To not include a 3rd preference?

[ChimpanzeesAreFunny]

We have to choose 3 preferences. 1 and 2 are sorted (baring in mind this decision has been made on the basis of virtual tours, websites and word of mouth as we haven’t been able to visit schools - this might change if we are able to later in the year).

We are thinking

1. School A
2. School B
3. ???? (To leave blank?)

School A
Really like this school. We like how they integrate all the learning and are very practical in their approach to teaching, even in maths etc where they try to relate concepts to real life and make it hands on. Agree with school policies and the way they do things, decent results, parents like it that I’ve spoken to. We think it will suit DC best because of how they learn. From previous admissions we would get a place 50% of the time based on distances.

School B
Our nearest school. It’s a good school. Parents like it, good results and all round good school really. What puts us off putting it 1st is that a) School A suits DC better and B) it’s CofE, they are open about their CofE ethos and links to church for religious services, and we would prefer a non-religious school. (Religion isn’t part of admission policy so we definitely would get a place based on previous admissions).

We don’t think any of the other schools would suit DC and can’t think of any of them we would actually like to put down as a third preference.

Based on the above, would you be looking to put a 3rd preference even if the alternative schools wouldn’t suit your DC? Does leaving it blank disadvantage us in any way considering we would get School B?
There is a school in a neighbouring town which we would consider. Good school, know a teacher there who even sends her children there (so big plus if teachers actually want to send their own children to their school), and generally does well by all kids regardless of ability. But probably wouldn’t get a place. Is it worth bothering to put the neighbouring town school down or just stick with the two we know we have a chance at?

Thanks for reading this far. All thoughts and opinions welcome :)

It won't disadvantage your other preferences but may mean you are allocated a random school with an awkward journey should A and B be oversubscribed and unable to accommodate your dc. Better to put an acceptable, if perhaps less ideal, third option where a place is normally available on distance etc.

You don't need to put third preference as long as you don't mind having a say in what school you're offered if A or B can't accommodate you. It happens. It happened to us (we filled out every preference and still got offered none but we got in from the waiting list eventually).

If you will definitely definitely get school B (e.g. you live so close and no way will it fill up with higher priority kids (eg out of catchment siblings)) then yes it is fine to only put 2.

If there is the slightest smidgen of a chance you won't get B, then choose a school C as well.

My DDs are adopted so pretty much top category and no way would we have not got our choice, but I still put 2 schools down...

Always use all three options. If you don't, then theres only two chances to get a place before you could be given a school anywhere in your county - you never know how there might be a huge sibling intake or other factors that your previously solid second choice would mean you didn't get a place

I put only one school on our choice, but was fairly confident we would get it due to faith grounds. If you feel confident you are likely to be offered a place at one of the other schools, then it's a non issue. If there is any risk you might not, I'd have a third choice which works on practical terms (travel, distance etc)

Always, ALWAYS use all your preferences unless you genuinely don’t care how far away or how rubbish school 3 could be.
You never know what sort of weird perfect school admissions storm is brewing.

Just try imagining you don't get options A or B but instead get offered the worst school in town or the one with the most awkward journey. In those circumstances would you have a preferred less worse option? Then put that as option C.

You’ve got 2 questions to ask yourself here

Q1. Are there any schools you really don’t want your DC to go to?

If Yes - we really don’t want school X for x, y or z reason.
Then from the remaining schools pick one that you have a good chance of getting a place at to avoid school X.

If No - they are all as good/bad as each other and we are happy to be given any of them if it comes to it.
Then stick with just the two you have chosen.

Q2. Do you put the other town school down?

If your answer to Q1 is no then put it down. You’ve nothing to loose and everything to gain. If you don’t get the place then you will be no worse off than if you had just put 2 schools down and left preference 3 blank.
Also, if you want to include it, remember it doesn’t have to go as 3rd. If you want to put it 1st or 2nd you can do this. The order should be genuine order of preference.

If you don't use all your preferences and your child doesn't get the first two (e.g.nif there's over-subscription due to increased birth rate) then you'd get a school chosen by LA, which might be undesirable to you.
That said, for my eldest I only put two (we have six preferences), as she was guaranteed a place at the second, due to me working there. For my youngest, we put three, but the third was a dead cert too(distance), and we didn't even look at any other schools. But, you know your area- if we lived elsewhere that wouldn't have been safe for us.

Go through the list of remaining schools and work out which would be the least bad option.

What you don't want to do is put nothing there as if A and B cannot take you (for whatever reason) then the council will allocate any random choice where there is space. If C is OK reputation and results-wise but far too sporty for your child and easy to get to on the bus, it's going to be a better choice than F which is on the council borders, no direct bus route, dodgy reputation, known for bullying and poor results.

Thank you all. Some very valid points being made. There is one school I can think of that we wouldn’t be so keen on. The rest seem pretty similar and wouldn’t mind which one (but obviously would prefer either A or B). We shall have another look at the schools and put one down as 3rd. But plenty of time yet to figure it out. I might just let DC choose the 3rd if myself and DH are really incapable of making a decision.

Just to put it out there, is it worth choosing the one that all DCs friends would be going to if we can’t decide between them?
DCs school seems to feed all the schools just because of where we are located in town but I was meaning DCs immediate friendship group.

Definitely fill in the third space as otherwise you are effectively putting as your third choice "I literally don't mind any other school the county offers me, however dreadful it is". If that isn't your third preference, then you need to choose a school!

We only put 2 schools down but tbh we knew we would definitely get our first preference, so even putting 2 down was unnecessary!

I live in a town where there are always 3 schools undersubscribed, so if the entirely weird statistical anomaly occurred that meant we didn't get our first preference (and, if this happened, basically it would mean a massive shortage of school places in the area, so chances are bulge classes would be put in) we were equally unhappy with any of the undersubscribed schools. I wasn't going to waste time working out which I disliked less.

I think the key thing is being 99.9999% sure (there's always that weird statistical anomaly :)) that you will definitely get a place at A or B. In our case, the maths meant that there would have be about 100 LAC or children with SEN naming the school to prevent us getting in, which was so unlikely as to be discountable.

Keep in mind that if you only name two preferences and don’t get a place at either, you may be allocated a place at school E or F, unpopular schools a long way from home. Using all your preferences gives you a little more control over where your child ends up.

It's funny, isn't it - it feels wrong not to use all the choices, even when you know you are pretty much certain to get a place.