Best websites for successful admission area data

[RachelSq]

Hi

We’ve fairly recently moved to a new area and are looking at making our school choices.

I’ve heard from several parents that the admission areas change dramatically year on year.

As there’s 4 local schools in walking distance, I’d really prefer any of these to the closest undersubscribed school. We get to state 3 preferences, so I want to make it as likely as possible that we get 1 of these 4, and other than my top choice I don’t mind which.

Unfortunately my council won’t/can’t provide the distance information going back more than the two years which have been published in their booklet but I do know that this was available earlier in the year on 192.com. This has now been incorporated into their paid for property report, which I bought expecting the same data, but it just contained one year!

Does anyone know of any sites I could use to check?

Thanks in advance!

Which local authority are you? Ours has the "outcomes" information on its website dating back to 2017.

In practice, you need to know whether anything is materially likely to change things - ie is there a huge new housing development between you and any of the schools? Have any other local schools just gone into special measures (and likely to have fewer applications)?

Also, you need to know what the birth rate is doing. In our area it's definitely dropped in the primaries though the biggest drop year on year was about 2-3 years ago I think and on a tail off.

Well, tbh your strategy would be the same - put the schools in genuine order of preference, with the banker undersubscribed one last.

That way you will get it only if you don't get any of the others, and then at least you are close to home and can go on waiting lists for the others.

ah just noticed you only get 3 choices not 6! Apologies.

In which case it would be useful to know which are most likely.

Have you rung the council to ask?

@PatriciaHolm

ah just noticed you only get 3 choices not 6! Apologies.

In which case it would be useful to know which are most likely.

Have you rung the council to ask?

Yes, unfortunately only 3 choices and 4 options I’d be happy with (and nothing really to separate choices 2, 3 and the one I won’t get to put down).

I’ve rung the Council who say they can’t provide that, I’m not sure if it’s a can’t, won’t or can’t be bothered!

Locrating website might have it?

@GU24Mum

Which local authority are you? Ours has the "outcomes" information on its website dating back to 2017.

In practice, you need to know whether anything is materially likely to change things - ie is there a huge new housing development between you and any of the schools? Have any other local schools just gone into special measures (and likely to have fewer applications)?

Also, you need to know what the birth rate is doing. In our area it's definitely dropped in the primaries though the biggest drop year on year was about 2-3 years ago I think and on a tail off.

I’m in Gateshead and unfortunately only the last 2 years (back to 2019 admission) data is available.

There’s been no development in the area and the 4 schools have all been rated good and all have good results, with no meaningful changes over the past few years. Obviously things do change, but 2 years data doesn’t seem enough to make a ‘likelihood’ assessment!

All of the schools seem to be moderately oversubscribed in general, but not excessively and I think a lot of it is people outside the immediate area taking a punt but having their own village school as the safe bet.

Do you know where I could find out the birth rate/age data for small areas? I’ve only managed to find it for my whole Council area which is huge!

locrating.com has a lot of info including max distance offered (I can see 2019 and 2020 for my local schools), proportion of 1st and 2nd choice applicants getting places etc. You have to pay for a month, I think it is £7

hmmm - I think they may not have collated it before 2019.

This is the admissions booklet for 2018, with data for 2016/17; note no distance measures.

whitemereprimary.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Gateshead-Primary-School-Admissions-Brochure-2018.pdf

and this is 2020, which only has 2019 data.

colegateprimary.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/School-Admissions-Primary-Booklet-2020.pdf

So if they didn't collate it, I don't think anyone will be able to have collected it.

@PatriciaHolm

hmmm - I think they may not have collated it before 2019.

This is the admissions booklet for 2018, with data for 2016/17; note no distance measures.

whitemereprimary.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Gateshead-Primary-School-Admissions-Brochure-2018.pdf

and this is 2020, which only has 2019 data.

colegateprimary.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/School-Admissions-Primary-Booklet-2020.pdf

So if they didn't collate it, I don't think anyone will be able to have collected it.

I did the same and hunted out those booklets on the assumption it would show the information. Given the booklet for 2020 admission only included one year of distance, that does suggest that they don’t have the data.

The thing that bugs me is that 192.com used to show the actual successful area which suggests that the data does exist somewhere!

@MotherOfCrocodiles

locrating.com has a lot of info including max distance offered (I can see 2019 and 2020 for my local schools), proportion of 1st and 2nd choice applicants getting places etc. You have to pay for a month, I think it is £7

I’ve taken a look at this site and it looks great but I don’t think it has the cut off distances for my area.

Do you mind sharing the Borough/Council you’re in with a PM if it did have the data, so I can check I’m looking at the right place for the indicator of whether this data exists? I know it’s a paid for feature, but the website says you should be able to tell if they have the data on the free version. I can’t find the indicator on any area I’ve looked at at all!

I’m wary of just using the ‘heat maps’ because the number of siblings varies so much year on year and will totally skew the distances!

I'm not sure any more data is going to help, as you won't know which schools will allocate 80% of their places to siblings, for example (schools near us sometimes don't even have enough places in a year group for the siblings!). Birth rate will have a big effect, obviously.
The LA are likely only required to provide last year's figures, and they're all so understaffed these days I can understand them saying they're not providing any previous years.
Make an educated guess at those you'd be happy with a place in, and remember- when the offers are issued, accept whatever you're offered, even if you don't want it. Accept it, and go into the waiting list for schools you do want. You can join the waiting list of schools you didn't put in your preferences too, so you'll have wider options.