Is it okay to only list your 1st preference in the secondary school application form?

[spanna786]

Hello! It would be great to hear your views on this- I've been totally bewildered by the whole process with all the conflicting information out there. The deadline for submitting the secondary school application is drawing ever closer - and I'm still unsure of what I should be doing.

The headmaster at the my 1st choice school for my 10 year old advised me to only put their school down on the application form. He said that if I put down other options (and the form states putting down 6 choices in all) that I might get the 6th choice, in which case appealing that decision becomes much more difficult as I've would have effectively been given on of my choices.

The school is actually close to me - we just fall into their catchment area, but not other criteria apply to my child (e.g. SEN, or the sibling rule).

Should I do as suggested as only put down the one school? The application form, the council and all the guidance I've read so far suggest putting down 6 choices in order of preference otherwise you might get allocate a really rubbish school that is miles away.

Parents I've spoken to suggest being strategic about what you 2nd-6th choices are - but again that seems a little risky as you might get one of those choices.

Would be grateful if anyone had any advice on this?

Thanks
Spanna

Girlie, you may be right and your DD may get a place but if not, she could be offered a place at any school within your local education authority, or whatever they're called now. So that could be within the county.

The admission booklet should tell you under which criteria the last child was admitted last year. If you come under a criteria higher up the list then you'll probably be ok.

In some areas though, the catchment area is only a couple of hundred metres so don't assume that a 5 minute walk is ok.

Hang on, you don't think that if you put other schools as second/third preferences you wouldn't be allowed to appeal if you don't get your first preference, do you?

You can still appeal if you are offered anything except your first preference, even if you are offered your second preference.

Sometimes individual academy school don't put you on the waiting list unless you ask - I nearly got caught out by that for one of my DC (

I had a look at DDs application last night, I'm now worried though I wasn't before.

1. The local catchment school, she's at a feeder school but has no sibling. A lot of people live closer than us, we are the other side of town.

1. A c of e secondary ten miles away. We don't meet the faith criteria and would have no chance of a place.

1. A popular over subscribed school 20 miles away. We're obviously not in a feeder school nor live in the catchment area. Again, we would have no chance of a place.

There are two other secondary schools but both are small and rural and have no transport provided or available and I wouldn't be able to take her. Neither would Dh as we both teach in other schools.

They are our five nearest choices, we get to list three. What on earth do you do when you only have one choice where you are relatively confident of getting a place?

You can also look at statistics for "what happened before". So you might have for example,
a) last year the school took all in-catchment children who applied and 50 out of catchment children (and in the last 10 years they have always offered places to all in-catchment children who apply)

b) last year the school only took some in-catchment children to a distance of 1.5 miles (and you live 1.7 miles away) and that has been a fairly standard pattern in recent years

You would be much surer in case a (we actually have a version of case a which is even more clear cut, hence why I'm happy to put 1 choice on my form) than in case b (where you would definitely want an alternative)

They are the only schools we can choose from, the ones in the next town are 15 miles away and they have a different system so go in year 8 not 7.
I've had a look for statistics online but haven't been able to find any other then the nor and pan.
Children at the village schools tend to live very close, I don't know anybody from our town who goes to them.

Either the one in the town or the one 20 miles away unless they are c of e then they tend to go to the faith high school.

If you put the rural school 2nd and were offered it because you did not get in to your nearest school would the local authority have to provide free transport? There may be specific transport for school children even if there is no public transport.

I promise you the headmaster is talking bollocks.

There is a head of a local decent secondary here who says the same. Totally incorrect info. You must put other choices down.

Oh and afaik appeals aren't affected by whether or not you have one of your other five choices, certainly here they're not. I know a lot of people who got second choice and appealed for first choice and won.

On appeal you either prove they made a mistake in their admission process or you prove that by not going your child would be disadvanted more than the school would be disadvantaged having another child.

The only time you would even consider doing this is if for some reason you knew for certain that you were absolutely definitely guaranteed a place at your first choice (super selective entrance exam result letter for example). Otherwise it's best to follow LA advice as they will be the ones allocating the spaces, not the schools.

Totally agree that it's best to use all 6 choices as it is much more likely that you'll end up with a school you're ok with.
BUT, I was wondering if not being offered one of your preferred options gives you a slightly higher chance to win an appeal for that school? Shows that you really want it that much? No idea if this is the case, appeals are a mystery to me. Does the ht in question know which appeals have been successful in the past? Of course he can't give any guarantees, but maybe he knows something parents don't?

Tardigrade no it doesn't increase your chance at appeal. Appeals can only be why your child needs to go to school A NOT why school B is a crap choice.

Appeals can only be why your child needs to go to school A NOT why school B is a crap choice.

Well, yes, I've heard that - this is why I was wondering if someone could argue that putting down that school, and that school only supports their case FOR that school.

I am not personally invested in this, btw - just wondering about the appeals process. It's not very transparent, is it?

One of the things an appeal panel would ask would be, "Why did you put only one school?" But it wouldn't count in your favour.

I work in a secondary school admin office & when the admissions file arrives from out LEA, we have absolutely no idea whether those parents have put us 1st, 2nd or last. You've nothing at all to gain by not using all your choices. Good luck x

I was also wondering why a ht would be giving that kind of advice? As in, what's in it for them or the school? Telling parents to put it down as a first choice, yes, but why only choice?