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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To tell you to read this thread if your DC starts school in Sept!

244 replies

seamstressmummy · 19/12/2015 19:13

This thread saved my skin last year, so I am paying back the karma.

15th January seems to be the closing date again.

  • remember it is preferences, not choices
  • they do not HAVE to give you one of the schools on your list
  • make sure you have a dead cert banker in there!
OP posts:
TeenAndTween · 19/12/2015 21:22

bump, as it is important.

Muskey · 19/12/2015 21:28

Good luck to all of you looking for schools.

Saukko · 19/12/2015 22:18

In before

"We've put their name down!"
"My mum works there!"
"I'm putting the same school three times!"
"S/he goes to the nursery!"

Original poster
seamstressmummy · 19/12/2015 22:34

"I'm putting the same school three times!"

I genuinely know someone who did that, and, what's worse, got the school. So of course she now tells everyone to to do the same.

OP posts:
budgiegirl · 19/12/2015 23:41

Put the schools down in genuine order of preference, if you don't get your first choice, your second in the list will move to become your first choice, and so on. The schools don't know which was yiur first choice.

CalleighDoodle · 19/12/2015 23:44

Ive put down one school! My dd goes there. Im not doing two different school drop offs.

PennyHasNoSurname · 19/12/2015 23:46

My form went in a while back but now I am panicking that they may not have even received it!

Chattymummyhere · 19/12/2015 23:55

I applied on opening day, still put down three even though dd is unlikely not to get first choice.

BondJayneBond · 20/12/2015 00:05

"I'm putting the same school three times!"

I also know someone who did this. They didn't get the school. They were allocated the nearest school with places remaining instead. They appealed to try and get the desired school but lost the appeal.

DixieNormas · 20/12/2015 00:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
seamstressmummy · 20/12/2015 00:44

Ive put down one school! My dd goes there. Im not doing two different school drop offs.

Seriously, use your choices. As long as your preferred school has places, adding in two best-of-the-rests won't affect you.

OP posts:
BlackeyedSusan · 20/12/2015 01:10

we put down dd's school for ds. then the two closest schools we liked so that if we had to drop off at two it would be more managable.

reni2 · 20/12/2015 01:43

And here is a thread on how not to do it

RainWildsGirl · 20/12/2015 07:37

are you guaranteed a place at your catchment school if you put it down as choice one?

superram · 20/12/2015 07:50

Rain, no you are not guaranteed a place at your catchment school if it is over subscribed. It is done on distance within the catchment and usually there is a sibling rule.

PenelopeChipShop · 20/12/2015 07:54

RainWildsGirl in theory you should be but it depends on who else applies - looked after children and siblings get priority over firstborn children living in the catchment.

This is my worry too as my favourite is our local school (10 mins up road) which in theory should be stress free but when I visited they said there were so many sibling places given last year that only six 'new' families joined the school through reception kids. Six!!!!!

honkinghaddock · 20/12/2015 08:00

When all the choices are in, all the applicants for every school are ranked in order of admission criteria. If a school has an admission number of eg 30, the first on the list get a place. If you appear on the first 30 or whatever on more than one list, choice then comes into it and you get the school that was your highest preference. You are then removed from the lists of the other schools and everyone left moves up the lists.

lostInTheWash · 20/12/2015 08:01

are you guaranteed a place at your catchment school if you put it down as choice one?

No however still check the school criteria - it is area/school dependent on what it is. ( Think from some posts that in Scotland they are guaranteed but not rest of UK)

It varies from area to area and it the school controls it's own admissions they can be very different to schools near by.

Ive put down one school! My dd goes there. Im not doing two different school drop offs.

We did that as it was get the school or home school till a place came up. However if you were in the catchment area you'd get a place - it was just outside that people had problems - we were very close and had siblings after first DC got it ie we were very high up in the priority list in another are it would have been more of a risk and we might have rethought.

Just applied secondary - and put two down - prefer nearest but second one is doable - other there was no point as we can't get too. there shouldn't be an issue getting the nearest school but here the backup was acceptable.

RainWildsGirl · 20/12/2015 08:02

I have an older DC at the school and we are a 5 min walk away so very close but I know this year is big with a lot of siblings! just have to keep my fingers crossed!!

honkinghaddock · 20/12/2015 08:02

Should say first 30 on the list get a place.

Mayvis · 20/12/2015 08:05

Unless a school lists 'priority admissions areas' in their admission criteria, then there really isn't such thing as a catchment area.

The catchment area for a school will vary year on year. You also need to be looking for information of furthest distance admitted to a first born child, if siblings have priority in the admissions criteria.

Example, one local school takes 30 children into reception. 21 of these children were younger siblings of current pupils. So 9 spaces left for the 9 first born children living closest to the school.

cricketballs · 20/12/2015 08:10

Reni2 - I was just about to ask what happened with the DD in that thread when I noticed this thread was started by the same op!

Stress - what happened? Did you take up the allocated school or did waiting lists/appeals work?

Enjolrass · 20/12/2015 08:11

I have only ever put one school down as there has only ever been one that we wanted.

It work on both primary applications. Not on secondary, but we appealed and one.

On the secondary one is was genuinely the only one that dd could go to, which is why we won on appeal.

It is not something I recommissioning if you have other choices.

Enjolrass · 20/12/2015 08:13

Oh the comments section is ignored when allocating places but can be taken into account at appeal.

Our reason for appealing were cross checked with what we out in the comments section.

CakeNinja · 20/12/2015 08:15

I've only put one down, it's in my catchment.
My dd goes to the juniors on the premises next door. If they allocate me anything else I'll be screwed anywhere as I won't be able to to pick ups and drop offs.
The only other school in my catchment is across the border in a different county which has different holiday dates from ours.
Again, that's not going to happen.
So only one school has gone on the form.