Anyone out of catchment sick of comments

[dee73]

We live 1.5 miles from the better schools. Problem is everywhere I go those that do live in catchment want to talk about admissions, am I worried etc. I even got one man tell me I was a long way from my neck of the woods in the supermarket, even though its also my nearest supermarket!!

Has anyone got a good reply. My heart sinks when I see one of these catchment mums. I have 3 kids so have had these comments a lot. Just met one in daughters swim lesson tonight. I'll have to have her sit next to me for whole terms lessons now.

Do you know how far out the admission went this year? Are you likely to get a place? They may just be pointing this out to you. Make sure you look at alternatives too and then just say 'oh we are still looking as not sure yet which school will suit minidee73 best yet'. Remember too that waiting lists move so even if you don't get preferred school on initial allocation you might get in on waiting list.

Yes we know our chances. Every year its 50/50 chance all mainly due to all the houses that have been built. My eldest kids did get in to some of these schools, my youngest most likely won't.

Do your chances increase at all with having children already at the school? We aren’t in catchment but managed to get dc2 in as dc1 was already there although the place wasn’t guaranteed iyswim.

Do any of the catchment parents live in the new houses? You can moan to them about incoming parents and that traditionally your child would have a space if it wasn't for all the new rabbit hutch new builds, and watch them squirm. Are there other schools with spaces or is there a case for petitioning the LEA and school to increase the PAN?

I'm an out of catchment parent. Nearly 3 miles. It's a rural school though so the net can be wider.

My dd is now Y10. We were lucky to get a place as it was low birth year, however every year still many many pupils get an out of catchment place. In fact there is no official catchment (our school is just in another LEA and I'm in another. 'Catchment' children tend to just mean within the LEA). Every year the distances change.

I totally understand the desire to avoid people. In my case it was a reverse. Parents from the Primary school were bizarrely outraged is chosen a different school to them and they wanted a blow by blow update.

Fingers crossed for you OP. I'm sure all will be fine.

Lol at ‘catchment mum’
Avoid them?
Why sit next to someone who is going to be vile?
The idea of a ‘catchment mum’ fills me with horror.! Do they have t-shirts? .
Who are these people who go around making comments in the hope of worrying others! 🙄
I’m going to give the ‘ catchment mum’ the benefit of the doubt and think that maybe she just hasn’t thought about it from your point of view. You could say that it’s a source of worry so you’d rather not talk about it? You may find she is then more supportive.
Let’s hope so

We had this but with primary schools! There is an outstanding primary school in our area and we are one road out of catchment for it - when we moved here all the parents at coffee mornings etc would say “oh did you move here for Amazing School?” and when we told them we didn’t, and we weren’t in the catchment area (or priority admission zone as it is called here) they would do the concerned head tilt and say “oh dear, well maybe you will still get in”. Actually when we came to look round schools we thought Amazing School wasn’t all that and applied to a different one, which has been brilliant.

We are in catchment for an ‘amazing school’ with great 16+ result. Nearly the kids have tutors in many subject by the time they hit 14 and poor performers are shown the door at 16. But it is an amazing school 🤨

No the siblings are no longer there. Can't use sibling link. Distance criteria of kids getting in decreases every year. Catchment mums t shirt made me laugh. Just wish I could see them in street or supermarket without them bringing it up. They do every single time. Most of the time I can avoid or feign a rush but swim lesson harder. She sat next to me and began...

That’s sounds horrid. Is the village/suburb in the catchment area called boreville or something?