I think, like Admissions said, that the fact that last year no appeals were won for that school indicates that there were no mistakes made. I can also tell from the fact that other children within the catchment area who lived closer than we did, but not close enough, didn't win a place either. The last place admitted last year lived even closer to the school than we did. The area's population has increased very much. We didn't know that admission to the nursery last year took into account children's age and therefore other, younger children who lived closer than we do didn't get a place because of that. Last year we just went straight to the school to put the name down, we didn't read the handbook which mentions the age factor for nurseries. But you HAVE TO read the handbook for Receptions, so I only noticed it this year, after we were not given a place. Because he was born in the first half of the period required to start Reception it means that the rest half of the children did not get a place at the Nursery last year because of their age. All other children at the nursery are older than him, apart from a few with older siblings I think. So he was lucky to get a nursery place as there are even fewer places for nurseries and most pre-schools are not good.
I was under the impression that he was not given choice 2 because of the ranking we gave it, but as other mumsnetters made clear this does not matter, so the reason not admitted to the other schools is because they gave priority to children in their catchment areas, whose population has grown as well, even if we lived closer to the schools compared to some people in their catchment areas. This is unfair but these are rules, they are legal and now they are going to change them because they realised so many children did not get a place within fair distance.
I think people are moving in because of ..cheaper house prices, especially people who had flats close to the centre of London so with the same money they can buy a bigger house here. We personally know quite a few families ourselves, who are family friends, but you cannot blame them for the LA's ineficiency.
We are on the waiting list and we will see what happens.
Now I have come up with another question that I don't know if anyone can answer. They said they will remove catchments and just measure as the crow flies, in a straight line. Now, with the catchment rule, if a child moves out of the catchment area the school tells him to move to a school inside the other catchment area or the closest to their house with a place. When the catchment will be removed and a family move further away from the school, when will the school tell them to change schools? It is not really important but I was wondering.