Romesh Ranganathan - School Places & Entitlement

[FightingFish]

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!

I don't think he mentioned this on the post I saw him talking about it. Not good to leave out key information.

-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!

But that's surely an unusual scenario?

Do we actually know that he moved house?

The council should have to provide transport for children where parents have children in different schools. It's not really logistically possible for parents to do the school run to two schools in many cases.

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.

Hard disagree.
Parents with money should not feel obligated to pay for private education, nor should state education be seen as a less than option for those with more money. The best thing for state education is a wider range of economic backgrounds.

It's not really logistically possible for parents to do the school run to two schools in many cases.

Is it really not normal for secondary dc to travel themselves? How do parents with some in secondary & some still in primary manage?

Totally but if my husband hadn't been there we would not have been able to turn up at both schools to deal with the emergencies. Obviously the diabetes issue was the most important but then who would have been looking after the year 7 11 year old with the broken ankle exactly?

I am waiting for someone to evidence this too... also if his other children are in year 8/9 even if he did move in 2021, they would have been at the same address as when applying with his third child...

Or parents could just make sure they lived in the catchment of their preferred school, if two school runs aren’t feasible.

And what about the child who lives in the catchment a few minutes from the school and then has to travel because a sibling gets priority? The system is fairest when kids in the catchment get priority.

Presumably the school nurse/teacher until you could get there? What do you think single parents would do or parents where both work far away from the schools?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/06/romesh-ranganathan-house-move-blunder

He talks about moving house in 2021 in this article, it’s not a great read but evidences the house move. I do actually like him/his comedy in general but feel he is being really disingenuous with this issue.

You clearly haven't read about it in detail. He lived in the catchment area when his 1st child got admitted, then moved further away and his 2nd child got admitted because of sibling priority. Then the school changed their admission policy, and now his 3rd child isn't admitted. I think most parents would be bummed by this, really. Got nothing to do with his political views or his financial means.

I don’t have thoughts about what he should or should not have done.. Not my circus.

I don’t have thoughts about what he should or should not have done.. Not my circus.

Err the below is thoughts...

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

This place gets odder by the day! 😆

So he didn’t keep up with school policy. Which would have been sent to all parents. Or alternatively he thought it wouldn’t apply to him. Again boo hoo.

Exactly, you make my point for me. I don't know But it has to be easier if all your kids are in one place.

It's definitely annoying if the policy changed after he moved but it happens.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/31/rometh-ranganathan-interview

Children were 14,12 and 9 in August last year. So I guess Child 1 got in by being in catchment, they moved house in 2021 and Child 2 was out of catchment but got in under a sibling policy, and for Child 3 either the school has changed policy or there are more in catchment kids that take priority than there were in Child 2's year. Either way, it's a risk they must have known they were taking when they moved.

@Catsandcheese but my point is loads of dc purposely go to different secondaries and it really isn't a big deal.

If you have one at Primary and one at Secondary you would have to manage.

There's lots of arguments for sibling priority but "what if they both have an accident at the same time" really isn't one.

I didn't get my first choice for secondary because of more siblings this year, 35 extra vs previous years & the fact they added a feeder. Some siblings likely will have missed out.

Sorry I had 4 kids at one point managing 3 schools. Not for the faint hearted when there are only 2 parents.

If you have one at Primary and one at Secondary you would have to manage.

I don't get it, is it not completely normal to have points where dc are in different schools 😆

Again, nothing to do with his politics or money and fame.