Distance to school.. HELP ME to choose plz

[notlongago]

We are moving mainly for DD's school in late September. Found a good school and area in Surbiton and after last two viewings we put down a holding deposit for property A that is 0.21 miles from the school over property B with 0.12 miles because we liked property A more.

But now having a second thought whether we should go closer to the school. The allocation cut off distance for reception for the school was 0.3 miles in the previous year so it's very competitive as you can see and no idea how long the in-year waiting would be.

Now I'm panicking if we need to revert the decision and choose property B based on the distance to school since it was our main reason for moving?

Any advice would be appreciated.

It depends on the differences between the two houses. I’d stick with property A though as it’s highly likely you’ll get in based on that distance.

It is impossible to say, as it depends on so many factors.

How has the distance changed over the last 5 years? Is the 0.3 stable, or is there a noticeable trend of decreasing distance?

How big is the intake? In a 90 intake, there are less likely to be extreme fluctuations due to siblings etc than in a village school with an intake of 15.

Are there obvious local changes such as new housing developments within the 0.3 radius? These will drive the distance down.

Have there been changes in Ofsted grading in surrounding schools recently? A dramatic fall or rise for a school has knock on effects for those nearby.

Ultimately, a closer house gives you a better chance of avoiding issues BUT it is not reasonable to compromise on a house you like if the risk of not getting in is very low.

Is your DD already school age, so it would be an in year admission?

@samebutdifferentt I'd hope DD can get in without a problem! The school always has a waiting list and no idea where we will end up...

@cantkeepawayforever Thanks for all the thinking points. The cut off distance was rather steady last three years and I don't believe there is a big new build coming up within the radius since it's already a developed residential area.
The intake is 90 and I thought the bigger intake the more chances of movement..? I'm not sure.
Unfortunately the next closest school had a Ofsted grading fall to Required Improvement 3 years ago which is concerning for us.
Based on all these points it sounds like we'd better move closer to the school...

@BendingSpoons Yes, DD is Y1 in this September so it will be in-year admission and used the cut off distance as a reference. Apparently there is always a waiting list up to months and it is considered extremely lucky if you are offered a place immediately...

Can you name the primary schools?
All the state schools in the Kingston/Richmond upon Thames and New Malden areas are good, some are more popular than others but overall they have similar catchments. Also parents start moving dc to the private sector or out of London from year 3 onwards so there is also space further up the primary schools. SW London is far more transient than may seem when you are looking at Reception age.

As this is an in-year admission, I wouldn't worry hugely about the distances. The waiting list will be made up of people who live further than 0.3m away or who have recently moved to the area. I would think either property would put you in a decent position on the waiting list, as you would be ahead of all of those who didn't get a place initially.

Of course it will depend on when spaces come up. Even if you are number 1, you could still be waiting ages. There is likely to be movement in the medium term. We are at a similar school (90 per year in zone 5). 3 have left DDs class over Reception and year 1, and I think similar movement in the other classes. But you may have to start at another school initially.

@hockeygrass We are considering Maple infants in Surbiton. It's linked to the next door junior school which is outstanding so it seems better to get a place in Maple from the first place otherwise it can be even more difficult.. Hope there is movement as you said and we can eventually get in sooner rather than later.

Maple /Infants Juniors is a very good primary and much sought after but the other primaries in the area are good too and you should get a Maple place eventually.

Apologies, I hadn’t realised you were talking about in year admissions. Last admitted distance is irrelevant EXCEPT that the waiting list is held in the same order as original over subscription criteria. So you can be ‘leapfrogged’ by someone who moves closer to the school than you.

As a personal example - I applied for an in-year place for ds, and got it from 45 miles away, before we moved, as there was no waiting list. Dd was placed on the waiting list for Reception, and at that point was 24th. DS started, and dd jumped up to 5th as a sibling. Then we moved close to the school, and she was 1st. She went down when another sibling moved in closer to the school, then back into first before being given a place to start Reception. Notably, no other child was admitted into her year until Year 3, while ds’s year had vacancies all the way through. It’s just luck of the draw.

@BendingSpoons @cantkeepawayforever Thanks for sharing your experiences. In-year admission seems it all comes down to luck and nothing I can really do about it although moving closer might help but not necessarily..

@hockeygrass Thank you for your thought about the school and the area. Do you happen to know any other good primaries around the area? St matthews, Long ditton and Tolwarth Infants look all great but they are also popular so not sure if we will stand a chance.