Try not laugh but comments sections on admissions forms?

[3asAbird]

went to look at one school who said always put something down why you think that specific school be right for your child and could sway them if someones wrote no comment. is that true?

Do admissions read the comments? we get up to 3000 characters,.

I did put few reasons for each school based on faith, logistics and why felt it be good fit for dd2 ie lots of her preschool going there, sisters there but no sibling link.

Will it matter or will they think im a loon?

Its ok sometimes i think im aloon or maybe touring more schools than ofsted and stressing over admissions is turning me mad.

Sorry but don't think that would make any odds. It boils down to the specific criteria so proof Faith would be clearly defined etc. Logistics and friends don't really influence any decision at this stage.

Unless it's something like "my child has a statement that names this particular school" I wouldn't bother.

Faith schools often have additional forms for you to fill in to name your church/include baptism certs/vicar's reference if that's what you mean?

It should make no difference. There should be other sections of the form/ a supplementary form for those factors that do determine ranking criteria.
The school deserves a wrap on the knuckles and could find itself in sticky waters if someone complains. But I had to bite my tongue hearing an extremely experienced Deputy head explain the admissions process and get it totally and misleadingly wrong.

It really annoys me when schools say something like this. What you put in the comments section will make no difference whatsoever unless you say something that puts your child in a different admissions category, but there should be somewhere else on the form for that kind of information. There are no circumstances ever in which you can get a place because you have given reasons for your preference and someone else didn't.

Admissions won't think you are a loon. They put that box on the form because the government says they have to. They get all kinds of comments from people who think it makes a difference.

Good schools are usually oversubscribed in which case the comments can make do difference, as the school will be full based on other criteria well before comments come into play. Not so good schools may be undersubscribed, again, where do comments actually fit in? I wrote about 3 sentences for my first and second choices, limited to facts on which school was closest, which was the catchment one, and that my DS wants to use their sporting equipment and play lots of sport. I didn't bother commenting on third choice.

All 3 were oversubscribed.

all 3 faith nut not va so la control admissions ie kids in care, siblings, distance.

we have sibling at choice 1 but shes doesnt count as local sibling.
choice 2 crazy exiting new school.
choice 3 nearish to our house, dds school and that school has after school dd1s does not cant be 2places at one time.

school 1 and 3 within my la.
school 2outside la and lottery random allocation.

all kids baptised coe but that makes no diffrence as voluntary controlled.

The box is there, and the question is asked. Will it hurt your application if you write something in the box? of course not. Will it help you get the school you want? Most probably not, but you don't know that for sure. So put something in, we did and never felt that it would put us to a disadvantage to do so. It is not rubbish advice from the Head. Even if she/he doesn't get to see the paragraph and has no say in who is and is not accepted in the school, if it can help you in any (even very small) way) then write something short in the box. If they didn't want people to write anything the box wouldn't be there.

The only way the comments box could have an influence is if someone doesn't tick 'sibling' criteria box, say, but then in comments says:

"Petunia would so love to be at the same school as Gregory, who is in Year 3 of Saxon Green School."

That should prompt the admissions team to say 'oooh Mrs X didn't tick the sibling box.'

OR

The school has social and medical grounds and the parent states: "It is essential that DD goes to this school because I have medical evidence from a Consultant Paediatrician, which states that her school must be within 5 minutes walking distance due to x condition and this is the only school within that distance."

That would prompt the admissions team to assess the evidence to see if it is strong enough for their social/medical grounds criteria (it's a very high burden of evidence).

Other than that, pretty much nil.

And on social/medical grounds you need to supply documentary evidence with the application form. Admissions don't always get in touch to ask for it.

All I wrote was something like this,

Choice 1 - 'we attend the linked church' signed paperwork was attached.
Choice 2 - 'our catchment school'.
Choice 3 - left blank because it was just a back up school.

Also for children with disabilities which do not get statemented in that particular LEA but which would still make them unable to attend any other school. Some LEA's refuse to statement for physical disabilities and may not have a box on the admissions form, but if the child can't get into the classroom she can't get into the classroom.

Cory sorry but unless a child has a statement then their disability will not make any difference over whether a child is offered a school place. With the only exception being if a school has a specialist "unit" for their disability, when there is usually a special procedure for the unit.

A school can still be assigned which has no lift and lots of stairs for a child in a wheelchair. The school will be expected to adapt (maybe by time tabling).

In the appeals procedure then non-statement end disability can be considered, but these are hard to win for KS1.