Having nightmares over secondary school selection...

[Heidi243]

Question: has anyone ever refused point blank to send their child to a secondary school that there is no way in hell you'd let your child attend and basically said you'll keep them home until they get one of your preferred choices?

That won't get you anywhere.

If you turn down the place you have been given, the LA doesn't have to find you anything else. You can go on waiting lists and appeal, but they don't have to proactively find you anything else. They certainly don't have to give you one of your preferences.

Not personally, but if you don't want to send your child to the allocated school you can put them on waiting lists for other schools and home educate them until a place comes up (being aware this could potentially be years or never).

You can't refuse to let them attend the allocated school as a form of blackmail into getting another place!

Oh, I totally get that... but can't we just say we're going to home school until a place becomes available...? I'm so not happy about shelling out over £200 on a school uniform for a school that I dont plan to keep my child in... and then buy everything all over again when hopefully she gets into where we want her to go?

What are stats like in your area? Dd is going to a rather undesirable school s however with waiting list positions of between 52 and 122 the chances of her getting anywhere else arse non existent.

I would only choose to homeschool if you are prepared to do it for the duration unless you are in an area where schools are undersubscribed

How likely are you to get a place at a school of choice? have you appealed and visited allocated school?

Well, you can homeschool, yes. If you actually intend to homeschool, of course.

If you say you are going to home school the LA will say fine. But unless YOU are proactive about putting her on waiting lists then home school is what you will end up doing.

How realistic are your chances of getting the school you want? Have you appealed for the school you want? Why were you turned down for it/them in the first place?

Of course, you are free to home school. But my school currently has a waiting list of over 120 for September entry, so you would be waiting a very long time, assuming you live too far away and haven't been allocated a place due to distance.

Of course you can home educate.

Feel for you OP. It's very difficult if you really don't want your child to go to a particular school.

Was this outcome expected?

What is the situation if you looked further afield?

If you intend to home school till a place comes up, then that assumes that you are on the waiting list for at least one school. However how realistic is that assumption that you may well get a place. There is never a guarantee when going to appeal but it is worth it no matter how poor your case is.
Do you know where you stand on the waiting list? If it is more than 10th then I would suggest that you chances of success from waiting list are very limited. You need to be being realistic and looking at other options, including the one you are rejecting to get what is the best next option.

Lol... I haven't even applied yet, my child will be doing her last year in middle school after the summer break... we're in Guildford and competition is fierce as there are several schools in our area that are in special measures... I don't work, so home schooling wouldn't be a problem but it just seems like a minefield! I have another scenario to put to you all though... is it compulsory that I submit my application with schools under our Local Authority? Or, could I put a school completely out of our area that we like? I'll travel any distance for the right school...

You can put down whatever school you like.

However, if the school has the standard admissions criteria of looked after children, maybe social/medical needs and then possibly siblings and distance, you are unlikely to get into an in-demand school some distance from your home. You would need to look at how places have historically been allocated and see whether you would be likely to get a place.

You have to apply to your LA, even for schools outside your authority, unless they are independent schools, or independent admission schools, in which case you apply directly to them.
Why don't you just move house if you don't like any of them?

You can put a school in Norfolk on if you want

But you will be last on the list when places are considered living so far away.

you can apply for any school you want in any authority but since you will be competing for places with children living closer to the school, it is likely that all places will be allocated before your application is considered unless the school is very unpopular.

Also, most of the schools in our catchment area are private... the ones that aren't but are considered excellent are either faith schools (I'm an atheist and my daughter can make her own mind up when she's old enough to chose for herself what to believe), or they are in special measures, or we live too far away... our daughter is also an only child so we can't use the sibling rule either... maybe I should apply for some work at the school we want? Can being staff get you higher on the list? 🤞🤗🤔

So you don't even know fir sure there is no space Kids do come and go in year 7/8 and even after. Are you moving or is she currently in a private school ( no middle schools in that area afaik) . Just submit an in year application after half term and see what happens.

... because we love our home... and yes, obvioudly we love our child more, but the catchment area for this particular school is 5th on their admissions list... 🙄☹

Staff priority seems limited to academies, though some have it. Usually limited to those that have worked there for a qualifying period (e.g. two years) or who teach a shortage subject.

You need to get to grips with the admissions procedure quickly. Look on the Surrey County Council website for information. Take a look at how the admissions have gone in terms of which categories were successful and what distances if any were applied as tie breakers. Could you move to a good school's catchment area (actually move)? Could you afford private schooling or the fees at an internet school like Interhigh?

Doubt staff have any priority, but shouldn't you check the admissions criteria before panicking.

but the catchment area for this particular school is 5th on their admissions list

What does this mean please?

You would need to look at the admissions criteria for the school you want.

Staff priority occasionally still exists but is rare, and normally requires staff to have been working there for a significant period of time before application.

You also need to look carefully at schools in special measures. Find out what the reasons are, and when the special measures decision was made. Schools are often put under new management and that can change things quite quickly.

When the autumn comes take the opportunity to visit as many schools as you can, ask questions, use your spider senses and make up your own mind rather than relying on hearsay and gossip.