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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Has anyone only put down one school choice?

34 replies

HarderToKidnap · 13/01/2014 13:37

I haven't got to apply for schools this year, just wondering on this topic. I live in a large town in a SW London borough. All primary schools in the area are good and there is the usual shortage of places. I live 20 metres from the entrance of a good school with a large primary intake. The next nearest school is 20mins walk away. I can't see the point in choosing more than one school next year? They are all equally good and oversubscribed so why would I get in to one 20 minutes away if I can't get in to one literally on my doorstep?

What are the risks of this?

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lilyaldrin · 13/01/2014 13:39

If you only put one choice down and don't get it you will be randomly assigned any school that has a space - so it could be a lot further away than 20 minutes.

Unless you are absolutely guaranteed a place at your nearest school (and even if you are) - why risk it?

offblackeggshell · 13/01/2014 13:42

I have heard of schools being full purely on sibling places. Personally, I don't see why you would risk it. Obviously you probably will get a place at your preferred school, but why on earth would you not just put other options in the other boxes? Put the next nearest, and the next nearest, just to be sure. What do you gain by leaving the other options empty?

TravelinColour · 13/01/2014 13:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Debs75 · 13/01/2014 13:46

I have 1 school on dd3's application. It is the nearest and her sister goes there so we are hoping she will get in. There are 2 close enough to walk both to school but it will be a struggle. Any more and they will be well out of the way. I know I should of put one of the other near ones down as a 2nd choice but I can't remember my login details. If she wasn't to get her sisters school I would keep her in nursery until we could get her a place or appeal it. She is only 4 in August so doesn't legally have to start school until Easter next year.

Meita · 13/01/2014 13:49

Hi,
Well if you get into your first choice, it doesn't matter what your other choices were or if you even had any others. If you don't get into your first choice, and didn't put any others, you will be allocated a school, probably the nearest school that still has places. Given that you say there is a shortage of places, chances are that this school would be an unpopular school at quite a distance to you.
Now if you fill up all your other choices with schools to which there is absolutely no chance of getting in, then it is pretty much the same effect as leaving the other choices empty.
However, if you can identify a school which is ok- not great, but not terrible either; or if you find a school which is not really ok, but at least it is close; and you would have a realistic chance of getting in; then it is worth putting this school/these schools down. Just because you'd be happier in a bad school which is close, compared to a bad school which is far away.
And if you do put that 'reserve' school, on the last place of preference, then you might as well fill the remaining choices with schools where you don't really think you will get in, but there is always an off chance. Just because it is further away from you doesn't necessarily mean that you wouldn't get in!

Also, don't forget that things can change. There might be a new school opening, perhaps a free school, or an existing school might increase its PAN, or a school which had a really short 'maximum distance' in one year might be different in another year, for instance because they had a 'bulge' year at some point. Definitely worth checking out the likelihood of getting into particular schools at the time, rather than going on outdated information.

ErrolTheDragon · 13/01/2014 13:51

The risks are that if you don't get a place, given that you say 'all the others are oversubscribed' you'll end up with a struggling undersubscribed school miles away. If you don't state a preference then everyone else who has (even if it was their lowest) will take priority, I think.

There is absolutely no downside to putting down as many as possible, in preferred order.

prh47bridge · 13/01/2014 13:54

If you only name one school and don't get it you will be offered a place at the nearest school with places available. That will be an unpopular school and could be some distance from home. I would always recommend using all your choices and including at least one school where you are almost certain to get a place . As you live only 20m from the nearest school you should be safe but it won't do any harm to list an unpopular school you find acceptable (or at least, more acceptable than the other unpopular schools). I would also list some more good schools even if you don't think you will get in. Strange things can happen. It could be that the school on your doorstep fills up with siblings whereas the school 20 minutes away has fewer applicants. If you don't list these schools you have no chance of getting a place.

Debs75 - The LA should be able to help you recover your login details so that you can add more choices if you want. You need to be aware that most appeals for Reception places are heard under infant class size rules, which basically means you should only win if a mistake has been made that has deprived your child of a place.

WoodBurnerBabe · 13/01/2014 13:56

I thought about this - we live 200 yards from the school, my son already has a sibling at the school, and our county operates sibling preference. I still put 3 choices down. I pretty much know all the other children who will be applying, and my son will be 2nd on the list for 15 places (there is one other who has a sibling and lives closer than we do). It is a tiny village and a tiny village school, so I'm about as certain as anyone can be that he will get a place. Still can't bring myself to risk it though! I have chosen another locally where he probably will get a place.

Unexpected · 13/01/2014 13:57

Debs75 I would try to get your login details back pronto, I'm sure there must be an option on the website to retrieve them. It does sound as if you should get into your other child's school but if you don't, you will be allocated a school which still has places remaining which is likely to be a lot further away than your potential 2nd choice. Then you will really have logistical problems!

Keeping your dd3 in nursery is fine and well but if a year passes and no space comes available you will then have to send her elsewhere or Home Ed. At that point you will also be looking for a Year 1 place in full classes. Infant class appeals are difficult to win and saying that this is your closest school or your only choice won't get you anywhere whatsoever. Why not put down the 2nd choice?

Janorisa · 13/01/2014 13:59

There are only two schools near us that I would be happy for DD to go to, but we still listed all six to prevent what has been mentioned above.

I would not risk just having one choice...your DD could end up anywhere.

lilyaldrin · 13/01/2014 14:03

If you genuinely don't care - either 1st choice or any other school in the county would be fine for you - then I guess maybe only putting one choice would be ok.

But if you have any preference at all for an undersubscribed school close by vs. further away, then put it down.

hootloop · 13/01/2014 14:11

I did when applying for DS's junior school but only because our authority has a linked junior school policy so that if you are in year 2 at an infant school you are guaranteed a place at its linked junior for year 3. As long as you apply on time.
The infant school is oversubscribed every year and so despite it being our local area school (I think this is the same as catchment) and only 10 minutes walk and DD having sibling priorty (as DS is in the linked junior school) I have still put all my choices down as you never know.
Fingers crossed that DD gets her reception place.

FamiliesShareGerms · 13/01/2014 14:12

We only put down one choice, but as DD is adopted we have a pretty cast iron guarantee that she will get in, as she is top of the selection criteria except for those with a statemented need for a particular school.

sashangel · 13/01/2014 14:14

I only put down one choice due to the the criteria we were 99.9% guaranteed a place.

prh47bridge · 13/01/2014 14:33

Nice to hear that it worked out for some people. On the other side of the coin, every year we get upset parents on MN who only named one school thinking they were guaranteed a place only to find they've been offered a school miles away that they hate.

The only absolute guarantee is a statement of SEN naming the school. Looked after children and previously looked after children are almost certain to get a place at their preferred school. An adopted child who has never been looked after is in the same boat as everyone else.

Going to a linked school does not guarantee a place. Any LA that offers such a guarantee is in breach of the Admissions Code. It is very likely that a child attending a linked school will get a place but if there are a lot of SEN and/or looked after children (or any other category that goes above attendance at a linked school - special medical needs or siblings, for example) they may miss out.

Bunnyjo · 13/01/2014 14:46

I will be filling in DS's application this autumn - he is due to go to school in Sept 2015. I will be using all 3 preferences on the form, despite him having an older sister at our catchment village school. I know for a fact that, at present, there are 9 siblings due to start in DS's year group and the PAN is only 8! Thankfully, as said before, we are catchment and at least one of the siblings is out of catchment, but I have to admit I am still a little nervous.

Nothing is ever guaranteed; it would be wise to use all your preferences, just in case.

titchy · 13/01/2014 14:55

You should be safe, unless there are a lot of siblings (a bulge class higher up the school could mean double the usual number of siblings), sextuplets living 19metres away, or church or other criteria coming higher up than you. However why would you not put other schools down? Really not worth the risk - imagine if you didn't get a place,were allocated one 5 miles away, then found out yours exon nearest school took a bulge class whih was filled with applicants who HAD put it on their form.

redskyatnight · 13/01/2014 15:56

I put one choice down on my junior school application.
Because I knew that there was only a mathematical chance that the DC wouldn't get in, and if they didn't get in there there would only be the schools miles away that no one wanted that had places anyway.

I chose not to spend time trawling round schools on the basis of a teeny tiny probability.

If there's a chance that's more than mathematical that you won't get your 1st choice, you should put somethign else down though.

insanityscatching · 13/01/2014 16:11

Most people round here put down one choice as there are spaces pretty much in every school and most children go to the school local to them. Dd doesn't go to the local school (and has a statement so would have got my choice regardless) but would have got in because of spaces in her school and in any of the schools in a three mile radius at the time of application.

LittleMissGreen · 13/01/2014 16:22

I only put down one choice for DS2, because I knew there was only one school I wanted him to go to. As I put on the form, if he didn't get a place there I would home-educate, I had home-edded DS1 for a while so knew what it involved.
However, we live in a rural area, with only a couple of local schools - English Medium or Welsh Medium, neither of which are over subscribed. I wouldn't have done that if we lived in London and I hadn't genuinely been happy to home educate (DS2 has autism so I was very sure that school, or nothing).

StripyPenguin · 13/01/2014 17:52

It's just not worth the risk, as others have said, you could end up at the least popular school miles away. What have you got to lose by putting more than one school? We have listed 3 schools, one would be impossible to get to for us but it's better there than a rubbish school further away - we're practically guaranteed the one we want thank goodness.

Pumpkin567 · 13/01/2014 18:04

I have listed three, I have guaranteed sibling priority for my first choice.

You need to list three! Siblings, statements you just never know.

3bunnies · 13/01/2014 18:07

I've put two on the form although realistically would probably not get a place at #2. #1 he is a sibling and lives closer than most other siblings so would need sextuplets to move in next door to school and another couple opposite all with older siblings.

I put it down in case our circumstances changed - eg major falling out with school, bullying etc. I can't see it happening because we are happy with it and particularly with ds I think he will be in the best place. Having said that at least now we could get name on waiting list earlier for the other school or appeal etc faster if we needed to.

It costs nothing but time to add schools - it didn't even take extra ink this time!

LEMmingaround · 13/01/2014 18:13

I only put down one choice, got it - but its a church school and we are catholic, the other schools in the area are not church. I only wanted my DD to go to this school

curlew · 13/01/2014 18:20

It's not a matter of it "working". It's a disastrous idea unless you are absolutely certain that you will get into that school. If you don't put a second choice they can put you literally anywhere.

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