Will my child get into the local school...?

[Glastronaut]

Hello! Just hoping some more experienced mums can shed any light on the school catchment process for me?! I have a 2 year old and one due in December. Currently looking at buying a house in Ealing and would really like to be in with a chance at a place in good local primary when the time comes. Most of the local schools are labelled as 'good' and 'oversubscribed' by ofsted but get mixed reviews online. The Ealing catchment map puts the houses I'm looking at into the catchment of a certain local school which has rave reviews but this school is 0.4 miles away, the other schools are as far or further away. Is there any way I could find out how many kids got into the school from my street last year/year before? Would phoning the local schools be helpful? Thank you!!

You might be able to find out on the council web site. DH found the actual admission distance for the three years preceding our purchase, and then mapped it out on an OS map (he's detailed ;-)

We then had a good idea of what the likelihood of admission from each house we looked at was. Good thing we went that router as our DC was in a high birth year.

Good luck.

Ive no experience of London admissions, but I would closely read your boroughs admissions process and the schools criteria. Lots of criteria are applied differently (sibling, faith, straight line distance from school, travelled distance from school, looked after child) and it's easy to get confused!

There should be a school place strategy which includes projected numbers of pupils (very tough to to predict due to moves in and out) so you can take a stable at which schools are likely to be over subscribed.

Good luck!

That information is most probably available online - try the council website

Yes, the council should have the admission booklet for the 2016 intake online or should be able to provide you with a copy.

The councils use a measurement system which often differs form online ones, ask what they calculate for distance for the house you look at. Distance in the last years often changed if a school took on a bulge class or extended permanently. If there are big changes ask why.

Admission criteria often state distance as the last one, so if it is a CoE or RC school check carefully the requirements for admission.

London is a minefield.