registering for school

moomoomama27

I see my apologies!

I agree on that, and it's a shame so many LEAs are deciding this is not a priority when allocating a place.

Mrs_Soup

You don't apply to the individual school (unless its a private school) you apply through your local authority and you have to give your address so they know which catchment you are in. You put any state school you want on the list even if it is part of a different local authority- this is so you don't end up holding two offers and blocking someone else out. For almost all schools SEN (naming that school) and looked after children get priority but these will usually be very small numbers per school. then it varies- some areas the next criteria will be "in catchment with sibling", then catchment, then sibling out of catchment. Others will have sibling first then catchment then a variety of other things eg church attendance if it is a church school. And yes you can find that if you live out of catchment your second and subsequent children get sent elsewhere even if they have a sibling at another school so if these are the criteria in your area, think long and hard about moving or attending an out of catchment school in the first place. However all of this only has an impact with oversubscribed schools - if there is enough space for your child at your preferred school then you will get in anyway.
My son's school has not previously been oversubscribed but this year has a waiting list so two children in his class (year 3) who live oout of catchment have siblings who have been allocated places elsewhere because they are too far down the list to get in. It would be just as ffrustrating to be unable to access your own catchment school because of it being full of children who live miles away just because they have an older sibling there.

Mrs_Soup

If you look on your council website there will be information about how and when to apply- (between November and January). You can do it all online these days.

Walk_Me_Home_Cheddar

My local authority's criteria is SEN / looked after children first, then siblings, then distance from the school as the crow flies (so in a sense there's no catchment area as such) until all of the places are filled.

Not sure how else it could be done differently?

jackomdj

Ours is the same as walk me home cheddars. Note though siblings is by distance as the crow flies, so if there are 60 places and more than 60 sen/looked after/siblings the siblings living furthest away as the crow flies will not get in.

schwam66

sister in laws is>>

1. foster/special needs children
2.children with older siblings living IN catchment area
3. other children in catchment area
4.children with older siblings in the school that live OUTSIDE of catchment area
5.children nearest the school the way the crow flies

crazy to me siblings arent kept together if the parent wants to drive 20 mintues to the school let them(if they outside catchment i mean)

tomtontom

schwam66 wrote: »

sister in laws is>>

1. foster/special needs children
2.children with older siblings living IN catchment area
3. other children in catchment area
4.children with older siblings in the school that live OUTSIDE of catchment area
5.children nearest the school the way the crow flies

crazy to me siblings arent kept together if the parent wants to drive 20 mintues to the school let them(if they outside catchment i mean)

Not crazy at all - siblings outside catchment should not take priority over only (or eldest) children living in the catchment. Why should the latter have to travel outside their catchment to accommodate someone further away? Any inconvenience for the out of catchment parents should have been considered when they moved away.

double_mummy

mine are at 2 different schools as we couldnt get my little one into the same school as her big brother as we live around 80m outside of the catchment and she went down as a sibling outside catchment - they didnt get much past the siblings in catchment

schwam66

tomtontom wrote: »

Not crazy at all - siblings outside catchment should not take priority over only (or eldest) children living in the catchment. Why should the latter have to travel outside their catchment to accommodate someone further away? Any inconvenience for the out of catchment parents should have been considered when they moved away.

each to their own i suppose, for me its crazy to think 1 goes to 1 school the other goes to another for me it makes sense to keep the children together, how do parents no the catchment area wont change? even if they havent moved the catchment area could be changed.......

moomoomama27

schwam66 wrote: »

each to their own i suppose, for me its crazy to think 1 goes to 1 school the other goes to another for me it makes sense to keep the children together, how do parents no the catchment area wont change? even if they havent moved the catchment area could be changed.......

I have three children, all now in different places of education. You just need to be organised to arrange morning drop offs.

I guess parents have 2 choices, move the children to a school with places for them all, or have school runs to different schools.