Reasons that would be suitable to get a place in a secondary school

[Katem2104]

Hi everyone
My son is year 6 in primary school and has been given a secondary school that is 2 miles away and is not the school that I would be happy to send him to. He is a very intelligent bright boy and very well spoken - however the school that he has been given doesn't have a good grade rate of success as I know a teacher that works there.
Anyway he has no other siblings so I cannot use that as a reason to attend a school of my choice. The two schools I would like him to attend are only a mile away. I have started a Bsc in Physiotherapy so am studying. The thing is my sister lives near the school of my choice - so what if I used that as a reason that she would be providing childcare for him after school as there is nobody else at home ?
If not what other reason could I use that could be successful?

Thanks in advance

Does your son have any talents (ie drama awards, won any science competitions) or second languages that are taught at your preferred school to a higher degree or earlier than at your allocated school ? My DS speaks a second language near fluently that my preferred secondary teaches in year 7, the school I'm not so keen on only introduces that language in year 8 or 9. I'm also in the process of moving to within a five mins walk of our preferred secondary, just to make sure he gets a space!

Several children round me (oldest has just started Y7) asked for, and recieved, places out of catchment.
Are you sure you are only in catchment for one school? I only know for us, but we are in catchment for 4 secondary schools.
Put them in the true order you would like your son to go - and put a school, however horrific, that you are pretty sure you will get into as last choice - the theory being a poor local school us better than a poor school on the other side of town.

If you look at secondary schools pupils who live near you, are they al, in the same uniform, or do some of them go to the schools you prefer?

Childcare from your sister, friends, easier journey are not reasons. Things like "school is on one level and my child uses a wheelchair" is the sort of level you are looking at for reasons.

There should be a list of admissions criteria with the application info, and they tell you how places will be allocated.
The school will look at the number of places they have. Then they will give children places in the order set out in the procedure until all the places are full.

So they might start by giving places to any looked after children who have applied, then ones with medical/SEND reasons, then children in the catchment area who have fulfilled the religious requirements if it's a church school, then non-religious children in the catchment area, then religious children outside the catchment area, then non-religious children from outside. If they run out of places in the middle if a category, they will go in order of closeness to the school.

There isn't really any leeway, unless there really exceptional reasons why a child can't go to a particular school.

It's quite rare to be in the catchment for more than one school.

And being in the catchment does not guarantee you a place in England, you also need to live close enough to the schoo, if there are so many applicants that all places are filled before all catchment DC have got a place.

Also be aware that not all schools have catchments - it's all on distance, or sometimes lottery.

Have you looked at the admissions criteria for the schools you are interested in?

Information on the greatest distance offered (on offers day) should be published by the school and/or the council. This should help you get an idea of whether your DC would have been offered a place in recent years. But of course, as they say in the ads, past performance is no guarantee for the future

There should be a panel to decide which applicants in exceptional medical or social need qualify in those categories. You would need written evidence from a recognised professional to support your case

As Meditrina says it needs to be supported by written evidence from professionals such as consultants or social workers and even then it is very difficult to get them to accept that. Being with friends wouldn't qualify. Most children want to be with friends.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

As Meditrina says it needs to be supported by written evidence from professionals such as consultants or social workers and even then it is very difficult to get them to accept that. Being with friends wouldn't qualify. Most children want to be with friends.

Thank you !

@chillibeansauce

Does your son have any talents (ie drama awards, won any science competitions) or second languages that are taught at your preferred school to a higher degree or earlier than at your allocated school ? My DS speaks a second language near fluently that my preferred secondary teaches in year 7, the school I'm not so keen on only introduces that language in year 8 or 9. I'm also in the process of moving to within a five mins walk of our preferred secondary, just to make sure he gets a space!

He is actually really good at sports and one of the schools i like is a sports academy! So yes could try Thank you

I don’t understand at all. In England, your son won’t have been allocated any school at this point. You fill in the form with your choices in order and you get allocated the school that is highest on your list that has a space for you.

You can’t cheat the system and the only criteria that count are if the child is a looked after child (forstered or adopted), has an EHCP, has a sibling at the school or goes to church if it is a church school. The order of these can be different for different schools.

It makes no difference that you need a certain school for childcare purposes or your child’s friends are going there or your child is good at any particular subject.

At this stage you just need to put the schools down on the form in the order you prefer them.

You don't need to worry about reasons why you want one school over another until - and if - you don't get a school you want and you decide to appeal.

You seem to be panicking rather prematurely ...

There is no point filling in that box unless you have a really strong reason i.e. my child is adopted, my child is in a wheelchair and access is an issue.

List the schools in genuine preference order and consider an appeal if you aren't happy with your place. Tbh I'm not sure your reasons will carry much weight even at appeal. They won't make changes for childcare and all schools will offer sport. It sounds like the main reason you want a different school is academics and reputation, which is fair enough, but not unique. Hopefully you will be lucky with applications and get a place at the schools you prefer.

breaking this down for you.

The letter you have has told you which school your DS will have priority admission to. That doesn't mean he has been 'allocated' it.

You list 3 schools in your true preferred order, put the catchment school last if you like it least, but do put it down. Better a poor school close by than a poor school 15 miles away.

There is no point putting extra reasons on the form in the space provided, it won't help.

If you don't get offered your first or second preference when actual allocations are done in March, then you can appeal. You have to show that the benefit to your son attending the school outweighs the negatives for the school.
You can't appeal based on quality of education generally, or Ofsted rating, or childcare. So it helps to note things down now that are of particular benefit to your son, for example he plays the flute and preferred school has a windband but allocated doesn't.

He is actually really good at sports and one of the schools i like is a sports academy! So yes could try

You need to find out now if it has any sports aptitude places and, if they do, how candidates are assessed. You might need to fill in an extra form (maybe get sporting references from clubs or current school) and he might need to attend an assessment. Do not miss any required steps or deadlines!

A student being well spoken and having childcare issues aren't reasons to get priority admission.
Admissions are done based on the school's admission criteria. You need to put the schools in your genuine preference order and remember to put your priority admission one on at some point because otherwise you'll risk being randomly allocated to any school with spaces. Contrary to school admissions myths, not naming a school doesn't make it more likely to get your chosen schools.

If there are aptitude places then ask for more information and don't do what some mumsnetters do which is try to invent spurious social or medical reasons.

I'm guessing you are somewhere like Sheffield/Doncaster? My understanding is that you get told which school you are most likely to be allocated to (though that's not a guarantee) but that you can still apply to other preferences. I think the idea of telling you a school is to persuade you at least to put the catchment school on your form though you don't have to.

Agree with the PPs that lots of your reasons won't be "acceptable" ones for schools admissions.

On the plus side, your son's school year is a lower birth rate (at least it definitely is where I am) than the previous two school years which had a real bulge.

OP to reiterate what others have said, you need to fill in the application form, putting the school you would like best in first place, the next best school in second place and then in third place, somewhere close that you are sue to get in to - in your case that sounds like the school you have been told you are in catchment for.

The thinking behind this is that, if you put down three unrealistic schools, you will then be offered a place in a school that has spaces - likely to be a less successful school but also likely to be far away. Better to be at a poorer school close by (walk to school, local friends) than one five miles away (bus ride, not knowing anyone).

Putting your catchment school down WILL NOT jeopardise your chances with your first and second choices - you will be offered a place at your first choice if there is one, if not, your second, and only if not, then your third.

You may get lucky and get your first choice. If not, you can appeal - and this is where specific things about the first choice school come in. For example:
My child plays trumpet and there is a brass band at the school
My child plays lacrosse and there is a team there
My child has a Spanish mother/grandma/cousin, has learned Spanish and Spanish is offered at the school
My child is very keen on science and the school is the only one in the area to offer triple science at GCSE

Unfortunately the factors you mention in your posts won't hold any weight in an appeal. But hopefully you won't need to appeal anyway.

@clary

OP to reiterate what others have said, you need to fill in the application form, putting the school you would like best in first place, the next best school in second place and then in third place, somewhere close that you are sue to get in to - in your case that sounds like the school you have been told you are in catchment for.

The thinking behind this is that, if you put down three unrealistic schools, you will then be offered a place in a school that has spaces - likely to be a less successful school but also likely to be far away. Better to be at a poorer school close by (walk to school, local friends) than one five miles away (bus ride, not knowing anyone).

Putting your catchment school down WILL NOT jeopardise your chances with your first and second choices - you will be offered a place at your first choice if there is one, if not, your second, and only if not, then your third.

You may get lucky and get your first choice. If not, you can appeal - and this is where specific things about the first choice school come in. For example:
My child plays trumpet and there is a brass band at the school
My child plays lacrosse and there is a team there
My child has a Spanish mother/grandma/cousin, has learned Spanish and Spanish is offered at the school
My child is very keen on science and the school is the only one in the area to offer triple science at GCSE

Unfortunately the factors you mention in your posts won't hold any weight in an appeal. But hopefully you won't need to appeal anyway.

Thank you for your really detailed advice ! Yes the school is in my catchment area so I will fill in the form specifying my choices and take it from there!!

@GU24Mum

I'm guessing you are somewhere like Sheffield/Doncaster? My understanding is that you get told which school you are most likely to be allocated to (though that's not a guarantee) but that you can still apply to other preferences. I think the idea of telling you a school is to persuade you at least to put the catchment school on your form though you don't have to.

Agree with the PPs that lots of your reasons won't be "acceptable" ones for schools admissions.

On the plus side, your son's school year is a lower birth rate (at least it definitely is where I am) than the previous two school years which had a real bulge.

Yes I am in sheffield .. thank you so much for your input x

If you look at the school admissions criteria of the school you want it will list out how they allocate places.

Mostly, first priority goes to those with an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) so anyone applying with that gets in first.

Then it starts down the others, looked after or previously looked after (those in care and those who have been adopted). Your child will most likely come under "any other criteria" after siblings and closest school as your closest school is the one named on the letter so this one you want isn't.

If you look into the school you want it should tell you how many children were admitted under each criteria so you can see historically how that went. That does not determine this year's intake but does give you an idea.

A school close to me has a children of staff criteria, so always look at the admissions policy for the school.