To get annoyed at "catchment area" school places

[Daiso]

Not even sure if the title makes sense however.....
I'd like DS to go to a school which is 2.5 miles away - there are 2 in that area, both with amazing OFSTED reports and great reviews from friends whose DC attend. Both of these outside my catchment area even though its really not that far.
The school just down the road is shocking, friends pulled DC out, not so great OFSTED etc etc.
I can't afford to move to the area where the better schools are as the house prices are astronomical. Just no chance whatsoever of being near.
AIBU to think it's unfair that I won't be able to send DS to that school as I can't afford to live in the area?
I think that everyone should be given a chance to send their DC to a school of their choosing -maybe by first come first served putting name down or by pre school attended (DS will be going to the pre school in the grounds of school I'd like but that makes no difference)

In years of supply teaching in just about every type of state school, the only genuinely comprehensive catchments are when you have one school large enough to serve a large village/ small town (I'm secondary) so everyone in that area will go to that school. In bigger towns/ cities, it gets more polarised.

There's a challenge brewing as the current baby boom starts school. Some areas of our city are having a crisis on school places through changes in housing and natural population increase. I've heard a shortage of 500 places in the city for this Sept, and the problem is going to get worse as the birth rate has increased in recent years.

Well we were the other side of the coin. We haven't got into the only school we're in catchment for. The reason being people from outside the catchment are getting their children in.

burberryqueen

IME the 'nice' schools perceived as desirable by the middle classes often try far less hard than for example estate schools and have rather a smug and complacent attitude, esp. regarding bullying and the quality of teaching.

If only the middle classes were clever enough to spot what you've clearly observed, they would be clamouring to get their kids through the door of Stab Comprehensive.

MrsMook I'm really worried about my DD's school place tbh because of the baby boom. I don't think it's hit the secondaries yet. If you don't know what school you can get into, you can't start sorting out your childcare earlier can you? A friend just told me she's put her name down already for the afterschool club at her local primary for her son starting 2014 September! That's just crazy. I'll have to do the same once the summer holiday is over as my DD will be going in 2015. There is such a shortage of childcare places here.

YABU, what is unfair is that some schools are so bad.

I think after the siblings/special needs rules then distance from the school is by far the fairest system. Any other system is even more open to abuse IMO.

If you register your child at birth then that would automatically give September borns an advantage. People just putting names down for the school they want would be easily influenced by "well I see you need new computers I am sure I could make a donation if my child gets in"

We are applying for DS this year the school I want him to go to in 0.4 miles an fantastic they normally take in up to 0.7 the next Closest school is over a mile away and in walkable for DS - how would it be fair if we ended up there simply because someone who lived further away decided they wanted the place?

If a child is brought up well and guided well at home then it shouldn't matter what school they go to. Cream usually floats to the top.

Money talks where schools are concerned sadly and therefore the people that can afford the houses in those areas will always get priority.

fluffy you're being disingenuous. Of course if a non catchment system was introduced in the interests of fairness, a transport policy would be needed too.

I do find it odd how the people living in nice areas with good schools can never afford basic transport though. Expensive huge houses yes. Buses, no. Funny that.

No catchments here, admission is by distance. This year there are no first borns in reception yet some siblings are being driven in from up to 10 miles away. Whatever system is in place there will be winners and losers.

Can I also point out that you only have a 'preference' not a 'choice' of schools!

But not all good schools are in 'nice' areas. Not all people living in 'nice' areas have huge expensive houses.

I lived near a good school but would not have been able to afford a bus twice a day to cart my kids out of the are for their schooling. As funny as you might find it russian.

And where on earth would the money for a special transport system come from? Wouldn't it be better to spend any extra money on making schools more equal across the board?

Cream usually floats to the top
i fucking hate that phrase it is just so fucking smug
i will never forget being told that by a ....er..."professional" when I dared question the school's policy of only offering musical instrument lessons to those who had been recommended by their (local) primary schools.

Just to add - 2.5 miles is too far away. Isn't 2 miles the 'unreasonable' distance over which councils have to find transport to primary schools? The primary threads are full of parents bemoaning their given school being too far when it's often less than 2.5miles, so as well as all the other good points being made, yabu to be lusting after a school that is really irrelevant to where you've made your home.

fluffy And that way all the Cecil estate kids, like I was, can stay in their ghettos. Can you not see how utterly wrong headed your argument is? Certain people on MN have huge issues with the thick/smart divide they feel is introduced by grammar schools (I disagree with that reading, having kids at both tyoes of school, but I accept it's a widespread view). How can you not see that having schools for people who live in the nice bits, and schools for people who live in the crummy bits, is equally divisive?

council. Bloody autocorrect.

Of course all schools should be excellent and then there wouldn't be nearly do much angst about this.

But then I'd also do away with faith schools and give every child a place at their closest school so I am an extremist in that regard.

Just as an aside I do love a good school thread where people bleat about their own poor child who is too sensitive/clever/speshul to go to the sink school that is fine for Other People's Children.

JenniBoo buying a house at a premium specifically because it's near a desirable school is a gamble. Schools change, their popularity changes, developers stick up housing even nearer to your target school.

I'd have some sympathy for those who lost out, property value wise, but my heart wouldn't bleed.

Ha ha. Love Cecil estate! I thought this was a new name for the catchment areas of good schools where houses cost a bomb!

YABU, catchment is the best way to do it. Children should be able to go to their local school, easier for friends visits, less traffic as lots will walk and easy to collect if sick.

Names down first on a list would be manic, why on earth should taxes pay to transport kids all across the county as the parent doesnt fancy the local school. If you dont like the local school then move, get a second job etc. Parents have at least four years from birth to look at schools, its not like it sneaks up on you.

There are good and bad schools, good and bad teachers, parents and children. Whilst you can set teaching levels deemed by Ofsted a lot is to do with the attutude of the children and parents.

It was named after Cecil Parkinson.

Thing that always gets me about these arguments, is they are always based on the premise that the good school predates the expensive area, in our town at least, the houses near the 'good schools' are more expensive, but then they are bigger. The poorer schools are near the smaller, less desirable properties. The school is only 20 years old, the houses have been there since the 30s, it's always been a 'nice' end of town.

The assumption seems to be the school's performance isn't due to the sort of people who live in the area and send their DCs there, but somehow, miraculously, the good schools have all ended up near big houses and the rubbish schools have ended up near the smaller, less disirable ones.

I don't believe the good/bad school can be divorced from it's catchment. Do you really think that if the school staff were all relocated elsewhere the school would be exectly the same? If you remove the link between the school and it's area, do you think the results would be the same?

Also, it rather assumes school is just for education. There's the social side too and if you live several miles from your classmates, play dates are harder, playing with friends from school at the weekend not just being walking round the corner, but needing your parents to drive you 5 miles across town and back stops it being something that can happen every weekend.

School isn't just about education. But it shouldn't be about reinforcing social or financial divides. It shouldn't be about keeping people on 'their' side of the tracks.

First come first served will directly disadvantage adopted, fostered, transient and forces children.

Lottery system will have a negative affect on communities.

Any other system drifts into 'I want and am willing to do everything' and disadvantages a huge number of families for various reasons.

We have a lady who forgot to apply this year but is still screaming blue murder because out of catchment children got in. With any system there will be people who claim its infair. Catchment is the fairest by far.

Our school in the year before DD had 100% sibling catchment children, so catchment wasn't enough. DD1 year a lot of catchment parents didn't rank the school high enough on priorities and instead got my catchment very large and now special measures school. I placed the school first and got in out of catchment and with no sibling link.

Its all down to who puts what and lives where, each year it changes. Unless your somewhere like london.

preference not priorities

it would be far easier if everyone went to their local school and their local school was a great school.

I would personally abolish grammars and faith schools as the first creams off the cleverest/ most tutored/ and the second has no business in educating children.

our local schools are faith schools and it drive me mad that we as atheists had to be exposed to this drivel with no say so.

The flip side OP is having to travel, by car or bus from a very young age. Also having to travel a similar distance to see friends, not getting to know the people in your local area as well as if they were all within a 'catchment'.

It is more expensive to transport children, more difficult if the children need supervision using transport. These are state schools we are talking about and I presume varied intake. Not everyone can afford 2 family cars (1 for each parent, if working outside local area) or bus fares / train tickets.

I understand the issues of some schools being better than others and would not criticise parents trying to get their child into the best school for them, but I think having 'catchment' as part of admission criteria is fair and right.