Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Didn't get any choices for primary - faith school wrong criteria

40 replies

justamum1988 · 17/04/2020 13:21

Hi all

I seem to have posted this in the wrong place so now reposting here and hoping someone will have been through this or have more information.

We were shocked yesterday not to receive any of our 3 school choices and the only schools with free places are not very good. We've been really unlucky with our top 2 - 1 had 50% more applications than normal and allocates religious applications on the basis of a draw out of a hat and we are 3 places too far. Last year all faith applications got a place but with an intake of 30 we now suspect we don't have any chance of securing a place there.

School 2 also had lots more than expected and the catchment area halved and we were already on the outskirts of the catchment so again it seems we don't have much of a chance.

School 3 we thought we had in the bag as it has a large intake and it was an application on the basis of faith. We provided a copy of the baptism certificate in the application to the council and made a note in the application that the application was being made on a faith basis. When I contacted the school yesterday they said DS was considered in the last category "all other children" because they didn't have a copy of his baptism certificate. I feel that we have been failed by the council and someone should have contacted us to advise we need to send the certificate to the school direct or advised the school of the basis for application and they could have contacted us.

We were told by the school to send the cert so they can update the criteria for round 2 but I expressed my concern about this as I feel we've been let down by the council here.

Has anyone come across this? Do you think we have a basis for appeal after round 2 if we don't get a place?

Many thanks!

OP posts:

Osirus · 17/04/2020 13:55

If the council made a mistake I thought you had grounds for appeal? Worth looking into.

Lougle · 17/04/2020 13:57

What do the application notes for your LA say? Do they say where proof of baptism should be sent?

GrammarTeacher · 17/04/2020 14:05

We had to send copies of certificate and letter from priest to the school directly rather than to the local authority. I was ill at the time but fortunately my mum dropped it in for us. It may be that the form should have gone to the school direct?

Lindy2 · 17/04/2020 14:06

How did everyone else know that they needed to send a baptism certificate to school 3?

Have you made a mistake by not following all the procedures or was the LA supposed to send them the certificate?

If the LA have made a mistake you can appeal. If you've made a mistake then you need to send the certificate asap and hope you get a place there in the second round.

PatriciaHolm · 17/04/2020 14:07

Normally in the admissions criteria for a faith school it is made very clear that you also have to supply a separate SIF - supplementary information form - to the school with your evidence, and if you do not, your application will not be considered under this criteria. Does the school you applied to have one of these?

If they do, and you failed to do so, then I'm afraid the fault is yours - it is up to you to read the admissions criteria for each school and meet them.

Do you know if the council did forward the certificate?

if they did, then the issue lies with school not accepting the certificate without the SIF. Which they don't have to do, though I am aware that seems harsh.

Wearywithteens · 17/04/2020 14:08

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request.

troppibambini · 17/04/2020 14:10

Are kids are at a faith school (Catholic) and you have to apply to the council and also to the school with separate forms and the baptism certificate.
No chance at of a place without that.
Is there anyone you can speak to at the school? It's not the best time I suppose...

Legoandloldolls · 17/04/2020 14:10

If it's the LA mistake then appeal. If they did make the mistake they have to offer a place even if takes the kids numbers over 30. They did this for someone I know and had to take on another teacher in the class to meet ratios

coffeeagogo · 17/04/2020 14:11

Faith based schools in my area require a completely separate form and proof of all documents (birth certificate, baptism certificate, council tax originals) that are taken by the school office as well as the completion of the council application system - was there any guidance from the school?

troppibambini · 17/04/2020 14:11

*our kids

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 17/04/2020 14:12

It’s your responsibility to get the baptism certificate to the school and usually complete a supplementary information form with it.

PleaseStopCrying · 17/04/2020 14:13

If you had to send the information across to the school was this specified in the application information. It just seems odd everyone else knew to send this to the school?

Original poster

justamum1988 · 17/04/2020 14:23

I've just looked and it states on the page about applications:

"Supplementary information forms
You may need to complete a supplementary information form as well as the Council application form for the schools below. Contact these schools for a supplementary information form and to find out the date it should be returned to the school."

The school is listed in the list.

Again though this is at the end of the page at the top of which the apply button is. You'd hope that it would be a bit more fool proof when the application is being made and at least it would notify you that you may have to submit additional details direct to the school when you select a school from the list of supplementary forms.

I think the council will wash its hands and say we should have read everything and known better but it was such a stressful process in the first place, we went to see loads of schools, they of course are busy and trying to help people but there's only so much they can do, we were trying to make sure we do the application right and made clear notes on the application and attached the certificate and I think we were so relieved when we pressed send that clearly we missed that there was more on the council website.

I appreciate I may receive some abuse here but again I'd question why we were able to attach the cert to the application and make a note that we are applying on the basis of faith and it clearly means absolutely nothing to anyone at the council...What is the point in having a centralised system if you have to send stuff to the schools too - I may as well have applied direct! The system is ridiculous with every school having its own admission criteria - religious schools doing one thing (e.g. our top choice select out of a hat for one category of children, but on distance basis for another), academies doing another, etc. I am foreign born, have never used the system before, I'd like to think I'm not an idiot by a long way, I tried to make sure it's all correct and paid attention to what everyone told us because I don't know how the system works and still managed to get this so wrong and fail to secure my little boy a good place. I am so upset about it and feel the process should be clearer...

OP posts:

LIZS · 17/04/2020 14:25

Do you have a screenshot or other evidence that you attached the certificate? Was the SIF sent to LA or direct to the school?

Lougle · 17/04/2020 14:27

I'm so sorry, that's really stressful, but if the site did say to contact the school, then it's down to you. The best thing you can do is ask for a SIF and complete it, then hope that bumps you up the list enough to be first in for a place.

PatriciaHolm · 17/04/2020 14:30

The point of the centralised system is to ensure that everyone gets a place, and only the one offer - centralising is effectively the only way to ensure that.

Unfortunately it would appear you have missed a vital step in not supplying the SIF. I do agree that council forms don't always help matters - we get appeals every year from people who have written what they think are extenuating circumstances on the form, without realising it is all irrelevant unless it puts them in a different admissions category - but the argument will always be that it is up to the parent to read each schools' admission criteria.

Hopefully you will be high on the waiting list though now you have given them the correct information.

Original poster

justamum1988 · 17/04/2020 14:31

Yes it feels like we need to keep fingers crossed for round 2 and maybe they will offer us the first place that frees up - hopefully one or more will...

@LIZS Certificate was sent to the LA.

OP posts:

Marmite27 · 17/04/2020 14:35

Usually for a faith school you have to complete a supplementary information form (sif) and return directly to school. It mentions on all our school websites, and multiple time’s on the councils admissions page here (Yorkshire), so I don’t think you’d get away with saying the council made a mistake.

If you were thinking of appealing you’d be advised to check the school website and the admissions pages for your council, if it’s listed there it’s unlikely you’d be successful for this reason alone.

LIZS · 17/04/2020 14:36

Did you need to complete a sif for school 1? Was the certificate sent through to them?

ChicCroissant · 17/04/2020 14:41

Hopefully you'll be near the top of the waiting list for school 3, after the allocations have been accepted/declined now they've got the info.

The wording sounds standard to me, sorry to say - I know how frustrating it must be to realise that you've made an error that has affected the process - there is usually an information booklet with each school listed separately and in that listing it will say if you need to complete any additional paperwork.

Good luck with the school place, after the deadline for accepting a place has passed they should be able to get back to you with your position on the waiting list. Do check with your council if they put you on the list automatically or if you need to ask to be put on the waiting list as it can vary.

MyDcAreMarvel · 17/04/2020 14:41

The school website would have also given you this information. You made a mistake, it’s not the councils fault.

Themostwonderfultimeoftheyear · 17/04/2020 16:02

Unfortunately you have made a mistake and will just have to hope that a place comes available.

Original poster

justamum1988 · 17/04/2020 18:24

Thank you all. We will cross everything and hope round 2 gets us a place. I'll report back if we end up going to appeal although appreciate the comments on that.

OP posts:

LIZS · 17/04/2020 18:44

There may be a timeframe to lodge an appeal. The letter should explain why your application fir each was declined. Would you have got a place had you sent the sif in correctly?

Original poster

justamum1988 · 17/04/2020 19:51

They didn’t have the admissions statement ready - I’ll know on Monday how many kids were admitted in each category. Will double and triple check appeals deadline - I’m pretty sure it’s after round 2.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2