Why do people torment themselves over school places

[Schoolplacechoicemyth]

Im in a local toddler/child social media group.

Every single year there are people on the group who apply wildly optimistically for 2 or 3 oversubscribed schools several miles away from their home, are given the unpopular school they live near and desperately ask how to appeal because they "really love oversubcribed school and absolutely want DC to go there".

They seem completely unprepared for how unlikely it was they'd get a place, baffled that their preference doesn't actually get them the place at the oversubscribed chool, spend weeks/months appealing for schools they have next to no chance of a space at, & complain repeatedly on the group about it. Often the school they live near is fine, its just not the fashionable choice this week.

The local council publish all the info. You can see, easily, how close you need to live to stand a decent chance at a place. All the admission criteria are available.

Why do people do this to themselves!? Do they really think their preference is a factor when applying to a routinely oversubscribed school living miles away? Its like there's some sense of entitlement to a place at the trendy/popular school. I just couldn't torture myself like this. One lady has spent weeks telling her DC they are going to popular school X with their nursery friends. She lives over 5 miles from it & it hasn't taken a non sibling from more than a mile away in over a decade and yet she's bewildered her DC didn't get a space.

The English system is batshit

No idea why it continues

People are foolish- all the data is there to review but people kid themselves

What system would work in your mind?

It's because they think the rules.dont apply to them and their darling offspring.

This doesn’t make any sense to me either.

I had strong feelings about secondary schools, and really did torture myself about them though. I had spreadsheets, and maps marked up…we ended up moving house to improve our chances, and thankfully it worked. We were previously in an area with frankly dire schools though - if my local schools were all ok, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Anyway, my point is that if you really want it, you can work out what your chances are and potentially do things to improve them. I’d say these people are just lazy and despite what they say, not actually that set on that school - if they were, they’d have researched and worked it all out.

People want their kids to go to the best schools and so hope they'll get lucky.

It's the same as putting a bet on a racing horse. You're probably not going to win but it's nice to think you might and for a little while you get your hopes up.

Telling her kids they're definitely going is stupid though.

I've really not given it a huge amount of thought.

@00100001

I know a few people who were convinced if they only put one school on the list then they would HAVE to be allocated that school. I tried to explain that unless they meet the criteria then they most likely won't get in and will be allocated a school that they have no control over.
Guess what happened?

We did this because the school my daughter sagged tk attend was soooo amazing. She didn’t get in and we appealed and lost and then a place became available so she did get to go there.
what’s wrong with showing your children that they can and should follow their dreams?

So you think the system is batshit and you don't know why it continues but you've not heard of a better option to replace it?

Yeah, ink own someone who "forgot" to apply for a palace because she'd "lost" the forms. Thinking she'd be able to just have her kid swan into the school of her choice,as they would then ask her where he should go and she would tell them School A.

Nope. He got the only place available at the other side of the city. so had to take a 45+ minutes bus ride to school B. Eventually got a waiting list place to School A, half way through Year 10!

Yeah like we're all just lazy if we aren't able to move house!!

So why do you think allocating the preferred in catchment or nearest school is 'bat shit'?

To be fair if you aren't familiar with the system (and let's be honest this is true across many things in life where people don't go out of their way to find out info for themselves) can see why having choices gives hope. Varies by county I expect but on the portal for ours didn't have much about how places are allocated and the other data readily available- it should be clear imo as councils must know some parents don't bother finding stuff out for themselves. They should for sure but it can be confusing and they do nothing to really target this so people aren't left disappointed. Scotlands system seems better.

I guess it's a mix of perspectives at times

Should just automatically get a place at the closest school unless there are reasons real reasons to go else where.

What if there was never a palace, or it only became available in y11?

Here in Scotland you are guaranteed your catchment school. If you want to go to another school you can apply but if the school is popular your chances are minuscule. If you want a certain school you have to live in catchment

Why does it bother you so much that people want the best for their kids? Telling said kid they are going to that school is unfair I agree but wanting them to isn’t. It isn’t their fault they don’t live nearer as maybe house prices are more expensive etc.

Scotlands system is better, but I think only works because generally speaking Scotland is much less densely populated so catchment lines don’t move much

@anqo

Pretty much

Catchment only (with placing requests) Seems to work here.

Seems better than all that palava but I'm not an expert and I'm sure every system has pros and cons

Our catchment school is crap.

Ok.

And what if you're equally distant between two schools?

What if there is a baby book that year and 35 kids that live in catchment want to fill 30 places?

What if the "real reason" for a child out of catchment has taken the last place and your kid now can't go?

Tbf there us going to be a surplus of primary school places going forward in many areas (due to low birth rates) so some may end up getting in using the above method!

Again, what if it's over subscribed within catchment?

What if you have two equally distant schools?