Page 4 | Romesh Ranganathan - School Places & Entitlement

Catsandcheese · 25/04/2025 19:23

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:20

@Catsandcheese but if yours were at catholic surely you aware that siblings are not top priority?

Well we are Catholics so ticked that box and when we started with schools the sibling policy was at the top after religion, so we we knew we were ok. Unfortunately the policies changed after the diocese intervened for a reason nobody could understand.

SummerDaysOnTheWay · 25/04/2025 19:24

FightingFish · 25/04/2025 17:39

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewgj1ry9x7o.amp

I’ve seen this story popping up a lot on social media and we are only seeing one side of the story. Schools publish their allocations policy and apparently RR has moved house since his older children were allocated a place. He obviously didn’t consider the implications of moving outside of catchment at that point. There are only so many places, AIBU to wish that he would acknowledge that? I also feel sorry for the kid, if my father was a multi millionaire, I’d rather he shelled out on a place at a private school instead of bleat on about how hard done by he is!

Yep. He needs to stop fucking moaning.

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:24

But someone at that school
who wasn't a catholic could easily have a sibling miss out.

SummerDaysOnTheWay · 25/04/2025 19:25

Caravaggiouch · 25/04/2025 19:14

For secondary I’m not surprised siblings are not that high up the criteria - surely kids are expected to get themselves to and from school, so it doesn’t really matter? It’s not like primary where parents will be doing a school run.

This

Catsandcheese · 25/04/2025 19:27

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:24

But someone at that school
who wasn't a catholic could easily have a sibling miss out.

Well they would have been in good company because a lot of the catholic siblings were missing out.

clary · 25/04/2025 19:27

I agree that you might want your DC to go to the same secondary (mine did actually) but you equally might not. We have a very academic secondary near us which would have suited one, maybe two of my DC but certainly not the other. And getting them to school for secondary should not be an issue (tho I live near a secondary school and OMG the cars at 3pm!).

Those who say "well he should be able to send them to the same school" – at the expense of a local child getting that pace though? If he did move and was no longer in catchment then that's on him. It needs to be considered.

And while I am sure people have had issues with different holidays at different schools, it’s not that common surely. Our city and county has holidays that match. You'd have to go 15 miles away to Nottinghamshire to have different holidays. Secondary school age DC do not need so much in the way of childcare. I agree this would be a PITA at primary but that's not what we are talking about.

gerul · 25/04/2025 19:30

Not all secondaries are within walkable distance ffs. The school my kids went to have LOADS of children dropped off as public transport is very unreliable on some of the routes, ours included. When mine couldn't be dropped and they had to take themselves now and then they struggled a lot. One of my daughters was at the bus stop for two hours one day when I was away and she had to finally call another parent to come get her.

It's shit for his sons to be at different schools. There are all sorts of logistical reasons and others too. My kids went to different primaries and they weren't like siblings in a way because their lives seemed to split up at that point. They didn't know the school or teachers or characters or events of the other and I feel it made them grow apart. I couldn't wait for them to be in the same school at secondary, and now they can laugh or chat about stuff and their friends know each other etc.

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:31

Maybe because i'm a Londoner and it's quite normal to go to different schools (many are single sex for one) I don't think it's that big a deal.

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:31

And completely normal to travel for 45mins or longer to get too.

Catsandcheese · 25/04/2025 19:32

Anyway if any of you have had this situation you will know it is really hard to manage over a long period of time which it was for us (6 years).
We got there I am pleased to say but I'd really rather not have had to juggle no holidays because of half terms not coinciding meaning no time left for summer holidays.
Good for Romesh speaking out, it is a very difficult situation to find yourself in.

gerul · 25/04/2025 19:33

RipleyJones · 25/04/2025 18:25

Boo hoo. He thought for some reason his kid would not be subject to normal admission procedures. He thought he could continue to signify his luvvie left wing credentials by using state school. But only the state school /s He wanted. They’re all full, he got bumped to the one available. As do thousands of others. Using state funds when he could easily pay for it himself. But couldn’t do that god no the optics the optics! 🙄 heart bleeds.

Good God imagine going through life this bitter for others

privatenonamegiven · 25/04/2025 19:33

clary · 25/04/2025 19:27

I agree that you might want your DC to go to the same secondary (mine did actually) but you equally might not. We have a very academic secondary near us which would have suited one, maybe two of my DC but certainly not the other. And getting them to school for secondary should not be an issue (tho I live near a secondary school and OMG the cars at 3pm!).

Those who say "well he should be able to send them to the same school" – at the expense of a local child getting that pace though? If he did move and was no longer in catchment then that's on him. It needs to be considered.

And while I am sure people have had issues with different holidays at different schools, it’s not that common surely. Our city and county has holidays that match. You'd have to go 15 miles away to Nottinghamshire to have different holidays. Secondary school age DC do not need so much in the way of childcare. I agree this would be a PITA at primary but that's not what we are talking about.

With regards to the holidays being different it really does depend where you live.. and you would be surprised it happens a lot.. and inset days are often different.

Obviously, in his case money is not an issue but many families would like to hand down school uniforms which is not possible when they go to different schools..

Again do we know for sure he actually moved since his older children went through the system?

AmIHumanOrAmIAYeti · 25/04/2025 19:34

FightingFish · 25/04/2025 19:16

Sounds like an excuse. I’ve got 3 children myself and have always managed to organise them to get to school on time. At one point I had one at secondary, one at primary and one at nursery. Currently I have one at primary, one at secondary and one at a different secondary in sixth form. Once they are 10 + they can walk, bike or get on a bus themselves. Not difficult.

My daughter’s school is at the other end of a NSL country road with no lighting or pavements. Not far enough away for a school bus. No suitable service bus. Not safe to cycle or walk at 11 in the dark/rain. (It’s just under 3 miles each way.)

samarrange · 25/04/2025 19:34

RipleyJones · 25/04/2025 18:25

Boo hoo. He thought for some reason his kid would not be subject to normal admission procedures. He thought he could continue to signify his luvvie left wing credentials by using state school. But only the state school /s He wanted. They’re all full, he got bumped to the one available. As do thousands of others. Using state funds when he could easily pay for it himself. But couldn’t do that god no the optics the optics! 🙄 heart bleeds.

He thought he could continue to signify his luvvie left wing credentials by using state school.

So, you think he should have sent them to a private school? Or might you just possibly also have expressed an opinion about the hypocrisy of luvvie lefties had he done that?

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:34

different holidays would annoy me

privatenonamegiven · 25/04/2025 19:34

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:31

And completely normal to travel for 45mins or longer to get too.

Wow 45 minutes!!! Not normal in my experience...

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:35

He thought he could continue to signify his luvvie left wing credentials by using state school.

that's unfair, plenty of successful people who went to state school aren't scared of it for their dc.

fashionqueen0123 · 25/04/2025 19:35

I thought it was very strange his youngest didn’t get in - until now reading here he moved house! Well what did he expect?! It’s pretty common for out of catchment with siblings to be lower down than catchment.

Iloveshoes123 · 25/04/2025 19:35

HopingForTheBest25 · 25/04/2025 17:45

I'm torn. I think it's true that he ought to have considered catchment rules when moving house and obviously, as a wealthy person he had more options than many parents when it comes to education. OTOH, it's not that unreasonable to expect to send siblings to the same school - it's also not his fault that education is in the state it's in. The real fault lies with successive governments who haven't invested as they ought to have done in our schools, so that they are both plentiful and good!

I think it's very fair that kids in the catchment get priority over siblings outside the catchment. Otherwise you can have someone move to a catchment for a short period and then get multiple siblings into the school.
I don't agree he should have to send his kids to private school, he is as entitled as anyone else to use the state system but I don't think his criticism is fair.

Catsandcheese · 25/04/2025 19:36

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:31

And completely normal to travel for 45mins or longer to get too.

Yes and the basis of our appeal was it was 35 mins in one direction and 35 mins in the other for the two schools so an emergency at both created huge drama -it happened once for us- one child at one school, a diabetes event, and at the other school we had a broken ankle both on the same day. Fortunately my husband was in the country, as he travelled a lot otherwise what are you supposed to do!

Catsandcheese · 25/04/2025 19:36

PS just FYI we never moved, the policies changed

sofasoda · 25/04/2025 19:37

@privatenonamegiven I travelled an hour, knew dc who travelled longer.

I think of DoE considers 75mins acceptable....

Xenia · 25/04/2025 19:38

We had three teenagers at 3 schools at one point (private schools), Habs, NLCS and Merchant Taylor's but the teenagers could use coaches so it was fine. Even our 2 girls did not get into the same private school right through to age 18. I think he will manage.

May be he will decide to help the poor and instead pay for a private school place, by not clogging a state school place that could have gone to a child more in need of a place.

privatenonamegiven · 25/04/2025 19:39

fashionqueen0123 · 25/04/2025 19:35

I thought it was very strange his youngest didn’t get in - until now reading here he moved house! Well what did he expect?! It’s pretty common for out of catchment with siblings to be lower down than catchment.

But did he move before his older children went through the process? No one seems to be able to prove this is the case? If he moved in 2021 which is what is alleged, he could have children in year 8/9 who went through the process after he moved?

Gilead · 25/04/2025 19:39

I lived 300 yards over the border for our preferred school, I appealed and fortunately won, had I not I’d have to juggle between two schools, ten miles apart.