School admission policy

[Alexandra6]

Hello, does anyone know if it makes a difference what order you put your school choices down as? We basically want to go to a nearby school but it's oversubscribed and we're just outside the official catchment area (gutted). There's another school we wouldn't mind which is slightly further away. I really wouldn't want her to go to the school we're in the catchment for very valid reasons. Does anyone know if there's such a thing as a wasted vote? Am I less likely to get into the second choice school purely because I've put it down as second rather than first? Thanks

PAN is the planned admission number and is generally in multiples of 15, although might be 10 or 20 or some other number. In our LEA you can download a file with them on, plus the number of applicants (don't panic if there are 97 applying for 60 places as 45 of those might have put another school higher in preference and so offered that first). Some schools will have an idea of how many siblings there are as they often get priority especially over a child with no older siblings at the school and out of catchment. There might also be information about the distance the last place offered was. This can be misleading though as say this was a sibling out of catchment at 1.9 miles there could have been a non sibling out of catchment living 0.9 miles away who didn't get a place. Try the LEA or the school if you can't find details online.

How flexible can you be in finding a school? Can you drive? Can you or dh drop off say a 20 min drive from home at 9am and collect at 3.15? We had to put down a less favoured school as second choice as we only had one car which dh needed for work and I had two younger dc so it had to be somewhere accessible, we got 1st choice and it turned out not to be so great for one of ours so moved elsewhere anyway a few years later.

Also look to see if the schools give priority to siblings out of catchment, some don't so even if you get dc1 in then a few years later dc2 might be sent to another school. Can you move into catchment at some point if you have younger dc still to apply for?

Have you looked at catchment school or is it based on rumour/ reputation/ ofsted/ what the school was like when you were primary age. My dc's school is Ofsted rated good, I don't think that it will get outstanding but the areas it doesn't tick the outstanding boxes are actually areas which aren't so important to me (e.g. attendance - my dc go everyday, most others do too but the school doesn't make a fuss if there's a family party in Ireland and they take 3 days off). One of my dc especially would not do well in an outstanding school because it wouldn't offer the flexibility of situation she needs to thrive, sitting at tables endlessly practising for SATs is not her thing at all. Look at them all with an open mind and look at village schools which have previously been undersubscribed.

Electricity pylons have no effect on health whatsoever. The only effect mentioning it would be to place you in the 'loony parent beware' box.

Is it primary or secondary? I assumed primary. Also is your dc baptised/ active in another faith? Some schools will give priority just for baptism even if not actively attending. You might prefer them to your catchment school. Still put the catchment school down in last place after your first two and hopefully a fairly safe if more distant school.

You need to go onto your LA admission web site and spend an hour hour two reading all the info. It should all be clear on there incl individual school admissions policies. All are equal preference and there is no human factors as other have stated. You either qualify for a place or you don't and that will spend son who else applies etc

Yes what RNBRIE said, it doesn't matter as the local authority has the list not the individual schools