Why is their a sibling category at secondary school allocation?

[Hulababy]

I am curious, nothing more.

But I am not sure why a sibling category would be relevant at secondary level, as once a child is 11y they are more than capable of making their own way to and from school without parental involvement.

Not all LEAs/schools do have the sibling category, but why do seem feel it is necessary?

Anyone know the answer?

mintyy
What if you live in an area where the segregation by gonad is already a given?
are there many of those outside London?

No idea.

I am sure googling "single sex state schools in the UK" might give some statistics. It is probably more than you think.

But mellicauli - why should non siblings have to deal with that either?

mintyy
I am sure googling "single sex state schools in the UK" might give some statistics. It is probably more than you think.
nope, I was looking up something much sillier

but FWIW I doubt there are many non 11+ / god but still gonad schools in teh state sector

I think its about 400 talkin.

105
www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/group.pl?qtype=NAT&superview=sec&view=aat&set=1&sort=ks4_13.ptl2basics&ord=desc&tab=149&no=999&pg=3

There are 7 single sex schools in my lea. 3 girls non selective and 2 boys non selective and one of each superselective.

4 coeds. 2 are relatively near (less than 2 miles) and 2 are much further afield.

I'm hacked off that the lovely school dd will be going to is all girls. Would have preferred co-ed, and placed coeds higher in list of preferences.

Have 2 younger sons. We won't get into the coeds probably because they're chockablock with siblings and as a consequence have catchments of around a mile usually. Ds1 is not cut out for single sex school. Ho hum. It sucks.

If there weren't a sibling preference then I think the catchments of the coeds would increase. More choice for all if everyone was starting from the same position.

I believe there isn't a single state school in Scotland which is single-sex. Only one or two independent single-sex schools, too.

I can't see where it says 105 on that page but I'll believe you.

But is it really helpful to assert that parents should have to pay for the privilege when they don't have a choice in the matter?

Well some of you must be amazed about this information which is coming from some of us to say that most of our state schools are single sex. Or perhaps you don't believe us?

I don't think people outside London have any grasp of what it's like to have to factor the single-sex schools into the equation, Mintyy. I didn't realise it was all so different here until my daughter's headteacher told me. (We're in Lewisham, which I think is not too far from you, but fortunately past the secondary school stage.)

I don't get the argument that having them in the same school means you don't have to go to two sets of parents evenings or presentation evenings, etc - of course you do. My Yr10 dd's Parents evening is on a different night from my Yr7's parents evening when they are at the same school. Same with presentation evenings, options evenings, parents as partners evenings, etc., - they are all on 2 separate nights anyway, so the fact they would be in different buildings isn't relevant.

Talkin - I don't see how single sex education is unequal, if there is a girls' school and a boys' school. I'm not sure who exactly is being deprived of a place ?

backforgood
One house, two buses

I guess the real point is that with "parental choice" what works in rural and dispersed suburban areas does not work in big cities and vice versa

"But is it really helpful to assert that parents should have to pay for the privilege when they don't have a choice in the matter?"

I think Talkin' is saying that when she is Minister For Education (if she pips me to the post ) she will re-organise state ed so that there will be no segregation any kind. No academic selection, no faith schools, no single sex schools funded by the state. But that it will be legal to send your child to a private school that caters for these forms of segregation.

I'll vote for her!

I'd vote for that too.

But include getting rid of sibling policy as well

And it will be a lot less scary than many think!
One of our local church schools has gone co-ed (cos they could not get enough pupils) and its caused no kerfuffle at all.
Its now mixed sex, mixed religion, no academic selection ...

Sorry Talkin, I don't understand what you mean with this

backforgood
One house, two buses

(probably me being a bit thick...I'm not having a good day today )

Pooka, if I get in I will probably keep Siblings - but given the changes in the schools landscape it won't have any negative impact because your choice of local schools will not be restricted by faith / single sex / grammar etc.

However, there will be other factors that create frenzies of competition - you might find yourself between a strict quasi-public school where teachers wear gowns (like in Toby Young's gaff) and a school where there is no uniform (like the hugely popular and successful Camden Girls). But hopefully this sort of difference will just offer the difference in approach and ethos that suits different children and not actually be socially divisive.

But probably someone will find a way for it to become competitive and hierarchical. Some will say 'oh, a uniform, promotes discipline and prepares them for work, I'm not sending my children to the lax place over the road, it will be full of disruptive drug taking feral beasts, all scratching each others eyes out over logo'd socks'

And the others will say 'oh, brilliant, no uniform, just like the adult work where we are trusted to dress ourselves decently before turning up for work (though Lorraine in Marketing did forget her skirt one morning), the school over the road prepares children for uniformed jobs like KwikFit and Prison Warders'

Oh, what to do?

backforgood
the single sex scools in my area are five miles apart
so if you had a boy and a girl you'd need two buses to pick up and take them to the two schools
madness
one bus to each road to take kids to school

Ah, right, but that's not to do with single sex being unequal though.
Thanks for explaining though.
Mine go to single sex schools - not a high consideration in choosing them, but, with hindsight, I've been pleased with them, however, my dc are all able to walk to their schools, and, if they did have to get the bus then both would be getting on a public bus anyway, so it wouldn't make a difference if one went on the No27 and one on the No45 or whatever - I guess you must live rurally if a school bus comes to collect them?

Children in catchment come before siblings out of catchment here, and being in sixth-form does not give sibling priority- it only applies if the older sibling will still be in year 11 or below when the younger one starts.

I had 3 in 3 different schools the last 3 years, and didn't find it an issue at all to be honest. In fact, it was quite useful to see how different schools did things, and steal share ideas.

If GoveryMax takes root and schools can set their own term patterns, holiday lengths and dates a sibling policy will be essential if any family is ever to go on holiday together.

(Obviously those with 2 or 3 kids who are not efficient and well organised enough to have them as twins or triplets will be fucked while they straddle the primary - secondary years, and those in Middle school areas, just forget the whole thing, but hey....)