Finding out catchment areas

[MrsSnape]

Our catchment secondary schools are awful and there is no way I will allow my children to go to them. As a result we will be moving house in order to get in the catchment of a good school for when DS starts secondary in two years.

However, only last week I was very close to going for a house which I believed to be in chosen schools catchment only to find out that DS would still be in the catchment for the "bad schools" if we moved there. This really suprised me as its closer to the good school than the bad school.

So, is there a way I can be positive about whose catchment area we are moving into? The last thing I want is to be paying a fortune for a house for 2 years only to realise that we're STILL not in the good schools catchment area!

Message withdrawn

Call the LEA, catchements can be awkward things- my sister's catchment school is the third furthest away the otehr side of the river, its just where the new estate she lives on was assigned when it was built

The Catchment areas, called APAs here in Surrey (Admission Priority Area) change every year according to how many people apply, so you have to live well within the area to be guaranteed a place. It has been known for entire villages to be moved out of catchment areas, as a result of a rejig by the council. This year they have also changed the criteria slightly, from shortest journey by road, to "as the crow flies" - so be aware.

Best bet is to contact the council and ask for copies of the last 3 years so that will give you an idea of where's in, and where's borderline.

Can you check on your LEA's website? Or call them?

Distance is always a factor. There is a school which children who live in a pretigious postcode get prioirty of those who live on the door step of the schools less pretigious postcode!

The LEA is not always right, so be warned. I was assured by our LEA that we were in the catchment for a specific school, the woman told me she'd checked the maps with her colleague and the boundary ran down the middle of the road, so we were in the catchment for said school. When I rang the school to check, they said our road was not in their catchment. I think in our area the LEA issues 'guidelines' and it is then up to the school to follow them or not. To be on the safe side I would check with the school.