What To Put in Answer to Reasons for Wanting Your Child to Attend This School

[loveandlight]

Hi guys,

We've just moved and I have an application form to fill out to try and get a place for my DS to attend the local secondary school in Sept (year 8) that is the closest to where we live.

There are a couple of schools we could apply for as both are local and both are over subscribed but the one school has been quite helpful without making us feel we should just give up now, whereas the other school has more or less told us to not even bother applying.

The question in the form asks what reasons I have for wanting my child to attend the school. I'm a bit clueless I'm afraid as I've been home schooling for a few years now. Any ideas on what I can put that will help me increase my DS's chances of getting in?

Any helpful replies will be very much appreciated!

Just thought I'd add there is a third school in our catchment area but it doesn't have a vey good reputation and is quite a distance from where we live. Would take an hour to walk there.

Would take an hour to walk to the third school if you were good at walking quickly without stopping and didn't include the busy main road that is a through road to the local town centre!

You could say whatever the truth is, or you could regurgitate something from the prospectus.

I don't know about secondary but at primary the LEA doesn't read the reasons, they just apply the admissions criteria.

I was just coming on to agree with oodles but I see that this is a year 8 admission. Could you waffle about the 'outstanding' music/sports/arts facilities? The children always seem smart/polite/well-behaved around town? The range of GCSEs offered?

Thank you for taking the time to post your suggestions. Any more would be greatly received!

Oodles is right.
The admissions criteria depend on the type of school and the LEA but basically if there is a space in your chosen school you will be offered a place and if not you won't.
School usually set a limit for the number of pupils they can take in a year group. Priority to applicants then goes something like this:-

1. Special needs children
2. Children in care.

3.Those within catchment

1. Not in catchment but with a sibling already at the school
2. Not in catchment but living nearest.

They will work through this list until all places are filled. In a popular school even those in catchment won't all get in and it then comes down to distance.

What you say only matters if you are refused a place and have to appeal.
Hope that doesn't happen but if it does then you must concentrate on why you want the chosen school rather than why you dont want the school you've been offered.

previous poster is right, focus on the good of the school you want not negative of others.

Have you asked each school if there is a waiting list and if so how many are on it? If you don't get a place on application or subsequent appeal, you could go on the wait list for your preferred school and home-ed until a place comes up