Can we apply for primary schools in 2 different LEAs ?

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Hoping someone knows the answer to this one.

We live near the border of two shire counties.

We would like ds to go to our nearest Catholic school (which is actually over the county border from us) and will obviously be putting this local one as our first choice. We are practising Catholics and attend mass at the attached church so don't think there will be a problem. Friends have pointed out however, that we would be mad to apply to only one school as if ds doesn't get in we'll be allocated a place at any school with spare places within the LEA and the fact that they have spare places may indicate that they are not exactly the first choice on many other parent's lists iykwim.

Our second choice would be another Catholic school further away but it is in a different LEA to the first one (being in the LEA of the county we actually live in).

Can we fill out applications to the to 2 seperate LEA's if we restrict our total choices to 3 or how does this work ?

Any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Not sure about this - we too are on the border of two counties and although I know it does say that you can apply to a different LEA, I'm not sure how it works in practice.

I would suggest getting in touch with the LEAs concerned and asking what their procedures are. If one of the counties is Bedfordshire and you are in Central Beds I have the feeling they won't be very useful (they have put back the start of applications to end of October instead of beginning of October so I am slightly concerned that they know what they are doing, but that is a separate point from your question

You need to check your council's admissions policy.
I am in London and it is quite usual for parents to apply to schools in more than one borough, to the point where the council admissions policy wil give you the deadlines for neighbouring boroughs.

Around here you follow the rules for each borough - so I can apply to up to 4 schools where I live, but can also make the full number of applications in a neighbouring borough.

It all sounds quite helpful until you realise that if you live more than 300m from the school gates you don't stand a chance!!

I am on the edge of my LEA too and have just applied for secondary for DS1.

There is a very popular secondary school outside my LEA but only 2-3 miles away that a number of people from here do go to.

We are out of catchment actually, but reading the LEA form online I gathered that to apply there as well as to our LEA schools we just needed to put it on the same form.

So it may be very simple. But best check with yr LEA.

There was a thread on this a few weeks back if you do a search. Yes, you can; LEAs nowadays are supposed to have "coordinated admissions policies" so you apply to your "home" LEA listing your priorities in the normal way regardless of which area they're in.

Thanks Sunny Delight

Oh pooh that goes against the statement I've found on one of the LEA's website abount only putting down schools within that LEA.

I think I'll have to resort to 'phoning round.

Have a look at the admissions policy as someone has said, but there should be no problem.

My friend was holding 2 places last year from 2 different LEA's until she made her mind up.