The Heights Primary Catchment

[ReginaPhalang]

Hi,

My partner and I are looking for properties in Caversham Heights. Our criteria is to be in catchment area of outstanding schools and we found one property which is in the catchment but close to the border according to the last year catchment area. Our daughter will be starting primary school in 2025 and wondering if we can be confident about getting a place in Heights Primary. If anyone has any inputs, please do share. We also found another property in the catchment area of Caversham Primary and Emmer Green Primary and trying to understand which would be better.

Also, we are Indian family and trying to understand how it feels like living in Caversham Heights. We currently live in Reading town center which has a good mix of population of many countries. If you are an Asian/Indian family living in Caversham Heights, please do share your experiences and how do kids along in the schools.

Any inputs are highly appreciated because we don't know anyone living in the area and your help will be very valuable for us in making a decision.

Thanks!

The school's catchment (priority admission area) will be available on a map, or detailed description) that is part of the published admissions information. The area can be redefined (or indeed the catchment abolished) following public consultation, so you need to look out to see if that is happening (often not hugely well publicised. For Sept 25 entry, applications will open autumn 24, and new official boundaries need to be published no later than then, so any consultation that would affect you will probably be starting some time this year.

But (unless Scotland) living in the catchment might not be sufficient.

If there are more DC living in the catchment than there are places, then there will be a tie-breaker, and that is overwhelmingly likely to be by distance.

You need to look at recent admissions information (should be published) to see where the tie breaker falls (after LAC/SEN, the categories are likely to be a) siblings in catchment, b) other siblings, c) other catchment d) all others (b&c might be the other way round for some)).

Where has the cut off been in the last couple of years? If it always reaches "all others" then anywhere in catchment should be OK. If it cuts off in the "other catchment" then you need to look at the "greatest distance offered" and aim to be comfortably within it

Check also how they measure distance - is it by as the crow flies, or is it by safe walking route?

Thank you for the response. I have checked on locrating website to understand the catchment area and the property we are interested in is just inside the greatest distance offered. So I'm not very confident how it'll be in 2025 and hence the confusion. We didn't find any properties we liked well within the greatest distance offered and hence the confusion.

Thank you for your inputs :)