How do they allocate in this instance?

[DumbleDork]

I’ve put 3 schools on my DDs application form for starting primary school.

Our first choice is not our catchment school but is closer than our catchment school. Our second choice is our catchment school and our third choice is the school my DS is at but he’s year 6 now so won’t be there by the time DD starts plus it’s out of catchment.

To add to confusion, because the third choice is a one form entry, if you put this school you are also automatically considered for 2 other close schools, one of which happens to be our first choice school.

Would an LEA automatically give a catchment school over a different school even if the different school was closer or would we still stand a good chance of getting first choice even though not catchment? I’ve looked at the admission figures for last year and they don’t spread much light:

First choice:

Furthest from school allocation was 2.5 miles - 0.5 for us

Applications were 109 in total:

17 places were sibling & catchment together
47 were catchment alone
6 were sibling alone
39 were distance.

Allocations results were:

Higher preference offered:
0 sibling & catchment together
20 catchment alone
0 sibling
27 distance

Places offered:
17 sibling & catchment together
27 catchment alone
6 sibling alone
10 distance

Second choice:

Furthest from school allocation was 1.29 miles away - is 1.24 for us

Applications were 95 in total:

13 places were sibling & catchment together
41 were catchment alone
8 were sibling alone
1 was staff
32 were distance.

Allocations results were:

Higher preference offered:
0 sibling & catchment together
5 catchment alone
0 sibling
0 staff
26 distance

Places offered:
13 sibling & catchment together
36 catchment alone
8 sibling alone
1 staff
2 distance

I’m so bloody confused

You will be considered for every school you have applied for, and in simplistic terms will be ranked in order according to the admissions criteria for each one along with every other applicant. If more than one school would be able to offer you a place, you will be offered your highest preference (and the space you would have had at the other school(s) would go to the next person on the list).

For your first choice, was the 2.5 miles offered in the distance category, and have I read right that you are 0.5 miles? If so, it would seem on the face of it like you have a reasonable chance of an offer.

If all school can offer you a place they will give you a place at the school you ranked highest on your application - you don't get given more than one offer to mull over. On the basis of last years data you would have qualified for a place at your first choice

I don’t understand this bit -

To add to confusion, because the third choice is a one form entry, if you put this school you are also automatically considered for 2 other close schools, one of which happens to be our first choice school.

Is this actually written into the third school’s oversubscription policy?

newschoolnewname yes it is. It has been for the last 4 years or so.

educated yes we live 0.5 miles from the school but the furthest offered place was 2.5 miles away

If the furthest place was offered in the distance category, then you look like you’ve got a good chance.

However if that distance was offered in the sibling category, which you don’t fall into, the last distance offered could be much lower. I would suspect that it is the last distance for the distance category though.

Have you listed the criteria in order for school 1? Why no sibling places offered despite siblings applying?

Oh there were siblings admitted - what does the higher preference numbers refer to?

Clearly if applications are the same this year as last you're in. But unless you know how many siblings have applied and where everyone else lists you can't be certain.

Ok I think I understand!

You will either qualify for each of the schools or you won't. If you qualify for two, or more, you will be offered the highest you preferred of those you qualified for.

I would ignore what the results were for last year if I were you as they are just an indication of what might happen this year.They also may be totally different when the places are allocated.
The easiest way to think of this is to say that the LA will on their computer work out for your first preference school the order in which each applicant will be put. They will use the admission criteria for the school to do this. So top priority will be any pupils who have an EHC Plan naming the school, followed by pupils who are looked after or previously looked after, then it is sibling and catchment, followed by catchment pupils, siblings and then distance. The admission criteria will state exactly how the order will be determined for the criteria which separates all in the group but usually it is distance.
When the LA comes to allocating places, there are 60 to allocate so they will take the first 60 in the list. If they are all first preference then those will all be offered a place. However there may well be some who expressed a higher preference for another school in which the LA will see whether that preference can allowed or not because they are sufficiently high up the list to justify being given a place.
If you are unlucky enough not to be in the 60 who can be offered a place, then the LA will then look at your second preference school and see whether you can be offered a place there.
Again if you cannot be allocated a place at your preference school then they look to your third preference school. I am not sure how the system works but my reading would be that as you have already been considered for your first preference school, the fact that your third preference school has an interesting extra admission criteria will make no difference. However in effect the other school you will be considered for is giving you a 4th preference.

It’s driving me mad thinking about it. I just want to know now. I’m beginning to think that I should have put our catchment school first and then at least I would have pretty much been guaranteed a place. But we really want the one we’ve put first choice as it’s a nicer school, more outside space and most importantly they do breakfast and after school club for my work days as well as holiday club. Which the catchment school which is our 2nd choice doesn’t

Don't worry - you had catchment second. If you don't get choice one you will almost certainly have qualified for choice 2.

That’s a relief at least. I thought they could refuse me as they aren't my first choice

No. Equal preference these days. Anything else illegal.

I'm desperate to find out the placements now. DS1 didn't get into his first choice school two years ago which has made me paranoid about DS2s application this year. Even though we're in catchment AND DS1 is there already. Roll on Tuesday!!

The catchment school can’t refuse you on the grounds that they’re your 2nd choice. They have to look at all applications equally regardless of whether they’re the 1st / 2nd / 3rd choice.

If you didn’t get your 1st or 2nd choice then it would mean that you wouldn’t have qualified for the 2nd choice regardless of where you put it on the application form.

Although looking at last year’s data it looks like you’ve got a good chance at qualifying for the catchment school.

Roll on Tuesday now.
Thanks everyone who’s taken the time to reply and help

If it helps - in my LA the school never finds out what order / preference you put them in. Unless parents tell them of course.

I never remember it being this hard when my son started school in 2012. We lived so close to the school I could walk there in 3 minutes. And I only put that school. And everyone I knew got their first choice that year

Out of interest, how did it go @DumbleDork?

What’s a catchment school? I thought in the UK it just went by distance

Shiverrrrmetimbers

It varies depending on your LA. In my LA it’s just furthest distance.
Our neighbouring LA has defined catchment areas for each school. So if you live within a particular area on a map you’re “in catchment” for a particular school and have priority over people not in that area.
People living outside the catchment area might be physically closer to the school than some people inside the catchment area depending on where the school is within the catchment area.

Is that just to make it just that tiny bit more complicated than it already is?!

Shiverrrrmetimbers In my LA the "catchment" school is the school closest to you but doesn't guarantee you a place there

educated thanks for asking. We got our first choice