Panic stations! Is it possible to be declined a place for your child despite being in catchment and having an older sibling at the school?

[handlemecarefully]

It looks like our village school is going to be oversubscribed for September 2008. Dd already attends (currently in Yr 1 will be in Yr 2 in Sept 2008) and I want ds to start Reception there in Sept '08

Is it possible that due to sheer weight of numbers ds may not get in despite us living in catchment (only just!) and having an older sister there?

The prospect of him not getting in is too horrible to contemplate. I couldn't have them attending separate schools (too logistically awkward) so would need to withdraw dd so they could both go to the same one (which would absolutely shatter her - she loves it there and has made lots of friends)

And thanks Susianna! You never know... though we are about 10th in list!

It is theoretcially possible but not something you can do much about unless you can move right next to the school and go to church regularly before applying.

I just wish they'd be consistent though - in our borough, some of the primary schools are straight-through 4-11, others are separate infant & junior schools. If you live in the catchment of a 4-11 school, a child with a sibling in say Y4 will get in - but not if it's separate infant/junior schools, even though they are 'linked'

not to wind you up hmc, but check where church attendance is on the admission criteria. though clearly siblings should get priority, i know bundle had a problem this year with their catholic school & her un-baptised dd2 not getting a place initially despite dd1 already being at the school (all ok now though ).

Ah yes, thats an awkward one- part of the reason DS3 almost lost his palce, that DS2 would be at the Juniors next year; bizarre imo given that although separate they share the same campus- it's not as if I could get to the nearest other school (a good hike up a long hill!) any easier from there.

Fortunately LEA's can be useful when panicking about placing SN kids (and scared of covering taxi fairs LOL), otherwise he would be without a place at all.

I would definitely ring the LEA and confirm the admission criteria for that specific school because not all church schools will give siblings priority over practicing applicants. One of our local catholic primary schools refused siblings this year as they fall lower down the entrance criteria than practising catholics.

Will ring the LEA about admissions policy.

Have just spoken to another mum from the school (who knows the head better than me). Apparently the head teacher doesn't attend church herself although the school is CofE aided, so she doesn't think Church attendance is of vital importance.

She has also told me that the head teacher would do her utmost to 'try and make it work' and to accept as many pupils as possible

I think that there are church schools and then there are church schools - i.e. here the local CofE's don't seem bothered by church attendance and are of varying standards. The Catholic primary is the one with 26 siblings in one form entry and is very strict about church attendance, and has priority for a particular church as well.

There's no such thing as catchment areas but siblings usually have high priority. You'll probably be fine.

There's no such thing as catchment areas but siblings usually have high priority. You'll probably be fine.

Most schools, ime, give first priority to children with siblings at the school. So those who might live nearer than you but don't have siblings there would be behind your DS in the queue.

Have a look on your council's website. Ours has the primary school admissions booklet on the site in PDF form. Yours might too.

Do check the admissions policy. In our church school it's

SN/looked after
Regular church goers
People who are not regular church goers but particularly like the ethos of a church school (of course everyone ticks that box!)
Walking distance to school

Siblings isn't a criteria at all.

When is your ds 5? He doesn't have to go to school until the term after he is 5 so even if he doesn't get in to start with you can always keep his name on the waiting list and just start him when you get to the top - you will find that few others will bother to wait unless, liek you, they have an older sibling already there.

Exactly this has happened to a friend of mine, despite her being a stalwart of the PTA (tey aren't allowed to bend the rules in case other parents appeal.)

Have just looked in my filing cabinet and found school prospectus. Children with siblings is ranked highly on admission policy

our ds goes to church school.

first choice for looked after children
second choice for baptised children in catchment with sibling at school
(note, baptised, but no requirement for regular church going)
third choice for baptised children in catchment, no siblings

imo, you'll be fine

Not read whole thread but in response to thread title: unfortunately yes. Even happened to local high profile head teacher's child a few years ago in our area.....

Our school puts siblings as top priority but when I was applying for DS2's nursery place I'd heard rumours that this year there were more siblings than places. Luckily it wasn't true and we got in but there were only 6 places out of 52 given to non-siblings. Just makes you think, actually there are no guarantees.

My ds(1st child) has just started reception, and luckily for us his school take children from the catchment as first priority, as at least 2 siblings out of catchment were refused places.

I would have been gutted if he hadn't gotten a place in favour
of non cathchent siblings.

hi hmc - if you can only think of 8 siblings then you should be fine. We're Sussex Church school too and catchment + sibling is 3rd criteria (1st is SN or in care & 2nd is godbotherers).

Do you have any spaces in Year 1 or 2? It is possible that if the school is very over-subscribed they may bump some children up a year to get everyone in. Plus it means the school gets it's maximum funding!

There is one tiny local school that has an intake of just 10 and two years ago they had 16 applications, 12 of which had siblings at the school.

Just seen this. This did happen to a friend of mine a few years ago. She was just on the edge of catchment and had a child already at the school. The younger child did not get a place, they went to appeal and they lost. They had two horrible terms of doing two, separate school runs. Then a place came up at the first-choice school and they moved their child. I don't actually know how important it was that they lived on the edge of the catchment area.

Well ours, according to prospectus is:

1st)children with SEN
2nd) children with existing siblings at school
3rd) church attendance
4th) catchment

So am feeling more chilled now

Sop, as long as all the older children in the school don't ALL have siblings of exactly the same age as your DS, you should be ok! I wonder what they would do if oversubscribed by siblings?

A school near us only had 3 non-sibling places one September - but that was because of the huge numbers of families who enrol, move away and rent their temporary flat out to another family who then generate siblings, year after year....You'll be ok!

Message withdrawn

Ah Blu....that would be the school and the year we were trying!