Catchment Request Denied - Unusual Situation

[Ecthelion]

Hi all. We have two kids, one in P2 and another about to start P1. Between the time the P2 started school and now, the council have built a new school and redrawn the catchment areas such that we are no longer in catchment. We would really like our kids to be at the same school so we thought we could either 1) apply for a catchment place for our youngest or 2) move the eldest to the new school.

However our catchment request was denied, and the new school are starting off as a P1 only school and might open up to older years in future but only if there's in demand, so there's no guarantee.

This leaves us with no way to have our children in the same state school! I'm going to appeal the catchment request but wondered if anyone had any advice on what to say in this? It seems a crazy situation for there to be no way to have both children in the same school. I know that if we'd made an out of catchment request for the eldest then we'd have been warned of the risks at the start, but we were in catchment when we applied for her and we've been in this house since before either kid was born, and the new school was even proposed.

Might it be that there are no places currently at the school where you made the catchment application?

We had two children in two different schools as we moved into the area part way through a school year and the places had already been allocated. During the school year a place became available for our eldest at the school the youngest was at. We did think about leaving him where he was because of the disruption of moving, but he was keen to move.

You could ask the school if your application could be reconsidered if a place becomes available.

Yes, I think that's likely that they've hit the limits. Apparently the appeal process can make them increase that limit so I suppose that's what we'll need to try. We're number 6 on the waiting list so would take a fair bit of movement for a place to open up. We could maybe move them in P2 when class size changes from 25 to 30 but I was worried about the disruption - glad to hear yours was keen to move.

That does sound crazy. Has the catchment been altered significantly, meaning are lots of families in the same position. There will be no way for you to drop children at school etc, and what is the distance between the two schools.
I would be contacting the education department at the local council, and making a lot of noise to local councillors, MSP etc. Who will be campaigning for their seats at the moment. Definitely appeal the process. There's a possibility they have not thought of this scenario.

I'd question why you are considered number 6 on the waiting list, if you have sibling in the other school and the school catchment has been recently rezoned. The fact that your children are younger should also be placing you at a higher priority. They will require family support for the journey to school for longer than say if child entering P1 has sibling in P6.

might open up to older years in future but only if there's in demand, so there's no guarantee.

Definitely appeal and involve local councillors. As PP pointed out there's elections coming up!
But also how many families are affected by this? Can you find enough other families with older children who can apply to have the new school opened for older year groups?

Thanks for responses all. We know of maybe 2 other families in the same situation this year, with 4-5 next year. Didn't want to mention as it's outing but since saying the distance between them will give it away, it's the new school in Morningside, www.edinburgh.gov.uk/new-education-buildings/new-south-edinburgh-primary-school-canaan-lane/1

The schools are 0.7 miles apart - we're going to have to ask for an accommodation in timings to be able to pickup/dropoff though to be fair the school have already said they may be able to do that. They'd have to be in separate after school clubs too.

We've been contacting the council on this for months now but get the same old replies about their hands being tied, having to follow the rules, etc, but the rules do not seem to be designed for this scenario at all. We will try contacting councillors/MSP again, but they've not been able to provide much help. I'll try and find out why we're at number 6, I suspect it's just that there are more families than we know of affected and within that grouping it's ordered by distance from school gate and we are near end of the old catchment.

This is common in England especially in areas with not really enough school places. Its often got around by using breakfast clubs and after school provision or childminder pick up/drop off at one school.

Well as long as it's worse in England, that's comforting. Number 6 in March isn't that depressing as there is usually a fair bit of movement on waiting lists before August, right up to the wire. Two school commutes for early primary sounds rubbish.

Keep on at them for a workable solution for all families... its going to be a persistent problem for both schools for several years

We have Infant and Junior schools, they get around it by having staggered timings so parents can make it to both on time

I wondered how all that would work. The council better look lively, Morningside parents are like no other force they've ever met :)

@RB68

This is common in England especially in areas with not really enough school places. Its often got around by using breakfast clubs and after school provision or childminder pick up/drop off at one school.

Yes well it's not common in Scotland.

It's not that common in England if you apply to your catchment school and don't move house! OP I can't help practically, as I'm in England, but definitely kick up a fuss! It's pretty unreasonable when you have basically played by the rules.

Sth Morningside list is likely to move a bit as some decide to take up private places so you might be ok at 6th on the list.
You can keep your younger one on the list even if they don't get a place in time for August. They could swap across during P1 if a place comes up.
As both schools are operating from the same campus next year logistically it will be the same for you regardless of which school the younger is actually enrolled in.
As the year progresses you'll have a better idea of whether the youngest will get a place at SM or if the new school is likely to be opened up to older children.

That sounds crazy as surely this situation was bound to happen.

Where there was a similar situation locally (different local authority to you), families with children at the existing school were given the option to move to the new school or stay and younger siblings were included.

I think if they have limited the size of their P1 class then you should push - they may not have the space to create an additional class room but they can increase the size of the class by putting a second teacher into the original class room to accommodate 30 from P1. so even if you are 6th on the list you could potentially move right up. although like others i find it odd you are so far down the list given the circumstances.

We're a different council area and catchments changed recently for us. However they allowed any younger siblings to follow older ones for the next 7 years if parents wished to avoid splitting families. Seem mad to have to split siblings.

@Sturmundcalm

I think if they have limited the size of their P1 class then you should push - they may not have the space to create an additional class room but they can increase the size of the class by putting a second teacher into the original class room to accommodate 30 from P1. so even if you are 6th on the list you could potentially move right up. although like others i find it odd you are so far down the list given the circumstances.

This is a good point, if they aren't taking on pupils above P2, there should be plenty of space to split the class into two, at least for the next few years. They would have to resource another teacher though.

*above P1

Ignore that, I'm an idiot and confusing the two schools, getting more kids in the new P1 won't help!