants. Also worth noting that although they are about to move into shiny new building and early indications are promising, they are still relatively new and do not have proven results yet, so you may be taking a bit of a gamble there anyway.

I do get the stress - the difficulty with Surrey is that it’s pretty much all based on ‘nearest school’ (once you take SEN/LAC and siblings out of the equation) so if GA or County isn’t your nearest school you are very unlikely to get in as they fill up quickly with siblings and those for whom it is their nearest.

Our nearest school is GA but we even so we are still quite some distance from it (we fall into a bit of a nomansland for secondary schools between Guildford and Woking) so I am also concerned that by the time I am applying (only Yr 2 at the moment) we won’t get in and then goodness knows what we would get allocated....I can only watch and wait for now though!

From what I have heard GA is not doing so well. I have children in Woking and I think the schools here are much worse unless you are Catholic :-) Hoe Valley looks amazing and I believe they are following the SJB model but I would guess that will be popular with the fantastic facilities. I know Kings got put in special measures and normally that means a bit of a turn around is due, the head of RGS is assisting and he runs one of the best schools in the country. Christs must be on the up, I know of DC there who have done very well and others that are there currently doing well. Try not to pre-judge the schools as often the head and the feel of the school rather than hearsay can make you change your mind. Good Luck!

Are you certain there is catchment priority rather than just distance - Surrey usually doesn't have catchment areas. Where do your neighbouring children go? Are there feeder schools?

So you haven't checked whether you are in the catchment or not?

How far away are you from the school you want?

I can only go off the information you have posted: I'm at home because I'm lucky enough to choose to be

I cannot magically see that you have MS
If you had put " I'm not working, but can only manage PT hours due to illness" no-one would have turned a hair.

Also, I am somewhat surprised that a teacher does not know how school admissions works, nor how to find out the information needed to make judgements about applying.
FYI, everything is on the Surrey county council website (which is what I used) along with the DfE performance site.

If your DD is sept 2019 entry, you have some time to plan and make arrangements- good luck.

If it was me, id put her in one of the online schools and keep applying for a place at the school of your choice

To be blunt you're making your situation into a nightmare. There aren't 20 applications per place at all Look at the facts before spouting hyperbole.

You'd go back to work to get a state school place but not to get a private school place

And you won't consider moving....

Also bear in mind that if there are 955 applications for 300 places some of those applications may be lower preference so it wasn't their top choice anyway. Speak to the admissions person at the schools as they are usually very helpful.

In our area we've noticed huge pressure this year compared to last year and distances for many schools are looking much lower so do bear that in mind if your DC's year is a high birth year or they've built more family homes in your area in the last few years. However sometimes they put on a 'bulge' class to cater for extra demand and end up coming out further than expected and parents who haven't put the school down as they thought they had no chance but would have got the school as a result of the bulge class end up regretting they didn't put the school on their list so do put them in your genuine order of preference with at least one school you do like and are pretty certain to get even if it is the last on your list (unless planning to go private or home-educate).

Why don’t you try to get a teaching position now at Tormead or Guildford (or another independent school) and send your DD there? That seems the obvious solution. You would get a decent staff discount on fees but even without that, with fees at (I assume) £15kish a year you would easily afford it and have no childcare issues either.

Ok, so having looked at the schools concerned, you seem to be overdramatising a little- GA had 955 apply for 300 places, county had 717 for 180; hardly 20 applications per place!
One in 3 applicants get into GA. The cut-off distance was 3.9 km, county's was 1.88km. obviously we don't know your address, so only you can judge likelihood of a place.

I am shocked at the quality of schools available though- I thought Guildford was a wealthy area?
On paper (seriously, I have no experience of Guildford schools, other than St. Catherine's, which I quite liked) then county looks the better school. Particularly if a child is on FSM. GA's results for FSM are shockingly poor.

Do you live in JW if so you will get Christ's and may get GA in waiting list. I went back to work to pay for DCs school fees so if you want to prioritise her education that is a thought. Some of the privates offer good bursaries but you would have to be working unless disabled child to look after etc... Through my work I know this year the privates were inundated with late applicants as so many people got given kings and Christ's, including people that live in Woking. Move or go back to work. GA not as good as it once was, County is just as good if not better, I would move to Howard of effingham area to go state.

OP, you'll have to put six schools on the form for Surrey so if you really don't want Kings, you'll need to work out how realistic your chances are of getting the other 5 schools.

Do you think you'll miss out on GA/GCS because you may be between them both but not close enough to either or because you live the other side of one of them? I wouldn't be put off Hoe Valley just because you know one person there you don't want to be with - you can probably ask in due course not to be in the same class BUT I thought HV's catchment was largely Barnsbury & Kingfield/Westfield so if you think you've got a chance at one of the Guildford schools, you're probably too far for Hoe Valley and vice versa? Depending where you live, have you looked at the other Woking schools?

Do you know where the children in your daughter's school will get into as that's a good indication of what you're likely to be offered. I think there's at least some movement on the waiting lists. You can improve your chances by filling up your six choices. I've known quite a few people be allocated the school you don't want (albeit none lived in Central Guildford) but they all got into other schools off the waiting lists.

So you're not prepared to move, and you're not prepared to work to pay fees, (even though there are no childcare issues as this is an only child)?
So how are you prioritising your child's education?

Sorry if that seems harsh, but you seem to think your child should automatically swerve these two terrible schools, just because?
I'm sure no-one wants their children in terrible schools, that's why those with the power to do something about it do so.

Heidi243 schools are legally obliged to publish their admission policies on their website. Your LA will have allocations distances for this, and previous years on their website. I would read both of those before deciding whether to panic