AIBU to think the school shouldn't be offering places to children in other boroughs first?

[frutilla]

Many local kids, living in the parish have been refused places. But the school is offering places to kids in neighbouring boroughs and have told me they can offer places as far afield as they wish ahead of local kids.
They have refused to even tell me my DS's position on the waiting list though the council said they should tell me. Instead, they say it's a very fluid list and irrelevant.
Council admissions dept said I can fill out a complaint form but only against next year's criteria.

If they're following their publicised admissions policy then that's fair enough. When you apply you need to take into account where you're likely to fall within their priority. This is the same for all schools, not just faith ones.

We've luckily got a space for DD in a non-catchment school (although only about 1/2 a mile away from our house), we moved mid-term so it was the only one with space but thankfully quite good too. The siblings rule has been amended so all catchment children get priority above non-catchment siblings (who are admitted with the nearest given priority). It might mean that our DS doesn't get a place. Annoying and stressful but those are the rules.

I would add that lots of schools don't like to tell you your exact position on the waiting list because it is fluid. You don't wait in turn, and anyone joining the list after you who scores higher on their admissions policy will move above you in the list and you will subsequently move down.

All the outstanding schools in my area are faith schools and they are meant to offer some open places but get round this by running out of space before that criteria is reached.
If they are accepting state funding, they should have to offer a minimum of open places per year, even if it's only 10%, not just have it on the list but out of reach.

They're not "getting around" anything; faith schools are allowed to allocate places based on practising that faith. They can't specifically ban non faith children, but that criteria usually comes last and is rarely reached in over subscribed schools.
Why did you think you'd be eligible?

Yabu. Their nasty, discriminatory criteria is legal.

I'd like the practice banned too.

You sound very critical of this school - why are you trying to get your son into it?

I agree that selecting on faith is wrong. My ds went to a CoE primary school, I wanted him to go there because it was local and the only one within walking distance. I wasn't happy with the admissions policy which stated that a child who has a place of worship from any religion would be deemed a higher priority than my son even if they live miles away. You could potentially have a situation where children are bussed in from miles away and local children are sent to schools in other areas. What is the logic in that?

The school turned out to be undersubscribed anyway so ds was offered a place.

This type of exclusion has no place in the multicultural society we live in. I am critical of the admissions, OstentatiousBreastfeeder, not the school, as it borders on racism. Most of the schools near me are faith schools.

I was born and have lived in this neighbourhood all my life and paid taxes since adult, but because I was brought up a different religion, my children can't go to any of the outstanding schools. I see people moving in from other countries and being admitted immediately!

Faith schools can decide if you've got their faith criteria. If lots have faith, then they decide who shows it the most. People miles away may have gone to the church for 2-3 years weekly to get their place. You may have chosen not to go to church.... They played the game. You didn't.Tough but true.

??

If the new arrivals are being admitted, then the schools surely have to be diverse as all those forriners are in them

It's not racism And for the record; your children are not being denied a place at the outstanding schools per se, they're being denied places at faith schools because you don't practice that faith.
The fact that the schools happen to be outstanding is incidental (or it it?) Something tell me you wouldn't be clamouring to get your kids in if they were in Special Measures...

If you're hoping for supportive comments, either on MN or in RL, I suggest that you focus your anger on the religious establishments/admissions criteria rather than 'people moving in from other countries'.

Although I would say that your affirmation of the 'multicultural society that we live in' is a bit at odds to with your determination to get your child into a school which you describe as not at all ethnically representative of your local area.

The school decide their own admission criteria. Not the local authority

Have you been offered school place? And if so how far away is the school?

I think that the term "Ayran" is horrible term and sounds like something out of nazi germany.

It is not racism as the school is faith school. It might be relgious discrimination, but there are plenty of black or asian christians who might pick a church school.

"I was born and have lived in this neighbourhood all my life and paid taxes since adult, but because I was brought up a different religion, my children can't go to any of the outstanding schools. I see people moving in from other countries and being admitted immediately!"

Shock! Horror! Many immigrants are christians.

Our local faith school is considerably more ethnically diverse than the non-denominational ones. Mixture of a traditionally white working class area, incoming immigrant population being almost all Christian and more observant than the locals, and some of the indigenous population getting pissed off at the number of immigrants and removing their DC to the non-denominational instead. Although it's RC not C of E and obviously the RC population is more ethnically diverse and contains a greater proportion of immigrants, so that may be significant. Anyway it's one of the main reasons I want DD to go even though the non-faith schools are rated more highly by Ofsted. Could take or leave the religious stuff tbh, we're not observant, but these days it's a multi-ethnic society so I think it's helpful for DC to get used to that as soon as possible. I do have friends of different ethnic groups coming to our house, but they don't have kids.

In the early 19th century nearly all education was provided by the churches. When the state decided to fund those schools (it wanted some control) it didn't buy them from the churches. The deal struck then, which has continued, is that there will be some financial contribution from the diocese, the state would provide the majority, but the infrastructure would still be owned by the church (or school trust).

If you want the church schools abolished you're going to have to find some way of compensating the churches for taking their land. Totally unaffordable.

frutilla: This type of exclusion has no place in the multicultural society we live in
That's right, frutilla, and any parent with such strong opinion about this would want no part in it. Luckily, you don't have to, either, as there are schools available to you that are not faith schools. That they are not outstanding? Oh... What makes you think your child has a right to an outstanding school? A faith school the admission policy of which you disagree with?

Also, what did you mean by saying the school was "Aryan"?

Would you want it if it was in SM?
Lots of other Europeans are also of Christian Faith and practicing.
I personally think faith schools should be changed so all are multi faith, but it's not going to happen. Near me two of the CofE are all white affluent MC. The RCs are mixed nationality but all practicing RC and mainly while. The community schools are totally diverse.

Who needs to take back land from the diocese Collaborate? It's the discriminatory admissions criteria that do the most damage. Just changing that one tiny thing would make a huge difference.

So faith schools can continue being faith schools but they can't have religious criteria as a priority. It would take some time but the resulting distribution of pupils would shake things up a lot.

It is an imperfect solution but it's better than the current system and it's affordable.

If an aided school is to have any major building work done, 90% of the cost is born by the diocese, and 10% of the cost is funded by the school itself. The government doesn't pay anything for new gyms, extra class rooms etc.

So WHY shouldn't they give preference to the people who attend their church regularly? After all, it is THEIR weekly giving that enables all of that building work to take place.

And why exactly would schools who own the land / buildings and are voluntary aided submit to that "one tiny thing", Moving?
As has been said several times; it would all be academic if the schools weren't designated as outstanding. A faith school in special measures would have as many parents clamouring for the right for their children to be admitted as a leper colony.

Ahh that did make me laugh MakeItCider Have a little Google and see where the church gets its money and then have a Google and see what percentage of "church goers" keep going once they have their school place.

Erm because it's the State that makes admissions law not churches Flogging?

Faith schools can legally operate their own admission systems, whether you like it or not.