Anyone who knows about London Primary applications - whjat happens when you live on edge of borough and want to apply to school in next borough?

[chrysanthemumtea]

We are buying a house a couple of hundred metres from the borough border and our first choice primary school (we have to apply by Jan for entry Sept 2015) is in the next door borough. How does that work in terms of applications? Can you apply to a neighbouring borough? On the same application form? And then what happens if there is a borough wide initiative? The school we want is in Newham whereas the house is in Waltham Forest (just). Newham has an initiative where it gives every child in the borough a musical instrument and lessons, through the school. If you kid lived out of the borough would they not get this or would they get this because they were at school in the borough?

Thanks

The answer to your first question is simple.

In London you can apply for up to six schools in order of your preference and the borough boundaries are irrelevant.

However you MUST apply through the Borough you are RESIDENT in. The Borough(s) the schools are in dont matter.

Regarding the second question, my understanding is that all pupils are treated equally in all respects, the Borough in which they live makes no difference, but I am not so sure about that. Whay not ask the Head of the relevant school? as its close to the border you will not be the first out of Borough case....

Thank you that is helpful.

Are there any disadvantages in going to a school out of borough?

Have you checked previous year stats to see if you are likely to get in based on admissions criteria? This would be my very first port of call to ensure I wasn't setting my heart on a school I had no hope of getting into.

As you will be out of borough I would imagine you will not be in catchment 'priority area nowadays'. If catchment is an admission criteria and it is over subscribed you are unlikely to get in. As previous posters have said there is data on previous admissions. If it went to distance then being out of borough isn't so much of an issue. I wouldn't buy a house unless I was very sure I was high up on admission criteria list-if that school is very important to you.

Not moving for a specific school at all. Just the house is v on edge of borough equidistant from about five schools and the nicest of these happens to be over borough border. But any (except one) would be fine.

I don't understand the catchment thing though. Does that mean you don't get in unless you are in catchment or just that people in the catchment get in first.

People in catchment get in first. They cannot refuse to admit just because you are out of catchment. However, as you are in London your chances of getting a place if you don't live in catchment are minimal.

newham admissions guidance 2014

waltham forest primary admissions

You will see last year's furthest place offered figures in the guidance booklets and work out which school (if any) you have a chance of getting into.

Waltham forest has been expanding the number of places considerably so the 2013 quoted figures may be quite different now. You will have to wait until the new booklet comes out in the autumn for 2014 figures then check with schools on the likely future reception intake figures.

Good luck

Although we are near 4 schools there are only 2 which we are close enough to get into. It is highly unlikely that you will have a true choice of 5

My Dc's go to a school in a different borough to the one we live in, and to answer your question are there any disadvantages - no there aren't as far as I can see. Once you're in the school it doesn't make any difference at all. The only thing I can think of, is you might be a bit further away than some of your dc's friends, but if you're right on the border, this may not be the case.

equidistant from about five schools

This can mean 'not close enough to any'.

I don't know if this is true of all boroughs, but where I work, living in a different borough can make it harder if you need the SENCO to discuss things with GPs, educational psychologists and other external bodies etc.