Parents who only put one school choice down

[womblesofwestminster]

AIBU to wonder why some parents only put one school choice down when they fill in their primary school application for their child? I've heard several parents claiming to do this. Why put all your eggs in one basket?

Are they that confident their child will get it? Why risk it?

I don't understand it either. We're in West London. Afew good choices of schools but I know afew parents who have done this. I was abit shocked with a friend of mine as she chose the one school that is small. 200 applicants for 30 places. There are at least 6 other schools nearby but this is a Church school so it's important to her.

Depends entirely where you live. I live in the East Riding and at the time we applied, our (brilliant) village school had plenty of space. So there was no reason to put down second choices.

If I lived in London where pressure for places is extreme, I admit that would have looked like a dumb decision.

I put 2 but its pointless! Number 1 is our catchment school and the one we want. Number 2 isn't catchment and although it would be our second choice if we don't get into number 1 (as its always full) we certainly won't be getting into number 2 which is out of catchment and massively over subscribed.

Which leaves option 3, which has plenty of space, and if they give her a place there she simply won't be going to school.

Can you home ed if you work part time? Otherwise looks like i'll be going to prison for not providing an education

The problem is of you only out done one choice you may get one miles away if you don't get the one you want. It won't always go to the nearest next school . I put down three choices but with a lengthy essay as to why I would like the choice we wanted . It has worked so far .

I've only put one down for DS but he has two siblings at the school and we live about 10 metres from the gate

Many parents who name only one school do so because they think they are certain to get a place. Others do so because they think it means the LA has to give them a place at that school. Similarly some put the same school down multiple times because they think it increases their chances. It doesn't. Telling the LA that your child won't go to school at all if you don't get a place at the school you want doesn't work either.

Every year we get parents on the education forums upset because they only named one school, didn't get it and find they've been allocated an unpopular school miles away. I would always advocate using all your preferences and including at least one unpopular school that you find acceptable (or at least, less unacceptable than the alternatives).

I only put one down too for both my boys. One big didn't get the choice but I knew all the other local schools were good anyway, so even though it was upsetting he would be split up from his friends, it actually wasn't the end of the world

If parents are prepared to HE or go private that's one thing but if not think very carefully before putting down just one choice.

Putting down a second and third choice will not make you any less likely to be offered a place at your first choice.

Admissions authorities may not prioritise based on order of preference when allocating places at a specific school (although places will not be needed where a child is also offered a place at a higher preference).

Don't assume that you'll automatically be offered a place at the local school if you didn't put it on the forn and can't be offered a place at your preferences. If it's oversubscribed you won't get in.

Some parents I've spoken to at DS' nursery have done this and, while I've smiled and nodded, I do think it's a silly thing to do if the reason is to try and force the LEA's hand.

I've put our catchment school as first choice, with two back-up options. The next 2 closest schools by distance are not ones I would want DS to attend so I put backups that might not have been the first two considered by a matching system but that I would be happy with. If all else fails and DS is allocated a place at one of the two I don't want then we'll make the best of it while keeping him on the waiting list for his catchment school.

Rural area, Hobson's choice unless you want to run up a huge (rather than a large) petrol bill.

Schools undersubscribed anyway.

Seems like it's also quite a fashionable thing to do too?
Either because it implies "Oh, we're bound to get in - we live just opposite a wonderful little village school"
or "We want dd to go to X ... otherwise we'll send her to Y (private school) or home ed!"
Not everyone can be in such fortunate positions.
And as I and others have said upthread one of the main reasons has to be not understanding the system (which is now generally robust enough to stand up to such tricks) Not that I blame anyone for trying

Out of interest, what attention gets paid to the reasons why you want a school? We have medical and social reasons for wanting a specific school but what good does putting them down do?

Or to put it another way:

School À has 60 places and receives 100 applications (a mixture of 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice).

The applications are prioritised in line with the published admissions criteria to decide which 60 children get a place.

Suppose 20 of the 60 children could also be offered places at higher preference schools. They will be allocated the higher preference and the other 40 children considered in order of priority.

This continues until the school is full or all children are placed.

If the school has surplus places these may then be offered to children who could not be placed at any of their preferences.

Depends on the admissions criteria Bronze. Where I live the schools will consider such reasons but they are not top priority within the criteria.

Also, might be worth clarifying what constitutes a significant reason and the evidence needed to back it up.

We only put one down.There's only one village school.

It was nothing to do with league tables or any such stuff as I had no idea on how they do on that.

It was purely and simply because I firmly believe that children in the catchment area should go to the local school.

And they do.

Can I ask a daft question, although we won't be applying till next year. We live opposite the school and Son goes to attached pre school. Do I need to put down 3 choices even though the other schools are at the other end of town. I was only going to put down one choice as we live practically next door.

I put down one choice because it was our catchment school and I have done the same with secondary - I don't want her going somewhere that she can't walk to

Bronze, none imo
I agree with you proudas, I think I was naive at best for only putting one choice down. Luckily it has worked out well but the next closest school is under expansion so is under subscribed atm. Actually it's better, fisted outstanding. More mix, more extra curricular, 21 children a class but I do think we were lucky and I was naive. Oh well won't do it again
I wasn't being manipulative by putting one, I just assumed it was our local school, his brother had attended previously and that he would get a place!

We've put two choices for the Elderspawn's senior choices. The second is tactical. In the unlikely event she doesn't get allocated a place at her first choice, the second choice is there to prevent a place being given at the catchment school. Second and catchment both undersubscribed. Catchment is a massive sink estate school with great teachers but is currently in a state of flux due to relocation, new SLT, rebranding and academy status. Exam results are poor, so much so that they were completely omitted from the open evening prospectus. We had to email the school for details. Second choice is single sex school, not the best but smaller and easier to deal with. First choice is another very large school, but well established and has two areas of academic excellence that are important to the spawn.

First choice school is closer to hone than the catchment school, go figure. Second choice is closer still.

The lengthy essays make no difference. They look only at choices and "space". You child is not a person to the Local Authority - they are a unit.

Blueberry being in nursery doesn't usually give priority. It will not harm your chances at your preferred school and it means that if you don't get any of your options then you have more schools to appeal to.

Due to earlier bulge classes at our first choice school where ds is at nursery 26 children already have siblings for 30 places. We will get a place because ds has siblings in school - although we still have one backup one although probably unlikely to get that one. If by some bizzare twist of fate we got neither I would home ed, but ds is my youngest - I couldn't have done it with babies & toddlers although I know some do, also ds is v easy to teach, whereas my others would have been harder initially.

I am in Northern IReland so the system may be different here. I only put one down as it was for a younger sibling and the chances of him not getting in were zero. I was told by the secretary that if he didn't get in, she would have to ring me so I could nominate another, so at least then I would have known if he hadn't got in. A few children didn't get in this year, but all with older siblings did as that is the main criteria at this school.