catchment areas

[1Lemondrizzlecakeplease]

Hi. We live overseas and are returning to the UK soon. Can you please advise me. With regards to catchment areas for secondary schools: which is taken into account - where the child lives OR which primary school they attend? i.e if their current primary is just outside the catchment area of the school you would like them to move onto, but you live opposite the secondary school - which counts /would you be at a disadvantage?

It depends on where to move to, and what "catchment" means in that location. Which of the home nations are you moving to?

Doe the place you are considering have formal 'catchment' (ie priority admissions area)? Or does it mean 'admissions footprint' (ie how close yo need to live to stand a chance)?

If there are 'feeder' primariy schools, these should be listed in the entrance spcriteria for the secondary. Not all schools haveth em. What exactly do the school/s yos re interested in say?

Am in a pickle! We are looking at a really wide area as we have no home to return to and would have to rent initially. Also we are uncertain of where we will be working - but need to be within reach of Birmingham, Derby and London. Have spoken to all Local authorities in the Midlands to see where there are places for my 3 DC's, all primary age.

There are spaces in a primary school in North Bucks on the outer most edge of the catchment map for Buckingham School, but I would prefer if poss for them to go onto Waddesdon school. So, if we rent and then buy over the 'border' in the Waddesdon catchment area, will my kids be able to get in even tho' the primary feeds into Buckingham??!

It is the same story with other counties too, places available in schools where we do not really want to be but then once the kids were in, we could buy a bit further away.

If there are spaces in a school you do not need to rent close to the school to get a place.

What matters in terms of getting into Waddesdon school is its admission criteria. It does not use feeder schools. If you are in the catchment area you will be in category 2 and have a reasonable chance of getting a place. Even if your primary school is a feeder school for another secondary school it will not affect your chances of getting a place in Waddesdon.

As you have discovered, Waddesdon School has a very small catchment area because it is a voluntary aided C of E Secondary School. It selects children on Church attendance as well as catchment area. You therefore need to live in the catchment area unless you are strongly C of E. If a primary school has places but you do not live in their catchment area, they will still take your children. However, for the future, Waddesdon has a far better reputation than the Buckingham School and if you have a choice about where you live, live in Waddesdon catchment area and drive to the primary school. In this area, however, there is a grammar school selection process but you can opt out of this if you want. The grammar school catchment areas will overlap with Waddesdon's.