School choices... need help!

bonty44

As far as I am aware, schools do not hold back places for newcomers.

The legal class size in KS1 in England is 30; schools MUST not go over this limit.

However, if a looked-after child were to move into the area for example, then a school COULD go over the 30 to accommodate the child, but only in this instance.

Having just gone through an appeal for DS2 who didn't get into DS1 school, I can tell you all about school places, etc., etc.

OP, feel free to PM me for more info if required.

princess_siobhan

just another point to possibly consider ( i know its a long way away) would be secondary school. I know it sounds mad but the top local high school when i was growing up was RC and very popular. The majority of the pupils who got in went to the RC feeder school, these feeder schools have now become very popular because of parents thinking ahead to secondary education. Just a thought. Good luck. x

patchwork_cat

Very good point Princess-s. I know of a colleague of my DH's who moved his children to a different Primary for the last couple of years, as it was a feeder for a better high school. ( however I also know of someone who attended one of the feeder schools for a good high school and didn't get in - still going through appeal, so not sure if it was an error, I would have thought so, as attending a feeder school is quite high on admission policy - after special needs and siblings.) We have just been through this twice this year only with my son and sixth form ( he didn't want to stay on at his school sixth form, although even then it isn't automatic!) and my daughter and high school ( we have a grammar in this area and she is going there)

Savvy_Sue

skintchick wrote: »

However, the LA has a legal requirement to provide a place!

The LA has a legal requirement to provide a school place. They do NOT have a legal requirement to provide a school placement within a certain distance, in a particular kind of school, or ticking any of the parent's 'boxes'.

I didn't want to say it earlier, but the LA MAY offer a place a considerable distance away, if all the local schools are heavily over-subscribed.

And the parent may say "How am I supposed to get my child there?" If the school offered is more than 2 miles away, the LA will either pay for transport for the child, or provide transport. The LA is not obliged to consider whether that creates problems for a mum going on to work, a childminder already being used or any of the normal domestic minutiae which influence our decisions. AFAIK all they have to do is provide the place.

As it happens, I used two schools which had very poor reputations and Ofsted reports, and was delighted with both. The school everyone expected me to send my children to when we moved got so far up my nose on my visit that they were never a serious contender. Maybe that was their intention, to put me off appealing, but they certainly succeeded!

galvanizersbaby

princess_siobhan wrote: »

just another point to possibly consider ( i know its a long way away) would be secondary school. I know it sounds mad but the top local high school when i was growing up was RC and very popular. The majority of the pupils who got in went to the RC feeder school, these feeder schools have now become very popular because of parents thinking ahead to secondary education. Just a thought. Good luck. x

Yes this is a good point, I think the RC schools in general tend to be fairly good and popular in part due to the ethos of these types of schools and the parents, children who attend.
The nearest secondary to me is an RC school which is popular and I am hoping that having had my 2 baptised (their father is RC) might put them in with a chance if we stay in the area (probably the wrong way to think I know)

galvanizersbaby

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

The LA has a legal requirement to provide a school place. They do NOT have a legal requirement to provide a school placement within a certain distance, in a particular kind of school, or ticking any of the parent's 'boxes'.

I didn't want to say it earlier, but the LA MAY offer a place a considerable distance away, if all the local schools are heavily over-subscribed.

And the parent may say "How am I supposed to get my child there?" If the school offered is more than 2 miles away, the LA will either pay for transport for the child, or provide transport. The LA is not obliged to consider whether that creates problems for a mum going on to work, a childminder already being used or any of the normal domestic minutiae which influence our decisions. AFAIK all they have to do is provide the place.

As it happens, I used two schools which had very poor reputations and Ofsted reports, and was delighted with both. The school everyone expected me to send my children to when we moved got so far up my nose on my visit that they were never a serious contender. Maybe that was their intention, to put me off appealing, but they certainly succeeded!

Yes this is exactly what happened with my DS - only the school was 45 mins walk away but to drive takes about 10-15 mins but unfortunately I couldn't drive at the time and my son couldn't manage 45 minute walk so I had to pay someone to take him.
Luckily he was only there a term and a place became available at a closer school where his name was on the waiting list and he is really happy and now my daughter too - only 15 mins walk away so ideal.

Spendless

My LA definately don't save places for people moving into area as the story on my local paper this week shows

http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/free/School-red-tape-splits-twins.5173911.jp

The full story isn't on-line but the family have a similar situation where they wanted to move into catchment area of their preferred school but were unable to do so before the dead-line date for applications (which is almost a year before they start here). The other twin has been offerred a place at a school that has only one spare place too.

Something I've seen mentioned on here is PAN (published admission numbers-I think) and these aren't always in multiples of 30. Am hoping an MSE'r can explain more about them. Last year someone made an application to my daughter's school past the dead-line date. They are out of catchment but with older sibling in school and the application was accepted even though it made the amount of children is that year 61. The child's mother was told she was ok cos the PAN (70) hadn't been exceeded, so they are now 3 classes in that year.

Savvy_Sue

PANs can allow for mixed age group teaching, a PAN of 70 would be very uneconomic without it!

milliebear00001

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

PANs can allow for mixed age group teaching, a PAN of 70 would be very uneconomic without it!

Nearly all the schools in my town are like this. My daughter's has single Reception class and a mixed Reception/Year 1 class. Some other small village schools have mixed Reception, Year 1, Year 2, and I used to teach in a mixed Key Stage class (Year 2/3). All very hard work for a teacher so worth bearing in mind!

Spendless

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

PANs can allow for mixed age group teaching, a PAN of 70 would be very uneconomic without it!

ahh right, but I'm guessing this depends on the economic circs of the school? cos my eldest is year 4 and his year has ALWAYS had 3 classes and only once was it a mixed year class, and youngest is yr 2 and so far her year has not had a mixed year. It's been very handy for me cos mine have always smaller class sizes between 22 and 26 kids to a class.