Other ways to get your child into preferred school

[NK3c596150X1276c7ef445]

Competition seems to be fierce in my little town! I've heard of people setting up music classes at their preferred school to find out about and grab vacancies (i.e. completely side stepping the official admissions criteria) as well as cleaning the local reverend's home!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do to get on school fete committees or whatever else can help? Am obviously attending church!

Any suggestions appreciated.

I don't think either of the methods you mention would work If the school was found to be giving vacant places to someone who wasn't top of the waiting list, there would be a major fuss. And cleaning the reverends house will not count either. Being on the church cleaning rota might be taken as "evidence" of involvement with the church, but so will the flower rota, helping with the sunday school etc - and all of these will only be "additional" to the published criteria of regular church attendance for X years.

????
sidestepping the admissions criteria!
No offence but i think they are mad.
We're putting a local CofE school down as 1st choice, we live in the parish but after that it's distance to school...and we are a long way away! afaik it's tough!
i did try to slip the HT £20

I don't think any of those methods would make any difference. Look at your LEA's admissions criteria for the school and they will show what order children would be admitted under.

I am fairly sure that setting up music classes or cleaning the reverend's home will not be there.

Calm down.
Visit all the schools.
Keep an open mind.
Make sure you know all the deadline and submit your form in time, with all the relevant supporting info.

That's about all you can do really.

Get child a statement of special needs naming the school!

Seriously don't put all your eggs in one basket.

We were assured DD would get in the local church school(head said everyone from your parish has got in for the last 7 years..) and sure enough found out last week DD didn't and default option is not an option for us.

This is a wind-up, yes?

Leave them at the door every morning and do a runner, they'll have to keep them!

A rather boring wind up ...

I really wanted ds to attend an oversubscribed nursery for which we were not even in the catchment. I am ashamed to admit that I targetted the geeky guy in charge of admissions and really turned on the charm in a big way and we became great buddies. I could tell that he was completely bowled over by me (I was a bit of a femme fatale in my time) and ds was put to the top of the list. However, I later changed my mind and coldly rejected the offer of a place. I also cooled down the friendship (devious, I know). I could see that he was hurt and a bit gutted - not one of my finest moments, I admit. However, I would do it again (my parents were pretty good at it too, if I rightly recall!)