Secondary application - I don't understand something about the process

It's like a giant game of candy crush

It's fine by looking at the ranked list that each school prepares, based on how well you fit the criteria (they do not know what position you have ranked them as a preference, just that you named them somewhere on the form)

The LEA then looks at school A and draw a (metaphorical) line under the last available position. All those above the line who listed it first have their offer place confirmed and are deleted from all the other lists, so they all shuffle up. This goes round each school, as many times as it takes for there to be no more movement. So all who qualified for their first choice school have an offer place for it.

Then they do the same thing for those who do not yet have an offer, but looking at second choice places, then third etc. Until there is no more movement and they have gone through all listed preferences.

At which point they can see which schools still have places, and which applicants still don!, and they start to marry those up

I was told by the LA that they look at first place choices, then if there is still room, second place and so on. So where a school is very oversubscribed, they always get filled up by first choice pupils. If you live right next to a school, you won't get a place just by putting it on the form.

The LA puts each applicant in order according to the admission criteria for each school in a list. Then with each applicant, they look at whether they got a place at any of their schools, and if so, which school was their highest preference.

So, for you they may have schools 1-6, Yes (Pos. 25/60), No, Yes (Pos. 13/90), No, No, No.

Because you wanted school 1, you get school 1, and you are taken off of the list for schools 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6. The lists are rejigged.

This is happening simultaneously across the country prior to National offers day. The lists are examined and rejigged over and over, until everyone has their best offer, or all places are taken.

How does the computer work out whether a school has places or not?! Surely it can't do that until everyone's places have been met

For each school, it starts at the top of the admissions criteria (children looked after etc) then down the list (children living closest etc). For each child, the system checks which schools she meetd the admissions criteria for, sees if any of those schools are on her application form, and allocates the one she put as highest preference. At the schools where she met the admissions criteria but will not need a place, everyone below her on the list moves up one position.

It would be extremely time-consuming to do manually, but that's what computers are for.

For each school, the algorithm lists the pupils in order of who meets the admissions criteria. This is often done by distance, but it will depend on the individual school's criteria.

It only takes preference into account from the pupil's point of view. For each pupil, it will only look at the schools where the pupil meets the admissions criteria (see above). If more than one of those schools is listed on the pupil's application form, it will allocate the one that is highest.

What best said.

Head teachers may well tell you that you need to put them first. But they actually have no idea where u listed them or if you even listed them at all.

The list position only comes into play if you qualify for more than one school. Then they will get The one you put highest up the list.

No, the priority you put makes no difference. If you don't qualify for choice 1, but do qualify for choice 2, you will get choice 2. You will take priority over people who have put your second school first, and if they (e. g.) live further away