...to be so angry and upset by this unfair school admissions policy?

[SchoolFury]

(Have namechanged as this is quite identifiable)

My DD just turned 4 in September, so is due to start Reception next year. Since Jan this year she has been at a preschool (nursery) which is part of a primary school.

It is our nearest school, and the only one for which we are in the 'priority area'. We actually moved to this flat in 2013 in large part because we loved the school so much

It's a non-denominational, community state primary school. We are in a part of London with a lot of faith schools (Jewish, Catholic, CofE) and we are a mixed Jewish/Christian secular family, so faith schools not for us. It's also got an Ofsted '1' (outstanding) in last inspection, though that is less important than the wonderful atmosphere, the sense of community and the fact that my daughter is really thriving in the preschool.

Under normal admissions rules, my daughter would be very likely to get a place there for Reception based on distance - we live less than 0.2 miles from the school. HOWEVER, last year the school decided to take a 'bulge' class, i.e. take 60 pupils in reception instead of 30. They took from a much wider area - up to 0.5 miles from the school - usually the limit is less than 0.3.

This means that siblings of those in the 'bulge' class will get offered places next year ahead of my daughter, and others in her nursery class who live closer, but do not have siblings at the school. I know personally of two families with one child in current reception, with a sibling a year younger, who will therefore get offered places ahead of my daughter even though they live much further away.

I am really distressed by this. The only other nearby school is a failing school (Ofsted rating 3) - not the end of the world, but we are not even in the priority area for it (very near, but wrong side of the road) so we may not even get a place there . And my daughter is so happy in preschool and has lots of good friends and good relationships with the teachers.

If my daughter had been a week older she would have started reception this year and would have got a place for definite. As it is, she almost certainly won't get a place, instead children living much further away will get priority for no reason other than the 'bulge' class taken this year. I have been told there is no chance of them taking another bulge class this year - so what's the point?

AIBU to feel really upset, resentful towards those who have got in this year, and most of all angry with the school for making this decision, which seems really short sighted and unfair on children in subsequent years?

No it's not unfair- why should parents have to take two or more kids to two different schools? I know some do but it's hardly an ideal situation.

Pear, I completely get why it's convenient for parents to have their children at the same school, but there's no reason why that should take priority over any other criteria, including proximity. Why should single children or first children be penalised for something that is a happenstance of birth?

We have a nearby school that only takes 30 - even without the bulge problem, one year they took 29 siblings and only 1 person by distance. I know for a fact that at least one family had moved about 2 miles away (outer London, so small distances count), and still got in on the sibling place...

What do they do if there are more than 30 siblings looking for a place in 2015? Quite possible...

Have you thought about making an appointment with to see the Head Teacher? Go and have a chat.

They may be able to put your mind at rest regarding admissions (how many siblings are applying) and if they can't, at the very least they'll have a good idea of who you are (a lovely, reasonable parent who is enthusiastic about the school, etc) for when the appeals meeting rolls round.

Now's probably a good time to go in for a chat - the year Rs are settled and it's before the Xmas rush.

Betty that just sounds awful and really unfair.

Fact remains that if state funding was stopped for religious schools, many would just close. Creating an even bigger problem.

I agree with what others have said about the 2-year age gap being by far the most common. I'm a primary teacher and the vast majority of our kids have siblings either two years ahead of or behind them. I can only think of a handful in the last half dozen years or so who have had just one academic year between them.

Also, as another poster said, it is not the school which makes decisions about bulge classes, but the Local Authority.

Culture, it isn't head teachers who hear appeals or make decisions about school allocations and how lovely a parent you are counts for nothing in schools admissions. It's misleading advice to the op to suggest that the head would have any influence.

culturemulcher Going to see the Head will have no influence at all. Firstly, they have nothing to do with admissions, and will be very unlikely to know how many siblings there might be in future years, not would they say if they did know. Too much likelihood for things to change.

Also, presenting as a "desirable" parent, as you seem to suggest, also makes no difference to the initial admission round, or to the appeals process, and rightly so.

Siblings should always have priority, it can be impossible to get them to a different school sometimesand why would people want them separated anyway?

You gambled by choosing a place in an Ofsted outstanding school and it may pay or or it may not. By moving you robbed a child who was in catchment already but a bit further out of a place and seem to thinks that's ok but are not happy when others use the system.

Fact remains that if state funding was stopped for religious schools, many would just close. Creating an even bigger problem.

But you could ask them to remove religion from their selection criteria. They'd become normal state schools.

I haven't read the whole thread but if the class of Sept 2014 bulged, then it is likely that the class of Sept 2016 will be the one affected by siblings, as it's more common for there to be 2 school years between siblings. So it may not affect your DD's year group at all.

....oh you really
don't want to get me started about religious schools either

Op- I agree with everyone else. I don't think the bulge class will make too much difference. I understand your concern though. It's so stressful.

What are you on about Daisy?

The OP has to live somewhere, should she have only be allowed to choose to live somewhere that was a black hole for admissions or on the doorstep of a school in special measures?

Looking
But they'd be normal state schools with a huge shortfall in funding that they used to get from the church/community wherever its coming from.

Where would the additional funds come from?

If there are additional funds available we could just have more bulge years/bigger intakes where necessary.

I'm going to stop defending faith schools now. I just want to give some balance to the argument. Its very oversimplified to say 'just make them all state schools'.

Daisy
You gambled by choosing a place in an Ofsted outstanding school and it may pay or or it may not. By moving you robbed a child who was in catchment already but a bit further out of a place and seem to thinks that's ok but are not happy when others use the system.

Actually the school was '2' rated when we toured it, but we loved everything about it. We were inspired by the head teacher and the ethos of it. It only got the '1' rating since we moved.

We moved 2.5 years before my daughter starts primary school, because we were previously renting a one-bed flat - a bit of a squash with two adults and a child. We both inherited a bit of money meaning we had enough for a deposit to buy a flat, and we wanted to have a second child. And we chose to buy somewhere that was near to a school we loved, rather than nowhere near a school.

I don't think that can be accurately described as 'robbing' someone of a place nor is it 'playing the system'.

For what it's worth I grew up in this borough, as did my parents - I am committed to the area and to the school.

Perhaps I wasn't clear.

The faith schools put up a lot of their own money in exchange for being allowed the 'religious' admission criteria.

If they couldn't prioritise 'their own' they just wouldn't put the money up.

What percentage, wanttosqueezeyou, and where can we see reliable figures?

Our borough has a sensible policy re siblings. Siblings get priority provided that they still live within 2 miles of the school (or live closer to the school than old address). If that does not apply the sibling link is broken. I think that strikes a fair balance between practicality for families with more than one child but also ensuring people have a reasonable chance of getting their oldest child into a nearby school.

Off the top of my head Ten percent annie. Not a huge percentage. But still a lot of money.

(although anecdotally it works out more because the faith schools are less likely to 'win' applications for funding for things and encouraged to ge their own. As you'd hope)

You can probably find some figures online.

Unfair admissions (on here)almost always = I might not/have not got a space.

Actually I doubt it will be that much effect this year. The effect is much more likely to be noticed after 2 years and 3 years age gap.

If I think of dd1's year of 60, 2 dc had a sibling in the year below, 12 had a sibling 2 years below and 15 had a sibling 3 years below.
In dd2's year there were no children who had siblings in the year below. In ds' there is 1 child with siblings in the year below.

OP - I have every sympathy for your position on siblings, but not sure if you can blame religious schools for it. Does being from a "mixed" family prevent your DC from attending a faith school? If it's just that you don't like the religious element? That's your choice, of course, but many parents do like the religious aspects, which is why they choose the school.

I really doubt those figures, wanttosqueezeyou. I know the faith primary near me had a really extensive (and extremely expensive) rebuild, and 100% of it was paid by the taxpayer, which impressed me not at all.

Wanttosqueezeyou sorry, you're wrong; faith schools put up exactly ZERO per cent of their own running costs.

Although i do like the confident way you said it

I can see why it is annoying, but I don't think it is unfair.

The council has to make decisions based on the bigger picture of no.s of children in a particular year and schools which have the physical space to house a bulge class. They do it with that in mind, not annoying you and people like you.

I think the sibling rule does have to apply, however annoying it is if you only have 1 or an eldest child. It is a physical impossibility for many people to drop off at two schools,when the start times are so similar and getting between schools can take time. I think the idea that the sibling rule has some distance attached to it, is probably a good one, but this would not especially help your case. The children who got in as last years bulge, would have to have the distance they lived at then, as the distance for their siblings too....they obviously cannot be expected to live nearer in order for their siblings to get in.

I agree that it will be the year after you that is affected. Many of those in the year above you with the bulge class,will have children only a few months (or weeks even) older than your child. Most people have a gap of 2 years, so few with children in the year above yours will also have children in your year too.

Don't panic and try to move yet. I suspect you will get a place and the no. Of siblings will be a bit higher in your year, but only marginally. And it is not their fault....you equally could have been in a bulge year.

I really can't see it making a jot of difference OP

As a pp pointed out, exactly how many parents will have a 1yr age gap between their kids?

You stand far more chance of losing out to parents who have kids in other years at the school, and to parents with school aged children who will move into your borough, but closer to the school than you are.

That ^^ is the same for everyone and beyond anyone's control, so try not to worry about it.