More likely to get 1st choice if I write why?

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Just wondering if I should write my reasons for my first choice in my state school application? This is optional on the application, but I'm wondering if this will give us a better chance.

I have my heart set on the local outstanding school and a neighbour's son 3 doors down got a place last year, so hoping distance will give us a better chance.

Also, can I try and be a bit strategic by putting down good schools that are further away? That way they can't not give us our 1st choice

a couple of the children at my dds school don't live close but chose it because grandparents do and they're the ones doing wraparound. unless the reason is included as exceptional e.g. SEN, foster child etc. the comment won't make a difference.

You seem to be assuming a person will be reading it and that said person has control over what school places go where

It’s all algorithmed I’m afraid once you get into distance etc. If you fall into one of the criteria you get the school if not you don’t and it goes down the list

Then if you don’t get any on your lists it will give you the closest one there is space for (centrally allocated places)

Unless you are a hacker you can’t cheat a computer based allocation system
That said if it’s your closest school and you are in catchment aren’t you a tad overthinking it. Not a good sign for coping with the school process

One of my children’s classmates parents did what you are proposing. They didn’t get in to any of their chosen three schools.

They got allocated a school a fair distance away, one they would never have chosen. A place became available at my child’s school in the November of reception year and they loved their child from the allocated school at that point.

If you look at your Local Authority’s website, the information about admission criteria and how the process works will be on there.

moved not loved!

www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/admissions-criteria

The only time I have ever filled that in was when we moved and did an in Year application and all local schools were over 30.
Normal round just follow the rules.

Making assumptions like “then they HAVE to give me my first choice” without understanding the criteria for allocation, will land you with a school you don’t want.

A local friend did a tour of schools, and listed six outstanding primaries in the Borough. She wasn’t in catchment for ANY of them (historically some kids from her road had got into her first choice, but not for years). She was confident the LA had to give her one of her choices if she didn’t list anything else.

Huge mistake. She was allocated a failing school, 50% under subscribed. She had to go on waiting lists, and ended up with a school not on her original list.

It was infuriating, we explained how strictly the criteria were applied but she was certain she could game the system 🤷‍♀️

If you look at the rules, you are not actually allowed to make a choice. You are allowed to express a preference.
It's the system that chooses, not you.

Newsflash: everyone wants their child to go to the best school. Your reasons for wanting that school are the same as everyone else!

The local authority will apply the admissions criteria. Your neighbour's son getting a place in a previous year has no bearing on whether your child will this year.

Are you in catchment? If so, you're probably overthinking this. If not, you need to make sure you put some realistic choices for your other options for the reasons outlined by other posters above.

This subject causes such heartache because the system makes people think that they have a choice. Really what you’re doing is listing your preference out of schools available to you. Schools have set admissions criteria and follow them to the letter; if a school has previously been oversubscribed then it will be very difficult to get in if you are not in catchment and don’t meet other admissions criteria. Think about it as an ordered list of your preference, but it’s not a choice. And do fill all 3 of your options because otherwise you go to the bottom of the pile once your other choices are unsuccessful. Good luck!

We got our first choice primary. It is not in catchment not the county we live in, we had a pick of 8 other schools closer. We never imagined we would get our first choice as it was an outstanding school. You may get your first choice, but being strategic may work against you !

If you put a school down as your second choice that's further away on the basis that they will more likely give you your 1st choice, that is a crazy strategy.

Hopefully you'll get the school you want but catchment will vary from year to year depending on siblings and children in care (absent any other school-specific criteria)

There is no point filling in that section unless there are exceptional reasons supported by evidence from a professional e.g doctor etc. So for instance if your child has a medical need, special need etc. Factors such as distance etc should not be discussed here as they apply for everyone. You don't have exceptional circumstances from what you've said so just leave it blank.
It is very important you list schools in the order of preference. Schools do not know where you have placed them and this has no bearing on whether you are accepted or not. The admissions criteria is strictly adhered to for each school and you will be offered a place at the highest ranking school on your list that has been able to offer you a place according to their criteria. More than one school may be have a place for you but you will never know that, as the one highest up on your list will be the one offered to you only in this circumstance. This is why it is extremely important to use all your choices and to make sure at least one choice is a school you are very likely to get as a "banker" so to speak. Some parents still don't do this or only put one school thinking then they have to get that one but it doesn't work like that. If they can't offer any on your list then they will simply offer the closest school that has spaces and that is then likely to be a school that has places because it is unpopular.

I have sat on both admissions and appeals panels so I hope that helps.

Seeing as most "outstanding" schools haven't been inspected in years, you can take that with a pinch of salt.

Good schools however have been inspected regularly and so they have a more up to date and reliable status.

Oh and just to be clear even if you put six schools you are still not guaranteed to get any one of them. You would still have to meet the admissions criteria in one of them. It is very likely that you would not meet the criteria if you put six oversubscribed schools you are not close to for instance.

I would also completely agree that "outstanding" might be an accurate reflection of the school today and I know many supposedly outstanding schools which are nothing of the sort. The best way to judge a school is by visiting- not looking at Ofsted reports.

I wish the application forms didn't include reasons for your choice, or at least made it clear what reasons (looked after child, medical need etc) would actually make a difference in admissions terms. Ours had tickboxes like 'convenient for travel' and 'social reasons' that you could tick, giving the false impression it would make a blind bit of difference to the allocation. It just sets up false hope in people unable to read or understand the admissions rules.

That said I'm truly shocked how many apparently educated and intelligent people seem to not have bothered to read the rules and think that a school being Ofsted outstanding and teaching violin is a special reason for their child to need to go there over and above others (because clearly no other parents will find this an equally compelling reason ). Or that knowing the head or other nonsense will make a difference. Luckily the system does actually seem to be as fair as it can be, at least insofar as the rules apply to everyone, no matter how entitled.

To add to the discussion on ‘outstanding’ as a selection criteria, we have an outstanding school in our village which was last inspected five years ago. Results are very good, excellent clubs, sport and music, shiny facilities.

Staff turnover in the last two years has been dreadful, morale is low. Parents report high levels of bullying, and too much pressure on children to reach high academic standards (many children tutored). It’s gone from sell-a-kidney-to-get-in to the least chosen school in the local area.

First time parents won’t know this and unless they speak to existing parents won’t know what lies behind the facade. There’s so much else to a school than academics.

Don't game the system by putting schools down that are further away, or by not using all your choices.

Di11y

I hope your friends applied from their own address and were offered the places fair and square and didn't try to cheat the system by using the grandparents address on the application. Getting wrap around care at the expense of local children losing out on a place would be both dishonest and selfish.

The school ive just applied for my nephew is a faith school. Ive filled out the why section with his baptism information. Because we are applying on faith grounds.

Not to mention illegal viques!

Nope

calleighdoodle

Double check the criteria for your nephews application. Most faith schools have criteria which is tweaked in their favour slightly different to the norm. Many for example require that you can prove regular church attendance over a set time, usually at least a year, and having a baptismal certificate will not be enough.

If there is a family reason why your nephew is living with you , eg you are his legal guardian and SS are aware of this then there might be a better category that supports the application if he counts as a LAC.