Has anyone switched 1st & 2nd choices after submitting applications

[CrispyTheCrisp]

Do you know if this is possible, or if there is a set procedure to follow?

There are a number of reasons why we are considering needing to do this, and as far as i am aware neither school is oversubscribed, so I don't think it would cause any major problems.

Any advice welcome

Ring Admissions and ask. I doubt they will consider it with the first wave of applications though - it will probably be treated like a late application (ie considered last). You can certainly get your place at the first school and then go on the waiting list for the second school though.

That's fine if it is considered after the initial requests, just don't want the possible place being given away as a 'last resort' place IYSWIM. I will give the admissions people a call and also speak to the school I think. Thanks

Be very very careful of this. If you swap before the last date for submission then that is not a problem. But if you swap after the last date of submission then it automatically becomes a late entry and you go to the bottom of the pile and are not considered till after all on-time applicants are allocated a place.
If it is after the cut-off date I would leave the admission application as it is, see which school you are allocated and then request a change to your 2nd preference. If they are not full then this will not be an issue. Better to have one preference that you are relatively happy with than no preferences at all.

Thanks admission, but will they then have not released all the 'spare' places to children who do not get any of their preferences?

I am happy to wait until all children have been allocated on their choice basis, but would like to get in before the remaining spaces (of which we would like one) are released as excess capacity

Apologies if that makes no sense

The system that is used is that places are allocated to pupils using the equal preference system. They look at all your preferences to see where you come high enough up the list to gain a place and then offer the school that is highest on your preference list.
If no places can be offered on any of your preferences then you will be offered the school that is nearest to your house that has spare places when all those who could be offered a place have been allocated.
Only after this has taken place and the letters sent out will those that are late applications be considered.
The danger of doing what you suggested is that you are then counted as a late application. Whilst you say that both schools that you put as 1 and 2 preference have not been full, this is not necessacerly going to happen this year. If you have a couple of schools near you that are oversubscribed then those that do not get a place and do not get any of their preferences may actually be allocated places at your preferred school, leading to them actually being full. You are then in the worst possible scenario. You could have been allocated a place at one of the schools but by changing you became a late application and by the time the late applications are allocated a place, the two school you wanted could be full. You would then be allocated a place at another less desirable school. You should also consider that gaining a place at appeal for reception is usually far harder than at other times because of the restrictions of the infant class size regs.

Thankyou so much admission, that certainly puts a different slant on it. Whilst i do know that neither school is full this year, i do not know about other local schools and hence the 'overflow' that they may need to absorb.

I think we will have to stick with our choice, but will have a chat with the headmistress of the school we would like to switch to, just to get her PoV