Finding DS1, DS2 and DS3 primary schools

[FatherInBristol]

Good morning mothers and fathers

Hope you are all having a nice weekend.

I recently moved to Bristol from Lebanon following an economic collapse and found a job and planning to get my wife and 3 DSs. Planing to get them here probably in May or June.
I am new to all this catchment area and independent and community schools. I am getting there though. I can move around to be next to a good school. I narrowed down my search to the below. Any hints (Good or less good) would be very much appreciated.

1- St Teresa's Catholic Primary School
2- Shield Road Primary School
3- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Stoke Gifford
4- Brunel Field Primary School
5- St Bonaventure's Catholic Primary School
6- Ss Peter and Paul RC Primary School
7- St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Primary School
8- Perry Court E-Act Academy
9- The Dolphin School

How old are your children? That will be a key factor here.

For state schools, if they are all school age, it will be more about where has spaces than anything else as it will be an in-year transfer. It doesn’t matter how close you are to a school if it doesn’t have spaces.

If schools are full, it is possible to appeal, however appeals for infant classes (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) are nigh on impossible to win unless a mistake has been made (there are very knowledgeable posters who will be able to explain much better).

You can also go on the waiting list for schools which are full, but it relies on someone moving out for you to be able to take the place. Most schools give priority to siblings, so if you get one child into a school it is likely that the other two would go to the top of the waiting list. This depends on the admission criteria for the school though.

If a school has spaces, you should be offered the space regardless of where you live.

Echoing the above. If any of the kids are already school age, you will be offered where has places, catchment or not.
Also, remember if you need a place for a child already if school age, you cant apply u til they are in the cou try, and need to be in a position to start ag school within a couple of weeks of the place being offered or risk it being withdrawn. We were asked for flight details to prove we were returning (I contacted the council admissions team 3 days before we flew - the day before the computer and printer got packed, and they permitted it, friends applications were refused until the kids were physically in the country).

The only time you would get to express a preference would be if more than one school has the places you need, or a child wont be starting school until Sept 2022 or later.

Good luck with the move.

@EduCated

How old are your children? That will be a key factor here.

For state schools, if they are all school age, it will be more about where has spaces than anything else as it will be an in-year transfer. It doesn’t matter how close you are to a school if it doesn’t have spaces.

If schools are full, it is possible to appeal, however appeals for infant classes (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) are nigh on impossible to win unless a mistake has been made (there are very knowledgeable posters who will be able to explain much better).

You can also go on the waiting list for schools which are full, but it relies on someone moving out for you to be able to take the place. Most schools give priority to siblings, so if you get one child into a school it is likely that the other two would go to the top of the waiting list. This depends on the admission criteria for the school though.

If a school has spaces, you should be offered the space regardless of where you live.

@EduCated: Thanks for your advice. One going to the reception, the second going to Y3, and the third going to Y4. I missed Jan deadline because I was not here in UK, will my application be considered late? What about the schools I mentioned? Do you have any comments?

January deadline would only be for Reception entry. Tbh you will need to take places wherever are available. You may not be offered same school/s for all. Your choices will be limited, if any.

Assuming those are the year groups you want your child to enter when you arrive in Bristol in May/June, the January deadline is not relevant. You need to follow the "in year application process". As a PP has said, this will allocate your children places in schools where there are spaces available. Your three children may end up with 3 different schools. PP also mentioned the appeals process - this is easier to win for children in Y3 and Y4 as there is not a limit on class size. So one approach might be to identify a school with a Reception place and then try to appeal for your other children. You should not that just wanting to have your children at the same school is not a reason for appeal - it needs to be something specific about the school.

I’m nowhere near Bristol I’m afraid, so no idea about the schools in question.

When you say ‘going in’, do you mean in September? If you apply for schools for the older two in May/June it would typically be expected that they start before September (generally within a couple of weeks of being offered a school).

If your youngest will be starting Reception in September, then yes you will be considered a late application. They will potentially be the hardest to place due to the Infant Class Size rule, meaning Reception/Year 1/Year 2 classes cannot go over 30 children per teacher.

The Year 4 you can appeal for more easily (not guaranteed). You will be able to appeal for the middle one once they are in Year 3 and not subject to Infant Class Size rules.

You may want to focus on getting the Reception child a place and then aim to get the other two into the same school as you will be able to appeal if their year group is full (obviously this all assumes the schools will be full) and they will likely go to the top of waiting lists as siblings.

Have you got a permanent address yet either. You cannot apply until the children arrive and are available to start. That address may determine which schools are feasible to get to (does dw drive?) and be used if there is a waiting list for a popular school. You need to speak to the Local Authority education department to see where may have relevant spaces, although this will probably change by May. Reception places for on time applications will be notified in mid April after which they can consider later ones and there may subsequently be movement in waiting lists. The older children will be In Year applicants.

You need the contact the council and find which schools have space. You are unlikely to have much choice with three children. The application deadline only applies for your reception child (assuming they start in September) all others will be in year applications. We moved to Bristol with children in y1 and y4 and had to have them in different schools until spaces cam up at the same then me moved the younger one. The council were helpful with telling us which schools had spaces.

Your first port of call is the admissions department of the local council. They will tell you which schools have places for the ages you require them. As others have said, the chances of all 3 children getting into the same school are quite slim, and generally speaking, the ‘better’ the school, the less chance you’ll have as it will be oversubscribed and most likely have waiting lists.
You may strike lucky and get them all into the same school, but they would be expected to start immediately, as if another child came along wanting the place they would get priority if your children aren’t even in the country yet.

Thank you all for your replies.. much appreciated. Will check local council as starting point and see where it takes me from there. Thanks again