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Original poster

School applications query - only putting one school on form?

51 replies

boototheghost · 27/10/2023 11:14

We live about 30 metres from the outstanding primary school we would like our 3yo to attend next September.

Some people have advised me to only put this one school on our LA application form, and not put any other schools down at all. Is that the correct advice?

I assume we are 99% sure DC will get a place at the school but I don't want to make a misstep.

Can anyone advise? First child so no experience of school applications.

OP posts:
viques · 27/10/2023 11:40

It is more than likely, given the distance, that your DD will be offered a place in the school. But I don’t have a crystal ball , nor do you. There could be a family of quads with an older sibling moving into the area who would get sibling places, service children could take priority, as could LAC or previously LAC children, children with the school named on their statement will also get priority, then you have the other siblings………. I am exaggerating of course, but when distance is the fourth or fifth criteria it is possible for many other places to be allocated before distance is even looked at.

For the sake of not writing the names of two other reasonable and acceptable schools you risk the unlikely occurrence that your dd could be allocated a school you neither like nor want with an impossible journey. Put the preferred school as your first choice, then do a bit of research and for peace of mind add on a couple more.

And for any other parents who are thinking this strategy will work remember that putting only one school on the list will not force the local authority to allocate you a place, but it will give them the opportunity to fill up spaces at less popular, undersubscribed schools. And when you meet Smug Mummy for whom ‘we only put one school on the form’ worked remember that whatever they say they were allocated that place because they met the admissions criteria and for no other reason.

Sunshineclouds11 · 27/10/2023 11:41

Stupid advise.
Your opening yourself to be allocated to any school.
Always put 3 options.

IwishIdidntlikesugar · 27/10/2023 11:42

I remember a family who took advice to put down all the ‘best’ schools, which they did, regardless of distance. Funnily enough they didn’t get any of them and had to travel far to a school they had never heard of and couldn’t understand how that had happened.

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whiteroseredrose · 27/10/2023 11:43

Definitely don't. If you only put that school and it is full you will be allocated one that nobody wants

BrieAndChilli · 27/10/2023 11:45

I dont understand how some people (not you OP but the people 'giving advice' can be so unaware of all the problems every year.

My kids went to a small village school. We were just out of catchment (we have defined catchement areas here due to being rural) but for years and years everyone in catchment plus lots there weren't got in. although there were also plenty of people who didnt due to oversubscription but history shows that people who lived in the village and local rural area always got a place.

Then when it was my 3rd childs year there were 24 siblings. They get priority over catchment so there were lots of children from the village who did not get a place. There was uproar and they tried to get the rules changed etc.

Just goes to show that even if 'normally' there is no problem you just never know when an abnormal year will occur. If you dont put any other choices down you will get given whatever space is left after everyone else who put choices down is sorted - meaning it will be the school no-one wants and could be miles and miles away. Better to put down accepatable choices for 2 and 3.

Secnarf · 27/10/2023 11:46

Yes you are likely to get a place in a school 30m away from you.

However there is no disadvantage to you putting a 2nd and 3rd choice.

If something very weird happened - a big bulge of looked-after kids for example - and your child didn’t get a space, you would be allocated wherever in the area had a space.

It’s not worth even a teeny risk for no reason and the only additional effort of adding what would be 10 words or fewer to the application.

PaintBySticker · 27/10/2023 11:46

We still used the choices for our younger son even though he had sibling priority for a 3 form entry school. Just in case there were weird circumstances that meant he didn’t get a place. There’s no harm in using belt and braces.

chocolatefiends · 27/10/2023 11:50

If you happen to miss out on your first choice and you've put second and third choices down they're likely to give you your second or third (unless all three are crazily oversubscribed).

If you happen to miss out on your first choice and you've not put any others downs they can allocate you any school anywhere in the local authority area that has spare places. I know people who have done this and ended up being allocated a crap school a long way from their home. Basically, the worst schools will have the most spare places, so that's where they'll put you if they can't give you you first choice.

RoseGoldEagle · 27/10/2023 11:51

I was given this advice too, I didn’t follow it. I think people are imaging someone is looking at two applications with the same first choice, where one has put a second and third choice, and one hasn’t. And that if there’s only one place left that person will think ‘oh well I’ll give it to the person that just put down one option, and the other one can get their second choice.’ Not only does it not work like that, if it did I imagine it would irritate the person so much they’d give it to the other person anyway!

It sounds very likely you’ll get it- but there were some really surprising people that didn’t get in to ours this year- I think because there are just so many siblings in the current reception class and only a handful of other spots.

chocolatefiends · 27/10/2023 11:54

Also, just to say, before we visited any schools we thought we definitely wanted a certain one as first choice.

We then visited a few schools to decide if we were happy with them as second and third choice and vastly preferred one of them over the one we thought we wanted. So ended up putting that as first choice and we got it. So it's worth visiting a few and just relying on Ofsted ratings or what other people tell you.

ActDottie · 27/10/2023 12:02

Hopefully you’d get the school given how close you live, but to me this would feel risky just in case you didn’t get your first choice. Then they may just put you anywhere.

Rainbowqueeen · 27/10/2023 12:04

It’s stupid advice given by people who believe that you will be allocated one of your preferences so putting one preference means you will get that one. That’s not how the system works.

Good to hear you are putting down all your options

savepaper · 27/10/2023 12:20

I did put three schools few years ago for reception and none of the options were offered and were offered really bad school. Then I liaise with council to find a space in good school, which was 10 miles away from our house but was outstanding. Eventually I was offered my first choice in July as waiting list improved. Then for my second child I only put one choice and they got it because of sibling criteria. For my third child I only put two which were really close to my house and like you said i was 99.9% sure , I will get my first choice. the way this works is very unpredictable. So doesn't matter if you put one or four, if you don't meet the catchment criteria for three , you will be offered random school.

savepaper · 27/10/2023 12:35

sorry I did get my first choice for my child child

twilightcafe · 27/10/2023 12:45

Dangerous advice.

It only takes a load of siblings (which is very possible) and twins to push your child down the admissions list.

NotLactoseFree · 27/10/2023 12:48

I assume the school has distance as one of the key criteria? That is definitely worth checking as if it's not, you would be making a huge mistake.

But while you're very likely to get in, I agree 100% that you should be putting your other choices down. The year before DD's year ,of the 60 children, 39 were siblings....

pinkpanther84 · 27/10/2023 12:53

Some people think that if they only put one choice then they will be prioritised over people who have put second and third choices. This is not the case

NeverDropYourMooncup · 27/10/2023 16:09

fedupandstuck · 27/10/2023 11:27

No they are wrong, and it's the same wrong advice that gets trotted out each year.

Put the 30metre away school as your first choice. Now, you will 99.99% likely be offered a place there, but in the unusual situation that they fill the whole intake with siblings in catchment, children with EHCPs etc, put down two other schools which you would be ok with getting a place at, if that unlikely event will occur. There is no danger or risk to putting down a second and third preference, it doesn't affect your first choice preference at all.

They're the same playground experts who claim that the way to get a place at a school you want is to refuse everything offered and then go up the school in July demanding that because the child doesn't have anywhere to go, it's the Law that the desired school has to provide one. Sometimes they follow on with tales of how they ordered some 'stupid woman' at the school around and that they said they'd just drop her off on the first day and they'd have to get on with it. Or that they spoke to the head and they agreed their child was a very special case because of being class rep in year 6 or having a blue swimming badge, so sorted it out on the quiet.

If they got the school they wanted, it's pure luck, absolutely nothing about being a dick to people at the school asserting themselves or getting Headteachers to ignore Admissions Law.

NotLactoseFree · 27/10/2023 16:12

NeverDropYourMooncup · 27/10/2023 16:09

They're the same playground experts who claim that the way to get a place at a school you want is to refuse everything offered and then go up the school in July demanding that because the child doesn't have anywhere to go, it's the Law that the desired school has to provide one. Sometimes they follow on with tales of how they ordered some 'stupid woman' at the school around and that they said they'd just drop her off on the first day and they'd have to get on with it. Or that they spoke to the head and they agreed their child was a very special case because of being class rep in year 6 or having a blue swimming badge, so sorted it out on the quiet.

If they got the school they wanted, it's pure luck, absolutely nothing about being a dick to people at the school asserting themselves or getting Headteachers to ignore Admissions Law.

Show quote history

My ALL time favourite was a little nursery friend of DS' whose mum earnestly told me that the school they wanted was a bit further away but she was pretty sure they'd get in because in the "is there any additional information or extenuating circumstances" section, she had put in that her child was really good at football and this school was really quite keen on sports....

She was so confident that she was ALSO only going to put that school down.

I lost contact with them so no idea what school he got but I was a bit gobsmacked.

FluffyDiplodocus · 27/10/2023 16:16

Yeah that’s bad advice - definitely put a few, especially for primary and particularly if it’s one form entry. All it takes is a load of siblings, loads of SEND and a couple of looked after children (who will all have higher priority). It’s as the crow flies distance I think as well, so possible for someone who’d have a longer walk (due to road layout) to technically be closer. I know it’s unlikely, but it’s not totally impossible. Please put multiple options that you’d be happy with!

ThreeRingCircus · 27/10/2023 16:18

That advice is absolutely bonkers.

In your circumstances, I'd say it almost doesn't matter as your child is highly likely to get a place at the school unless by some fluke every place is taken by a sibling.

However, putting more than one choice doesn't reduce your chances of getting option 1. As others have said, it's computerised so if you for some reason don't get option 1 it works down your list. If there's no other options on your list it allocates you wherever there is a space.

Having one person with only one option on their list doesn't give them more likelihood of getting a space at option 1 over someone else that has listed all their options. I would make sure you have specified the other options so you've had a say in the back up choices, even though it's likely you'll not need them in your case.

When we were applying for DD2 I was certain she'd get in to option 1 school as it was the closest school to our house, we were in the catchment and DD1 was already a pupil there. I still listed other options as I couldn't run the risk of them allocating her just anywhere. Obviously she got into the same school as her sister but listing other options never hurts.

FluffyDiplodocus · 27/10/2023 16:20

Also I remember when my DS was in preschool, the school he was going on to was super oversubscribed that year, he got in because DD was already there so had sibling priority. We live a 25 min walk away. I remember there was a lady in the pick up queue one day who was SO upset her DS had been allocated a different school as she lived in what was traditionally the catchment estate and he’d been at preschool there for a year and a half, but they hadn’t got a place.

Dacadactyl · 27/10/2023 16:21

Do NOT do this. You could end up at the shittest school that no one else wants.

Hedge your bets and put down as many schools as you can that you'd be happy for your child to go to, in order of preference.

itsgettingweird · 27/10/2023 16:23

Yes to filling out all choices.

The reality is there isn't a choice. You will get the nearest school to you with space available in most cases even when you request others.

So what I would do is suggest putting choices 2 and 3 in order of preference rather than admission criteria but not choose schools you have a realistic chance of getting if for some unobvious reason you don't get the catchment school.

leonium · 27/10/2023 16:37

In practice you'll almost certainly get the school you want, and it won't make any difference. But it won't do any harm to fill up all the choices and doesn't take any effort. In some local schools the furthest child admitted lived closer than that, but then we are in the competitive parts of North London and housing is very dense here.