Only children and primary school admissions

[Sadgits]

Noted that one of the priority criteria for a child gaining admission to a primary school is if they have a sibling at the school at the same time. How does that work for only children? Surely that is unfair to onlies? (I know, I know, there are lots of other categories who probably deserve priority but) just wondered what people's views are and whether anyone is in this situation with an only.

"who have not moved"

OP, an only is in the same position as first born children - there are many reasons why the admission system is flawed but I don't think that this is one of them. I have two children, as it happens they'll only both be at primary school for a year before eldest goes off to secondary but I can see how it would be a massive pita to have siblings at different schools.

My mate has 4 children, they're fairly close in age so (I think) they'll all be at primary school at the same time for a while... can you imagine getting FOUR to (potentially) four different schools for 9am?

Hello Kewcumber how's you? :)

Some years/schools are way worse than others wrt siblings. We were lucky with dd1 in that respect, she got into a good school which was a fair distance from where we lived, however we didn't get a place at our first choice, much closer school due to siblings. As it happens we've moved much closer to the school now.

This year I don't think I know of anyone who didn't get their first choice, whereas last year the opposite was true.

It really is a minefield and I'm glad we'll be exempt from it when it comes to dd2.

Our village school lost over half its places to out of catchment children.

This year lots of village children are excluded from the village school ( not us)

It's appaling. School siblings should be in catchment ( parish if church, or by postcode. )

There will be a minority of children who loose out when their parents move, however it keeps communities together and allows village schools to service the population they were intended to.

Someone will always loose out, the mums who were hysterical this week as they can not walk to school now due to the 4x4 brigade had my sympathies.

In our LEA sibblings take priority over all first born children. It doesn't matter where the family live.

The biggest issue is the lack of slack in the system. If a family with three children is forced to move house for whatever reason they may find it impossible to find a school with places for all their children. If a family is allocated a school two miles away that they never wanted in the first place then it seems a bit cruel not to allow sibling priority.

We need to open more community schools. The free schools often have an agenda. Ie. I would not want my children to go to a fundatmentalist christian free school or a montesouri school.

Most parents want to send their chidlren to a good primary near their home that follows the national curriculum.

It also varies from year to year how many children in catchment there are - we are 100m outside the catchment area for one school, but we got in because it was a small birth year. This year I had to apply to junior school for DS1 and infant school for DS2, no sibling preference because they count as different schools - if it had been a big birth year we would not have got in (several of DS1's friends have not got into the junior school that is a continuation of the infant school, so now have to try and join other schools in Y3, with no guarantee of any places). We haven't moved, just the numbers in catchment have increased.

Really I doubt you'd find a free Montessori School!
They are usually pre schools any way.
I agree re onlies being in the same position as first born children.

I agree only children are equal to the oldest sibling.

DS1 got into an out of catchment school. We're out of catchment because we live the wrong side of the catchment boundary.

DS2 didn't get into the same school or any of our other choices. Children who live in catchment, but are further away from the school then we are, got in. So I now have 2 children at 2 schools who start and finish at the same time.

This, unfortunately, is the risk you take with out of catchment applications in over subscribed areas.

thegreylady There is a new free school in Harpenden which is Montesouri. I think that montessori is great for nursery, but most parents would want their child in a conventional school from reception. Harpenden has a crisis on school places and I imagine there will be children who have to take a place at the Montesouri school.

I feel that sibling rule should apply if the school is within a sensible distance. (Ie. a child could actually walk there) Sibling catchments need to be a sensible distance (ie. a mile in a built up area) rather than something stupidly small like 100m.

The CoE village school my youngest 2 attend is changing their criteria as of September 2014 and it becomes

a) Children in Local Authority Care (defined below).
b) Siblings (defined below) of children on roll at 31st August 2014.
(this will obviously peter out over the next few years and become fewer and fewer until eventually this category will disappear)
c) Children of parent(s) or guardian(s)who Live in 4 named parishes whose families are practicing Christians
d) Children of parent(s) or guardian(s) who live in the 4 named parishes
e) Siblings (defined below) of children on roll on or after 1st September 2014.
f) Children of parent(s) or guardian(s) from outside the areas described in (c) whose families are practicing Christians
(defined below).
g) Medical, Health, Social and Special Access needs (subject to recommendation by a medical practitioner).
h) All others.

As it is a intake of 15 it is a small school and they have had years with that many siblings (like dd3s year where they had 14 siblings) that local children could not get into the school.

I think for a small village school it is a fair way to go ahead. As it is COE they use parishes to define their areas however a specific catchment area could work too.

Having seen the numbers for local children and siblings in the last 10 years only 2 years would there have been a sibling who wouldn't get it one was the year with the 14 siblings. (they upheld 3 appeals for local children that year btw) and the other there was 2 local children who did not get in.

I wonder though if this was done in London areas if it would cause mayhem for the people who do have siblings and who did not get it.

It is not always a one size fits all.

I have had DD, DS1 and DS2 go through the same Primary school. DS3 WON'T get a sibling priority there. Because there are 7 years between DS2 and DS3, and DS2 will he in Y6 when I apply for Primary places for DS3, and he will be starting Y7 in Secondary at the time that DS3 starts YR in Primary.

Which is quite right.

I have been in the situation where DS2 was offered a different school to DS1 and DD (both still at the current Primary), with DS1 being under 6.5yo starting Y2 and DD having SN's starting Y6 at the time.

No way could I send DD with DS1 while I took DS2 to a different school, because of DD's SN's. No way could DD manage without an adult there either.

Yet there was also no way I could send a 4yo on a mile walk alone either.

(I won on appeal as they hadn't applied the sibling link!)

It's quite right that they have a sibling link IMO, even if DS3 won't benefit from it, due to the age gap.

In my DS's Primary, the current Y3 is legendary as 47 of the 60 available places went to siblings!!

(The average number is more like 16 siblings in 60, in a 420 pupil Primary).

Frikadellen
I'm appauled that Medical, Health, Social and Special Access needs are so low in priority.

Church schools have other motives for not having the sibling rule. They want to trap families into going to church for years on end.

I feel that all mainstream state schools primary schools should give siblings within a certain catchment area priority.

Really Tired I live in a may I say Interesting social area? HIGH HIGH income and very low income plus a large area of middle class people all close to each other..

I actually double checked I had that right as I had assumed it would be up higher.

I think the only thing I can suggest is they have simply never had any appeals for this. The school like I said is small it is 3 buildings and really not friendly for any with special access needs due to drive to school and access to it. There is another school about a mile away that would likely get preference there.. This is all my guessing not something I know much of.

Additionally mine are of other faith as we are not a C of E family and originally had discounted this school when we moved down due to it being a C of E school.. In practice I have found it has been ok I have only twice over 6 years needed to talk to the school of church related issues. Once over something said about Lent (a quick reminder not all their children were c of E and this needed to be reflected - received an apology and a letter of what they had changed) and recently over their survey about religion that made the assumption again we all were C of E. As many personal issues I have over church schools for the one my children have in I found it a positive experience. I cringe at some of the stuff I hear here it would not happen in our school no matter what religion.