Did you have a comments section with each of your chosen schools on your application?

[headfairy]

I've applied online for ds's reception place. I can change it up until the 15th January, but under each choice of school there's a place where I can add comments. I basically begged them to let my ds in to the school but I was wondering, who actually sees these comments? What should I be putting in there?

Like I said, I can change it :o

They're there to provide information/choices should you not receive one of your preferences. In this instance, they're only useful if you would definitely prefer eg a faith school or a single sex school.

Allocations are via the admissions criteria, which usually state that if you aren't eligible for a place in one of your preferred schools you'll be allocated a place in the nearest one with an empty place. Stating a preference for eg Catholic schools may mean that you get allocated a place further away but in a Catholic school.

Might be worth saying you are very keen to join the PTA!!!!!

Oh yellowsubmarine so they're for more general comments. I thought they were for specific comments about why you want to go to that particular school. There's a box under each school choice hence my thoughts.

cook I've been particularly grovelling on my first choice school, but I hadn't thought of the PTA line. Might add that in :o

So who actually sees those comments? The schools? The LA admissions departmetn?

Doubt there's much point in grovelling.

Bribery?

As already said, allocations are via the admissions criteria. Saying how much you like the school, your desire to be on the PTA, etc will have no effect. I don't know why some LEAs (ours didn't) persist in having these boxes against all choices, they simply make people think they can give themselves an extra chance by writing nice things! You can't, sorry.

As PatriciaHolm says, these comments form absolutely no part of the admissions process. The regulations say that the LA must give you space for stating the reasons for your preferences so Patricia's LA is actually breaking the law by not having them. However, I'm with Patricia's LA as these boxes are misleading. I would leave them blank unless you have something to say that may put you into a higher admission category, e.g. evidence of special medical needs. Even then, there should be somewhere else on the form where you can put that information.

My DD's faith school gave out a supplementary sheet with 3 Q's:
Do you live in parish?
Are you catholic?
Do you have a sibling in school?

They admitted they categorised everyone off this sheet - didnt even look at completed application forms and only used these 3 questions to shortlist! (so didn't even see my essay on the back!) Most schools have criteria and rank accordingly - ignoring everything else.

You can join the PTA in any school.

Just one minor correction to sunnyday123 - ALL schools have admission criteria and rank accordingly, ignoring everything else.