Is school preference academic when applying mid year

[Expatedout]

We are returning expats looking for a place for my DS in year 8 in September . Now is the time I can fill in the CA1 form. I phoned round all my favoured schools 2 days ago and they are all full . I am now not sure how to do my preferences on this form . My favourite school and the one I wouldn't be tempted to put first has 8 above me in the waiting list is it worth putting this first ? or should I put my second choice which is also full but I would be higher up the waiting list or does it really matter as they are both full anyway. Do you go on the waiting lists for all your preferences and is your position weighted by wether you put them 1,2 or 3 on your preferences ie would I be bumped down the list by someone putting their preference as number 1 instead of 2 or 3

You should put your schools in your genuine order of preference. So put your favourite school as first choice and so on. As they are all full it is unlikely you will get a place at any of them so you will be offered the nearest school with places available.

You will go on the waiting list for all your preferences assuming you don't get a place at any of them. If you do get a place at one of your preferences you will still go on the list for your higher preferences. Once you have an offer, you need to ring the LA and confirm that you have been added to the appropriate waiting lists. Some don't do this automatically but most do.

Your position on the waiting list is not affected by whether you make a school first, second or third choice. No-one will go ahead of you on the list just because you have made a school your third choice but they have it as their first choice.

In your situation your preferences will only come into play if places come up at two of your schools at the same time. At that point you will be offered only the place at your higher preference. So you could shoot yourself in the foot if you make your favourite school anything other than your first choice.

You do realise you will "jump" to the place on the waiting list based on their entry criteria, so if you move back next to school X and there are no SEN or Looked after or Siblings on the waiting list, you will probably become 1st? You can also appeal for a place at these schools, and have a far greater chance of getting in than if it was an infant school. You need to see how "over full" the schools are, and if they have historically coped with more than their full PAN.