This can't be right?

[junowiththegladrags]

So during the talk at a local school this eve one of the governors gave the following tip re admissions. (Bog standard comp in London.)

Apparently if you don't add a school for each of your six preferences then your form is put aside until those who did have been processed.
They acted very sure of their info and were quite smug in relaying the top tip.

Is this right? Seems it would be unfair and contrary to everything I've read, but thought I'd check with the experts

Apparently if you don't add a school for each of your six preferences then your form is put aside until those who did have been processed.

It's crap, for want of a less ladylike word.

Governors (even some of those apparently on admissions sub-committees) often have a very tenuous grasp on the overall framework for school admissions, however much they may know about their own school. Ditto head teachers, for that matter, from some open evenings we've been to.

Not using all your preferences - or filling up your CAF with unrealistic ones - very much increases your chance of ending up with a school you really don't want, but you'll get offered it on national offers day, just as you would have been offered that comp you're in catchment for but don't fancy because your DC doesn't like the blazer.

Basically if you don’t use all 6, say you use 5, but don’t meet the criteria for those 5, they will use your free 6th choice and put you wherever there is space- far away, worst performing school etc, because you haven’t made a preference.

Absolutely wrong.

From what I understand, it is sensible to put a school down for each of the choices. Otherwise, if the child isn't eligible for any of the schools named on the form, they will end up at whichever school has a space. Which could be quite a distance, or not a school you'd choose.
But your application won't be disregarded simply because you haven't filled in all 6 boxes.

It is indeed complete bollocks. You are advised to use all your choices, but if you don't it has no impact on when your application is processed. (I sit on appeals panels!)

Thought as much, has put me right off the school now though. Nonsense chat right at the beginning is not a good start.

Thanks for the replies.

School application numbers are published in our LA (don’t know if they are everywhere). They are shown against the school but they don’t publish how many of them were 1st place. So a poor school with low levels of applications one year, stands out. Lots of schools like to say how they were oversubscribed to potential parents to make it seem that they are such a great in-demand school. That might be what they are trying to do in this example.
Just because 500 people put their school as last choice, and their last offer for a PAN of 90 went to the child in place 500, they shouldn’t be allowed to promote that they are oversubscribed, but they are. I found all schools were trying to get parents to put them down even if they don’t have a chance and suspect it’s to improve these figures. It’s all smoke and mirrors around here.

I wouldn’t be too harsh on them. It’s wrong, but it sounds like they’ve misunderstood more than anything else. They’ve given the right advice for the wrong reason and nobody is going to be disadvantaged by following it.

I agree with Isobel . They probably misunderstood the reason for the 'fill up the form' advice.

If you only put one far away school down and don't qualify for it, then your remaining application will be dealt with after all of those that did put other schools down. So even if you live right next door to your catchment school, if you didn't name it, you still might not be allocated it.

It's very wrong that people at school open evenings come out with this crap!
With primary schools we didn't fill all 6 spaces-only did 5 but will be filling all 6 for secondary (am hoping it won't go down to 6th but still).
I went to an open morning where the head said she had an agreement with the council that anyone who lived in the borough and put school as 1st choice would be guaranteed a place. I don't see that info anywhere online but the school do go over their PAN. Seemed odd and nothing I have heard before but why would the head lie??