Another primary application thread

[RatRolyPoly]

I'm sure there are a million threads like this one, but the ones I've read don't seem to address my worries, but please do signpost me to them if I just haven't looked hard enough!

So we're in catchment for two primary schools, and there are a handful of others in walking distance. We'd be happy with either of the two catchment schools (although we definitely prefer one, which we're also very close to as the crow flies), so do we need to fill out the other option boxes?

I think we'd be pretty sure to get into one of the two catchment schools (am I naive??), so I'm wondering if we really need to visit the other local options. I feel like we'd be wasting everyone's time really - I have a good idea of how they stack up (ds's pre-school is based in one of them for example) - but should I even bother putting them on the form? Would we be less likely to get our first choices if we did?

I feel like an idiot for even asking this, I'm sure it wouldn't be a bad thing to fill up the other spaces, I'm just flapping. Help please!

Every option on your form is evaluated independently according to the admissions criteria. Preference only comes into play if you would get into more than one school. More or fewer schools on your form will make no difference to your chance of getting in, so if you have any doubt at all that you might not get into your catchment schools, you should definitely use as many choices as you have.

I would fill out the schools in order of preference. If there is a freak year of siblings and you dont get in, it will be better to get allocated a school you can get to.

You don’t need to visit the school but better to put another option in that is convenient to you just in case something happens and you don’t get your first two choices. Remember, it’s not just about being close as the crow flies as there could be a dozen families further away who already have a child there so the sibling rule comes into effect.

Oh brilliant, thanks folks. The really close one that we like is actually brand new and only took its first pupils this September, so I think a load of siblings is unlikely. Saying that, if we didn't get in for some reason I'd be really kicking myself if I could have put a load of schools down that are walking distance and ended up having to drive across the city!

Write other names to fill up the form - you won't lose anything but in case odd stuff happens at least you know where the school is.
I looked at the two schools we thought we had a hope of getting, put them down, then the next four in order of ease of getting there. But school 1 had expanded a couple years earlier and was full of siblings, and school 2 didn't take a bulge class for the first time in 5 years, so was also full of siblings. So we got school 3. After going for a look we stayed on the wait list for 1 but not 2, but have been with school 3 ever since.
If you aren't in a city such things are less likely but may as well fill up the form.

Definitely might as well fill up the form. But I’d recommend NOT visiting any more if you’re happy with the ones you’ve already seen. I visited too many and just confused myself as I liked one of the further away ones too much. Wish I had kept it simple for myself!

We have put a close school that we haven’t visited as our third preference just as a safety net in the worst case scenario DS doesn’t get into either of the other 2 schools. Would prefer him to at least be somewhere which will work with the rest of our weekday commitments (work, commutes etc) than be placed somewhere completely at random which doesn’t work for us.

Visit as many schools as you can. Open days, Christmas Fetes etc.

Personally I would visit all schools that a) are in walking distance, and b) you have a hope (even if not a clear chance) of getting into.

You might like one of them a lot better than either of the two 'catchment' schools. And you could end up putting a 'non-catchment' school as first preference. Perhaps you'd get a space. And if you didn't, it wouldn't affect your chances of getting into the catchment schools.

It's a great place to be, having two schools you'd be happy with and for which you have good chances. But perhaps you have your 'perfect' school in walking distance, but never even visited?! Having a 'perfect' school as a possibility, with two decent fall-back options in case it doesn't work out, is a very comfortable situation too!

brilliotic you've just put into words exactly the thoughts I'd started having after starting this thread. We're absolutely going to go and see the other walking distance schools and who knows? If we like one more than our current favourite there's no reason not to put it first on the list!

Thanks everyone for all the advice, it's been really really helpful :)

brilliotic you were right, we did indeed have an absolutely perfect school within walking distance that I hadn't even planned to visit! I'm so glad we did, it's going top of the list.

We may not be in catchment (if we lived 10 doors down we would be...) but I just looked at last year's numbers and because of the newly built catchment school near me they were undersubscribed for the first time in years - so there's the slimmest tiniest chance we might get in!

And if not, there are the two catchment schools to put down as our 2nd and 3rd preferences.

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to reply.