Hi I'm just in need of a place to let off a bit of steam. Basically I have three children, all of whom are baptised Catholics. We had very set ideas as to where we wanted our eldest and any other subsequent children to attend primary and secondary school. We applied to our local catchment school that we were sure our ds would get into. He never, and after a failed appeal attempt we had no other choice but to send him to the community school we was given.
Anyway we still wished for him to atted the catholic high school and was told that it shouldn't be a problem him getting in as they even accept children of no faith. So when it came to finding out his secondary school place last March we was again shocked and devestated to find out that he hadn't been offered a place at the catholic school.
As it turned out the school had become oversubscribed ( I already thought it was! ) so they have had to change the criteria "slightly" meaning that they will only be accepting baptised catholic children who live within the parish (which we do) BUT who have attended a catholic primary school first, and also that they were still accepting non Catholics aslong as they too have attended a catholic primary.
To say I was devestated was an understatement especially since our family are practising Catholics, are baptised and live relatively close to both primary and secondary schools.
Since then me and my dh took it upon ourselves to enquire if there were any places at the local catholic primary (did this every few months when our eldest was refused a palce) just to see if any spaces opened up, well this time round we were lucky and there was a place for my son who's in year 1 and daughter who's in year 3. I have had to move them from the school they were at to another just to ensure that they are guaranteed (or practically guaranteed a place) at the secondary school in a few years time, and although our youngest two have settled in really well, I can't help feel angry and disappointed that I've had to go to such extremes just to ensure my kids will be able to attend a good school and get a good standard of education!
I just don't understand why when it comes to secondary applications do the school governors place such emphasis on the child having to have attended a catholic primary first? Obviously I wanted my own children to be able to attend the feeder primary school to start with but it wasn't my fault they were refused a place initially, and now my son has had to miss our on going to an amazing secondary yet some non catholic children who got places at the primary school all those years ago (due to distance I think) have now secured places at the secondary school despite not being baptised and their family not being of the catholic faith. It's a year later, and I'm still mad, think it's because it's admissions results week this week and a lot of my friends have been talking about their own children, their on pins like I was and I guess it just hit a nerve after what's happened with my own children. Anyway it was probably a pretty pointless moan but I just can't help feel the catholic school system is becoming just as or even more selective when it comes to their pupils than some private sector and grammar schools are!