To ask what your thoughts are on siblings getting priority at over-subscribed schools?

[goingeversoslowlymad]

So the letters have gone out advising parents which school they have gained a place for their 4/5 yr old for September. As happens every year as dc1's school is badly over subscribed, there have been people who have lost out.

The school admission criteria gives priority to children who already have siblings in the school, after they have been admitted it then goes down to catchment area and distance from the school. Is this the norm most places? There was quite a lot of bad feeling today when I was at the park. A few of the mums were really angry and saying that the school is discriminating against first-born and only children as it is making it impossible to get a place. I felt a bit guilty as DC2 was one of those who got a place.

I can really see their argument and really do feel for them but what is the solution? I would not physically be able to get my children to 2 different schools in the mornings. Sorry if this has been done before but would just love to know if there is a fairer solution.

I think our LEA has quite a sensible rule. Siblings take priority but only if the family still live within two miles of the school. This is good as it means families that have moved far away from the school do not retain their sibling priority (so local children get those places instead) but generally a local family will not end up having to take their children to two (or more) different school. Also means those who rent briefly to get a place and then move away cannot also get siblings in on the back of this.

Siblings come way down the list at the DC's school..
Looked after children
Children with SEN
Children of staff
Siblings
Distance from school.

It's the only LEA school with an really good OFSTED report in the immediate area so admissions can cause a bit of a bunfight...

That sounds sensible Ghoul (assuming it's not a super rural area, where presumably two miles wouldn't be enough). You'd need the right distance for your area, but it does seem like quite a good way to stop abuse of sibling priority.

At my DS school sibling link is quite far down the list after the church links. So even though I already had a child at the school, another child would have got a place before DS2 if they attended church.

It was a huge worry for me last year (we don't attend church), especially as DS1 has SN and to move schools so then the boys would be together would have had a very negative impact upon him.

Thankfully DS2 got in

I must declare a vested interest but in terms of reducing car traffic (and ridiculous parking situation where I live) in the morning surely the sibling priority must apply? DD1 goes to village school which is 2/3 of a mile walk, and we do walk every day. If DD2 got into any school other than this one we'd have to drive thus adding to the area's problems.

I agree - there's no prefect solution to this but the 2 mile rule is probably the best I've seen. I also agree 2 miles is not very local if you're in central London whereas it would not be far enough in more rural areas. We are in a small town so probably about right for this area but it does apply to other parts of the county which are more rural so may seem rather mean to some parents in rural areas.

I think siblings should always get priority at primary school. It makes sense whether in or out of catchment. It should I think also extend to to infant and junior schools that share the same site but are separate schools.

My school only has sibling priority for people that live in catchment which I think is terrible. One woman got her 2 sons in when she lived (just) out of catchment (but was the closest school to her) when the school was less popular. Now school has outstanding ofsted she couldn't get daughter in. They ended up moving a few roads just to get her into the catchment. She said it was worth it not to have 5 years of travelling to different primary schools which would have meant someone being late every day.

Good point maryz, hadn't thought about it like that. I guess we got lucky, DS got in on distance and DD on siblings and distance (we are the family practically over the road) :) hopefully DD2 will get in on the same criteria.
Maybe complaining about school admissions is just habit at this time of the year!

Halcyon, Ellie, all three of mine have to be taken to school and cannot make their own way. The primary is 4 miles away, and the secondary 6 miles away. Up til two years ago, I had one at an infant school 10 miles away!

True, I do drive. I have never lived anywhere which had a school within walking distance, to be honest!! But there is a certain amount of flexibility in that drop-off at the primary is between 8.30 and 8.50am, and collection at 3.10, although they can wait in the library for 20 minutes or so after that. This makes the school-juggling manageable. Our school can't be the only one to offer this.

Surely all your children will have qualified for free transport from the LA though, given that they were allocated schools 4, 6 and 10 miles away.

This "how could people possibly manage two schools" argument doesn't apply to families with one child at primary and an 11 year old at secondary then ?

I still don't understand why getting DCs to different schools is anyone else's problem other than yours.

Our local school (at end of our road) told us when we visited that there was very little chance of our DS getting in because they only took siblings for the past 2 years. Despite being able to see the school from our house - the entrance criteria goes...according to HT they rarely get to 5
1.Children in care

1. SEN
2. Any Siblings
3. Members of the church
4. Distance.

Thankfully after a big sibling bulge for the past few years , it seems this year they are lacking and we have got a place (truly stunned )

Now I've just got to work out wraparound care [worry]

Cointreau No, children must be dropped off at 8:55 and picked up at 3:15. There is a childminder who has an arrangement with the school that she can pick her mindees up at 3.20 after driving from her daughter's school on the other side of town but it would take me at least 1.5 hours to walk from our nearest school to our catchment school.

quite, exotic. If people choose to move out of catchment, that's their ruddy look out, no way should their younger children be given places ahead of everyone else.

I'd make an exception for people who have stayed in the same house but the catchment has shifted between child no. 1 who is already at the school and child no. 2, though. Which might be quite complicated.

I think catchment should come first as it's a bit ridiculous if somebody living next to the school misses out to somebody who loves further away with siblings and probably only wants that school because of it's OFSTED report ie contributes nothing to the local community.

I agree that siblings should get priority due to the difficulty of being in two places at once. However it is do-able. I have choosen a different school for my DD than the one DS attends and we be using breakfast club.

As far as I am aware (and I am not sure as it has not been a problem) you have to be accepted for a school in Scotland if you live in the catchment area - ie they can't turn you away. However, if you move or live outside the area then a placement request can be put in. This will only be considered if taking your child doesn't involve bringing in an extra teacher. The stories above and the feeling of pressure and discord fills me with horror. Maybe someone will enlighten me about more urban Scotland but here in the sticks they have to give you a place.

I always feel awkward with this, while I know parents who have rented, moved in with family to get catchment is that any worse than me who paid catchment inflated house price to move to dullsville just for catchment reasons. It's just crap to have failing schools. While I have to go with sibling catchment only it seems unfair for me to judge.

Not all schools have breakfast clubs, few in my town do and even if I used the breakfast club at dd1's school, it would still take too long to walk from there to the next nearest school. Not everyone drives.

ohdearnigel 11 year olds are old enough to get to school by themselves

Of course they should
Those mothers of oldest children in the playground would soon be bitching about it if their younger ones didn't get a place

The solution is more better schools or alternatively allowing schools to take more children

Or a lottery for all??

we are in catchment, but as school has got more popular the catchment has effectively shrunk, hence i am pleased there is the sibling rule as otherwise my younger children wouldnt get a place.

even with using the bfast club i wouldnt be able to then walk back home and another 20mins in apposite direction and get my kids to school on time if he didnt get a place at the school his elder brothers attend.

plus i couldnt actually afford before and after school clubs either, or necessarily get a place as they are generally oversubscribed.

and yes by high school age they go on their own, my ds1 does. its just primary age thats the issue, i would happily let ds2 who is 9, coming up for 10 walk to/from school on his own, but not ds3 who is 7.