Only 2 decent schools, what to do?

[BluePenguin]

Worrying about next year when DS starts secondary. There are only 2 decent schools even remotely in the area and both are out of our catchment and over-subscribed. I'm going to try my luck with them anyway but what do I do about the 3rd choice?

If I put any of the local "terrible" schools down as a third choice we'll automatically be given a place there as they are so under-subscribed and if the schools are named on our forms, we couldn't then appeal about not wanting to send DS there.

So do I just leave the 3rd choice blank? name one school twice? try our luck with another good school which is miles away? try our luck with the local catholic school that he has 0 chance of getting into?

Check with the LEA if it is really the case that you can't appeal if the undesirable school is on your form? We put an impossible school as our third choice (non-accessible, for a wheelchair used), had to accept a place at it as the acceptance date was before the appeal meetings and still won our appeal to get into our first choice.

However, if the schools you want are over-subscribed you are unlikely to get in on appeal unless you have a very good reason (statement, medical problems, sibling in school). You can still ask to go on their waiting list though.

Well it does sound as if you need a back-up if neither of your first 2 options comethrough. What chance do you stand of getting into either of your first 2? If you have say less than 50% hope, then the issue isn't so much about what you put on the form, it is about whether you can maximise your chances of getting him into a school that you are happy with.

If you are out of catchment and the schools are over-subscribed, then you either need to look at moving, lokk at whether you can get in on SN grounds or re-visit the remaining schools and see which is the best of those available.

Basically, for an appeal you have to prove to the LEA why your child needs a place at that school more than somebody else's child. So "the other one is a rotten school" won't cut it- as that is no reason why your ds should get the place rather than all the other ones who applied.

Also, if the school is oversubscribed, you have to show why not giving a place to your child would be more detrimental to him than over-filling the class would be to the other children.

Even if you have a good cause, as we did, it is horrible to have to sit in the appeal meeting and listen to the school you want complaining about how bad it would be for them if they had to take on more children. We had no option as dd is disabled; otherwise, I think I might have started looking for positive traits in the not-so-good school.

Why put a third choice? If you have no chance of getting into a desirable school, then you need to think again. Do you mean no chance or perhaps if it's a low sibling years. Don't leave it to luck and chance?

You must put a 3rd choice down otherwise the LEA will just choose the school they want to give to you if there are no places available at the moment for your 1st and 2nd choice. You cannot stay on the waiting list for a school that was not put on the original LEA application. Yes you can appeal for your preferred school even if you have chosen to accept your 3rd choice.

Accept the school given, stay on the waiting list for more preferred school and if necessary appeal.

To be honest appeals will only win if they are exceptional circumstances.i.e if a family member is dying or just died and the childs friends are all going to the school

All the child's friends going to the school won't qualify, surely?