How to choose a primary school

[Em2122]

My child will be starting nursery next September. I don’t know how to choose a school, do you visit the schools beforehand? I’ve looked at local schools websites, there is no mention of open days or anything . The closest and probably best school is Roman Catholic. Would it be odd to apply to religious school if not religious? Would we get in if not religious? Sorry this is new to me, it says applications close in January so I thought I should look into it now.

The schools will have allocation criteria which should be on their websites. Usually siblings, children in care, closest catchment. Religious schools will generally put that at top of their list.

We didnt get to visit schools last year (dd started this year) but the schools put up videos etc. And you can view Ofsted reports

Not sure about your authority but ours allowed us to put up to 5 preferences and would allocate to number 1 where possible. If going by catchment you have to prove you will be in the catchment.

The authority should also publish this year's allocations so you can see volume of allocation by criteria and.class sizes.

If you were applying because of religious reasons you normally put this as your main reason for choosing a school.

When you get your letter hopefully the authority have the information on their website on the process.

Schools would usually host open days but with the pandemic this had stopped. It might be worth ringing the schools you are interested in to ask if they will be holding any open days and if not, are they showing any prospective parents around or doing any kind of virtual tour. I know lots of schools have done this as an alternative.

Personally to choose a school I would read the Ofsted report and look at what the school is good at and what they are not so good at and think about what suits your child. For example, if my child is very active and showing interest in sports but the school don't have very good sports provision or any after school clubs then that might not be the school for them.

Usually religious schools will take a certain amount of children who don't follow that religion but they tend prioritise children who do. Priorities may also go to children in the catchment area, looked after children, children with special educational needs and children whose siblings already go to that school. So you could get in but you may be further down the list than others to be allocated a space. If the school is a very popular school that may affect your chances of getting in.

I hope that helps OP.

Definitely look at the catchment area on the schools website. Were we live all of the Primary Schools are currently over subscribed so if you don't put down your catchment school as first preference you could end up with a place for a school which has places but is 12 miles away and only had places because because nobody wants to send their children there.

Our Primary Schools have never held Open Days either, parents are shown around during the school day. As mentioned by PPs, some now have virtual tours instead.

Definitely ask about things like before and after school care, clubs and what happens if a child doesn't have anyone to play with. Ours had a friendship bench, Y6s put on guided play sessions twice a week for the little ones, and peer counsellors to settle any arguments.

I doubt I’d get into the religious school as it is oversubscribed though it is very very close by. The second school I’d choose is also oversubscribed but not as much, I am not sure if putting it down as second preference rather than first would effect chances of getting in, if don’t get in to religious school?

Getting a nursery place doesn’t guarantee a primary school place so be aware you’ll have to do another application for Reception in January 2023. You’ll be able to see on the council website which children were accepted by the Catholic school, ie how far down their criteria it got. The one nearest to me was fully filled with LAC, Catholic children from inside and outside the parish (groups 1-3 on their admission criteria) but the next nearest Catholic school also took children from group 4 (non Catholic children living in the parish).

Are you talking about nursery entry (at 3 years old) or Reception class (at 4 years old)?

Nursery year is completely separate, admissions will vary between council areas (some you apply to schools, other to councils)

Reception year... its a coordinated process. Generally you pick 3-5 schools, depending on area. Its an equal preference system, so you don't harm your chances at entry at each by the position on the form. Its only if you qualify for a space at one that the order comes into play, you get your highest preference place).

Attending the school nursery doesn't give priority into Reception year.

So to be clear, is this Nursery or Reception?
In England?

As pp has said, getting a place in the Nursery does not guarantee you a place in Reception.

I've not really heard about deadlines for nursery applications before so the first thing is to be sure you aren't confused.

If your child turns 5 between Sept 1 2022 and Aug 31 2023 you need to be applying for a place in Reception. The closing date is some time mid January.

If this is the case get yourself on the Primary Education board where there will be lots of threads about this.
Consider size and ethos of school, results, after school care if applicable, but most importantly your chance of getting in. Last distance offered info will be available on your LA site.
Put schools in true order of preference, but include at least one school you are sure of getting into, normally but not always your closest. (Better a school you don't like near to you than one a trek across town).

I am not sure if putting it down as second preference rather than first would effect chances of getting in, if don’t get in to religious school?

It doesn’t. Put schools down in the order of your genuine preference. Make sure there is one on there that you will get into even if you don’t love it, because far better a school you’re not mad keen on down the road than one you don’t like x miles and two buses away.

Most (all?) local authorities issue a table of “last distance admitted” guidance for schools in their area - Ie how far away was the child living furthest away, who was admitted to a particular school in the last intake? It’s not foolproof by any means but can help to give a picture.

@DominicRaabsTravelAgent

Definitely look at the catchment area on the schools website. Were we live all of the Primary Schools are currently over subscribed so if you don't put down your catchment school as first preference you could end up with a place for a school which has places but is 12 miles away and only had places because because nobody wants to send their children there.

Our Primary Schools have never held Open Days either, parents are shown around during the school day. As mentioned by PPs, some now have virtual tours instead.

Definitely ask about things like before and after school care, clubs and what happens if a child doesn't have anyone to play with. Ours had a friendship bench, Y6s put on guided play sessions twice a week for the little ones, and peer counsellors to settle any arguments.

This is incorrect. In England, there is an equal preference system, and you are at no advantage for putting a school as your first preference. Depending on your area, you will be able to state between 3-6 preferences. Each of these is in effect a separate application, and every who applies, regardless of whether it was their first preference, sixth preference or somewhere in between, is ordered in terms of the admission criteria. This will vary by school,so you'll need to check for each one, but is generally along the lines of children in/previously in care, siblings, distance for non-religious schools. The Catholic school will probably prioritise baptised Catholic children before non-baptised, but that's not to say that you won't get a place necessarily- it depends on the school and how popular it is. Some areas have set catchment areas assigned for each school and prioritise children within this, whereas others just work on distance from the school.

Everyone is only offered one school, and so the only time your order of preference matters is if more than one school is able to offer you a place, in which case you will be offered the school that you put highest. If I put a school first and you put it sixth, but you meet the admissions criteria better (e.g. by living nearer), you will be offered the place above me, assuming that you didn't get into any of your higher choices. I don't get put above you because I put it first. Therefore, you should list the schools in your genuine order of preference, always including somewhere at least one school that you can be fairly sure you'll get a place at (usually the nearest school with no religious criteria). If you don't get any of your preferences, you'll be allocated the nearest school with places available after everyone's preferences have been dealt with, which could be miles away, so it's good to include a local school you'll get into even if you're not keen on it.

What most definitely does not happen (though it is a very common misconception) is that they work down the list of people who put a school first and offer places to them, then the people who put it second, etc. It hasn't worked like this for many years now, and the current system is much fairer.

I'm assuming you're talking about applying for reception rather than nursery. As others have said, I don't think I've ever seen nursery attendance as a factor for admission to a primary school- it gives no advantage. OP, you may be better posting in the Primary Education board where posters really know their stuff to ensure that you don't get given incorrect advice.

It may be worth finding out if where you live schools have priority admissions areas, or whether just distance is the tie breaker.