About school places?

[Chippednailvarnish]

I’m part of a FB group for parents in our local area, there is huge pressure on school places, it's awful.
AIBU to be thoroughly sick of the completely crap “advice” parents are giving each other about getting a place? Such gems as “My baby got her school first choice but that's because I didn't give any others just the 1 school” and “tell em your home schooling, they hate that, then you'll get a place you want".
I can't see how this helps anyone?

There is no cure for stupidity sadly.

I wouldn't want to be part of a group of people that dim tbh.
I realise that makes me a horrible person, but I just couldn't stay silent, and I would spend all my time inwardly cringing and seething whilst biting my tongue!

It got hairy with DC2, DC1 they were under-subscribed by 6 kids, one of the only years they didn't take a full class, DD2 there were 48 kids for 30 places loads of siblings in catchment but she scraped in, i think i was one of the last to get in. Not sure about DC3 but it's a full class. Academy (good) is undersubscribed so i knew i would get DC in there as i seen them fishing for pupils 2 schools over last year. My Catachment schools outstanding but i bypassed it and use the school where DC1 went to the feeder nursery, if DC2 didn't get it she would have went to catchment (went to different nursery) although i might have forfeited my place there as 2nd choice and ended up with 3rd choice which is ok as well.

YANBU.

This morning I've also come across a "I only wanted one school too, that's why I put it down 3 times and they gave me it"

Idiot. If she got the place, she'd have got it if she just put the school once.

And as for the idea that kids should just go to their nearest school? I think that's a great idea. I'd love to send DS1 to our nearest school. Unfortunately they won't take him because they're oversubscribed.

Maybe people could think about how school place shortages mean lots of kids being unable to get into their nearest school before they start going on about why not just send your child to the nearest school?

This is a question I should probably have asked in January, but does anyone know how the preference feeds into the other parts of the algorithym. So if I live 0.6 miles away and put a school first choice and someone else lives 0.4 Miles away and puts it second choice who gets the placE first?

Our local primary school prioritises living close to the school over having a sibling at the school Totality22.
There have been increasing numbers of nursery children in recent years with siblings at the school who haven't been offered reception places as they live further away.

If the closer ones don't get their first choice, they'll have priority over you for the other school.

It's not an algorithm dyne. They treat you as having applied for all the schools you applied for and then the LA look at your application form, look at your notional offers and actually offer you the one that you placed highest.

The schools don't know whether your application to them was as first or fourth choice (although they can infer things from the post-offer day shuffle).

And as for the idea that kids should just go to their nearest school? I think that's a great idea. I'd love to send DS1 to our nearest school. Unfortunately they won't take him because they're oversubscribed

Exactly what happens in my area, all of the schools are so full that there are children being bused over to other towns.

Dyne- it will go according to the admissions criteria of the schools.
If they admit by LAC, SEN, Siblings, distance then closer person will get the place if they don't get their first choice.

So, you don't get brownie points for giving a school higher preference, you just get judged by the admission criteria for each school (distance usually being a major criterion).

Notso mine does as well, so i was out of catchment with sibling but in catchment with or without sibling got in before me

Tiggy I once had a very circular argument on another forum with a parent who could not be convinced that her LA did not have to offer her one of her 6 choices. Which might have been OK if her choices were reasonable, but she decided to bypass her local schools in favour of 6 very oversubscribed good/outstanding schools near her work 3 miles away. None of which had admitted a child more than 0.5 miles away in years.

No idea how it eventually worked out for her, but given her borough is known for having a huge shortage of places I'd be surprised if she was even offered a place in the 'undersubscribed' local schools she was trying to avoid.

I'm starting to think school place by lottery might be preferable (and fairer)!

My son was offered his third choice for secondary - which was his friend's first choice. This friend, on the other hand, was offered our first choice. Sounds mad but actually equal preference us still a good system because you don't have to 'game' your caf - you can list them in your true order of preference without worrying that you'll jeopardise getting a nearby school by putting it second.

It might well be more equitable but I think it leads to more division ( by people leaving the state system) and chaos on the roads ( how do you get 4 children, say to four different schools all miles apart, for the same time each day?)
This will sound belligerent, but people have had five years (or more, going from conception) to position themselves for entry to their desired school - they should take steps earlier!

Im going to have a problem next year with dc2. Dc1 just got his first choice which isnt in our catchment but he got it due to speech and language delay as it has a specialist attachment. Now obviously i will meed dc2 to go there as i cant do 2 school runs but im slightly scared we wont get it after reading this

Chipped, I think it depends where you live. If there isn't a huge issue with school places and you don't have lots of parents trying to get into the 'right' school rather than just a school it's easier. Here people mostly just put down their catchment school as 1st choice and it's usual to be given it. My catchment is an exception but only because the catchment school is CofE and gives priority to the world and his wife before catchment children.

It does help that the LA had the foresight to increase the PAN of a couple of schools rather than just adding bulge classes though.

Somebody posted on our town's FB group asking if they should accept the place her daughter had been offered even though they were planning to appeal. The nonsense that people posted must have made her head spin.

Most of it was along the lines of 'U must appeal hun, u got to stand up for ur kid.' So not actually answering her question. Loads of others told her not to accept the place under any circumstances, they got their choice because they only put one down etc etc.

My favourite was 'We won our appeal after we pointed out that every female in our family has gone to that school since it was founded.' (School was founded in 1889 btw.)

Pineapple - check their admissions criteria now. If they give priority to siblings check with school how many places went to siblings this year. Then you can make a sound decision about next steps and won't be stressed come this time next year.
(In some areas they can accommodate all siblings, in others they can't, but the school should be able to tell you now offers have been made)

I suggest you post:
"For worried parents: I have a very good voodoo doll that rarely fails. if you send me 50 and a handwritten letter saying which school you want, I will give it to her and you will achieve the school you want. Money back if not satisfied".

In a couple of years time you should be rolling in it. (I want 20% commission though)

I guess that makes sense! Thanks all. Just hoping everyone gets the church school here that most put down first so I get my non church school first choice! Even though I'm probably a bit further.

Agree lottery may be preferable!