Choosing a school

[dubsie]

We had three schools to list for our area but after visiting the schools on the open days we've decided there was one we really don't like. We are removing that school from our list but that only leaves two, one of which is 4 miles away the other is a 10 minute walk. The problem is both schools are over subscribed and my daughter's year is a big year.

What happens if the authority still allocates us the school we don't like. Can I refuse that school and if so what then. It's horrible to say you don't like a school but I could tell that my daughter didn't like it and the whole place made me feel uncomfortable.

We've not come across this before because our old area the schools were under sub scribed and it was never an issue.

It is the parents responsibility to ensure you provide your child with a suitable education. You can do this a number of ways. One of those is homeschooling, another is using the LA's offer of local schools. The LA is responsible for ensuring there are suitable schools available for parents.
If an LA offers you a school, and you refuse, you are essentially saying to them, I no longer wish to use your services. I can provide my child with a suitable education. You can put your kids on waiting lists in the meantime of course.
The general rule is to always accept and appeal/ go on waiting lists. Unless you want to home ed.

Look at whether there's an alternative school further away that you prefer.

What are the actual admissions distances for the last few years? The birth rate was lower in 2012-2013 than the preceding few years.

Really you need to list at least one school you will get into realistically.

We've seen a number of schools and don't like our catchment comprehensive. It will still go last on our list of preferences, as I'd rather have that than two undersubscribed schools, poorer results that are even further away.

If you don't like the school you are offered, all you can do is join waiting lists, home educate, look at private.

If you refuse a place the LA has no obligation to make a further offer. You can go on waiting lists for any preferred school though.

If you don't get any of your preferences, the council will allocate you the closest school with places (once all the offers have gone out).

If you reject the place, you'll have 3 options: wait/hope for a place through the waiting list, home educate or private. But if you're not happy with your chances with the WL and the last two aren't options for you, it's best you look at more schools, even if they are further afield.

Hi Op - as others say, the LA needs to allocate you a school but it need not be one of your preferences.

How far are you from the school you don't like? Is it your nearest or catchment school (not all areas have catchments but some do)?

Or is the nearest school the 10-min walk one? If the latter, then I would imagine, oversubscribed or not, you are likely to get a place there. But I would check with your LA what the furthest distance allocated for that school was over the last couple of years.

In my area you would stand no chance of a place at a popular school that was four miles away (an unpopular one, yes!) but you may be more rural.

Are there any other schools locally or is it just those three? The advice as others say is to put a "banker" last on your list - a school that is local that your child will get a place at. Then if the more optimistic preferences get a "no", at least your child will be at a local school - better that than a faraway one that is also not great. AFter all, you may not like this school but others may.

Meant to say that even if you do not like the allocated school, you should accept it unless you are happy to HE.

You can appeal for the schools you preferred and listed, and go on WL for any school.

There is absolutely no way we could do a school outside our area because of the hours I work. I'm an emergency services worker and work shifts and my wife doesn't drive. I only get the opportunity to take my kids to school one week in eight as it is.

As for private we live 5 mins walk from a top private school but it's 20,000 per term....so no chance of that...60,000 per year is my entire salary before tax. I'm not sure I'd send my child to a private school even if I could afford it anyway.

Our preferred school is ten minutes walk and the second is 4 miles away and the other we don't want is about a 20 minute walk. I'm not being unduly picky but it gave a very bad vibe and I always trust my instincts. Working in the emergency sector you learn instinct is your most important sense. Plus I think you know your child and what suits them.

So if you refuse you have to home educate... would not know where to start on that....I don't own an O level let alone a degree..

Well OP it sounds to me as tho the 10-min walk school is the nearest anyway - is that right? So chances are you will be offered that one. I would still check out the last offered distance tho.

A secondary school child is expected to make their own way to school. This can be by foot, bike or bus/train. If you put your nearest school down and then are offered somewhere more than 3 miles away, the LA is supposed to provide transport (= a bus pass usually).

You will be offered a school, so you don't need to home ed. But you will need to accept that school if you cannot home ed - refusing it will not make the LA offer you somewhere else. But chances are you will be fine front the sound of it.

I hope so it just worried me when the head told me they were over subscribed and living in the catchment isn't top of the criteria....it started making think what if?

I'm definitely removing the school I don't want I just need to find a replacement for it...

Have you checked the criteria and worked out where your DD sits? And whether or not she would likely have got in the past few years?

If you don’t have a different option to put third, put the school you don’t want. It will make no difference to whether you get offered the higher schools, but may prevent you being offered an equally unwanted school even further away.

Look at the admissions criteria and see where your DD falls in. And then see how many DC in that category get a place. So if it’s based on distance, see what the distance of the last place offered was in the last few years and then work out your chances. If you’re well in the last distances then you’re probably fine. If you’re on the boundary then yes look at the other school.

Thing is, "oversubscribed" is neither here nor there if you live close tbh.

We live very close to my DCs' secondary school. It is always oversubscribed. All that that means is that lots of ppl put it down on their preference list. Doesn't mean they live anywhere near (the basic criterion at secondary - after LAC, nominated for SEND reasons). Even in the most oversubscribed school in the country, 200 students (or whatever the PAN is) will get a place. Probably the nearest 200 (give or take - LAC numbers are usually pretty low).

Meant to say that yes, catchment will not be the top criterion - but it will be the main one IYSWIM.

So my DCs' school number one criterion is LAC; then children in the "normal area" with siblings; then normal area without siblings. But I imagine that the vast majority of that thirds group get a place as I know plenty of DC from outside the area who go there.

But I agree that the local "don't like" school might be a better shout on your form than a "don't like" school six miles and two buses away.

What are the actual selection criteria for the schools you like? There's usually 5 or so levels of priority and for an oversubscribed school they will tend to admit everyone in category 1&2 and possibly 3, then for the next category there will be way more applicants than thr places left over after the higher bands, and usually distance is a tiebreaker within that band although sometimes it can be by random lottery.

Put down the two schools you like in positions 1&2 on your list in your genuine preferred order. Putting a school 1st vs 2nd has zero effect on whether you qualify for a place - preference order is only used to determine which to offer you if you qualify for more than one place.

You don't have to put down school 3 on your list but if you don't you could end up with a school (let's call it X) that's just as bad AND is 6 miles away, and if school 3 wasn't on your list and you would have qualified then you won't get free transport to school X.

You could research whether there are any undersubscribed schools in any kind of commutable distance that would be preferable to school 3 but if all the schools on your list are oversubscribed and you don't meet the entry criteria you will be allocated a place at an undersubscribed school somewhere. The lea do not concern themselves with the convenience or otherwise of thr commute.

Is this for starting secondary school or changing/starting primary school? (You mention your old area). 10 minutes walk is probably about 1 km or just over, and that should get you into most secondary schools, even oversubscribed ones, on distance.

Is the school 4 miles away your 3rd nearest, or are you near any boundaries with neighbouring councils, and are there any other options which your DD can get to reasonably easily?