distance criteria

[Haliborange]

Is there any way of finding out a precise distance between a school and a property? Other than going through the council, of course...

Is this straight line distance or shortest walking route?

The GIS systems the Council use are very accurate. If it is straight line distance the most likely source of any error is if they have measured from the wrong point. They obviously know where the school is (I hope!) so the question is whether or not they have located your house correctly. The Council should be able to provide you with a map showing the location they used for your house if you ask them.

If it is shortest walking route or similar, you should still ask for the map but you should also ask the Council what route they used. You can then check to see if there is a shorter route that meets the criteria laid down by the Council.

There are a couple of websites you can use though they aren't quite as accurate as the council software. I think I used this one
www.freemaptools.com/measure-distance.htm
obviously mark the points yourself don't just use postcodes

Or you could try the walkjogrun website. But tbh, I'd ask the people who will actually be doing the measuring (the LEA)as all measurements will differ slightly.

Hm, I am just trying to figure out how likely a waiting list place is to come up.
A child about 30 or 40 m closer on a straight line basis has a place, but the Ofsted website (v inaccurate) puts them at 0.5km and us at 0.7km. They are not 200m away from us so that is impossible!

Not sure where in the school grounds it is measured from so have asked the council for that info. It's on a straight line so I find myself wishing I had kept my compass from school...

Thanks for the links - I will take a look.

Is this in connection with an admissions appeal?

If so it is important to double-check the measurement the LEA have used, but there is little point doing your own measurement using a different method (another GPS-based system, trundle wheel or whatever) because the point at issue will be how the distance between your home and school compares to the distance at which other places were or were not allocated, and for that you need to be able to do a like-for-like comparison.

Ah. If it's for a waiting list, you can ask the LEA where you are on the list. Of course, you may go down the list if someone who lives closer to the school joins it, but that will give you some idea of your odds on getting a place.

The LEA can't tell us where we are on the ist for another 20 days, unfortuntely, which is why I am mulling the qestion over... Have had some very garbled chats with them today, they are clearly swamped and struggling to be helpful.

I would use freemap tools to measure both your house and also the person you know has got a place from the same datum point on the school to the houses.
That will give you an idea of the physical distance but it is not as simple as that because there will be potential pupils all the way around in a circle with the school at its centre. That could be 100 pupils or it could be that you are next on the list used for the initial allocation.
I think you are going to have to wait until the LA has dealt with all the acceptances and declines from parents and can tell you where you are on the waiting list.

Oh, I'm sure you're right, I am just being nosy really. And it's a bit crap not being able to do anything!