Primary school admissions, priority query.

[Twine88]

Hoping one of the mumsnet admissions experts can answer this one!

If I list a local primary school as my first choice but do not actually live within the catchment, would my choice supersede someone who did live in catchment but listed the same school as 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice?

Also, when is a school class considered oversubscribed? Is it when the number of first choices exceeds their pan or do they count all options - 1st,2nd,3rd choice etc.

What are the admissions criteria? Is the catchment defined, or do they just admit by distance?

ps - school doesn't know where you list them. The LEA looks at which schools you qualify for, and if there is more than one, offers a place at your topmost choice. The fact you put school X first and someone in catchment puts it third doesn't come into it I that sense - they don't say, oh you want it more so you have it. Of course if the other person qualifies for a school they have ranked higher, that's the offer they will get, but no, you ranking the school higher is largely irrelevant.

No, it wouldn't.

Schools aren't told how you rank your preferences, they just get a list of everyone who has applied. They then arrange all applicants in the order of how well they fit the criteria. The LEA then plays something a bit like a giant game of Candy Crush to turn those lists into a single offer.

So someone who hates their catchment school and listed it 6th as their 'banker' choice, but who failed to be high enough up the list for their preferences 1-5 would still be offered it ahead of any out-of-catchment applicant, no matter how keen that applicant was to go there.

The schools criteria is 1. Looked after children 2. Siblings. 3. Catchment. 4. Nearest distance.

Meditrina sums it up very clearly.

Thank you all. That's a big help.