Question about reception admissions

[MsBubbles85]

Hello all, we are currently checking schools for our DD to start reception next year.
How does the admissions work with the different options put in the admission form?
For example,
If we put as 1st option a school in which would be hard to get to due to distance and then as 2nd option one that gives priority to catholic kids with baptism certificate (which my DD has). If she doesn't get into the 1st option, would she be offered a place in the 2nd option and given more priority that one that has put it as 1st option but it is not baptised?
If I had to guess, I would say that she would be able to get in if there were free spaces after the allocation for 1st option but not sure if it works like that or no. Sorry it is sounds like a silly question but I am not British and this system is all new to me.

Thanks!

It is equal preference not 1st preference first.

So put down schools in your preferred order. They don't fill up with those who put them first before looking for anyone else.

As Teen says admission is done on an equal preference basis.

So all applicants for each school are listed in the order of admissions criteria and you are offered whichever one is highest on your list of preferences that you meet the criterial for.

There is no priority given for listing a school as 1st choice.

Thank you for your replies! It is a relief

Just to add: make sure you put down at least one preference that you are very confident you meet the admissions criteria for. Otherwise if you don't get a place at any of your preferences your child could end up somewhere miles away

A ‘banker’ is essential, so you’re not sent somewhere you really don’t want and/or is some distance away. Infant class sizes are capped at 30, so it’s important to have a school for which you meet the criteria easily.

Thank you! Out of the 6 schools that we will put down, she can easily go to 4 of them.

Another question, if two of schools are in different boroughs and you fit the admission criteria for both easily, do they offer you both as it is there are different boroughs? I guess not but as I said, all is new to me!

No.
You apply through your own LA and name both schools. The LAs coordinate and you get 1 offer.

Do you mean “ she can easily get to them” or “ she meets the admission criteria for them and there won’t be 30/60 children higher than” as these are two different things!

I meant the admission criteria! One is 350 m away and the other one gives priority to Catholic kids that haven been baptised.

It will depend on where "being baptised" comes in the school's admissions criteria. They ought to be able to tell you this if they don't publish it. Once they have allocated those who put the school first, they will start again with those who put the school 2nd, but didn't get their 1st choice. If "being baptised" is their first criterion, then your child would be one of the top priority after everyone who got it is their first choice, if it comes after distance, then probably not.

Is it definitely "just" baptised? Often there will be an attendance requirement at a specific church/groups of churches as well.

On this one just baptised and it higher priority than distance and it is just after look after children, siblings and children of staff, I've read the admissions criteria loads of times. We also go to church every Sunday so if they even asked that it wouldn't be a problem.
I have read the admissions criteria of all the different schools and my questions were related to how the system works once the form has been submitted.

So I think they would
first - take all the children who put them first first and were baptised
next - take other children following the normal criteria

Nope: they don’t prioritise people who listed them first.

The ONLY prioritising they can do is the order in which each applicant meets the published admissions criteria.

Then the LA looks at all the schools which can offer each applicant a place, and if there is more than one they offer the place which is highest up their preferences.

An applicant who lists a school third can get a place while someone who out it first does not if they are higher up the admissions criteria.

@stichguru think about it like this:

There are two schools, both taking 150 students. 300 pupils apply. The algorithm makes an ordered list from 1-300 for both schools.

School A prioritises baptism then distance.

School B, a mile away, just does distance.

Katy lives next door to School B. So she is number 1 on the list of 300 for School B. Although she is a mile from School A, she has been baptised. She is therefore, say, 50th on the list for school A (ahead of Suzy, who lives next door to School A but who wasn’t baptised and is therefore 51st on the list)

So Katy qualifies for both schools and the computer then looks at preference. Katy’s dad listed School A first, so Katy gets a place at School A and is taken off the School B list, as she has got her higher preference. Everyone on the School B list bumps up one place and the 151sf child becomes the 150th.

The ordering happens first and then the preferences say which place is offered if a child qualifies for more than one.