Has anyone only put down one school choice?

[HarderToKidnap]

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?

In my DS's intake in this academic year at his school there were 36 children with older siblings already at the school. The catchment area for his year was 0.3 miles. At the next nearest school the catchment area was 0.09 miles!! We wouldn't have had a chance of getting that one. He has a sister already at his school but if he hadn't then I would have been filling up those choices with as many realistic options as possible otherwise, as others have said, you risk being allocated a school miles away.

Last year there were a few distraught mums posting thinking that they were increasing the chance of their child getting the preferred school by only putting one school down, as they were indicating that only ONE school would do. They discovered that this did not work, when their child had been allocated terrible schools miles away.

Even if you don't bother looking at any other schools, there's no reason not to fill in the rest of the form with the five next nearest schools.

Takes about two minutes and could be very useful in case for some reason you don't get first choice. I speak as someone in SW London who was sure of getting one of my two nearest schools, couldn't see how I'd get into any one even further away - and then last April was assigned school 3, 25 min walk away, thanks to the ripple effects of schools even further having or not having bulge classes this year.

Just fill in the form already.

Ok thanks everyone! Will def fill in all the choices.

I put down the school that I could see from my front door for DD. I put down various others in the area.

I was offered one a 30 minutes bus ride away with an inadequate ofsted. Luckily she got into one close by on the waiting list but we had an anxious summer and only found out 2 days before term started by which time ahd uniform for other school and had resigned myself to her going there. (the one she got into is still not our nearest) Not worth the risk sorry.

Not a good idea to put only one school down even if you live on the doorstep and you are 100% sure to get a place. What if it gets flooded, burns down, merges with another school, closes etc...

Sorry, don't mean up sound negative...

A friend of mine did this. She lived in catchment where previously others got in. Her dd did not get in as there was a surge in numbers that year. She wasn't offered the next nearest but a failing school several miles away. It's not worth the risk. Just follow the instructions and put three choices down.

I want to avoid three of my local primaries so I put my ideal one first and then listed the next four by distance from my home. I am in SE London so there is something like 8 - all take 60 per year - within a mile BUT the LA have warned that despite this there is still a real chance I may have to get a bus as there are more children than places here!