'Putting your child's name down' at a preferred school

bestpud

clairehi wrote: »

can I just tell you a story about school admissions. we moved to our current area when my kids were 3 and 5. my DS2 started in nursery school and DS1 was in year 1 at a a separate (oversubscribed) primary school.

One day a few weeks into their first term, I was glancing at a school newsletter brought home by DS1 and realised that the deadline for applying primary admissions was THAT DAY and no-one had told us or sent a form for us to fill out to get DS2 a place!

fortunately I was able to register DS2 online via the LEA website or I might have ended up home educating!

Moral of the story, dont assume that once they are in the nursery, you will be reminded about school admissions.

The LEA send them out here and get the names from the same lists used for innoculations etc, as far as I am aware. It's nothing to do with them attending the school nursery or whether their name is on a school list.

Same when they make the secondary selections - the forms come from the LEA, not via the schools.

I wonder if it was because you'd just moved into the area that you were missed out?

seven-day-weekend

We put our name down for the local C of E school when our son was a few weeks old and he was accordingly given a place in the nursery at the appropriate time and then went on to both the infant's and junior's. This is what everyone who wanted their child to go to that school did.

I don't actually know whether it carried any weight as to whether he got a place or not though.

And I must add, it was 28 years ago!

JimmyTheWig

Christie_L wrote: »

Hi all,

My son is currently 16 months old and MIL/OH/everyone with an interest in my baby are telling me I need to 'put his name down' for the local primary school.

Is your OH your son's father?
In which case why doesn't he put his name down? I agree with others that it won't be of much benefit, but if he's bothered by it he can do it.

clairehi

bestpud wrote: »

The LEA send them out here and get the names from the same lists used for innoculations etc, as far as I am aware. It's nothing to do with them attending the school nursery or whether their name is on a school list.

Same when they make the secondary selections - the forms come from the LEA, not via the schools.

I wonder if it was because you'd just moved into the area that you were missed out?

Possibly, although we had been living there for about 4months, and had registered DS2 with the HV. the council did take over a year to get us on the electoral roll thouh so who knows!

mrcow

It will depend on the school.

Your best bet is to call them and just ask the question. They'll tell you when they start their lists.

(and then tell everyone else to stay out of it as you've got it covered )

Spendless

Here it's exactly as milliebear states, and the same is true for school nursery too. It wouldn't matter how long your name had been on a list. The only advantage of getting your name down early for the school nursery was the earlier you were on the list the more likely you were to get a morning nursery place if that was your choice as mornings were the most sort after, but even that may have changed now.

Savvy_Sue

clairehi wrote: »

the council did take over a year to get us on the electoral roll thouh so who knows!

But that can't have any bearing on it, because the electoral roll has NO information about children until they're 16 (and quite a shock THAT is when you realise you have to add your youngest!)

I can't remember whether we were given forms at nursery or expected to sort ourselves out, it's all too long ago, but I agree that if your OH is bothered or wants to get MIL off his back, he should make the call.

Nurseries and playgroups are another matter, of course, and you probably do need to be making enquiries now if you intend to leave your child anywhere any time soon ...

squashy

The only real advantage of getting your name on the enquiries list early is that you can get all your papers in early (eg birth cert, baptismal cert) plus you will get an invitation to the open evening/parents meeting. In our school this starts in March for the coming Septemer.

The sift itself is done right at the end of the academic year really, June ish, and there are all sorts of other criteria that matter way ahead of time applied, such as siblings in school, catchment area and religion.

I guess just don't leave it too late.

flubdub

I put my son down for a school about a year ago and he was only the 7t child on the list (he was two and a half, and it is by far the best school round here), but that was when I thought it was first come first serve. Its not now, its closeness to the school, other siblings and religion that determine it now.

Anyway, weve moved, and hes going to a school now thats just as good, and has about 1/3 of the kids going there, so thats better I think.
Dont rush about getting kids names down. They ask you to fill a form in when your childs about three and a half (that they give you) saying which school you want your child to go to.
You have until the Feb/March of the september before they start school, to fill it in.
Theres plenty of time.

Sultana

flubdub wrote: »

You have until the Feb/March of the september before they start school, to fill it in.
Theres plenty of time.

The deadline varies enormously between LAs. Ours is 30th Jan and in some places it's before Christmas.