Secondary school applications - how to improve chances of getting school you want

[TeenTimesTwo]

AIBU to point out that out ways to improve chances of getting the school you want?

1. Apply on time, using your own address by 31 Oct
2. Put the school you really want top

That's it.

Then fill up the form with other schools you like or could put up with, ensuring there is at least one school you are as guaranteed as you can be that you will get in.

Things that won't help:

• only listing one school
• listing the same school multiple times
• only listing outstanding schools you have no hope of getting into.

Other things you could have done or have been luck on that would have given you more options but are too late now:

• find religion / meet religious criteria even if you don't believe
• be rich / well off enough to pay for private (flying pigs)
• move house
• have a clever child (a bit hard to guarantee)

Do not lie. It isn't a victimless issue. It is depriving a child who according to the rules should get a place over yours. Plus councils are getting much better at spotting things.

Brilliant post.

You are wasting your breath.
People will believe what they want to hear.

Your point about not lying is the best, IMO. I completely fessed up to not being in the catchment area at the time of application but was moving there in the summer pre year 7, and got him in. Equally on faith school for primary, fessed up to not being of that faith but wanted a decent education. Supported the school's ethics throughout the years and swallowed it when religious education was being taught. Delighted with both schools and feel lucky to have got DS in without cheating another child out of a place.

It's shocking how many people put down only one school, as they think that will force the council to allocate it to them. There are regular posts on our local FB parenting page about this, but people just don't seem to get it. Great post, OP.

Spot on with this post TeenTimes - that’s all you can do, there are no secrets, no tips, nada, nothing.

It's not just parents who peddle misinformation, when I looked at Secondary in 2016 for my dd 2 headmasters said in their open evening speech that you would have to put the school down as first choice if you wanted a chance of getting in.

People don't want to hear real facts. My ds has just started Y7 and plenty of parents in his Primary were shouting all over Facebook that they didn't get their school place - they'd only listed one school (out of catchment) but because they had attended the Primary nearby, assumed it was a shoe-in. They said the council would have to 'sort it'......Er they have. They offered the nearest school.

someone once asked if we would use their dad's address which is yards from the school to get in...

even when we qualified for one of the criteria further up the list, which has never been an oversubscribed criteria, and our address was fairly close anyway.

Some if us don't have a choice,one school in catchment,next nearest in county is 13 miles away and no public transport.It was in special measures when dd joined si a tiny intake that year but is performing really well now and she us thriving.

I’m only putting one school

Tbf it’s the only school in our town and everyone goes there. We don’t have another option. Luckily it’s a good school.

My friend has only put one school down. Its not in catchment but the school doesn’t have enough children in catchment. He has an older sibling there. Dd has chosen this one too but I’ve put the catchment school as second choice. Both really good schools. Far too risky imo.

The other thing to add is admissions policies do vary. The head from dds first choice explained the admissions policy for his school. Basically if children in his catchment area put his school as third choice all children not in catchment, who put this school down as first or second choice would be ahead of the queue. The school in our catchment area has the same policy.

@Trampire you should speak to your local authority and they can gave a quiet word with the Head to stop them spreading this kind of misinformation about

Georgie That is fine in as much as you reckon you are guaranteed a place (presumably school admits on distance and last distance offered is normally well outside your town?).

Mind you, my DC are adopted so we are nearly top of priorities list (behind named schools on EHCPs), and I still put down 2 schools ...

Wow! Who'd believe I knew the secret?! We've done all those things, in fact, we applied on the first of September so I wouldn't forget, but recently swapped 1st and 2nd choice at DD's request.

In Year 6 I only applied for one school which I knew was a very long shot but we had a private place in hand. He didn't get in the state school.

In Year 8 after the private school had turned out to be a disaster we again only applied for one school in a neighbouring area but it is the only high school in an area with the middle school system in a small town and is never over subscribed.

But under normal circumstances I would agree.

@mummyoflittledragon that isn't true - equal preferencing means that everyone gets assessed by the same criteria. If you are eligible for a place at three schools you get offered your first choice. If you are not eligible for your first preference you get offered the lower down preferences, but would be on a waiting list for the higher up ones. As iterations of the computer go through you might get a place at a higher preference if others get places at their higher preferences and places become available. There is no 'queue'. Ask this happens before offer day, but of course there are still waiting lists after offer day, it's a long time until next September.

Mummyoflittledragon - That headteacher is spreading misinformation too. Schools don’t know where you placed them on your priority list. It’s an equal preference system and the placing only kicks in if you qualify for more than one school, in which case you’ll be offered whichever school you placed higher on your list.

Mummy Basically if children in his catchment area put his school as third choice all children not in catchment, who put this school down as first or second choice would be ahead of the queue.

NO NO NO if England & Wales that is not true / illegal.

The lists are ordered on an 'equal preference' basis. If catchment children are in a higher category than non catchment they will be higher up the list regardless of being 3rd on the preferences.

If the catchment children don't qualify for their choices 1&2 they will be given the school over and above children from out of catchment who put it first.

You do not need to try to second guess. You list in your true order of preference. There is no priority given to those who list it first choice over and above those who list it 3rd or 6th choice.

Basically if children in his catchment area put his school as third choice all children not in catchment, who put this school down as first or second choice would be ahead of the queue. The school in our catchment area has the same policy.

He has mis-communicated the policy (assuming the school does not have an illegal admissions policy.)

If all the children in the catchment of School A put the school as third choice and were offered a place in either their first or second choice school then the places in School A would go to out of catchment children.

If the children in catchment put School A down as third choice but were not offered a place at their 1st or 2nd choice school then they would have priority over out of catchment children who put the school as 1st choice.

Yes and he also has a sibling there already who we only put that school down for too.

Thanks for all the replies. You have all told me what I thought before speaking to him about it. I feel better now about putting catchment as second. 👍

but not all schools have catchments areas - they don't where I live - it's furthest distance which varies from year to year. Or a school which is a lottery.

I guess by "catchment" most of us mean school most likely to meet the distance criteria for.

but not all schools have catchments areas

That is true.

It is also true that different schools have different admission criteria.

Some schools prioritise siblings, some don't.
Some schools have defined 'catchment areas' some don't.
Some prioritise siblings out of catchment over catchment kids.
Some have defined 'feeder' primary schools.

You need to check the criteria for each school, and not assume they are the same.

That's true River, our second choice doesn't have a catchment.

Where I live there are plenty of people who move to a rented house in catchment for a year, or feign a relationship break up, or claim that the death of a parent means their child can only cope in the school that gets the highest GCSE results in the area, or copy and paste other people's appeals over things like dyslexia (even though their child doesn't have a statement) for a school that has no special reputation for dyslexia provision but is nice white and middle class and gets great GCSE results, etc. So there are several ways to cheat the system.