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

[seamstressmummy]

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!

Marking my place to remind me to complete application

Yes, it really is.

I live in a village with two schools, one of which we are in catchment for - it is about a minutes walk fromy house. It is over subscribed, and I know a lot of parents in the town five miles away have in previous years applied to get their children in. This has got harder and harder year on year. I thought my rising 3 (only child) would go there in 2017 due to being in catchment and so close. I've now found out that siblings are prioritised even if out of catchment. Talking to parents, most kids going there seem to be siblings. To the extent that I am now concerned that an entire intake could be siblings. The other school in the village is a mile beyond the catchment school and not (in 2015) oversubscribed as first choice but it is oversubscribed as second.

G'ah blooming phone! And fat fingers...

The other schools in villages within 3 miles are either oversubscribed and/or c of e (with religious criteria) which I am not and don't really want anyway even if it looked likely I would get a place. The nearest undersubscribed schools are 5 miles away in the town where parents currently try to get places at my village school. I'm now worried that my son will end up miles away at one of the town schools whilst siblings from the town (and of course siblings from the village) take the places at the village school by my house. Seems a really crazy way to manage school admissions...

Do schools publish data on sibling admissions? I will speak to the head and ask as if it is really so high it is a waste of my first choice to apply as putting the second village school one mile away as a second choice may mean I get in to neither...

Good thread!

The school I teach at was a sink school years ago. Now we're over subscribed and down to word of mouth NOT OFSTED as we only got our first 'Good' grade (we're a relatively new school) last year.

Parents who are actually in our catchment area still hold the misguided belief that school M is a better school than school B and when they applied they put only school M down with the very misguided belief that because they only put one school down, they would get that school.

When the allocations were made, there were obviously other families who put school M down as their first choice who were either in the catchment area, had siblings or were closer. They ddin't get their choice - 16 families were now given school G which is now the 'sink school' because they had places and nobody wanted to go there! They tried to get into their catchment school (school B) but they were now full from just the first choice families and some of those lived OUT of the catchment area. They weren't given school B (the 16 families) because they led the council up the wrong path in the belief that they weren't actually bothered which school they got.

Now my child is starting school in September. He does go to the nursery and I do know that I still have to apply for a placement I know I will get in (school is rural, recently good from a fall of Outstanding to Serious Weaknesses) and only have avout 2/3 of the places available. BUT ... I still put down three choices as a 'just in case'.

All families are given guidance and the rules and regulations of applying by their councils and all councils tell you to ensure you make three choices.

You would be stupid not to. However I know that in larger more urban areas such as London, you still may not get your preferred three choices.

lozster by putting the next village school only second choice you do not reduce your chance of getting it. If you qualify better than those that put it first choice you will get it ahead of them (unless of course you also qualify for your first choice)

So they look at all 3 choices not one then two then three teenandTween? Sorry if I am being a bit dense here - my head is spinning at the council guidance...

I have it one school down. The school isn't overly over-subscribed, I live 2 mins away and have older children in the school (at time of admission)

For her not to get in there needs to be 56 children in care or with siblings living closer than we do. If we were to not get in by that freak chance of circumstances I wouldn't get into the other choices as the rest of the school catchment is closer to the other schools than we are.

All families are given guidance and the rules and regulations of applying by their councils and all councils tell you to ensure you make three choices.

This can be an issue. I got my applications through the post. I live on a boarder between 2 councils. I didn't get any guidance included.

In fact Leeds council made a hash of the whole application procedure last year.

I didn't realise that I should have got guidance until I submitted my applications. Luckily ds (who is now in reception over the council boarder) still got into the school we wanted.

If you applying in another area I would suggest getting both councils guidance.

Some councils run very differently to others, as I discovered last year.

I had no idea that it was so competitive trying to get into schools
Or that I had to apply by 15th Jan!

DS goes to a village school, there will only be 5 in his year unfortunately but at least I know he'll get in. Hope everyone else gets their choices.

I read this zombie thread last night www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1453808-To-ask-what-your-thoughts-are-on-siblings-getting-priority-at-over-subscribed-schools

I still can't believe my authority will give priority over my child to kids in a town five miles away who drive past several schools within walking distance for them to get to the school in my village that is walking distance for me. Sibling over catchment/distance is madness. This thread has been a rude awakening for me. Best to be informed though.

It's sibling over distance where I live - at least for non-faith schools - regardless of how far away from the school the family live.

Its a ridiculous situation Tiggy, but equally people very often choose to send their dc1 to a school they are not in priority area for and then complain when siblings don't get in. People are obsessed with OFSTED (or which school has the poshest intake) and clamour to get dc in.

Or you can choose to send dc1 to the school you know you will be able to get dc2 into (the banker as it is referred to on this thread)

I realise from mn that there are some areas of London where there is no banker but most people imo put themselves into this position. I could have sent dd1 to one of the sought after schools that everyone clamours to get into and now I would be stressing.

Its interesting because people probably refer to dd's school as 'the crap one' (although not in my hearing to be fair) but she's happy and is making great progress.

Our secondary is one of the schools where people rent near the school, get dc1 in then move to a posher area. But still get their other kids in. Resulting in oldest and only children living near by not getting in.

I expect sibling priority to be gone soon in this area

Thanks for the explanation tiggytape . I get it now.

I think my problem is i have no 'banker' or rather I'd have to go five miles for a banker. my area criteria is looked after children, SEN, siblings anywhere, siblings in catchment, catchment then distance. So my nearest school could be out based on siblings then the next nearest out based on siblings or being out of catchment and/or distance. The next nearest schools are all religious so no joy there. So it's not just London with no banker schools. Rurally you have the additional problems of schools being miles apart and no public transport.

We're rural also, I think it depends tbh on where you are and the criteria. Round here priority areas work because there are basically enough places. If you really have no banker its tricky anyone would agree.