Kent primary schools admissions

[Worried2987]

Can anyone help me understand the school admission process for Kent primaries?
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My child won't fit any of the preferred status e.g. sibling, sen etc so I'm guessing it will come down to distance from school.

I understand that you list schools in order of preference but that the schools don't know where you put their school on the list. So is there any point?
Am a bit confused!!

The LA will look at your preference order for whichever school can allocate a place to your dc and offer the highest listed if available. So if you did not qualify on distance for no. 1 or 2 but did for 3, 4 and 5 , 3 would be offered.

All LAs have to use an equal preference system, which means that putting a school in a higher position doesn't give you an advantage in being offered a place. The system is as LIZS describes- listing a school on your form in any position means that you have put in an application, and the only time that the order matters is if you are able to be offered a place at more than one school, in which case you'll be offered a place at the school that you ranked more highly, as everyone is only able to be offered one school. You should list the schools in your genuine order of preference, always including at least one that you're reasonably confident of gaining a place at.

For example, you could not be too keen on your nearest primary school, so you put it in 5th place, with further away schools that you prefer in the higher positions. Unfortunately, lots of people who lived nearer to the schools in the higher positions also listed them, so they had small distance cut offs and the only school that were able to offer you a place were your nearest school. It doesn't matter that you listed it 5th. As they were the highest ranked school able to offer you a place, you still get the place over someone else who listed it first but lives further away. If you hadn't listed it at all though, anyone who listed it would be offered a place over you, and, if you were unable to be offered a place at any of the schools you listed, you would be offered a place at the nearest school with places available, which may be a poorer school quite some distance away. I hope that makes sense. Also, ignore any rumours about having to list a school first to have any chance of getting a place or only listing one school- it's all rubbish.

Thank you both that's made it a lot clearer.

And do list at least one which historically you would have qualified for on distance and you are happy with.