Feeder schools?

[letsblowthistacostand]

I understand the concept of private feeder schools but how does it work WRT state schools?

The state junior school my DDs will be going to is apparently a feeder school to a particular state secondary in another borough. How does that work? And why? I looked at the secondary school's website but couldn't find any information on feeder schools.

DD1 is just starting reception in Sept so a bit early to worry about it, but several people have mentioned the feeding thing and I can't figure it out!

I'm not an expert (hopefully one will come along) but a feeder school seems to have an allocation of places at the secondary it feeds into. Within a feeder school, final allocation will be decided on distance from the secondary school (normally).

This system can mean dc's living right next to a secondary fail to get a place because they weren't attending a feeder. And your dc might not get a place at a, more local to you, secondary school.

Check out the Secondary's LEA website - it'll probably explain it.

Don't rely on it being a feeder school because people say it is - just been at a governors' meeting about secondary admissions, and one of the problems is parents being utterly convinced that our primary is a feeder school for a given secondary, when there has been no such concept in this area for many years.

We have a very definite feeder school system. I know which high school my 5 year old is going to - and transition starts from year 2! It isn't an associated high school - it's very definitely a named criteria on our secondary school's admission policies.

It's mainly curiosity--DD1 is just going into reception so we have quite a while! I'm sure a lot will change by the time we're ready for secondary.

I'm American and the school system is so different. There are school catchments and you simply go to the school you're in the catchment for and they HAVE to make room for your child. There is limited choice in some school districts but none of the panic that you get here and everybody gets a place. So the idea that a school in my borough could feed a school the next borough over is just...weird to me. Thanks for the explanations!

You would need to check the senior school admissions criteria to see if it does hae real "feeder" schools. However in places where there are no feeder schools, parents often talk about one feeding another.

We used to have criteria here which meant it was hard to go to a school in an area where you weren't resident e.g. the next borough. However to keep all schools operating near capacity, that was abolished. So you could apply to any school in the country. However they normally admit on grounds of distance, (at least somewhere) so you you are unlikely to get into somewhere too far away.

The operating at or near capacity is also why, combined with class size regulations, the local school cannot be forced to admit you. However that can mean you live somewhere where you are unlikely to get into any local school.

Good luck!

The only state schools I know of that do actually have feeder primaries are faith schools (and they set their own admission criteria). I think most standard state schools go by distance now.

Decor, lots of state schools go by catchment which is not actually the same as distance. Our catchment boundaries were redrawn the other year so some children in the same road as the secondary ended up out of catchment, whilst others at the other end of the ward found themselves in catchment.

Only one school local to us has a feeder system and it isn't a faith school. The primary my children went to was a feeder school for it until the term my DS started when it was dropped. At the time it was a sort after school so I was disappointed, however it's reputation has gone downhill since.

The admission criteria of the secondary school will tell you whether or not yours is a feeder school. You will find the admission criteria on the website of the secondary school's borough, probably in a document giving the admission criteria and other information for all secondary schools in the borough. If your school is a feeder to this school the admission criteria will give priority to children from the school. As others have said, many parents believe their school is a feeder for a particular secondary school even when it isn't.

Thanks for all the replies! I have had a good dig around the interwebs and the borough's website mentions feeder or linked schools but does not list any. I shall put secondary schools out of my head and go back to worrying about school uniforms and where to send DD2 for nursery!

Letsblow - I know several y6 parents who wished they had paid more attention to secondary school admissions when they were choosing primary schools! Certainly, if you are considering a house move in the next couple of years it's worth being very informed about secondary schools.

A nice chat with a friendly year 5 parent won't be wasted time either.

In our town there are "feeder primaries" which should have closer links to the relevant secondary schools, so transition should in theory be easier.

But in our area, going to a feeder primary does not affect the admissions process at all, which is solely based on geographical location of home.

It's good that you checked now. I assumed we would be going to our local primary and from there to our local secondary - but found out that local primary fed into a school some distance away (the 3rd nearest high school) that had an appalling reputation. I know things could change, but I seriously did not want my child on a Metrolink tram travelling into Manchester every day - and then onto another bus. I wouldn't mind if that was our nearest school but when there was one within walking distance and another which was one 5 mile journey with no changes, I was fuming.

We took the official advice not to send our child to our local primary school which we're really pleased about now, but now looking to move away from this area.

I count ourselves as lucky. Some people don't find out this information until it's too late to change primary schools as they're all full up!!!

Some schools change. When Dcs' started primary, the secondary school they went onto was in an awful state and only 13% got 5 GSCES, the feeder school (dcs school was named on the admissions criteria but dropped the year DS started) was very sort after.

Now DCs secondary school is one of the best in the area and the feeder school has gone downhill. DCs' Headmaster used to be Deputy Head of feeder school.

All very interesting! Seems silly to worry so early, but our area has fab primary schools and fair to middling secondaries. There is one reasonable secondary in our borough but the one that our primary supposedly links to (in a different borough) is actually really, really good. I realize that could change, and there are plans to build another secondary that would be closer to us so it's still all up in the air.

Think I'm a bit more worried having had a rather crap education myself, I just want my girls to be happy and do well!