Perfect school no chance of getting in

[kn1ghty]

We are looking at propective schools for our daughter to move up to in September 2011. unfortunatly for us we live right on the edge of Tameside therfore only one secondary school in our cathcment area which is ok - but there are two better schools on ein particular we would love to get her into - it is always oversubcribed, it is 6.6 miles aways from us (last year the furthest public lived 2.19 miles away), she has no siblings that go there, it is not her primary schools feeder school. i am at my wits end trying to think how to explain and the reason i wnat my daughter to go to his school, becuase it seems obvious reasons are not good enough, great grades, girls only, good facilities, great teachers. I just don't know what I can say to make them consider us? I am willing to do anything join to PTA, do all the school trips when they need parents, do everything but i feel like we just don't stand a chance - please help

Sorry, OP, but your post is a good argument for why distance is a "fair" means of selection.

Why on earth should people be able to utilise the various accoutrements of privilege to wangle their child's way into a school? (joining the PTA, helping out on school trips, etc,) Why shouldn't girls (and I notice you don't think the single-sex criteria is unfair,) in a "less-desirable" area have first dibs on a "good" school?

There are arguments against distance/catchment selection, but, in this instance? Sorry, I'm all out of sympathy.

Seriously, the only thing to say is that the unfairness resides in the disparity between the schools on offer, which is what makes the mode of selection, amongst all the parents who have recognised this disparity, and understandably, would rather their girls went to this school, an issue.

As everyone has said, you now have the option of accepting the place you dd qualifies for, and if necessary supporting and supplementing that (not fair, agreed, there will be lots of parents for whom those last two are not an option) or moving (again, not fair; lots of parents can't do that).

And why shouldn't 13 and 14 year olds use public transport?

"Perfect School"
For who?
Every child is unique.
What worked for one of mine was a disaster for the other.
Whose criteria?
Shop being a follower
BAAAAAAAAA
Be a leader
decide what is best for you
a big fish in a small pond is often no bad thing
children in even the "worst" schools can do well with excellent parental support

• are you that excellent parent?

and Universities are well aware of the differences in schools. Doing well at a less well "league tabled" school will help at the Uni stage.

Who are you trying to satisfy?
your vanity
or your child's educational needs?

That IS the fairest way - that and SEN and siblings. How else can you do it? Everyone wants the "best" school for their child. How would you choose the pupils? Size of their parents wallet? Social class?

Agree, distance is the fairest way. I'd love to know how the areas that work on a lottery system are working out. Are the 'best' schools that everyone wanted still the 'best'?

Sorry kn1ghty, but you sound like a terrible snob to me. Lots of tameside children haven't gone to Fairfield and have managed just fine thanks. If you really find tameside so unacceptable, move elsewhere.

kn1ghty - please give us a 'fair' list of ways of admitting children to your chosen school. Even if you could make up the admission criteria, no one way would give your dd 100% chance of getting in. If you lived near a good school, do you think children further away should get priority?