Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Flip

Original poster

School admissions (infant) - Did everyone get their 1st choice?

25 replies

mmmmchocolate · 01/04/2008 09:12

I am in the essex area and got my 1st choice allocated today! Very happy!!!!!!! Just wondering how many do get there first choices and how many don't. Good luck all x

OP posts:

laura032004 · 01/04/2008 09:22

We got our 3rd

Original poster

mmmmchocolate · 01/04/2008 09:27

really can i ask where abouts you are? i though everyone got their 1st choice?

OP posts:

UnquietDad · 01/04/2008 17:59

Innocent question - because it's what we did:

Why don't people put their local/desired school as first choice, and two popular schools which they haven't got a cat-in-hell's chance of getting into - those where you practically have to live in the playground to get in - as their second and third?

It strikes me that a lot of people put "reasonable" second and third choices and are then surprised/miffed when they get given them.

pooka · 01/04/2008 18:04

Ah but if I'd done that last year UD, would have ebded up with Council allocated school. No thanks.

So 1st choice was closest and favourite (where dd went to pre-school). Didn't get in as catchment was 350m and we live 400m away.

2nd choice was next furthest. Good school. Catchment 780m and we live 760m away.

3rd choice school 1.1km away. Got in. Am happy with how dd has settled.

But go figure on the f*d up distances!

UnquietDad · 01/04/2008 22:54

Good point... if all choices are full they just send you to a randomly allocated one?

pooka · 02/04/2008 08:15

Yes - the most undersubscribed school with places available = not a school I would choose.
Actually, there seems to have been a high birth rate in dd's year, because I think I only just got into the 3rd choice school (lots of siblings there).
This year the same situation would have occurred.
I am quite lucky in that our local schools are all pretty good, barring 2 undersubscribed ones (which are much further away). I was still gutted not to get my first choice, because it means that in september there will have to be a fair amount of juggling as ds starts pre-school at the first choice school (because is closest and childminder tied to that school).

laura032004 · 02/04/2008 09:51

We live in Plymouth. We narrowly missed both our 1st and 2nd choices (4th and 7th to not get places). It was due to a large number of siblings entering the schools, who get priority.

Our 3rd choice school hasn't filled (19 places available out of 90), but it's still a good school (recent Ofsted, and gut instinct), just a bit big for our preferences.

We were well within catchment for school 2, but didn't get in, as they were oversubscribed by category 2 (in catchment, no siblings), so even if you have a sibling at the school, but are out of catchment, you wouldn't have got in . They had to cut the catchment area down due to the number of applications. We were only category 4 for school 1, but just borderline (metres) out of the catchment, so most years, we'd have got in.

osyth · 02/04/2008 09:58

We were allocated a school in another town but appealed and eventually got our second ranked school.

I just think that in some areas there is such a shortage of schools that unless you are sitting right on top of the school you don't really have a chance. The school that we were eventually allocated is only 400 metres away there are quite a lot of people that live closer to the school than us but didn't get in because they foolishly didn't list it as one of their choices, if they had applied there we wouldn't have had a chance of getting in and yet it is 3 minutes walk!

pooka · 02/04/2008 10:43

Another thing here is that the school doesn't know whether you have ranked it as 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice.
So:
1st A
2nd B
3rd C

Two years ago could have been in a position of having 3 offers, if you met the criteria for all 3 schools.

Under the new system, the Council allocates the school out of your choices that is highest up the list. For example,
1st No
2nd Yes
3rd Yes
Would mean that you get offered a place at school B only.
It means that once offers are made there is very little movement, and that waiting lists don't move quickly.

Feelingbetterslowly · 02/04/2008 10:52

We only get two choices but don't find out for another MONTH!! It's killing me! What do you do if you get into either choice? I got realy confused but it sounds like you have to send them to private school, which I defo can't afford! Why is this SO stressful-what happened to the good old days of you go to the closest one to you?

Feelingbetterslowly · 02/04/2008 10:55

And what happens if you get allocated an under-subscribed far away school that you can't actually get to (I don't drive?

CarGirl · 02/04/2008 10:59

Feeling, I have no idea it's happened alot around here though, I think if it's more than 2 miles they may have to provide LEA transport?

Feelingbetterslowly · 02/04/2008 11:04

Oh god it's all so complicated! I've got to be in work for 9am! Our catchment school is the next road down but is C of E so any further away people practising any faith whatsoever get in before we do . We should not have moved next to a C of E school, then we may have had a chance

Novicecamper · 02/04/2008 11:07

I got 1st choice but we are in in zone/catchment with siblings in the school so I never expected anything different (and as such, I only applied to that school anyway).

Feelingbetterslowly · 02/04/2008 11:18

If you are in the catchment area and put that as your first choice how likely are you to get in? Our catchment area is only 5 roads big but they only take in 9 pupils! And this is a city school!!

MrsPuddleduck · 02/04/2008 11:22

We have got into our catchment school which is excellent. In fact only 6 out of the nursery class (30 I think) live in catchment - DS being one of them.

There are about 20 children (at the nursery) who have older silblings at the school so that only leaves about 4 places.

I find it bizarre that in such a good school only 6 children are in catchment (that I am aware of - some may come out of the woodwork next week I suppose who's parents decided not to send them to the nursery.)

That said we live on an housing estate with an ageing population - both our neibhours are either retired or semi retired and show no signs of moving. We moved in two years ago and paid a premium to get on the estate but that was our choice and I don't regret it. It is a really quiet estate.

sunnydelight · 04/04/2008 07:49

Off topic, but I thought you might find it interesting that here in Sydney your local school HAS to take you. You can phone up the equivalent of the LEA, ask which is your "catchment school" and you can trot up on day one of term (or any other day you fancy) with your kid (or 4) and the HAVE to give you places - although obviously they would prefer it if you actually filled in the form first If you fancy another school - any school, anywhere - they also HAVE to take you if they have space in that class.

Apparantly a local school has become so popular with newly arrived ex-pats that they had an extra 60 KIDS join in the last school year!!!!!!

swedishmum · 04/04/2008 07:59

I only put down one choice and got it - very rural area - but know of a couple of people who put village schools and live in the town. Didn't get places and were given them at an undersubscribed "dodgy" school on the notorious estate in town. People travel as far as 10/15 miles to get to ds's primary! Lots of people seem to prefer the village primaries.

UnquietDad · 04/04/2008 13:11

Ours started in 05 and in Jan this year, but here's the situation in our LA right now:

article here

CarGirl · 04/04/2008 18:09

In Surrey it is now all equal preference which mean that the school looks at all applicants and allocates places as per their admissions criteria, the LEA then gives you the ones to which you were successful that is highest on your preference list.

What used to happen is that schools discriminated against you if you did not rank it as first, they are no longer allowed to do this.

Moommypig · 06/04/2008 23:12

Has any one other than osyth appealed - would really like to hear as i am about to begin appels process... son got allocated at catchment school which wasn't even on our list of preferences

UnquietDad · 07/04/2008 11:52

We appealed successfully for DD in Y1 two years ago (after an initial unsuccessful appeal). I'm not sure I can be a lot of help, though, as we were appealing to get into our catchment area school, not to escape it!

My best advice is to be very clear about the grounds on which your preference was refused, and then to read up on this at the DfES site. There are very clear rules and they have to be followed.

Also be positive - talk about what you want X school, not why the allocated one is unsuitable. They don't want to hear that.

Remember that the appeal panel is independent from the LA and the school. At the appeal there will be you, the school rep (head and/or governor) and the LA rep, facing a panel of probably three people. You will each be invited by the panel to put your case, and questions are allowed.

FAQ · 07/04/2008 11:56

Finally got my letter today for DS2 a couple of days late, he's (not surprisingly) got my 1st choice place for him.

peanutbear · 07/04/2008 11:58

we have gotthe first choice going today to his first day at nursery there to start reception in September

Moommypig · 07/04/2008 21:27

Thanks for the advice!

We are simply out of catchment and they are over-subscribed but my son is disabled and now faces starting school without any of his friends from nursery who accept him. Really worried...

Flip