Can't decide a out preferencing for preschool

[Yorkshiremummy2023]

Hi I need to make final decision this week about selections for preschool but feeling really undecided if I can get any advice ?

The schools were looking at are following listed in order of locality and closeness to us.

This school we're thinking of placing third on the list. Local school that is rated good by ofsted, is about 20 min walk from our house and 5 min drive. But is religious, we aren't religious in anyway. we have visited it and we're prepared for the curriculum to cover religion but was surprised how it was emphasised at least on the tour as part of the curriculum over other things we would have liked to have heard about or seen displayed on walls such as sports or school trips.

Another school we're considering as our first preference is rated outstanding, we live just outside catchment area and it's cross border in another council. They have said they have taken pupils from where we live in the past though. We really liked the school on the walk around it but just put off by the distance would need our car to get to as our local bus doesn't go anywhere near. It is car carnage outside the school at Drop off times and pick ups.

This next school we're thinking of placing second.
Lovely school plenty of car parking but even further outside catchment area. Rated good ofsted they didn't seem confident we would even get a look in at a place based on where we live. But thinking of going for it on the offchance we do.

We do have other schools we could list but the above schools are the ones we liked the most. In your experience is it worth listing schools outside catchment area ? Or should we not bother and list schools more guaranteed to get in ?
Should we just focus on the local school as first choice even though it's religious. ? As don't want to risk not getting in to the others and then not getting into that as well.

Thank you

[BendingSpoons]

The equal preference system means you can't be penalised for listing a school as lower preference. So it is fine to take a chance on other schools and put a local school last. Saying that, are you fairly certain of a place in the religious school? Where we are 20 mins walk would be too far away for most schools but obviously areas vary. I would personally be put off by having to drive each day, bit others think it is worth it for a school they prefer.

[Yorkshiremummy2023]

Yes we'll within the distance for religious school. The 20 mins takes into an account a very steep hill we have to go up but im sure we will get quicker if we went everyday haha! Thanks I thought that was the case from reading gov website but when we visited schools some gave a different explanation and some the same, so got confused with it all. Thanks I agree with you. I don't honestly want the drive it's the only thing putting me off the other schools over the religious one in our catchment but I don't want religon to be one of the priority things hes taught. Thanks again