About school applications for reception 2015...

[elfycat]

To remind you that you need to apply by Mid-January (15th seems to be the day).

And AIBU to bump this for the next few weeks?

You need to apply, even if you live next door to the school, even if your child is attending the preschool attached to the school, even if a sibling already goes. There are no automatic places at state schools.

There were quite a few shocked parents last year who got a random school that they didn't want their child to be at. If you do not apply for a place and someone else does - they will get it. Even if they are out of catchment and you are in the area they will get the place.

Most, if not all counties have on-line submissions. If you have time to read MN you have time to nip in and start the application, or start by just getting the log-in sorted. Do it now before you forget and get caught up in the frenzy of Christmas and the post-Xmas exhaustion.

[SuburbanReindeer]

In reply to mrshathaway, we just get a list of numbers at this stage, so exactly as you laid out in your post.

[FelineLou]

Don't forget if you don't get the school you want you can appeal. I sit on the panels and so many people do gain their choice. Panels can over ride the 30 rule (but it is very rare) for specific reasons.
Plan your appeal with good reasons and make sure you turn up.

[mamababa]

Yes mummy time I know that, but if you are number 31, arguably you have a good chance of getting in at some point as things do change between offers in April and start in September. However, if someone missed the deadline and their criteria match they will queue jump the waiting list ahead of you.

[ShadowSuperNova]

Even if it's borderline whether you'll get into school A or not, you've still got a better chance if you apply before the deadline. There's at least a chance that you'll be able to "queue jump" over the disorganized parent who has older kids already in the school and lives closer than anyone else, but who forgot to apply on time.

And the queue can't really take account of waiting times without penalizing people who applied late because of things like moving house.

[footallsock]

I think people need to realise how important it is to submit before the deadline and use all preferences unless you have a 'secure' place ie a statement or sibling and live close/in catchment. I am shocked at how many very intelligent people think they can force the LA to give them a school they want by only putting one down or ones that they have almost no chance of getting into but which are highly desirable. The LA has to offer a place but that's it. Please all be realistic

[AmberLav]

I'm hopeful that DS will get into no 1 choice (we are 250m from the school, and last child admitted last year was 450m away, and every child in the street has always gotten into that school) but I have also included the other 2 state schools, 2 CoE schools (we qualify as church going for 2 years, but not regular) and the Catholic school (only qualify on like critera 9 as other religion baptised, but better than nothing!), so the vicar was kept busy filling in forms for me!

After those 6, I suppose I could have gone for a state school that was a 10 minute drive away, but at that point it gets a bit random anyway, so I focused on the 6 nearest ones...

My council (South East London) dropped the details of what had to go in with the submission from the website, so thankfully I had started before Christmas, as it gave them time to write to me to say that the Child Benefit letter was required, despite the fact it wasn't even an option on the supporting document list.

When DD starts school in September 2017, there is a good possibility that some parents will never have applied for child benefit as most of my neighbours do not qualify for Child Benefit anymore. I knew it was important, even if only for DD to get a National Insurance number when she is 16, I didn't know it was required for a school place!

[footallsock]

Child benefit is not needed where I am but recent bills and council tax letter are. Plus SIF forms for some faith schools but not others. For DC2 I will put just 2 preferences down but that's only because it's unheard of for siblings not to get in at our school.

[ShadowSuperNova]

Hang on - you need to have applied for child benefit for your child to get a national insurance number when they're 16???

[PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange]

In my la you only need your council tax number to apply online

[meditrina]

Bumpity bump

(as only two days to the deadline)

[MrsHathaway]

Another bump.

Our school put a reminder in the newsletter with a big bold "you have to do this even if you have a sibling already at school" bit!

[MrsHathaway]

I know this is an old thread. It has lots of useful advice on it for those applying for 2016 entry.

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

I must say that when we first arrived in Australia (3 months ago) I immediately began enquiring at schools and was amazed to be told that if you live in the catchment (they're big) then you get a place and that's that.

I was amazed coming from the UK.

[FishWithABicycle]

Are there no limits on class size TheHouse ? Or is there a limit and the school is just obliged to employ another teacher and find another classroom if there are more kids in a particular year?

[DeepBlueLake]

Good thread! Haven't had a chance to read the thread fully but will do later as DS1 is almost 3 and we need to come to some decisions, though we are looking at moving so can't do much for the mean time. Especially as I come from NZ and until reading mn I had no idea about the hassle of school zones and how hard it was to get a place.

Fish I am pretty sure Australia is the same as in NZ where they employ more teachers as the pupil intake increases, ditto class room sizes. It's partly down to the fact if you don't go to the nearest school, the second nearest could be miles away due to how spread out everything is. Also schools in Australia are nowhere near oversubscribed compared to the UK.

I remember when I was primary school in rural NZ, there was about 30 kids in one class ranging from 6 to 13! It was only the 90s too.

[ElephantFury]

Hi,

I'm getting mixed info from the headteachers and websites and was wondering if someone could help me shed some light on this:

How exactly do the preferences affect the outcome?

Is the preference a selection criteria, i.e. can putting a school at a lower preference make me miss a place?

If yes, is the preference a criteria that comes before or after the distance?

If not, then what's the point of ranking the preferences n the first place?

Thanks!

[raspberryrippleicecream]

Preferences give you the chance to say which school you like best if you are in a position to be offered more than one. It does not affect the criteria.

[milkmilklemonade12]

YY to submitting all three preferences! I know of a lady who missed the catchment of our school by a few metres (literally!) and because she'd only put that school, got offered a place at a school a 30 minute drive away in the next borough. Please, please don't do it. It's not worth it. There is a school next door that has the same Ofsted; it's just larger. It was also technically closer to her.

If she'd have put first choice our school (a), then second choice that school (b), she would have gotten into the second school based on distance this year, despite it being her second choice. However, in previous years she would have gotten into A which was her first choice due to less applicants living closer. They will always try to give you your first preference.

It's worth trying to find out how many applicants roughly are applying. I found out that in a single form entry for our school (as we went to the nursery, so it was fairly easy to find all this out by asking around) that there were around 14 siblings who would automatically get in. So that left 16 non sibling places. However, there were at least 2 'hidden' siblings who didn't go to the nursery though they had older siblings at the school. Everyone else got in on distance, and this included 1 set of twins. The furthest place offered according to the website was 375m. I do live within the M25 though!

Oh, and make sure you complete the application right to the end and get a confirmation email! There was one parent who forgot to do this as well! I felt so so sorry for her.

[maddening]

I asked the administrator when I applied as we are on a border of two councils so our top choice was in the next council - he explained it as - your child's name goes on to a list for each of the school's you choose - they then work out where you are in the list for that school based on the criteria- if your dc is in the running for each school or more than one they take your choices in to consideration and withdraw the other places so the dc on those lists move up and those places are assigned to those dc now making the cut - which is then decided my parental preference until the places for each school are taken up. So definitely put all your choices and base on preference.

We must have made the cut for all 3 choices as our email shown the two lower choices as "place withdrawn" - my friend's one showed that their application was rejected for one of her other choices - but she got her first choice.

[FishWithABicycle]

Elephants

Is the preference a selection criteria, i.e. can putting a school at a lower preference make me miss a place?

If yes, is the preference a criteria that comes before or after the distance?

If not, then what's the point of ranking the preferences n the first place?

Imagine a map of a town, and that you have a bag of potatoes of lots of different sizes small medium and large, and some paint.

Imagine cutting each potato in half and dipping it into the paint and placing a circular splodge of paint on the map in a random position - do this 30-50 times until there is a good covering over most of the map. The random placing and potato sizing means there won't be even coverage - some streets will be overlapped by 2 or 3 splodges, others will be paint-free.

The paint splodges are catchment distances and they vary year by year according to how popular the school currently is.

If your house on the map is one of the lucky ones and is covered by more than one splodge then your preferences will dictate which one you get offered.

Most people are only covered by one splodge - they may hopefully put down higher choices of further away schools if they like them, but should always use one of their option slots for their nearest school or they will end up in the same boat as the third category below.

Some unlucky people aren't covered by any paint. There will be 2 or 3 schools in the town that no one really wants to go to, and all the leftover children will end at one of these even if there are a dozen other schools closer to home. If there is any danger you might be in this category move house ASAP or if you your choices are really important as if none of these schools are on your list, you won't necessarily be given the one that is closer or marginally better than the others

[maddening]

elephants - further to fish's response - you put down school a b and c as

1st choice a - outstanding school further away 30 places
2nd choice c - outstanding school closer 25 places
3 rd choice b - good school next door 30 places

You go on the list for all 3 in rank order based on criteria

Your child is

List for a number 29 on ranking
List for b number 2 on ranking
List for c number 30 on ranking

You are "offered" a and b. So your choice of preference then comes in to play for a and b - your preference a would be what you are offered.

all the dc on list b would move up a spot in the ranking for b as the offer is withdrawn as you have chosen a - dc that was number 31 would now be 30 and offered a place - if it is highest on their parental pref then they would take that place, if not the next child up would be offered and so on until places are full - it must be a nightmare to work out for the administrators!