Got my second choice school - but....

[teddies]

... I am a bit surprised. We have been given the second choice on distance grounds. We live less than 0.4 of a mile from first choice. Do the LEA have to answer questions about this? I would like to know how far away the furthest child lives from the school who has been given a place. And I would like to know if we fill in and return the form accepting the second choice but asking for reconsideration for the first, how much chance there is of a change. Are they obliged to tell me how many other children are in the same position as me, or what position on any waiting list?

Second choice choice is fine but is a mile away. I was looking forward to a short walk! Even the Head of first choice school seemed to think there would be no issue in getting a place.

ANy advice? THanks.

phone your LEA
they all have different rules - perhaps your nearest school is not your catchment school?

Our borough publishes this document which gives the distance of the last child admitted under an admission criterion where relevant. At one of the schools the last child admitted was less than 0.3 miles away, so 0.4 is probably not unusual. Your La probably has a similar document if you look on their website.

I live 0.8 miles from our first choice school. The last child admitted was 0.21 miles away when we applied last year. We had no chance! By all accounts its even closer this year.

There was a case 3 years ago that a woman didnt get her first choice that was on the same street as her house because of sibling links and baby boom in the houses between hers and the school (she was 0.15 miles away!)

Sometimes the nearest school is also the nearest to a lot of people!! And it also depends on the number of siblings if that is in the LA allocations policy.

thanks everyone.
I will ring LEA tomorrow then. Bet they will be dreading the phones ringing!!!!

Make sure you are on the waiting list when you call. I would accept second choice though. It will not count against you regarding your application for your first choice.

The LA should answer your question about the distance of the last child admitted. They would have to provide that information if you appeal.

They should certainly be able to confirm that you are on the waiting list and give you your current position. Note that this is only a snapshot. You can go down the waiting list as well as up it.

Accepting the offered school will make no difference to your position on the waiting list, nor will it affect your chances at appeal. Rejecting the offered school on the other hand would leave you with no backup if you don't get your first choice school. Any alternative offered by the LA would probably be further away and would certainly be an unpopular school. Also rejecting the offered place could damage your chances of success at appeal.

The LA won't reconsider. That isn't how the system works. However, you are entitled to appeal for a place at your first choice school. Your chances of success depend on whether or not this would be an infant class size case. If admitting your child would cause the school to have a class with more than 30 children in it in Reception, Y1 or Y2 it will be infant class size. This means you should only succeed if you can show that a mistake has been made and your child should have been admitted. The most likely mistakes are placing your child in the wrong category or getting the distance from your home to the school wrong.

If it is not an infant class size case you have a better chance of success with an appeal. You would then need to find features of the preferred school which are not present in the allocated school and which are particularly useful for your child so that you can make a positive case as to why your child needs to attend this school.

Stupid question but do you find out which school you have been allocated by post? Can I ring them to find out or will they send an e-mail?

It is up to your LA. You should receive a letter. Many will also email you if you applied online. Take a look at their website. That will tell you when you will hear and should also tell you how you will be notified.

Thanks again.
prh47bridge the letter actually implies 2 stages of next step: it uses the word "reconsider", then if that is unsuccesful, formal appeal. I will ring them in a bit and ask for clarification. I am happy with the second choice school but obviously would be happy with the first choice too as I wouldonly have half the distance to walk!

That's unusual. Are you in England?

yes, in UK.
have phoned LEA and they have given me details, which I won't put on here, but there were lots of siblings, and the children given a place on distance were another tenth of a mile closer to the school than me. So I am resigned, in a good way, to the second choice school, don't think that there is much danger of the reconsideration being favourable, and no grounds for appeal, so there we are.
Some parents had already told their children they were going to x school and now children are disappointed, so I am glad I kept schtum.

Thanks again to you all for your advice.