Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be utterly pissed off that having a child already at the school has no bearing on getting a place if you do not live in the catchment area?

295 replies

samram · 28/02/2011 18:32

Ok, This news to me.

Having just rang the school admission line to make sure they had my dd4 application form i was told that already having my elder daughter attending the school has no bearing on my application if i do not live in the catchment area!
Im so worried now - i mean how can i possibly be in two places at once?
Its not even like my elder daughter is old enough to walk home on her own (she's 6 in a few weeks)

Does any know if this is correct or have any advice? Thanks

OP posts:
IShallWearMidnight · 28/02/2011 20:06

our local secondary has added feeder primaries into the mix as well which puts DC in catchment one level above "any other applicant".

bringinghomethebacon · 28/02/2011 20:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DiscoDaisy · 28/02/2011 20:10

My DD2 goes to a school we are out of catchment for. I have applied for my DD3 to go there in september. Because we are out of catchment there is no guarantee that she will get in. I knew that when I applied and that is a chance I have to take. The over subscription criteria in our area is

1/2 Special needs and local authority care.
3 siblings attending and in catchment
4 anybody else in catchment
5 siblings attending and out of catchment
6 anyboby else out of catchment.

CoonRapids · 28/02/2011 20:10

There has to be some objective way of deciding who gets a place - it's never going to be 'fair' for all. We have the scenario where DC1 got the non-catchment school because the catchment school had no place and now want DC2 to get into the non-catchment school so they can be together. But there's no guarantee this will happen. Non-catchment school has improved considerably and now is 'outstanding' and there's a bigger intake. We only live 5 mins from the non-catchment school, 10 mins from the catchment school and have not moved during this time. But if they go to different schools, we'll work round it. THere are worse disasters.

PaperView · 28/02/2011 20:14

SOrry - in my double post from my phone earlier i got the order wrongBlush (it's such a tiny box on mobile version lol!!)

LargeGlassofRedPlease · 28/02/2011 20:14

yep, YABU..that's the rules...that's the risk you take getting first child in (probably a year when under-subscribed) when live off catchment.

Someone on catchment must get in first - that goes without saying!

My DCs school always has people from all over wanting in, and many of us have had to stretch ourselves (high house prices) to live securely on catchment. Maybe unfair system, but a line has to be drawn somehwere.

Original poster
samram · 28/02/2011 20:17

Coonrapids can i ask how you would round this if they did end up going to different schools? I mean do they have different start/finish times?

OP posts:
McDreamy · 28/02/2011 20:22

But this situation (at the moment) self perpetuates surely? There are those of us that would love are eldest children to go to the catchment area school but can't because of over subscription and so we are forced to send our children elsewhere and then when we want our younger children to join their sibling they can't because they attend an out of area school.

omnishambles · 28/02/2011 20:23

Lots of people in the indie sector have dc going to different schools for obvious reasons and its not a problem - the older child can normally be dropped off earlier than the younger.

As you get to know people you can swap lifts as well maybe.

CoonRapids · 28/02/2011 20:32

It would be tricky. I'm assuming that DC2 would get the catchment school if not the other one as it would be ridiculous if she went out of town as we are slap bang in the middle of the town. (I hope I'm not proved wrong). I think that there would be a 5 minute window to get from the catchment school to the other and they are 15 mins walk away. So I suppose I'd have to look into getting older one to walk with a neighbour or on the days I'm working would have to drop one off on my way in the car with the other one taken by childminder. Or I think the catchment school has a breakfast club. The main thing I would hate would be having to get the car out on the days I'm not working. I would resent that. But then it might not happen.

nancydrewfoundaclue · 28/02/2011 20:40

YANBU

Lol at the idea that everyone gets into their local school Hmm.

DD ended up going to a school 6 miles from where we live. There are 7 other infant/primary schools nearer to me which would all have been perfectly acceptable if only we could have got a place but we couldn't.

Fortunately in our LEA sibblings of children who live outside the catchment area do take priority so my DS does go to the same school as his DSis but goodness knows what we would have done if that hadn't happened.

carocaro · 28/02/2011 20:43

Our LEA policy changed this year to siblings first and catchment second, this is because several people at each of the three schools could not get their 2nd, 3rd etc kids into their chosen school despite in being in their catchment area.

So I do think YABU as you want the better school even though it's not in your catchment, you were lucky the first time but you can't have your cake and eat it I'm afraid. You should have ensure you were fully aware of the intake policy etc before you made your choices.

LEA have to mark a line in the sand somewhere an is is not going to suit everybody.

McDreamy · 28/02/2011 20:45

are eldest children Hmm our eldest children fgs!

Wook · 28/02/2011 21:09

YABU- local schools for local children- that way they can walk or cycle healthily to school and the school serves its community. Catchments should be drawn for a mix as far as possible. Those should be the principles re the first round of admissions.
YANBU to be annoyed at being inconvenienced though. But as other posters have said, presumably that's a risk you took.

SoupDragon · 28/02/2011 21:22

"YABU- local schools for local children- that way they can walk or cycle healthily to school and the school serves its community."

She is a 3 minute walk from the school!!

Morloth · 28/02/2011 21:31

I don't think catchment areas are enforced very well in the UK. I applied for DS to go to the school across the road from us and instead he was allocated a place, 2 bus rides away - I could literally see into the classroom from my bedroom.

So I think YABU, they need to enforce catchment areas. It wasn't so bad for us we just went private because I wasn't schlepping across London and back twice a day.

Here they do enforce catchments and it works a lot better. We rocked up, picked a suburb and all I had to do was drop in at the local school and enrol him. Much more sensible to ensure all the local kids have places and then offer any 'spares' to out of catchment kids.

Wook · 28/02/2011 21:43

Soupdragon sorry, who is a three mins walk from the school? The OP? Didn't read that bit- seems odd.

kylesmybaby · 28/02/2011 21:48

you were obviously lucky to get your older daughter into the preferred school. however, because you chose to send your child to a school not in your catchment - another child who lives in the catchment should have priority over you in the more sought after year.

our school is completely oversubsribed and exactly the same has happened. however, the parents who missed out with the younger child had to make arrangements of collecting both children from different schools. either that or find a school that they can both go to. some parents had to accept the other school until a space became available in our school.

lateatwork · 28/02/2011 22:39

um doesnt the catchment change year on year? so it would be feasible that a family would have one child in the catchment zone one year and then to be deemed out of catchment the next...

i know of families who have been 50 m from the door of the school and STILL not to be deemed in the catchment zone that year cause there were children even closer who wanted to go....

if thats the case YANBU.. its a moving target...

hmmmmmm maybe if you set up a tent outside the school gates and said THAT is where you live....Smile

exoticfruits · 28/02/2011 22:45

YABU They can only have a place if there is room and shouldn't come above those who live in the area. I know people who have failed with a second DC and it is up to them to arrange pick up.

exoticfruits · 28/02/2011 22:46

The LEA will have a list of criteria and having an older DC in the school comes below living in the catchment area.

nancydrewfoundaclue · 28/02/2011 22:48

Exactly late catchment has to change because rather obviously the birth rate is varriable and therefore it is entirely possibly that in one year 100 children may live within a 100 metre raidus and the following double that.

jollydiane · 28/02/2011 22:58

YABU, you are suggesting that even though I live in the catchment area of the so called "good school" your DD gets preference. Are you suggesting your DD should come first and then I have to get the car out and drive so another school which is futher than my local school.

I am sorry for you situation but equally it seems very unfair on the children who live in the catchment area.

muminthemiddle · 28/02/2011 23:15

Our criteria is :
Looked after children(regardless of proximity to school)
Children with a statement of special educational needs
Children who live in the catchment area.
If the school has any places left they will then allocate to:
Children with a sibling already at the school.
Children nearest to the school as in how the crow flys.

Northernlurker · 28/02/2011 23:25

I think siblings should have priority. As others have said not being in catchment does NOT mean you live miles away. My oldest dd goes to a school we are not in catchment for - it's a mile closer than catchment. We have always lived no more than 15 minutes walk from their primary school but never in catchment and I fully expect to get a place there for dd3. After 8 years of having dcs at that school why should my dd receive less consideration than a child who also lives 15 minutes walk away but in catchment and has never had any connection with the school?