Last minute primary application panic - Twins

[MangoStrawberryPineapple]

I know the deadline is very quickly creeping up on us and we really need to make a decision quickly but we are seriously struggling.

We would prefer DT1 and DT2 to be split into different classes in school. We have chosen a 2 form entry full primary as first choice and a three form entry infants as second choice. We have chance of both of them but it’s slim as neither are our closest school and the infants is a CE faith school which we would be in the distance category for behind the faith places and siblings.

Our options

1. Ideally we would like to put the 4 form entry catholic infants down as third but we don’t want to risk this, again it would be in the distance category, and not get school places.
2. Put the one form entry infants school down that’s closest to the house for both of them
3. Put separate one form entry infants schools down for both of them, there are two near to us (closer than all the other schools), and they feed into the same two form juniors.

Being a twin myself I know the problems that can occur with twins being in the same class at school. My twin and I were constantly compared throughout school on pretty much everything from behaviour to academics and things we liked to the friends we had. It was also horrible that we weren’t allowed to develop as individuals because we were always ‘the twins’. We didn’t really get a chance to be individuals until secondary school.

I really want DT1 and DT2 to be able to develop as individuals from the start, not be compared to each other all the time until they are 11, have their own friends and develop their own interests. They are both different people, they are developing their own unique ways and interests and already showing they are probably going to be nothing like each other. When they went to nursery about 12 months ago, initially I kept them together because they were quite close and after all the lockdown and no social interactions with many other children it made sense. The nursery mentioned it might be good to split them because of many reasons which were discussed at the time, has two groups and since September they have been in separate groups and have come on massively by not being together all the time. I really don’t want school to push them together and be constantly thinking they are very similar or compared one to the other. I am really worried about this.

Im just really confused as to what would be the best to do, risk not school places with the catholic school, send them to different schools for the infants and allow them to be themselves, or suck it up and accept they are going to have to be in the same class for 3 years and try extremely hard with the school to allow them to be individuals.

Absolutely don’t apply for separate schools! Practically a nightmare but how would koi possibly choose which goes to which? Unless they have very different needs

As pp have said twins will be allocated together.

I know you‘re mostly looking at larger schools but round here most schools are one form entry.
Ours has several sets of twins. Afaik they are generally split up in the class.
Not aware of any issues.

I have boy-girl twins who are about to turn 5, so are currently in reception.

We wanted (and got) separate classes for them, as we wanted them to have time apart. This is in a 2-form entry school.

I'm a primary school teacher myself, so I know what the behind the scenes is like, and the only thing that has irritated us a bit, is that our son's teacher seems a lot more "on the ball", and better at engaging with parents, than my daughters teacher...
If they were in the same class, we wouldn't compare, but unfortunately it's impossible not to compare the children's experiences when they're in separate classes!

@zingally

I have boy-girl twins who are about to turn 5, so are currently in reception.

We wanted (and got) separate classes for them, as we wanted them to have time apart. This is in a 2-form entry school.

I'm a primary school teacher myself, so I know what the behind the scenes is like, and the only thing that has irritated us a bit, is that our son's teacher seems a lot more "on the ball", and better at engaging with parents, than my daughters teacher...
If they were in the same class, we wouldn't compare, but unfortunately it's impossible not to compare the children's experiences when they're in separate classes!

Absolutely agree with some teachers being better than others and it being very obvious in these circumstances

However, you will almost certainly find that the school are aware of it too and will either balance it out next year with your daughter having the stronger teacher, or the most difficult class being given the stronger teacher. I also have boy / girl twins who are in Y2 now and in separate classes

I’d put the nearest infant school as 3rd choice. If you end up with that and it doesn’t work out with them in the same class you’re not necessarily stuck there until they can move to the Juniors - spaces may come up in the primary in the meantime.
My non ID twins started at small village infants as at the time that seemed like the right thing for them and Reception went well but my mid year 1 it was obvious they needed to be separated. Managed to get places at two form entry primary in next village at that point. Was definitely the right move, they’re yr 6 now and going to different secondary schools as they have very different needs.

Thank you all for your brilliant advice, especially thanks to all who shared their experiences of having twins. It was nice to hear how things worked out for you and gave us lots to think about.

We contacted both local infants schools and asked questions. We were really brutally honest with both schools in that we would ideally like them in separate classes so this was going to be third choice.

One school we got the receptionist who couldn’t answer the questions and then waited 2 days for a call off the HT who answered the questions but didn’t seem to want to ease the concerns. It was more of a ‘that’s what we do at this school, deal with it’ kind of attitude. (Probably because she knew we weren’t going to choose her school as first choice).

The other we got the receptionist who could answer a couple of questions and got the HT to ring us back the same day. It didn’t seem to bother them that they would be 3rd choice, the HT was very clear with us that if we think 2 form is best that’s what we should place higher on the preferences but they would do everything they could to help if we ended up with their school. They were a lot more cooperative with answering our questions, took out concerns seriously and they invited us (all of us, including DT1 and DT2) into school for a chat this morning, a school tour and also got to chat to the reception teacher briefly during break time.

So we are going to go for the more cooperative one. Final decision made, the same schools for both of them.

1. Two form full primary
2. Three form CE infants
3. Cooperative local infants.

Thanks again everyone.