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Original poster

so how often do people not get their first or even second choice of primary school?

45 replies

CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 15:05

sorry this is my second primary school thread in 2 days but this whole business of choosing a school is stressing me out!

so I know our first choice school is small and over-subscribed and I suspect we won't get a place even though dd1 is at the nursery there.

was starting to feel better as have identified a decent second choice school (though have yet to visit it)

it has now occurred to me that although we live very close to it, the second choice school is also small and over-subscribed (although less so) so we may not even get a look in there

so will we be down to our third choice??
does this happen alot?
aaargh I hate this!

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LB29 · 20/11/2009 15:11

It maybe better to put your second choice down as your first if it is less over-subscribed.
I believe it is a very common situation to be in although we are very lucky to live next to a large primary.

Original poster
CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 15:17

that has occurred to me LB

but I am still clinging to a shred of hope that she will somehow get a place at our first choice school-though if she wasn't at the nursery there I would probably just abandon that hope. there would be no hope at all if we put it second.

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mazzystartled · 20/11/2009 15:24

Unless it is a published criteria by the school (and I have a feeling that it is no longer allowed), the order of choice won;t make any difference to the school that you are allocated.

You are given a place at the school highest up your list for which you meet the criteria. So keep your first choice school in there. You should also try to select a third school if you possibly can, as if you leave this blank you are indicating that you are prepared to accept a place at any school offered.

Good luck

firsttimemama · 20/11/2009 15:28

Mazzy is right about teh choice thing, keep your top choice first. Are you overlooking the closest school to you?

Original poster
CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 15:40

ok the problem is the school i am now thinking of as second choice is small (30 places in reception) and had 77 applications for places last year. I don't know how many put it as first choice but if over 30-and we put it second- it seems to me unlikely we will get a place. If we put it first there wouldn't be a problem as we are very close.

If someone could tell me for sure that dd1 won't get in to our first choice (I think we are right on the edge of the catchment, there are 50 kids in nursery vs 30 reception places and they had 115 applications last year. we have a chance of getting in but I don't know how good) then I would put this other school first.

as it is, she probably won't get in to either! grrr...
am i being daft to stick with our first choice? i would just be so happy if she got in, she is so settled at the nursery.

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thedollshouse · 20/11/2009 15:56

We didn't get any of our choices (3 closest schools) but the birth rate for ds's year was way higher than normal.

Unless you live in an area that traditionally has problems with over subscription you are likely to get one of your choices providing you are sensible. I know of people who have listed their choices at 3 oversubcribed schools at the opposite end of town and then they wonder why they are not allocated a school of their choice.

thedollshouse · 20/11/2009 15:58

Catissleepy - It makes no difference if you put the school as first or second choice. The order in which you rank the school is not taken into account. If you list the closest school as second choice and meet the criteria you will be offered a place there, it doesn't matter that it was not your first preference.

wingandprayer · 20/11/2009 16:02

I didn't get any of my three choices. I know someone else it happened to as well at the same time. Sorry to be harbinger of doom. In both cases we chose to put another popular school in first place and catchmrnt school in second thinking ah well at least we will end up there. We both got allocated crap schools elsewhere, but my catchment school massively oversubscribed last year so no matter what I did I wasn't getting in there. At the enc of the day I think any concept of choice is an utter fallacy. It's down to geography and luck. So make your choices, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Oblomov · 20/11/2009 16:09

I got my first choice. But it is catholic and we fullfilled the criteria. Guess that doesn't count.

thedollshouse · 20/11/2009 16:11

I agree with you wingandprayer with regard to "choice". We spent ages agonising over which school to put as first choice and second etc and we ended up being allocated a school in a different town that was earmarked for closure despite living less than a 5 minute walk from one of our choices!

cat64 · 20/11/2009 16:14

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Itsjustafleshwound · 20/11/2009 16:16

We didn't get our first choice and didn't even try the schools nearby as they are over subscribed and looking at the appeals and allocation criteria we had little/no chance, so we have ended up with a school furthest from our house.

I don't think there is a failsafe way to ensure that you get your school of choice - barring being able to have spare funds to buy on the doorstep of desired school or hiring hitmen.

It sucks!!

Original poster
CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 17:02

i think you misunderstand me slightly dollshouse...

i know ranking doesn't matter if there are plenty of places

but if places are limited and the school has more applicants than places, aren't places allocated to those who put the school down as their first choice, first?

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allaboutme · 20/11/2009 17:05

no, its complicated, but they are not.
ranking doesnt matter even if places are very over subscribed. they arent allowed to do that anymore!
put your 1st choice first and 2nd choice second and just make sure you put a 3rd one down too!

cat64 · 20/11/2009 17:08

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Original poster
CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 17:09

oh lordy am feeling a bit thick

could we be offered a place over someone who put this school first...?

OP posts:
Original poster
CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 17:10

x-post with cat64!

oh I see....!
well that changes matters slightly

OP posts:
Original poster
CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 17:47

you know, I think I actually did know all that at some point!

have got myself in a bit of a tizz and confused myself thinking about it too much

thanks for enlightening me ladies

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ShellingPeas · 20/11/2009 18:30

My understanding of the allocation process is this...

You put your choices on your County Application Form - 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.

The LEA then produces of lists of all children who selected School A, B or C. Children are then selected according to Schools A, B and C's selection criteria e.g. faith, distance to school, siblings etc. The schools are not aware of where you placed them in order of preference. At this point it is possible to have been selected for 3 schools (if you tick all the boxes) or no schools at all (e.g. out of catchment, non-faith etc).

The LEA then sorts through the offers and places them in order of preference - so if you were lucky enough to have potential places at 3 schools you would be offered your first choice, thus freeing up the places at your 2nd and 3rd choices for other people. These are then passed on to other children further down the selection criteria and so on.

So, the school should have no idea as to what order you prefer and you should always place your first choice first, regardless of whether or not you think will get a place in the first round of allocations.

And also be aware that if you don't list a school as a preference you can't appeal against not getting a place. Also always, always, always fill in all the preference slots so that you do not end up with getting a school you absolutely don't want.

ShellingPeas · 20/11/2009 18:33

Actually, that last sentence should read ... so that you, hopefully, do not end up with getting a school you don't want.

nancy75 · 20/11/2009 18:39

cat, where are you in south london? i am in bromley and went through all this last year, if you are in the same borough i would be happy to tell you all about it (i became a school obsessive!)

stringerbell · 20/11/2009 19:52

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Original poster
CatIsSleepy · 20/11/2009 19:56

thanks stringer and nancy!

nancy-am in greenwich
actually one thing I was wondering, if you also put in an application to a school or schools in a neighbouring borough, is it treated entirely independently?

OP posts:
twolittlemonkeys · 20/11/2009 20:00

We only get to put 1st or 2nd choice on our forms. I'm nervous as I haven't listed the catchment school as one of those so we may not get a place at all! Mind you, if it's catchment school or no place, I'd rather home educate until a place becomes available at a decent school.

Also we don't find out until May which school our child has been allocated. Is it just me or is that really late?

nancy75 · 20/11/2009 20:08

cat, a few of the people that dd goes to nursery with live in chislehurst, which borders on the edge of greenwich borough, they all applied to schools in greenwich and bromley, some got in to greenwich schools, so it must work both ways.
when they allocate the place in bromley it is done in the following order
looked after children (in care of ss)
siblings
distance from school

if you live closer to a bromley school than a resident of bromley you get the place before them - asaik they dont look at boundrys between one county and another, just distance, as the crow flies, from your front door to the front door of the school.
if you want to apply to a bromley school have a look on the website, their booklet gives you info on how far away children lived this intake that got accepted to the school in question. hope this helps a bit.