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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this amounts to a monumental reception place fuck up?

193 replies

DelphineCormier · 26/02/2017 13:26

Parent only wants DC to go to the nearest outstanding school. School is a religious school, prioritiss kids of same denomination and is in an area with a place shortage. It is oversubscribed by kids who meet the religious criteria every year. In area as a whole there have been cases the last few years of kids getting no place at all. Lots go private. Family is not religious at all, let alone this denomination. Parent therefore puts down this school in every option box on application form, adds in additional comments box that they work full time and can't home educate because DC would be at home alone all day. Needs this school because is most convenient for drop offs and child is exceptionally bright. Parent isn't worried about allocation day, thinks they have it sorted. Aibu to think no council is that stupid? Hmm

OP posts:
Sistafromanuthamista · 26/02/2017 14:42

My friend has only put down one school despite being able to list 4 in our county. She lives opposite the school so is confident she'll get a place at the religious outstanding extremely popular school. She doesnt attend church. Scarily her dh is a primary school teacher......

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 26/02/2017 14:47

It is scary to think that she could be so naive, having said that you never know when they will put on a bulge class so probably best not to say too much now. The woman on the checkout's child could have been a looked after child or have SEN so might get a space but lots of people do seem to just not understand the system.

atheistmantis · 26/02/2017 14:49

Somebody I know has only put one school down because 'the headmistress has guaranteed them a place' - it's out of catchment, a faith school when they are atheists and oversubscribed. I see trouble ahead for them and for your friend.

rookiemere · 26/02/2017 14:55

Well the issue is primarily caused by the state paying for religious schools which in this secular age should not be allowed.

I'll probably get flamed for this, but I'm not sure why parents get a choice anyway on the application form. Surely DCs should just go to the school that is nearest and has spaces, unless there are extenuating circumstances like a sibling at a school already.

EustaceClarenceScrubb · 26/02/2017 15:05

Surely DCs should just go to the school that is nearest and has spaces

Our nearest school is actually in another county, and they very rarely take from our county, as they will prioritise children from their own county first, even if they live further away. We are very close to the county boundary and it causes all sorts of problems in terms of 'nearest school' geographically speaking.

DizzyFizzyLizzy · 26/02/2017 15:22

I have never understood how or why faith schools are ok. How is it ever ok to decide who can or cannot attend on the basis of their faith? Divisive nonsense.

Bunnycup · 26/02/2017 15:27

It is amazing how this happens year after year.

Original poster
DelphineCormier · 26/02/2017 15:28

Oh, I agree that faith schools are a separate issue. I live in a very multicultural area and dread to think what the fuss would be like if a state-run Islamic/Hindu school opened. Yet that would be no different from the catholic schools. I am all for religious education, but I don't get how it's okay to deprive kids of a local school place on faith grounds. Leads people to stupid measures to get the school they want...

OP posts:
Bunnycup · 26/02/2017 15:29

DizzyFizzyLizzy it is because the church pays towards thw running of the school and owns the land it's on usually too, and runs it to provide a religioys education for the families of that faith, and as such can set further categories in their admissions policy.

SocksRock · 26/02/2017 15:31

You know what will happen, by some quirk of the birth rate she'll get a place and she'll tell everyone what she "did" to get a place and next year the cycle will repeat itself...

Jojobythesea · 26/02/2017 15:33

I take it this is their first time going through this horrendous process. No way is it that easy.

CherieBabySpliffUp · 26/02/2017 15:35

Don't all faith schools have to allocate a percentage of places to non faith children? They do in my borough

MyWhatICallNameChange · 26/02/2017 15:35

I know someone who put the same secondary school down for all three places. It was out of catchment.

We got in because we're only just out of catchment (half of the kids come out of catchment) but they didn't as they live further away.

Then the child told my child they were just going to turn up on the first day of term and attempt to go to the school. I assume that was him talking and not his parent as it didn't happen and he went to the catchment school.

Their other friend didn't get a place either so his parents moved his brother to a primary school that is in catchment - they haven't moved house though, I'm not sure they understand how it works!

I only put down one school for primary for my youngest - but his siblings were there already and it's nowhere near oversubscribed.

BalloonSlayer · 26/02/2017 15:36

The faith schools thing comes from way back before education was compulsory and paid for by the state, Churches were the only bodies who bothered to try to provide education for ordinary, non-rich children. They bought the land for the school, built the buildings and provided the teachers. Eventually the Education Act came to pass and all the schools came under state control. But in the case of church schools, the church still owned the land and the buildings and retained some control.

There are plenty of non-church schools around if you disapprove however.

meditrina · 26/02/2017 15:39

"Don't all faith schools have to allocate a percentage of places to non faith children? They do in my borough"

If a faith school is VC, all places will be allocated on community criteria.

If VA, practice varies. Some have a split of faith/community places as set numbers, others don't (but they must admit non-faith if there are spaces, which does happen depending on the location and reputation of the school).

For a while all new faith schools had to have a both faith and community places, but that's no longer the case.

TurkeyDinosaurs · 26/02/2017 15:40

I'm doing something similar so I'll have to come back and let you know! I've put our catchment area school 1st which is "good" and no faith. We live at the other end of the road. I've been told by the school admissions officer that she'd be shocked if we didn't get a place but she still suggested putting a second choice. I put a choice that we wouldn't possibly get: an "outstanding" Catholic school in catchment. Is that playing the system?

RoccoW14 · 26/02/2017 15:40

While not the most sensible of the parent(s), it does beg the question, yet again, why state funded schools are allowed to discriminate on religious grounds.

Original poster
DelphineCormier · 26/02/2017 15:43

I don't think that's playing the system turkey, if you don't get school A, you'll just get sent to the nearest available school as if school B didn't exist if it's a non-realistic choice, surely?

I would be wary about assuming you'll get a place just because you live on the same road though. All you need is a high number of siblings in the year and more kids living closer on the road/next road if it's done as the crow flies.

OP posts:
JamDonutsRule · 26/02/2017 15:43

Lol! No idea why people bother doing this! Poor kid!!

Yes, I also disagree with religious admissions policies.

meditrina · 26/02/2017 15:44

"why state funded schools are allowed to discriminate on religious grounds"

a) because that's how state schooling was set up when it began in the 1940s
b) because no government since has attempted to find the funds to buy out the land and buildings it does not own

These are church schools, currently operating in co-operation with the state. Not state schools being granted faith status by the govt.

Vegansnake · 26/02/2017 15:44

My kids went to a Catholic school...don't belive the hype that they are the best...where I live it's the only one with constant spaces.the school everyone gets when they don't get any of their choices...grim indeed.

ScrapThatThen · 26/02/2017 15:48

Its not similar turkey, because you 'should get' your first choice, if the admissions officer advice is correct. Whereas OPs person won't get her choice on the criteria. And if you don't get your first, you also won't get your second, so you would then be allocated to any local school with places. But you should get your first, so no problems.

JennyOnAPlate · 26/02/2017 15:51

Councils definitely aren't that stupid!

This has reminded me of another nursery mum I used to chat to sometimes at pick up and drop off a few years ago. When school application time came around she decided that there was only one school her ds could go to because it was close to her dm's house (dm would be doing school pick ups). She put this school and no other choices. She and her ds lived a good 5 miles outside the catchment but it would be ok because she'd explain on the form why her ds needed to go to this school.

I remember trying to explain to her that it didn't work like that, but she was having none of it. He didn't get in funnily enough!

Hoppinggreen · 26/02/2017 15:52

Just occasionally someone this gets the place they wanted a or wins an appeal but not for the reasons they think.
Then it goes down in school place folklore as a good way to get a school place and catches other people out

InvisibleKittenAttack · 26/02/2017 15:56

Dizzy - as others have said, usually because the church owns the land, and successive governments have 'hand wringed' about faith schools, but not been prepared to shell out to buy the land/buildings.

I have seen many people angst about the different faith schools in our town and surrounding areas, I have yet to see a campaign to buy any of them off the church for the community/state.