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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Did anyone (not with a EHCP) only put one school choice down?

22 replies

imagemini · 27/02/2023 13:19

I'm just curious. There's a parent on the other thread who did this but it sounds like their child would be exceptionally unlucky not to get a place.
I'm the sort of person who would never be brave enough to do that even if I lived next door!
My DC should be certain of a place as their sibling is there and it's our closest school. But I still filled all 6 places on the list because something could indeed go wrong!

OP posts:
Ampfuseblown · 27/02/2023 13:32

I did!

Sibling already there and we live very close (although the catchment area is tiny). Didn't occur to me it would be a problem Confused. We shall see when places are allocated

TeenDivided · 27/02/2023 13:32

We put 2 schools down out of 3 spaces. I really only needed to put 1.

DDs are adopted so we were pretty much first in line.
Even excluding that we were close in catchment for a school where ~50% came from out of catchment.

redskydelight · 27/02/2023 13:36

We did.
The chance of DD not getting a place were so remote, based on the attendance criteria (would have needed something like 200 children with EHCPs naming the school). Plus the realistic chance of her getting into any other school we would like was zero, so we figured we'd forgo the bother of having to pick what undesirable school we hated least to put as a second place.

It was no braver than putting the school second and several we had no chance of getting into in the other spaces, but lots of people do that!

Original poster
imagemini · 27/02/2023 13:48

@redskydelight you're right. The advice is to ensure that you put a school on the list that you have a good chance of getting into along with any "aspirational" choices.
No personal knowledge re secondary, but I definitely know a few parents who only put one primary choice down as they though it meant they'd have to be allocated it then were sorely disappointed. That's not the same though as putting only one very solid choice down.

OP posts:
MrsAvocet · 27/02/2023 13:51

It's a good few years ago now, but my DS2 was more or less guaranteed a place at his secondary due to sibling link. In fact the Head pretty much said as much at the Open Day as they held separate ones for catchment children and those with siblings so it was fairly clear how many of each there were. But i still completed the application fully, just in case. I knew it would be highly unlikely that large amounts of children would move into the area before applications closed but it's not completely impossible and it's not really hard work to put three preferences to cover all bases. Also, just in case a mistake was made and he'd had to go elsewhere whilst we appealed there were schools that I really wouldn't have wanted him to be placed in in the interim.
It's only a small risk if you are confident of a place of course, but I am highly risk averse so couldn't see the point in taking it.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 27/02/2023 13:55

Yes, but we live rurally so there's no other options. Plus, after LAC etc, the criteria was distance, They would have had to turn 100+ children down before my.dc were excluded on that basis.

LetItGoToRuin · 27/02/2023 13:55

I couldn't bring myself to do this, and put five schools down (last year), even though we knew DD would get into whichever was first on the list.

UsernameOfMine · 27/02/2023 14:05

Not judging... but I hope people who have only put one did so after reading admissions criteria.

When my eldest and others in his class applied there are some who got in to certain schools out of catchment but at the time siblings were criteria 2 on the list after LAC. Now at least 2 of the schools have changed criteria and siblings out of catchment is quite far down the list and they may not be offered the siblings' schools.

YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake · 27/02/2023 14:15

I only put one down, but we are fairly rural so it's the only high school within a reasonable distance and all the kids in this area go to it (unless they get into a grammar school).

PuttingDownRoots · 27/02/2023 14:21

We did. It was the school in our (fixed) catchment area, which goes out 5 miles in one direction. We live 150m away.
We weren't interested in the lottery school, nor are we Catholic so that was out.

If she didn't get into our catchment school, no way would she have got into the neighbouring catchment schools!

So it was actually the only realistic school.

Original poster
imagemini · 27/02/2023 14:56

UsernameOfMine · 27/02/2023 14:05

Not judging... but I hope people who have only put one did so after reading admissions criteria.

When my eldest and others in his class applied there are some who got in to certain schools out of catchment but at the time siblings were criteria 2 on the list after LAC. Now at least 2 of the schools have changed criteria and siblings out of catchment is quite far down the list and they may not be offered the siblings' schools.

That's been discussed in our area but hasn't been brought in yet, which I'm thankful for.

OP posts:
PatChaunceysFruitCake · 27/02/2023 14:59

UsernameOfMine · 27/02/2023 14:05

Not judging... but I hope people who have only put one did so after reading admissions criteria.

When my eldest and others in his class applied there are some who got in to certain schools out of catchment but at the time siblings were criteria 2 on the list after LAC. Now at least 2 of the schools have changed criteria and siblings out of catchment is quite far down the list and they may not be offered the siblings' schools.

Lots of our local schools have introduced this now.

I know someone who only put one school down as they thought they'd be in sibling group. Sibling was in year 11 though so it didn't count. Fortunately she got a place via the waiting list but very stressful for her on offers day.

Authorisatingarchibald · 27/02/2023 16:59

Sibling criteria so yes, only did 1 choice. Was no chance we wouldn't get it

elliejjtiny · 27/02/2023 17:09

With ds1 I didn't, just in case, although we are fairly rural and our 2nd nearest secondary school is 5 miles away, oversubscribed and with a tiny catchment area. With ds2 and ds3 we just put the 1 school down as it was our nearest, we were in catchment and we already had ds1 there.

I found it funny that with the form for ds1 we were told it was very important that we chose 6 schools and then we were given a list of 5 schools to choose from!

Abccde · 27/02/2023 17:47

I put 2 (out of 3) choices down for DS primary school and none were catchment.

1st choice was DDs school so pretty much guaranteed. School isn't oversubscribed.

2nd choice was the local school (even though not in catchment).

He did get 1st choice. Would have got 2nd choice too.

BendingSpoons · 27/02/2023 17:52

I only put 1 junior school for DD and 1 infant school for DS. I contemplated adding other choices but our other 2 nearest schools needed a SIF filling out and delivered to the school as they are Catholic/CofE. I couldn't be bothered doing that when I know they will get into first choice, and pretty much wouldn't get into the other schools even if I did fill in the form.

The junior school offers places first to the infant pupils at DDs linked school, so a safe bet. We are too far from any other juniors to get a place. The infant school offers first to siblings (after EHCP, adopted etc). It's a 3 form entry school and definitely doesn't fill all those places with siblings. I did this fully informed though, and put 6 choices when applying for DD for Reception a few years ago.

mastertomsmum · 27/02/2023 17:57

A long time ago, but - when it came to secondary school - we chose the local state academy that is a joint CofE and Catholic school. There is a form the Vicar or priest signs about regular church attendance which is taken into account. Siblings, looked after children, ehcp and proximity are the other categories taken into account. We put nearest other state secondary schools down in the other two spaces. We’d heard that if you only put one option and didn’t get it you could end up with somewhere miles away that wasn’t over subscribed. I don’t know of anyone this happened to in our year but it has happened in the past.

Idkwhattod0 · 27/02/2023 17:57

I work as an admissions officer in a secondary school (my works about to get very busy!)

It may be different in your local authority, but at my school the criteria into getting into our school is as followed ; Looked after child/Previous LAC, Siblings and then Distance.

It’s definitely best to but all 6 options as schools have different criteria and rules to follow. I know of a few families in my school where siblings weren’t given a place as they applied late or didn’t fill the form correctly & all of the offers were out by then.

I think it’s always best to put check the criteria & always but 6 options. If you don’t get a place you want it can always be appealed before the new year starts. 😊

Idkwhattod0 · 27/02/2023 17:59

Idkwhattod0 · 27/02/2023 17:57

I work as an admissions officer in a secondary school (my works about to get very busy!)

It may be different in your local authority, but at my school the criteria into getting into our school is as followed ; Looked after child/Previous LAC, Siblings and then Distance.

It’s definitely best to but all 6 options as schools have different criteria and rules to follow. I know of a few families in my school where siblings weren’t given a place as they applied late or didn’t fill the form correctly & all of the offers were out by then.

I think it’s always best to put check the criteria & always but 6 options. If you don’t get a place you want it can always be appealed before the new year starts. 😊

Forgot to mention as well, Yr 11 and Sixthform siblings don’t count towards a sibling claim!

boboshmobo · 27/02/2023 18:04

If you don't put down a second and third choice you could be sent anywhere !
They don't look at the form and think oh well we will give them their first chose because they don't have any others !

TeenDivided · 27/02/2023 18:24

boboshmobo · 27/02/2023 18:04

If you don't put down a second and third choice you could be sent anywhere !
They don't look at the form and think oh well we will give them their first chose because they don't have any others !

I think the people on this thread know that.

However, if your children are adopted, or if pick your catchment school and you know you are way way inside the catchment, maybe with the bonus of sibling link, then you know you'll get that school, so the algorithm doesn't need to look elsewhere.

iI's the 'put an outside chance at 1 and no others' people that are playing with fire.

wonderstuff · 27/02/2023 18:39

The only viable choice was our local catchment school so that’s all we put down, we’re well within catchment and out of catch kids get in every year as far as I know so didn’t feel like a risk. We’re fairly rural which I think makes a big difference, county have to provide us with transport to local school but don’t have to provide transport if we go anywhere else.

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