I know everyone has to find their own way through 'the primary school' issue - but advice neeeded, don't even know where to start!

[pipkin35]

The only school near us is a joke. So, I'm happy to move - we only rent. There are 2 good - on paper seemingly equal - schools...
All I've got is the schools postcodes - but no one will tell me exactly where I'd need to live to be int he catchment area - so am guessing I just try and rent as near to the exact postcode of the school???!!!!

DS won't start school until Sept 2012, but it seems I can't even visit the schools until I'm closer to the application prcess - not until October, but we'd need to move before then!

How do you decide on a/the school? What are the differences/advantages/disadvantages in Ofstead, school league tables/going to visit etc...

OH is Catholic but refuses to go down that route since he thinks it's totally hypocritical since he no longer beleives/pratices.
Yes, I admire his 'morals' but at at the expense of our kids education, it's annoying!
Any advice form mus who have been there/done that?!

I think no-one will tell you because if the schools have a geographical catchment, the exact distance from school from which children are admitted will vary every year. Who have you actually asked though? If you enquire from the school, they should supply you with their admissions criteria and should be able to tell you the greatest distance from which any child was admitted for the past few years. This at least gives you somewhere to start.

You mentioned a Faith school and they typically have difference admissions criteria and don't operate a geographic catchment area so that will be why you cannot find that information for them. That's also why it is important to get the admissions criteria from all schools in which you are interested so that you don't end up moving next door to a school for which you still cannot be considered.

Whatever your thoughts about your husband refusing to go down the Faith route, bear in mind that it might not even be an option open to you anyway. I don't know where you live but in many areas, faith schools are so oversubscribed that their admissions criteria will specify baptism before a particular age (assume your children are not baptised) and in order to get the supplementary application form signed, you may need evidence of regular churchgoing stretching back for a few years before the date of application.

If you can't visit schools why not go to any events they have - summer fairs not for a while but that sort of thing. Ofsted etc only one side of things. Try and talk to people and get a sense of the feel of the school and then decide if it feels right for you.

Catchments are not fixed - it depends how many people apply and where they live. Priority goes to siblings and special needs and then distance from school. So catchment can vary quite a lot from year to year esp according to no of siblings/birth count etc. Your local authority will be able to tell you catchments from previous years. There's a useful website - google distances as the crow flies which can help work out distances.

Schools seem to vary in culture a bit so some are more creative/liberal others more formal/academic some middle class others more mixed and reflective of real community (talking about London)

But they can also change with the change of head so don't count your chickens!

There should be a booklet for this year's applciations on the LA website . It will state the number of applications received compared to places allocated last year and the criteria for this (ie looked after, siblings, distance, religion/church attendance etc). Some areas have catchments, others will go on distance by a determined route. If there is a fixed catchment it should say so otherwise it may state the furthest distance at which a place was allocated last year or how many of those allocated places were out of catchment(if any). There may even be a distance element within the declared catchment if there are more applications in this category than places available, in which case there is no guarantee that wherever you move to will ensure success.

Some schools do have fixed catchment areas but the majority use 'distance to school' as an admissions criterion, which means that once the looked after children, those with special needs and siblings have been admitted, they take the next 20/50/whatever children to fill the remaining spaces. So that distance can vary a lot from year to year, depending on whether it's a bumper year for siblings.

All this information should be available in your LEA's schools admissions booklet on its website. It will give you information about the previous year's admissions for each school - how many applications, distance at which last place was awarded etc.

You do need to think carefully about school preferences. If when you apply you only name schools which you have no realistic chance of getting, you will be allocated a place at the nearest school with spaces - which could be miles away. Why do you say your nearest school is a joke? Very few primary schools are really that dreadful.

I would just add that the numbers published as applying doesn't mean people who necessarily placed it as first choice - remember that people can apply for 3 schools (or they do here anyway) and all of them will count as an application for the next year stats.

pipkin On the subject of catholic school regardless of the moral issues, unless your son was baptised (and some even require he was as a baby not just a quickie done before the school application) and you attended Chapel regularly.

Why can't you visit the schools yet? I visited various schools when my eldest was 3, with a view to make sure exactly which areas I was prepared to move to. It would be a big black mark for me if any school refused to make an appointment to visit.

Looking at the school yourself is the only way to decide. Look at lots, and don't just listen to gossip.

i also visited schools when the children were three. in fact i visited one popular local school when the kids were two (as I was thinking of putting them in a fee paying school that started at three and a half and i wanted to see what the other options were). the school didn't care.

I think you do need to go and see some schools. This thing about October before you can see the school is just schools being a pain and actually showing scant regard for their future "customers".
I would go to the school during the day and say to the office that you would like to make an appointment to come and look at the school as you hope your son can come to the school in Sept 2012.
To be honest any school that says no to that request I would have serious reservations about even wanting to go to the school.
Having seen some schools you then need to establish which schools you are interested in and which schools you have a realistic chances of being offered a place at. As others have said look at the data in the primary school admission booklet on the LA website. If is says that the school was full and the last admitted pupil was 0.5 miles away and you live 2.0 miles away, realisticly you have no chance of getting a place at the school

Hi i brought a house down the road from a very good school and it is only 0.5 miles away 10 to 15 minutes walk at most. i applied for my son to go to the school and was turned down because we was not in the parish area. we were in the c of e parish area but they went under the civil parish which is the area that the local council specifies. so if i was you i would find out the area from the council they maybe able to help or the head teachure. but saying the head teachure on the map i was given from the school my house was on the map so that was not far. good luck

And visit the one nearest you - you may be surprised. What makes it a "joke"?