WIBU to not include my nearest school at all?

[Notabadger]

Another admissions one...

We live in London. Lots of primary schools within walking distance, although some with ridiculously small catchments. Always imagined we'd pick our nearest school but went to visit and hated it! I'm sure it suits some people and it's rated outstanding but is everything we don't want (academy, focus on results/behaviour/homework/uniform)

We get six choices
Would it be odd to not put this school down at all? We are unlikely to get into the next three nearest schools

Yes it WBU, as if you don't get a place at one of your next nearest schools then you risk being without a place at all on offer day. The stress is not worth it. Put the schools down in your genuine order of preference and stay on the waiting lists for the ones you prefer. In London particularly, there is a huge amount of shuffling around between April and September.

Absolutely put it on. It keeps you on the wait lists for the schools you want. A school you hate that's nearby is far preferable to a school you hate that's on the other side of the borough, which is what you risk getting by not putting down your nearest one.

You would be mad.

But it on as your last choice!! You could end up miles away otherwise.

Nobody will think it "odd" because nobody will care about your preferences except you. It would be daft to leave it off if you don't have a hope of getting into any other nearby school.

I would put it 6th so that if you dont get any of your other choices then you can have that as a safe choice rather than be left with one you are massively out of catchment for

They go on YOUR preference so if you can get into any of the others you will above that one but it saves you from ending up with something much much worse

Put it as your 6th choice. If you don't you risk not getting any of your choices and being allocated whatever school has a place left ie generally a school that could be anywhere and which no one wanted to go to.

If this scenario does happen at least your DC can go to a school close to you whilst you go on the waiting list for one you really want. Trudging across London twice every day to get to a school you didn't choose and is absolutely miles away would not be fun at all.

It's not odd exactly, but it would be foolish. As others have said, put it as your 6th choice. If you don't get any of your 6 choices you could end up with a rubbish school miles away. I expect this one would be better?

It wouldn't be odd it would be nuts. You do realize they could give you something miles away that you'd hate even more and at that point all the places at your nearest school would have gone. It has to be on your list.

It depends. It might be your nearest school but that doesn’t mean you will necessarily get a place.

If, in the last couple of years, you would have got in on distance then put it on your list, but low down.

If you would not have got a place recently then it being near doesn’t mater and you could leave it.

You have six choices though. If there are 6 schools you love and will certainly get a place at then leave it off. I don’t think that’s a likely scenario in London.

Thanks everyone.

I guess I didn't mean 'odd' as in what would other people think, more would I be foolish to do it.

Sounds like I should put it down as number 6.

The headteacher 'welcomed' us to the tour of this school by saying that we probably wouldn't get in and how to be on the waiting list etc, so perhaps we won't get in anyway and this will be a worry about nothing

The golden rule is: put down at least one school that you have a good chance of getting in to.

You need to check the last distances admitted to see which schools you might get.

I haven't for our infant-junior admissions. The most local school was an absolute disaster for my eldest and, while the head's been shipped out since then, I don't trust the place - however this is an infant-junior transfer and I know the numbers from our out of catchment infant school moving up to the out of catchment linked juniors, we have a sibling already at the juniors and my child is currently at the infants so I'm pretty confident the numbers will work out well in our favour (plus it's for Y3 so infant class sizes don't apply)

Put down one school you WILL get into. Not have a good chance of getting into. You need one that’s definite. If they are all varying degrees of chance, then they may be no chance this year. You have to choose a secure one.

I rather suspect your local school has excellent qualities but you don’t want to see them because your views on what a school should be have rather blinkered your view. What do other parents think ? Are the majority happy?

Well, if its seventh on your list and you have at least one you will definitely get into then crack on. But presumably the one you will definitely get into is undersubscribed, poor ofsted, further away. If you genuinely prefer it, fine. But don’t use less than your six choices and don’t judge a school on your prejudices unless you are very sure you are right. .

is this nearest school a "banker" - would you definitely have got in on distance criteria the last 3 years? if it's your nearest school but you wouldn't necessarily get a place there because its catchment is smaller than your distance to it then don't waste a choice on it. use your sixth space for one you can be absolutely certain of getting a place at and which is a bearable distance, even if you hate it. if you don't do this you can end up with one that is equally awful and also really difficult to get to. however a school you don't like with a tiny catchment may not be in this category.

Put it down or you'll get a school that you dislike equally as much but which is further away.

Yes I suppose I should try to keep a more open mind. I'm sure there are good things about the school too. I'll try to speak to some parents there.

I don't really know if this school is a 'banker' or not. It was actually undersubscribed last year but since then has gained its outstanding rating and changed its admission criteria to give priority to existing nursery pupils above distance.

And yes deffo better to have a nearby school I don't like than a far away crap school I don't like!

Please do put it down. At least every other year one of my London friends/aquaitances(which I clearly can't spell!) gets no school on offers day. So yes please just stick it down at number 6.
There is an enormous amount of movement in london schools and people thinking private have state as a banker, you can still go on the waiting list for your other choices.

Good plan, find out some more and then be clear about it in your own mind. Good luck.

It was actually undersubscribed last year but since then has gained its outstanding rating and changed its admission criteria to give priority to existing nursery pupils above distance

Have they really? My understanding was that the OSA had found schools couldn't do that anymore because of the unfairness towards children who do not use that nursery (eg because parents work and need full day care). The only schools I know that used to do this all changed a couple of years ago. If they have done that then this is ripe for challenge.

I thought they could change their admissions criteria because they are an academy? Happy to be corrected

Yes agreed. Normally attending nursery isn’t linked to admission to YR. It isn’t fair.

Try and visit the school again. This time look around you. Do you see happily engaged children? Are they enthusiastic? Do they want to show you what they are doing? Are the classroom displays interesting? What is the curriculum outside English/Numeracy? What signs are there of interesting things to learn in history, geography and sciences for example? Is there evidence of sport, music, art and drama?

Look at the web site. What’s in the Head’s newsletters? Is it friendly and informative? What’s happening there? What communication is there with parents? Do they have an active “Friends”.

Do look at the Ofsted report. It’s very challenging to get Outstanding now. They must have great teaching and ensure excellent progress for DC from whatever their background and prior learning. Why would you think other schools are better? They really may not be.