School admissions: are we likely to get our 1st option?

[DYIDIY]

Please help me understand how school applications work and whether I am likely to secure a place at my favourite school. I will try to be as succinct as possible:

1st preference: 0.95 mile from our home in a straight line, in the past two years they have admitted kids up to 2 miles from school based on council website. Looks like they have filled all available places in the past years (this is also in a different council, not sure if that makes a difference, although very close to us)
2nd preference: 0.53 mile from our home in a straight line, not sure about max distance of admissions but last year they had filled 55 out of 60 places which suggests isn’t oversubscribed
3rd preference: 0.52 mile from our home in a straight line, not sure about max distance of admissions but last year they had filled 51 out of 60 places which suggests isn’t oversubscribed

Which school are we more likely to get? Is it likely we will get option n1 despite not being the closest to us?

Familiarise yourself with each of the school's admission policies. Usually available on their website.

This will tell you which criteria in which orderwill get preference e.g sibling, catchment, LAC etc.

@CCLCECSC it's all the same, siblings have priority and then everyone else depending on closeness to the school gate. But as I said above, option n1 seemed to have admitted children up to 2 miles distance in the previous two years

Nothing is certain, but, excepting a bumper sibling year, it is definitely not out of the question. The birth rate is lower from the current reception cohort onwards, but weird things can happen.

As PP said, familiarise yourself with the admission policies. It certainly sounds like 2 and 3 are undersubscribed and good back up options if you like them! (Never put a school as an option if you don't mind them atte.ding- if they get a place, then there are no grounds for appeal)

@DYIDIY Schools 2 and 3 almost certainly admitted all who applied. Therefore no distance applied. It wasn’t needed for a tie break. School 1 should be ok for you but are you in catchment? The key to this is always include your catchment “banker” school. If you are rejected from your preferred schools, you will get catchment. Check about Religious affiliation though. Make sure you meet criteria and hope the birth rate hasn’t gone up! If you do not include the catchment school, and your favoured schools fill
up, LA will send you where there’s a space. That might be the worst possible school!

@TizerorFizz I don't really know how to check actual catchment, I have been redirected to the council websites to check previous years admission criteria but haven't been given any info with regards to actual catchment (both from the school and the council)

A lot of areas don't have catchment schools any more. A catchment used to be an area drawn on a map and anyone living within that area got priority. However in my area it is done simply on distance from school.

If they went out two miles and you are less than a mile, it sounds like a strong possibility

Same here. They don't have catchment any more, just admissions criteria and then closest distance

If you give your county or borough (if somewhere like London) someone might be able to tell you whether there is a catchment system or just distance is in play.

If there is, criteria will normally mention it, e.g.
1 EHCP or looked after children
2 Siblings of kids in catchment
3 Kids in catchment
4 Siblings of kids out of catchment
5 All other kids

Have you looked on the school's website for because my Dc's old school has the admissions policy listed there including the catchment map and one of the criteria is living within catchment. It didn't used to have a catchment but then because it covered a rural area it started to get skewed so they introduced one.

You need to drill down into what criteria the last admission was in under, so for my sister's first choice, they didn't even get through everyone who was a sibling because it is a tiny school so there were children on the waiting list who had an older sibling in the school. As a first born child my nephew didn't stand a chance.

Neither of these school seem to have an actual catchment.
Previous years criteria was pretty much 40% those with siblings 60% everyone else based on distance.

The schools in my area don’t have a catchment area. The admissions policy is along the lines of

1. Looked after children
2. Medical reasons
3. Siblings
4. Children of staff at the school
5. Distance

It sounds like you will get in based on the fact they have previously admitted children from 2 miles away. Take into consideration if it’s a high/ low birth year. There could also be more/ less siblings etc.

Obviously no one can say for sure but sounds like you have a good chance.

You have no way of knowing because you don't know who is going to apply from where. Previous year admission details can be used as a rough guide, but that's all.

sounds like you would hve a good chance of getting into all schools as your first choice.
I'd just put your first choice as first choice and then the others are second and third.
It sounds like there is no catchments for any.

The way it works OP is that basically everyone who applies to each school is first ranked according to the admissions criteria for that school. At that stage it doesn't matter what order you have listed the schools. So you'll be on the list for all 3 of your preferences and in the situation you describe, you might well be high enough up the criteria to eligible for a place at all 3. Then they look and see that your first preference is school A, in which case you'll be offered A even though B and C are nearer, and you'll be taken off the lists for B and C. But if you're not eligible for A, you'd be offered your second choice if you were eligible for a place there, and so on.
So basically if you express a first preference for school A and you are high enough up the criteria to be offered a place you will be, even if there are spaces at nearer schools. You won't be offered a closer school just because it's closer if you want to go elsewhere and there's a place available. That would only happen if there were more people above you on the criteria who wanted school A. Given the recent history, it seems likely you'll get a place at your first preference, as long as there isn't something like a new housing estate being built close by, or a very unusual number of siblings or looked after children this year. If they've consistently taken from 2 miles in recent years and you are less than a mile away you probably have quite a good chance of a place I'd think, but you can't be certain unfortunately.

The way that the application works, is that you put them down in order of preference.

So if school 1 is the one you would like, then put it down as number 1.
If you don't get it, because there are more children living closer, then your choice number 2 will be considered ALONGSIDE the children who put it as number 1.

It is not a disadvantage to put a school as number 2, you are not less likely to get in if you don't get your first choice.

All three schools sound like a possibility, so put number 1 down in first place, and then 2 and 3.

You'll know if the schools have catchment areas by looking at the admissions information given on your LA website.

@DYIDIY Yoy should look at the website of each school. They must publish their Admissions Policy. They will have the categories others have outlined. If any are CofE check about religious affiliation. Admission policies will have a catchment map attached if it’s applicable. Sometimes schools don’t bother but if they are over subscribed, how do you choose beteen applicants for, maybe, the last few places? Usually Distance is a tie break.

Around here they tend to say “all offered to a distance of X miles” and you match that against catchment. Or they say “all applicants offered a place”, so no tie break. My LA has a catchment map and you can put in your home list code to find your catchment school. Have you looked at the Primary Admissions web sire at the LA? You must include your catchment school so you need to know which one it is.

"In a different Council area" is the key wording you seemed to have mentioned. We're close to an authority border so you had the chance that the admission criteria could see someone 4 miles away but within the authority catchment would get a place above someone living 100 yards from the school gate but in the neighbouring council.

Have you definitely checked the criteria on both Council websites to ensure they are consistent rather than just how your Council allocated places(I think you always have to apply through your own council even if the school is in a different authority?)

@wobytide That would be fairly unusual for catchment/distance criteria. Not unusual for religious schools though.

The important thing is to get all the info and always put down the school you will get into. Normally catchment school. Catchment can include other LA areas.

There really is no way of knowing as it really comes down to the amount of people who apply for a place within the same or closer distance than you the same year you apply along with the amount that hit the higher priority criteria.
I'd say high chance if they have admitted children up to 2 miles away previously but you don't know if that is a sibling or higher priority child.

Hi op, not sure where you are located and every council does things slightly differently. In our area, Leicestershire, the priorities are adopted/fostered, catchment, sibling then distance from home to school as the crow flies. It would be best for you to call the council where you pay your council tax to and specifically ask what your catchment school is as they are the only ones who will know. They will be able to tell you if your first preference is your catchment. However, your catchment may not even necessarily be your closest school.

I have to disagree with a pp who seemed to suggest that if all else fails, you’ll get you catchment school - wouldn’t work in our area unless you specifically named it in your application. Also, what happened last year regarding allocation of places is largely irrelevant as your chances of success are based on how many people are applying in your year. There may be more than last year, there may be more people who are higher up the priority list, you will not know that til national offer day.

Schools are not allowed to select by home borough

If there is a defined catchment (which is not allowed to be a whole borough, but might follow the boundary in part especially if it's a faith school using parish boundaries which historically tend to match boroughs). But as you say there is no mention of a catchment, then this will not apply. All applications must be ranked according to the published criteria (eg distance) and borough is not considered.

You do however have to apply through your home borough who will pass on your info to the relevant admissions authority for every school you apply for (whether that is the school itself, its own admissions team or that of a neighbouring borough). Cross-border applications happen all the time, especially in cities where its possible that all or most of your closest schools are in the neighbouring borough if you live v close to a boundary

Can't help with primary school advice but when it can to choosing secondary school places for my DC I only put down my first preference, didn't fill in second or third preferences, didn't cause me any problems and both got into the school.

This is a risky strategy.

If you do not get an offer from your first preference, and you have not listed any others, then you will be allocated the nearest school that still has a vacancy after all applications that did include preference/s have been processed. That might mean a school with a difficult journey or one you really dislike.