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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

choosing primary school

16 replies

winnie01 · 17/02/2008 13:43

on the school preference form i have put that i am a child minder for 2 children at the school i chose as first preference will they take this in to consideration do yoyu think?

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hercules1 · 17/02/2008 13:47

doubt it.

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winnie01 · 17/02/2008 13:59

really even though this is my job it is also across the road from where i live?

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mollymawk · 17/02/2008 14:03

It all depends on their official entrance criteria (you can get hold of these). Where you live counts normally but I wouldn't expect the CM job would.

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mankyscotslass · 17/02/2008 14:59

They don't take it into account at all where I live. A friend is a CM and lost 2/3 of her business when her son did not get into the school she had as first choice. The year he was due to start reception had a very high sibling intake, so the distance criteria was really tight. There are children on her street who attend the school, but the year she applied she was unlucky. She even went to appeal on it, but to succeed you have to prove the selection process was faulty, and there is nothing in it about business needs of the parent.
If you are so close to the school I am sure you will be fine.

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winnie01 · 17/02/2008 18:44

if you knew someone had lied about thier address to get a place would you say?

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newgirl · 17/02/2008 18:48

manky is right - being a cm is a business decision so would not be a criteria - the only way i think it would help is if you looked after children on the protection register or with particular special needs

about lying - yes i would. They do tend to get found out one way or another - one child had to leave my dd's school in first term for using a wrong address. I don't know who told the school but it all becomes very obvious within a few weeks about who lives where etc - i dont think many people can get away with it - and it is illegal and people do get prosecuted - i guess tell a govenor or the school secretary or county?

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winnie01 · 17/02/2008 18:52

the school is the nearest school to me do i stand a good chance?

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mankyscotslass · 17/02/2008 19:38

Would I shop someone who was lying? Yes I would.
If the school is your nearest school it really depends on their selection criteria and number count. If there are a lot of siblings that year, then they tighten the distance criteria. I would say that if you are as close as you say to the school there is a good chance you will get it.

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winnie01 · 17/02/2008 20:28

they have 45 places and 49 have put the school as their first preference?

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winnie01 · 17/02/2008 20:30

what do you mean selection criteria?

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Hassled · 17/02/2008 20:36

THe selection criteria of most standard schools (i.e. not specifically religious) would go:

Statemented children who have that school as 1st choice.

Siblings of children already at the school

Children in teh catchment area (which can change depending on how many siblings/statemented there are - so one year they'll draw a circle in a map with the school at the middle, the next year the circle might be smaller or larger)

Children outside catchment

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winnie01 · 17/02/2008 20:56

how do you know they draw a circle? u r very helpful

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Hassled · 17/02/2008 21:00

Some catchments aren't as straightforward as a circle - a particular road may form a boundary with another school's catchment and that might be just a few roads away, so the circle will go more East than West, or whatever. So not literally a circle - life's never that simple! More blob on a map than circle on a map - sorry I was misleading.
How I know - school governor etc.

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winnie01 · 17/02/2008 21:11

i have to cross one road to get to the school i want my dd to go to?

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mankyscotslass · 18/02/2008 08:05

I think as everyone had said the sibling criteria is the big one really, do you know how many children due to start in September have siblings at the school? Distance really only comes into it after that.

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newgirl · 18/02/2008 13:28

i think you should put your nearest first

however it will depend entirely on how many siblings etc that year

then it will be down to distance - which is fair really