Safron Walden high school catchment areas

[Sheldonsheher]

If Safron waldon high school is full up and you don’t get a place where do you go? If that’s your catchment. Have been north of the border and here you just go to your catchment school. How is it in England?

Joyce Frankland in Newport? Isn’t there a high school in Sawston? What about those? Don’t you have to put multiple places on the form when you apply?

No it doesn’t work like that in England.

you write up to six schools on your list.

each school then takes children in the order on it’s admissions policy, usually looked after children (children in care), then children who have EHCPs that name the school, then might be siblings or by religion or anything.

They keep going until they are full.

if you don’t have a place at school 1 the system moves onto school 2 and so on.

most people if they list six schools get the first choice (usually about 75%) about a quarter don’t (this is nationally).

there’s other schools that you can list.

near me (I’m much more rural) we have a shortage of secondary places and people end up driving long distances.

Is this to apply in the normal round @Sheldonsheher or for an in-year application?

If the latter, best advice is to accept the school offered (LA has to offer a school) and go on WL for any you prefer. You can also appeal.

If the former, fill all the spaces on your form including the SW school, but also including your most local/catchment (if applicable) school so that you have a nearby school you will get offered, even if you list it last. Put the schools in genuine order of preference, even if the top choice is a long long shot, as doing so won't affect your chances of a place at any nearer schools.

Normal year and also not for a year or two. Its just if I move for work I can’t be stuck driving for miles to school and then work esp as I am a single parent. I might not move if the changes of not getting a local school are high.

SWCHS is usually heavily oversubscribed but you may be lucky and your child may be in a low birth rate year. But people do indeed move close by to get a place.

Those who don’t get in usually go to Joyce Frankland in Newport or Linton Village College.

Hi OP, we’re in the process of moving to SW at the moment. DD is only primary school age at the moment, but we made sure we bought centrally in SW town itself rather than one of the outlying villages as we were aware that SWCHS was increasingly oversubscribed and catchments were shrinking.

As PPs have said, those who don’t get in tend to go to Joyce Frankland in Newport or Sawston/Linton Village College. Depends on the child though, as looking at various local social media groups it seems though that some families who have DC with additional needs are actively choosing JFAN or moving children out of SWCHS as SWCHS is so huge that children who need extra support can get a bit lost.

Will be in sw or also considering sawston. Both with a view to going to the local school so if you are in sw not a village then are you in catchment? Or not necessarily is it oversubscribed by people pit of catchment? Should I be better moving to sawston or is that a bit meh?