Catchment school waiting list policy favours children with siblings

[gilmoregirl]

Hello

I am very upset as my child has not been offered a place at his catchment school despite having been first on the catchment waiting list since December.

It transpires that another child who has a sibling going in to P1 was given the only place that became available as priorty was given to a child with a sibling.

Until this happened I was unaware that the waiting list was not simply a waiting list. I had been in touch with the school as recently as 15 May and been assured that my child was first on the list.

Does anyone know if this is standard practice? I am aware that this is used for placing out of catchment requests but it was news to me that another child would get priority over mine purely on the basis that they had a sibling who would also join the school.

I feel that this policy is unfair to only children as the school explained that at any point a child with a sibling will be given priortity over an only child. This seems to mean that unless all the other child on the waiting list are also only children my child will never get a place

Do you mean that the other child who has been given a place instead of yours has an older sibling who is also going into the school? Eg a family has just moved into the area?

I am always in two minds about the sibling policy. On one hand, it's frustrating not being able to get a foot in the door (one school round here took in 28 siblings, 1 looked after child and 1 child on distance to the school front door this year....). On the other, it would be a nightmare to have to do the school run with two or more children in different primary schools, as well as the community aspect. I don't know what would be fairer than the current policy.

Usually waiting list is done in the same criteria as the initial admissions which makes sense to me.

Sorry that you are unhappy with your given school

Thank you.

The school is operating a waiting list for catchment children as there were no spaces in the year group. I was told several times that my child was first on the list. When a place came up it was given to another child who had a sibling who would be going into the school in the new school year.

Until this happened I understood that my child would get the first place that came up as we were first on the list.

It would appear that an only child is very unlikely to ever be offered a place if priority is always given to children with siblings. No matter how long we are first on the list a child with a sibling will always get the place. seems so unfair!

Yes people jump up and down the list, you don't know though how many children may leave the school during the next year or 2? Are you on other waitings lists for schools you would be happy with.

TBH their isn't any completely fair way of allocating school places etc

This isn't because your child is an only child. If you had three kids it would still have happened if your child was eldest.

It's about as fair as school admissions can be I think. And there is a reasonable need for siblings to be in the same school.

However I think that this is a bit of a greyer area, and it does feel unfair that they accepted a family into the school because there was a place in the older years, knowing that there wasn't a place in the lower years.

Are you in Scotland? All my experience is in England and Wales and I know that admission arrangements are different in Scotland, but I assume (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) that waiting lists are managed much the same way.

Waiting lists in England and Wales are held in the same order as admission priorities, so looked after children (although these will generally be admitted when places are first filled), those with a social or medical need, siblings and then all other applications, ranked according to distance. 'Sibling' means a child with a sibling who has already been offered a place or is already in the school. So, if your place on the waiting list is in the 'distance' category then any sibling who is still on the waiting list (who will usually be a late applicant, as siblings would normally get their places in the initial allocation of places) will be ahead of you.

I understand your annoyance - it is a feature of school admissions that younger siblings usually get automatic entry to a school whereas only and eldest children don't - but unless the education authority has not adhered to its own policies (and you can check what has happened against what it says on its website or in its school admissions booklet) they are not at fault.