Late vs In-year secondary school application

[Seeyousoon80]

Hi,

My family is moving to Cambridge in the next couple of months. I wonder if it does make a difference if we apply before "late" deadline or as an "in-year" application for a secondary school place? Pandemic makes our moving very difficult now and I am not sure if we'll be able to rent something before the end of March. With regards to the schools what do you think about Parkside, Coleridge and St Bede's (we are Christians)?

Many thanks in advance.

The 'in year' application would be for the place you need this academic year - so assuming you have a year 6 DC, it would be for a place from when you move until July

Main admission round and you follow the timetable laid down for that, and unfortunately moving after both the deadline for application and the cut off for changes means that it will be treated as a 'late' application

If youve missed the main admissions round, you'll be rather dependant on what places are available; for Parkside and St Bede's it's very unlikely there will be any spare places after the main admissions round, so you would have to go on the waiting lists. Last year Coleridge was full too, although they were much less oversubscribed. The waiting lists are ordered by admissions criteria, so you need to check those out, and how far down them you would come - to be top of the waiting list, you want to be far enough up the criteria that you would have got a place.

The council website has information about the schools' admissions criteria (Next Steps on www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-learning/apply-for-a-school-place/secondary-school#before-you-apply-for-a-school-place-1-1), and also how far down they went last year in the first round of applications (Year 7 round 1 on www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-learning/school-admissions-documents/school-allocation-information-for-previous-academic-years).

Last year, Coleridge offered to anyone within 1.2 miles, plus siblings and those attending catchment primaries. Parkside only admitted those in the catchment area, to a distance of 1.097 miles. St Bede's had several categories of religious affiliation, and it doesn't say which they got to in the admissions criteria. I know that in some years it has only admitted those in the first category, which is CoE/RC families with support from their priest/minister; other denominations couldn't get in.

lanthanum, thank you for your comments. I appreciate it.
I have been studying the council and schools websites for the last couple of days and I am not sure now where to look for a house. Older one will be going to Y7 in Sep, younger one to Y1. We do not want to be in a city centre, although I like St Mathews and St Alban schools, as well as St Bede's. Even if we live at St Bede's doorstep we will be in a catchment of Coleridge. I just wonder what happens when they are all full... ? Does anybody have such experience ?

If they're all full, you'll be offered a place at the nearest one with spaces. Last year that would have been Netherhall or North Cambridge. You can also go on the waiting list for your preferred school(s).

I used to teach in a school with spaces, and we would regularly get pupils who came to us for a few weeks until a place came up at somewhere they preferred!

If you're not sure you want to be in the city centre, consider some of the surrounding areas. For instance Northstowe is a new settlement, which means both primary and secondary are likely to have spare capacity until the houses are all finished and occupied.

Try Sawston (or Shelford if your budget will stretch). Whereabouts do you yourself need to be in Cambridge?

Thank you everyone.
With regards to the location we need to be with an easy access to Addenbrooke's Hospital, but still close to good schools. Does Cherry Hinton have a good reputation ?