How long and when do you have to be 'in catchment' in order to get a place?

[miljee]

Whilst this Q sounds like I'm about to indulge in that nasty middle class thing of using my financial muscle to move next door to a great secondary to avoid school fees and go to St Lucia and Zermatt instead- not true! Or worse, rent a 1 bedroom flat for 'x' months to get in! No, we're on the wrong side of the UK house price boom thus we rent. There are very few advantages to this- ie we have precisely 60 days security of tenure, we daren't send our DSs to the local primary or we might be moving them every few months, we live with revolting coloured carpets and so forth. Apart from the elevated prices of rental property in the good catchment because of its catchment and of course because it's a 'middle class' thus expensive area, we DO have the option of moving what amounts to 2 miles in order to increase DS1's chances of a place. DS in in Y4 now, so we do have some time in which to plan.

We are in Hampshire. Does anyone know when you have to put your preferences in i.e. is it May? November? And what sort of documentation is needed and when can it be dated? e.g. we might have to wait 11 months to get a council tax bill in our name (not an issue with the primaries as they're not over subscribed). Do you HAVE to be living in the property at the time of the child's admission or just at the time of the application (with supporting documentation dated at that time, of course). Again, I hasten to add, despite that last comment that we have every intention of being legally in catchment at that time!

Finally, how can you go about finding out how far down the list the school takes DCs in any given year ie did they get beyond siblings? Feeder primaries? DO the school reveal this or can you get this from the Education Authority? I know this year they had 350 applicants for 250 places but I wonder if there's any way of knowing whether the 100 unsuccessful ones were 3rd or 4th preferences, just 'insuring' having already secured a place in a Winchester comp and living miles away?

In Berkshire we are given the forms in Sept, to be handed in by some time in October for a place the next September.

We had moved in Yr 4 but the official council forms still had our old address on! We had to send a council tax bill in to prove residence - which was accepted without question.

Catchments/feeder schools around here are being changed so what qualifies now may well not in 2 years time.

thanks, and bump anyone?

We moved house, (due to lease being up, fwiw) and were in the new secondary catchment area as of 2 weeks before the forms were due.

As long as the address you put on the form is the address where you actually live at the time of filling in, I think that's all that matters. You can't fill in the form with an address you're moving to a few weeks after the forms are in, for example. They'd find you out on council tax records, probably.

thanks- what month was that? And what 'proof' did you have or need of residency?

For the first time this year, our offer letters said a 'selection' of parents were being asked to provide proof of address. I wasn't, so I don't know what proof was required, or whether the proof related just to the time when the place was offered or to the time applications were made.

We're in Hampshire. I believe secondary applications have to be in by October, with proof of address. This tells you about proof required

This was this years date here

I am in Norfolk and moved house after the admissions closed.

I had to provide proof of exchange of contracts even although I moved about 2 streets away! (and we were still in the catchment area) I just sent them a copy of the solicitors letter saying we had exchanged and that was accepted.

I recently had to send a council tax bill or utility as proof of address when applying for a casual transfer to a local school. (We've moved again.)

Councils are usually pretty quick at sending you a bill, so if you're moving just before application date, then you tell the council in advance of your move, so the bill will be waiting when you get there. I did the same with banks and driving licence when moving around London so that I had a proof of address for getting parking permits.

Thanks! Anyone know how I can go about finding out how far down the list the school takes DCs in any given year ie did they get beyond siblings? Feeder primaries? DO the school reveal this or can you get this from the Education Authority? I know this year they had 350 applicants for 250 places but I wonder if there's any way of knowing whether the 100 unsuccessful ones were 3rd or 4th preferences, just 'insuring' having already secured a place in a Winchester comp and living miles away?

The local council usually has a prospectus of all the state schools which gives the admission criteria. In the three London boroughs I've lived, they also give a list of say, how many children in social care got places (usually first preference), then those with SEN, then the number of siblings and then those that live nearest. The furthest distance from the school that the last child with a place lived from the school is usually given.

See here for example. Page 13 for distances etc

I have never seen the preferences information. I don't think it's published. The point being that you should always put your first choice first, not the place you think your child can get. Occasionally a school looks at first choice applications first, but they have to make that very clear in the prospectus. I don't think there is such a thing as a feeder primary any more.

Are schools allowed to select on preference? I thought that had gone out the window! I know parents can state a preference, fwiw! The school I am interested in DOES have 'feeder primaries' but taking DCs from them who LIVE out of the secondary's catchment is way down the list of criteria, second to last (with
'any others' last!). ie DCs at several of the feeders will go to more than one secondary because of where they live. The secondary's catchment practically gives house numbers it's so precise!

Ideally of course I don't want to move house but I'm trying to find out what our chances of getting DS in will be if we don't. He's in a low birth year which obviously increases his chances (unless they cut the intake proportionally!) and I appreciate nothing is certain til that envelope hits the doormat. I can only arm myself with as many facts as possible!

Schools aren't allowed to take 1st, 2nd etc choice preferences into account any more. This is the first year it's applied here and it's been chaos.

Oh that's new. Some schools were still doing that for the 2006 intake.

Check the admissions criteria for the schools you are interested in. Some have unusual arrangements, such as taking a certain number of students from "bands" of either distance from the school (such as Camden School for Girls), thus not everyone living closest will get in and moving could be a waste of time; or bands of ability in order to ensure a mixed ability intake (such as Central Foundation for Boys in Islington), to give examples.

Right now the school goes with the traditional method of having a catchment ie the usual 1)cared for, 2) siblings, 3) in catchment, 4) feeder schools/non catchment, 5) no hopers from beyond!

I can't understand why a school can't choose DCs who put it as their first choice over those who put it in to fill up space at the bottom of the form!

We're 'fortunate' here in that there are the 3 Winchester comps within a hoy of here so whilst it doesn't make getting into the particular school I want for DS exactly 'easy' it's not like we have one single good school surrounded by rubbish that takes 1:20 applicants!