Primary Admissions Application

[maggie75]

Hi - its me again Im afraid.

Have to do our primary admissions application by mid January and am struggling with what schools to put down. Like many people in the area - and across the country - we will be living near to one school but a mile or more from all the others - therefore having no chance whatsoever of getting into them.

The school we will be close to is good and would be thrilled to get it, but unless they take a bulge class for 2012, there are no guarantees, as so many siblings.

So, my question is what other schools to put on the form? We will be living in Culverden Down area. ive been advised to include a school that if the worse happens, you will get into as its one that children without a place get placed in from around the town (but one you have 'chosen' iyswim - instead of being dumped in a random one?

Just writing all this is giving me palpitations!

I;m assuming you are aiming for BD school from there? You are right, there are no guarantees, but my understanding is that they are doing a second entry for 2012 (school applications hot topic at this morning's NCT coffee morning!), but best bet is to phone the school and ask.

I can't remember if you said you drove or not, but it may be worth trying for a village school if you do - friends randomly put Speldhurst one year and got in from central TW for example. Chances are you will be offered Sherwood if you don't get BD as that seemed to be the default "4th preference" last year - so if you're Catholic, I'd look at St Augustine's as they don't have catchment, purely baptised catholics and they have children from a wide area.

The problem is that there isn't really another school closer which you would get into from there - have you put the postcode into the primary school thingy on the web to find out your three closest schools?

Hi there - thanks for replying again, much appreciated.

Yep - hoping for BD - we are near, but nowhere is near enough in this game, but no garentees of bulge class yet - decision will be made in mid December.

DD not baptised, although me and DH were brought up RC, perhaps we should have embraced that side of things 2 years ago as a fallback!

Mmmm, though Sherwood would be the answer ...

Can i just ask what the "primary school thingy on the web" is? Am I missing soemthing vital!?

many thanks again.

schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/

If you put in your postcode, and then cross reference with the Applications booklet (which has the information on the distance that the last child was admitted from in it), then you should get a good idea of which are your closest three schools and therefore what you are likely to be offered.