How likely is it that dd2 will get into the same school as dd1 now we've moved out of area?

[DevilwearsPrada]

I'm a bit ahead of myself here as dd2 won't be staring school until 2011. But we've recently moved house and are now out of the catchment area of dd1's school. We're keeping her in the same school as it's such a good school. But now we're out of the catchment area will dd2 still be able to get into the same school because dd1 is already in it?

Not sure where you are and if all LAs are the same, but here, IIRC, the hierarchy goes (something like)

1. Children with a statement of SEN which explicitly names the school
2. Children with a sibling at the school
3. Children in the catchment area
4. Something else which I can't remember

That's for your common-or-garden schools. Church schools can obviously use their own criteria.

But I'd say you have a good chance of getting dd2 into the same school.

You need to check the admission rules with your LEA as they vary (and obviously they could change over the next few years). Some LEAs have abolished or changed the sibling preference rule in the last few years specifically to stop out of area siblings taking places in popular schools (e.g. in Brighton & Hove now the sibling link only counts if you are within 2 miles of the school so you might still get in outside the strict "catchment area" of the school you want, but not if you've moved miles away).

I think you would need to check. Our criteria is

Children in care/special needs.
Children in catchment with siblings.
Children in catchment no siblings.
Children out of catchement with siblings.
Children out of catchment.

Where I am it's the same as mankyscotlass, but it will vary so check with you LEA website. The primary admissions bit will explain. On our LEA website it also shows the numbers of children who got into each school from each category. And even if that info isn't available online, then the primary admissions team should be able to tell you. For example, the school at which my ds is starting in September had 4 children last year from out of catchment, and 1 child this year.

It will vary vastly in different schools, and it varies year on year for the same school. In most schools, I would have thought you'll be fine (unless you live in a built up urban area and the school is massively popular, in which case they could well fill up from catchment alone....).

I agree with mankyscotslass. It all depends on how popular the school is in 2011. There are several cases in my area where siblings haven't got a place because it is over subscribed.

Not here, not this year.

Our criteria are the same as mankyscotslass, and a number of out of catchment siblings have not been offered a place.

Ours is a village school, but still oversubscribed. Sadly not even all catchment children have been offered a place, as the village has grown a lot in the past few years.

As you are thinking ahead can I throw something else in the mix?

It is worth checking what the admission criteria is for the secondary schools in your old and new area. The secondary schools in the catchment of your old area might go on proximity and the secondary schools in your new area may go on feeder schools. Dd1 might not get in to the school where all her friends end up going because she is out of catchment and also may not get in to your local one because she doesn't attend a feeder school.