Finding out about school catchment areas?

[stabiliser15]

Can anyone help me please?

We are thinking of moving back to our home town and a factor in our search for a home may be local primary schools (DD is only 1 though!). How do I go about finding out what are the approximate catchment areas for primary schools in the area - is this something the Council lets me have or do I need to write to the schools themselves?

Thanks in advance!

You find out from the council. You will probably find a map on their website. If not, call them.

Just to expand on that, my last answer applies if the schools operate formal catchment areas. As your daughter is only 1 these can change before she is old enough to go to school.

If the schools do not operate formal catchment areas there won't be a map but you should find information, probably in their primary schools admissions booklet, about the furthest distance admitted last year. If it isn't there, call the council. Note that the distance can change dramatically from year to year, particularly at schools giving priority to siblings.

Thanks. I realise any information I obtain now may not hold true subsequently, it was more to use as a broad guideline.

Thanks very much for responding.

You make have to make an FOI request to the council on what was the furthest distance a child was admitted to the school on distance grounds in the first round of admissions, for each of the last three years. That's the only way I got it out of our LEA. Definitely say it's an FOI request as my LEA tried to fob me off with the admissions webpages until I did this.