what reasons did you put on application form when applying for a primary school

[MPearl]

I have just started visiting primary schools for DS who is due to start Sept 2010; and was given an application form - what reasons did you put on the form for your 3 choices? and were you sucessful in getting your 1st choice?

Are you in England? I don't remember having to give any reasons, after all it doesn't influence whether you get a place or not.

Don't bother. Unless you have medical/special needs reasons they don't pay a blind bit of attention to them ime (after going through the process twice).

IIRC the reasons were not compulsory ... and unless there were exceptional grounds the places are just given as per the published procedure in the LEA guidelines??

I don't think anything other than exceptional circumstances are taken into account ??

Yes, Im in the Midlands, there is a very small box after each of the 3 choices that ask for reason for your choice...

We had tick boxes on ours for things like faith, siblings, sn, distance etc. There was a bit where you could write stuff too but the LEA don't read it. I wrote 1-2 sentances about ds having been at the nursery attached to the school and that it was our nearest Catholic school. It would have made no differance but I didn't feel right leaving it blank because our school controls its own admissions and I knew the govenors would read it.

so are school governers involved in the selection process? I was told it was 'the council', not even the school head were involved in who is admitted to the school - they only get involved with appeals. So who actually decides? is there a panel? who sits on the panel? I have tried to read the information, but I cant find it...

MPearl - no Govenors are not involved, unless it is a faith school.

If you are applying for a bog standard primary school then usually the criteria for admission is usually SN (special needs and statemented children) then the next priority is those in care.

Then it's siblings of children currently at the school then anyone else.

If the school is oversubscribed for new starters then it goes as the crow flies in concentric circles from either the main entrance or the middle of the school building (depends on the council)

The "reasons" bit probably is for SN etc. The only reason you can ever appeal against a school is if you feel they have not followed the proper process of admission.

Hope this helps.

oh, but it is a C of E school - so Goveners are involved?? So I guess I should mention something in the 'reason for preference box' about christian upbringing?? I start visiting their church...

Some CofE schools are VA and some are VC. Either way they have to go on the selection criteria. Its just that the school might have set their own criteria.

If the school is VA they handle their own admissions against their published criteria (therefore probably worth writing something in the box about why you want a church school)

If the school is VC then the LEA handle the admissions (using same criteria as community schools, not faith based) therefore probably no need to wrire anything unless you have special circumstances you want to mention

Foundation school also have Governor input for admissions

I simply wrote down chosen "due to close proximity to home" just to reinforce that we are within an area likely to be allocated places on the grounds of distance from the school.

I just put that it was our village school and DD1's pre-school friends would all be going.

I think it's incase the school is oversubscribed and you have mitigating circumstances why your child might get in over another that you would like to be considered.