Primary 3 choices

[VickiJR]

Hi all, I need to get my choices in for primary schools for 2025-2026 however it’s not guaranteed we will get our first and second choices due to being smaller schools and we are out of catchment. We have been advised by school admissions for our area that we need to put at least one school that’s in the catchment area however we do not like this school and it has a requires improvement ofsted.

We were looking to put a different third school which is also out of catchment but now I am worried that if we don’t get any of our three choices, will we be offered the catchment school? Or will it all depend on if the catchment school has any places left after everyone’s applications and then we risk getting any school in our area if our local catchment school is full

Would appreciate any advice

Thanks

You need to put at least one school that you will definitely get a place in - the catchment school that you don't like might be a better option than just leaving it up to getting whatever school has places left over that could be miles away.

Or will it all depend on if the catchment school has any places left after everyone’s applications and then we risk getting any school in our area if our local catchment school is full
Yes exactly, if you don't apply for your catchment school you will be last on the list after everyone who did put it on their application.
You risk getting any school in a different area if your local ones are all full.

So if our catchment school wasn’t full for instance but we didn’t put as one of our 3, would they look to place you in your closest school as there are places? Would you only be allocated a different area if your local one was full? Thanks

Yes, if you are not high enough up the list of applicants, ranked by how well they fit the criteria, to get an offer from any of the schools you listed as preferences, you will be offered the nearest school with a vacancy.

This may be your catchment school, but if that is filled with families who did list it, then it could be some other undersubscribed school.

Your choice is basically a school that you don't like but which is close and therefore likely to be logistically convenient, or another school which you may or may not like at all and which may also mean an awkward school run.

So first they give everyone who applied places.
If you didn't get a place at any school you applied for, they would then look for the nearest school that has places left after everyone else has a place.

If your catchment school is always undersubscribed then it's pretty safe not to put it down. But if it usually or sometimes fills all it's spaces then it's a risk.

Thank you.

Our catchment school hadn’t been over subscribed since 2021, when the ofsted decreased from good to requires improvement .

I know it all depends on this year intake, it’s all what ifs 😢

Thank you so much